Omar Ismail was born in the Darfur region of Sudan. He has spent over 25 years working both independently and with international organizations on relief efforts and human rights. He currently works as Senior Policy Adviser to several agencies working in crisis management and conflict resolution in Africa. He was a Fellow at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University’s Carr Center for Human Rights Policy. He was also a Edward Mason Fellow at the Kennedy School, where he earned MPA.