Wynona Heim is the Program Manager for Thunderbird for Good, she  was  Program Coordinator for the 10,000 Women program in Kabul, Afghanistan since 2009,  Project Manager for Project Artemis, Afghanistan, 2010 and 2013: hosting and supporting women entrepreneurs from Afghanistan for two weeks of intensive business training and two years of professional mentorship. She was  Project Manager for Project Artemis, Pakistan, 2011: hosting 10 women entrepreneurs from Pakistan for two weeks of business training in partnership with the U.S. State Department, funded by Goldman Sachs.

Below is an interview of her about Afghanistan, Central and South Asia Educational systems and Economy.

FA:  Please tell us about yourself and your background?

WH: I earned a BA in International Business from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, USA in 2002, completing exchange studies with schools in California, Hawaii, and Germany during my college years. I spent six years working at Dartmouth College in IT and data management before matriculating to Thunderbird in 2007.  At Thunderbird, I graduated with honors as part of Thunderbird’s inaugural MA in Global Affairs and Management class in December of 2008 (Glendale, Arizona, USA).  While at Thunderbird, I served as President of the Germanic Cultures Club and was active in the International Development Association on campus, while emphasizing international development during my studies.  I worked as an intern, volunteer, and then Acting Director of the Tia Foundation, an Arizona non-profit which provides community health worker training and support in rural Mexico.  I grew up on farms and ranches in Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado, and have always loved horseback riding and the outdoors.  I have been married for 10 years now to my husband Jeremy, and we have three children together: Rhiannon, 8 years old; William, 6 years old; and Quinn, 3 years old.


FA: can you tell us about Thunderbird School of Global Management and the philosophy behind it?

WH: Thunderbird School of Global Management (Thunderbird) was started in 1946, and has always focused exclusively on educating global leaders in the intricacies of international management.  Global is not what we do – it is who we are.  Thunderbird was the first school to institute a Professional Oath of Honor for the management profession, recognizing that business leaders can create or destroy great wealth and prosperity within societies worldwide, bringing with the profession a great weight of social responsibility.  Thunderbird is consistently ranked #1 in the world for our International MBA curriculum, and has a close knit network of over 40,000 alumni working in more than 140 countries, including over 10 alumni currently working in Afghanistan in private, NGO, and government positions.

Thunderbird’s mission is to “educate global leaders who create sustainable prosperity worldwide.”  We believe that, in the words of our 2nd President “borders frequented by trade seldom need soldiers.”


The office that I work for, “Thunderbird for Good” is the social responsibility arm of Thunderbird, and our mission is to “create prosperity through business education for all.”  To accomplish this, we leverage Thunderbird’s expertise in international business education to provide scholars from disadvantaged backgrounds with business and management skills to fight poverty, secure peace, and improve living conditions in their communities.  Over 65,000 people have attended Thunderbird for Good trainings since we began with our first group of Afghan women in 2005.  Approximately 300 women and 9 men from Afghanistan have attended Thunderbird for Good trainings so far.  Another 15 women entrepreneurs will travel to Arizona in January of 2013 to participate in our 5th Project Artemis program.


FA:You have been  working on women's education programs in Afghanistan, how did you find working with Afghan women?

WH: I cannot express to you how much I love working with the women of Afghanistan.  By this point in my work, I consider many of them close friends, and think of the women of Afghanistan as my sisters in spirit.  The women of Afghanistan are bastions of strength and creativity.  Having to survive through over 30 years of various stages of war has made these women quick thinking, creative, and ever-hopeful for a brighter and more stable future for their communities, their nation, and the world around them. The women I work with inspire me daily with their successes, and put me in the enviable position to receive good news from Afghanistan almost every day, something that most Americans cannot even imagine.  I do my best to spread this good news so that the people in my country will know that progress is happening, and that we should continue to support the people of Afghanistan in ways that will help them grow economic output, create jobs, and increase security in the region.


FA: What do you look for in the projects and partners you work with?

WH: We try to identify projects and partners that will grow the capacity of the countries in which we work, whether that is Afghanistan, Malaysia, Peru, or elsewhere.  Thunderbird for Good would like nothing better than to find that one day countries such as Afghanistan have no need of a program like Project Artemis or 10,000 Women, because they have the ability to run and fund these top quality programs themselves.  We strive to impart knowledge and provide tools to the people that we train that they can use to grow their own businesses, and also to mentor and teach others in their networks, thereby increasing the knowledge and educational capacity within those countries.  This is critical – there is no way that any charitably funded program can reach every man, woman, or child within a nation.


FA: what is the social media's role in your career? How much do you use it and how?

WH: I utilize social media every day.  We have accounts dedicated to our work at Thunderbird, and a twitter account dedicated specifically to Project Artemis.  I post on these accounts daily, as well as utilizing Linked In to connect with other business and development professionals all over the world.  We use social media to help get the ‘good’ word out, and to attract donors and funders to our work, as well as to keep Thunderbird alumni and the business community informed about key issues.

 
Website: www.thunderbird.edu/t4g

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Thunderbird.for.Good

Twitter: @TbirdforGood and @ProjectArtemis

FA: Can social media influence cultural communications and negotiations?

WH: We have found that it already does.  Because of social media, we are able to stay in much closer contact with our scholars, and that allows us to keep better abreast of their challenges, needs, and successes.  Social media has created a ‘common language’ of sorts, especially among the younger generations, and has enabled people from even the most remote locations to be “linked” “friended” or “followed” with/by other individuals and organizations from all over the world.

Just look at the difference that social media made in the “Arab Spring” protests.  No longer can governments violently crack down on their populations without those acts coming to light in youtube videos and twitter/facebook pictures and postings.  Social media has the potential to be a great catalyst for freedom of expression and justice all over the world by drastically increasing the ability of the everyday citizen to bring injustices and points of view to light.  It has also dramatically increased the “transparency” of the world.


FA: Where do you see the future of developing countries like Afghanistan? Do you think social media can help improve their economy and education system specially for women?

WH: I think that you cannot generalize – each country will live its own future, dependent on the political leadership and surrounding historical factors that they must live through.  Afghanistan has its own set of unique challenges, as does Egypt, Haiti, and other developing countries.


That said, I think that the “development community” is getting smarter and more inclusive – bringing in more government and private entities who bring critical knowledge, skillsets, and perspectives to the field.  I hope that this will make us all smarter and more effective.  The focus must be on creating systems and abilities within these nations that will allow them to grow and build on their own, not be stuck into a cycle of dependency that can kill innovation and growth potential.


I do believe that social media is and can continue to help improve the economies and educational systems in these countries.  Look at the difference that just having access to current market prices via a cell phone can make to a small farmer – it is a game changer.  Teachers having access to networks of other educators, not to mention the wealth of knowledge available online cannot help but improve the capabilities of an education system as a whole.  I think that Afghanistan in particular has hit a tipping point in the pervasiveness of social media and technology.  With over 50% of Afghan adults having a cell phone, information can no longer be hoarded by those with power and access, and this gives that power they once held to the everyday Afghan citizen.  


FA: As you have experience working with Entrepreneurship and Small Business education in Afghanistan, can Central and South Asia be the cradle of a new economic growth with its cultural and economic diversity? If yes how?

WH: Yes, yes, yes!  Afghanistan has been a center of economic activities for millennia via the Silk Road and supporting trade routes.  I think the United States is great proof that diversity brings strength to a country and an economy.  It takes many different points of view and skillsets to make any business successful.  I hope that Afghanistan continues to embrace it’s diversity, learns to love each other for that diversity, and unleashes the powerful potential that lies all over the nation.


FA: How do you see the future of Afghan women Entrepreneur in Afghanistan?
That is a difficult question at the present – the nearing drawdown of NATO troops and the upcoming elections in 2014 place a big shroud of uncertainty over the fragile wellbeing of the nation.  Much progress must be made in fairly enforcing law and order in order to attract investment and enable the continued growth of the economy.

 
WH: The women of Afghanistan have shown themselves to be resilient, running businesses even during the height of the Taliban regime, such as Kamela Sidiqi’s tailoring business in Kabul, whose story is told in the book “The Dressmaker of Khair Khana” by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon (Kamela is also an Artemis graduate).  I wouldn’t expect this perseverance to stop – ever.  Women owned businesses will continue no matter what the situation, but whether or not they are allowed to grow and prosper sustainably will depend on the wider security situation.
 

I have the highest of hopes, though, that women such as yourself, Kamela, and the hundreds of other Afghan women we have worked with have created a ‘critical mass’ of empowered and educated women who will be a bastion of calm and stability against any coming tide of violence and insecurity.


Someday I hope to bring my entire family to your beautiful country, stay in a hotel owned by a woman, eat at restaurants owned and staffed by women and men alike, and purchase needed supplies from Afghan owned and run businesses all over the country.  And then I will be able to share with my family the beauty and unsurpassed hospitality of Afghanistan and its people… and visit my many dear friends and sisters along the way.