Humphrey Fellowship Program

Our Team

Padideh Ala’i

Director, Humphrey Fellowship Program

Padideh Ala’i is a Professor of Law at American University Washington College of Law (WCL). She specializes in international economic law, law of the World Trade Organization (WTO), and comparative legal traditions. She teaches international trade law and comparative law. Professor Alai’s scholarship has concentrated on the history of free trade, transparency obligations of the WTO and their implications on internal domestic transparency, universalizing the administrative state through the multilateral trading system, as well as good governance and evolution of international anti-corruption norms.

Her recent publications include Research Handbook on Transparency (eds. with Robert Vaughn, Edward Elgar Publishing), “Transparency in International Economic Relations and the Role of the WTO” in Research Handbook on Transparency (with Matthew D’Orsi, Edward Elgar Publishing), “Climate Change Innovation, Products and Services Under the GATT/WTO System” in Research Handbook on Intellectual Property and Climate Change (with David Gantz, Edward Elgar Publishing), and “Civil Consequences of Corruption in International Commercial Contracts” in American Journal of Comparative Law.

KARIN EDWARDS

Assistant Director, Humphrey Fellowship Program

Karin Edwards is the Assistant Director of the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program. In this capacity, she manages the Humphrey Fellowship Program and oversees its daily operations. Prior to joining AUWCL, she worked as a Student Affairs Professional within the Office of the Dean of Students at American University. Before that, Ms. Edwards worked as a Fellow for the English Language Program at the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and served as a Peace Corps TEFL Instructor in Chongqing, China. Karin is a graduate of American University School of International Studies and adjunct Professor at Baker School of Education. She has worked extensively with youth and adult learners through non-profit ESL/literacy programs. She enjoys walking trails, traveling and learning about other cultures.

NINO CHIKHLADZE (NINA) | Program Assistant, Humphrey Fellowship Program

Nino Chikhladze holds a master’s degree in public law and policy from Ilia State University in Tbilisi, Georgia. She is an LL.M. candidate in International Legal Studies at American University Washington College of Law (AUWCL), where she also works as an Impact Litigation Fellow at the Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law. She is deeply committed to advancing human rights and the rule of law, strengthening democratic institutions, and supporting effective policy solutions. Nino has developed a diverse skill set primarily through her work with civil society organizations.

Previously, she spent three years examining Georgia’s judiciary and its structural challenges, political loyalty, corruption, and the tension between corporatism and judicial integrity. She completed a flagship traineeship at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, where she worked closely on the execution of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights. She also has experience working as a legal assistant, providing legal support to low-income clients, internally displaced persons, and other vulnerable groups. In addition, she has firsthand experience monitoring court hearings in politically sensitive cases.

Nino has extensive volunteer experience in youth engagement and has participated in several professional development initiatives, including the Summer Program on Advanced Studies in Human Rights and Humanitarian Law at Washington College of Law in Washington, D.C.