The Wilmette Institute is delighted to welcome Dr. Shabnam Koirala Azad as its new Executive Director.
An accomplished educator, scholar, and academic leader, Dr. Koirala Azad brings more than two decades of experience in higher education, along with a deep commitment to learning as a means of contributing to social transformation. Her scholarship and leadership have explored the intersections of education, human rights, social justice, migration, global citizenship, and community engagement—areas that resonate strongly with the mission and educational work of the Wilmette Institute.
Before joining WI, Dr. Koirala Azad served at the University of San Francisco (USF) in a range of faculty and leadership roles, including department chair, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Strategic Initiatives, and Dean of the School of Education. When appointed Dean in 2017, she became the first woman to lead USF’s School of Education and the first dean of Nepali origin in the United States. During her time at USF, she also co-founded the university’s master’s program and doctoral concentration in Human Rights Education—the first programs of their kind in the country.
Born and raised in Nepal and a fourth-generation educator, Dr. Koirala Azad brings an international and intercultural perspective to her work. She earned a BA in Psychology and Education from Mount Holyoke College and a PhD in Social and Cultural Studies in Education from the University of California, Berkeley.
Throughout her career, Dr. Koirala Azad has sought to connect scholarship with action and education with the betterment of society. Her commitment to learning, human flourishing, and meaningful social change closely aligns with the Wilmette Institute’s efforts to foster learning and discourse on the application of Bahá’í principles to the needs of humanity.
Reflecting on her new role, Dr. Koirala Azad shared:
"I am excited to join the highly capable WI team as we work to develop the capacity to participate in academic discourse, particularly the discourse on social change, while also paying close atttion to the pedagogical methods and tools that will allow us to share these capacities and learnings with our university partners."
As Dr. Koirala Azad begins this new chapter with the Wilmette Institute, we warmly welcome her to the WI community and look forward to the experience, perspective, and leadership she will bring to the Institute’s continuing development.
Please join us in welcoming Dr. Shabnam Koirala Azad to the Wilmette Institute.
