Jihan has been a consistent leader in the community of Fargo-Moorhead, which lies on the border of North Dakota and Minnesota. She has dedicated her life to her family, her community and to the homeland of her birth, Kurdistan.

Jihan works tirelessly to help better the lives of immigrants and minorities in her community by organizing business leaders, non-profits and the media to come together to support her vision. She empowers women, and proves by example that women who lead are not only effective, but bring with them a passion to see through any challenge.

As a proud supporter of her homeland Kurdistan, Jihan has proven herself on the international stage by reaching out to, and maintaining ties with those who share her vision for a greater Kurdistan. She believes in the sanctity of the land, its beauty, resources, and rich history.

With her primary focus on environmental protection, Jihan is one of the great driving forces dedicated to the improvment of Kurdistan, and as a result, will serve to empower others around the world to rise up to the challenge of taking care of our entire planet.

Work Experience:

• December 2022-Present: Board Member at the Presbyterian Church U.S.A.
• November 2022-Present: Works at Fargo Gateway Lions Club
• October 2022-Present: Project Director at the Immigrant Development Center
• September 2022-Present: Human Rights Consultant
• August 2021-Present: Committe Member at FM Area Foundation
• October 2014-Present: Translator/Interpreter Independent Contractor
• November 2009-Present: Community Organizer at Kurdish Community of America
• March 2007-2014: Financial Counselor and Patient Account Representative at Sanford Health

Fowzia Adde has been the Director of the Immigrant Development Center since 2003 and carries the vision and mission of the organization to the community with a strong voice.

Fowzia was born in Mogadisho, Somalia in 1976. She finished high school in Kenya. She then went to nursing school and became a RN nurse. After that, she worked for the UN and then came to United States in 1997. She worked for 4 years for Omni Network.

 

She started working for Immigrant Development Center (IDC) since 2003 until now. As a multilingual social entrepreneur herself, Fowzia works with other immigrants from the community to help them overcome barriers and realize their dreams of self-employment. The Immigrant Development Center (IDC), a business-development nonprofit headquartered in Moorhead, brings those barriers down, one lesson, loan or lease at a time. The mission of IDC is to build capacity of business and economic skills within the immigrant population, ultimately leading to economic self-sufficiency. IDC helps low income refugees and the new American population by providing them assistance and training in starting their own small businesses and or obtaining jobs pertaining to their skills.

She recently raised funds to purchase and renovate a building to open the International Market Plaza (IMP), an indoor mall just outside downtown Fargo where business owners can rent a small storefront or office space. The IMP is a multi-cultural shopping experience that brings the world to Fargo! The IMP gives immigrants of the Fargo-Moorhead community the opportunity to pursue their passions and attain a better quality of life through their businesses.

Rundik Barwari is a Kurdish rights activist and is passionate about helping to work towards a better Kurdistan. Her goal is to become a child psychologist and go back home to bring awareness to mental health and help her people. Rundik was born in Fargo, North Dakota and raised in San Diego, California.

.Experience

• Feb 2022-Present Currently a behavior intervention specialist and behavior therapist for Coronado Unified School district
• Nov 2021-Present Behavioural Therapist at MeBe
• June 2019-Nov 2021 Behavioural Therapist at California Psychcare
• Was president of the Kurdish American Youth Org SD chapter and a member of the KAYO USA chapter.
• Member of Kurdish Women's Association
• Was a board Member of the Kurdish Community Center of Southern California
• Bachelor's degree in psychology
• Currently a behavior intervention specialist and behavior therapist for Coronado Unified School district

Education

• BS, Civil Engineering, University of Duhok, Kurdistan, Iraq, 2013
• NCEES Credential Evaluation

Professional Registration

• Professional Engineer: Missouri
• IDOT Documents of Contract Quantities
• MoDOT Local Public Agency (LPA) Basic Training Certified
• Flex-Pipe Installation Training
• Lokring Fittings (Cold Weld) Certified Instructor

Certification

• MetroLink Track Access Training – Tier 1 (ML System Safety) and Tier 2 (Flagging/Radio)

Continuing Education

• Concrete Field-Testing Technician- Grade 1, American Concrete institute (ACI), July 15, 2020
• Aggregate Testing Technician- Grade 1, American Concrete institute (ACI), May 1, 2020
• Documentation of Contract Quantities, Illinois Center for Transportation & IDOT, February 1, 2020

Representative Project Experience

• I-69, Segment 6.4 for the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) – Responsible for maintenance of traffic, plan preparation and quantity calculations, Underdrain schedules and quantity calculations, pavement markings, and temporary erosion control. The project involved construction of I-69, North of Stones Crossing Rd to approximately 0.1 Mile south of Fairview Rd.
• Sanitary Relief, 82nd Street to I-170 for the City of University City, Missouri – Construction Inspector for the construction of approximately 5,928 lineal feet of pipe sewers, varying in size from 15 inches to 30 inches in diameter, and appurtenances to be constructed in the area located west of 82nd Street.
• North Lafayette Street Reconstruction for the City of Florissant, Missouri – Construction Inspector of roadway improvement in a downtown historic district approximately 0.5 miles of a road along N Lafayette Street. The project involved roadway resurfacing, new curb-and-gutter, storm sewer system, ADA compliant curb ramps and sidewalks, and improved access management in the commercial segments.
• Pearl Street Pavement Resurfacing and Sidewalk Addition for Godfrey, Illinois – Resident Engineer for the Village during the construction phase. The project involved roadway resurfacing, new ADA compliant curb ramp, sidewalk, and construction of Modular Concrete Block.
• Gateway Commerce Center Dive – Traffic Signs Study for IDOT – Project Engineer responsible for development of preliminary concept plans and cost estimates for the traffic signs along Chain of Rocks Rd and State Route 111 and Gateway Commerce Center Drive using SignCAD.
• Surface Transportation Program (STP Application) of N Geyer Rd for City of Kirkwood, Missouri – Roadway Engineer responsible for development of STP Application for Phase 3 of N Geyer Rd between Huntleigh Trails Lane and Huntleigh Manor Ln. The application involved an existing pavement evaluation (PASER Rating), cost estimates, crash rate calculation, and identifying existing safety hazard.

 

• Surface Transportation Program (STP Application) of N Sappington Rd for City of Glendale, Missouri – Roadway Engineer responsible for development of STP Application for N Sappington Rd between Manchester Rd and W Lockwood Ave. The application involved an existing pavement evaluation (PASER Rating), cost estimates, crash rate calculation, and identifying existing safety hazard.
• Drainage Improvements for City of Glendale, Missouri – Project Engineer responsible for preparing preliminary plans, final plans, and cost estimate for City of Glendale’s City Hall. The project included construction of new concrete swale, stormwater drainage, and new fence along the east side of City Hall.
• Rehabilitation of Existing Storm Sewer and Sanitary Sewer Manholes for MSD – Project Coordinator responsible for coordinating Cementitious lining activities, reviewing drawings and specifications for client requirement for construction, coordinating with client’s project managers and superintendents on scheduling and planning field operations, evaluating projects for constructability and value-engineering cost saving, and monitoring project costs and reporting to principals on the progress toward project completion.
• Khor-mor Gas Plant Facility for Crescent Petroleum and Dana Gas – Project Engineer responsible for on-site observation and inspection of construction activities for construction of concrete foundation, traffic control plans, lighting equipment, steel structures, lightening towers, retaining walls, inside facility road work, drainage structures, earth work, and also necessary paperwork including daily inspection report, weekly, monthly progress report, and invoicing.
• Gas Plus Khalakan- Oil Early Production Facility Construction – Project Engineer responsible for on-site observation and inspection of civil and structural construction activities, including massive oil storage tanks, water ponds, concrete slab foundations. Inside facility roads, traffic control plans, drainage structures and ditches, retaining walls, lightening towers, lighting equipment foundations, pipe racks and concrete sleepers for steel structure and pipes, constructing 5 miles of 60” pipelines, including daily inspection report, daily, weekly and monthly progress report and invoices.
• Bejil -1B Oil Early Production Facility Upgrade for MOL Kalegran – Project Engineer responsible for upgrade of existing facility from 5000 bpd to 25000 bpd. The project consisted of constructing concrete foundation for the new equipment and relocating the existing one, a new flare stack and guy anchor foundations, rest and loading area for oil tankers, road work, traffic control plans, drainage culverts, cut and fill work, water ponds, and construction and operation camp construction, including necessary paperwork.
• ST-1 Oil Early Production Facility Upgrade for HKN Energy – Project Engineer responsible for upgrading existing facility from 5000 bpd to 20000 bpd. The project consisted of construction concrete foundations for the new equipment and relocated equipment, and 2 massive oil storage tanks, new truck loading area, weigh station, storm drainage structures, road work inside the facility, operation camp, traffic control plan, lightening towers, retaining walls, and necessary paperwork.
• Summail Central Processing Gas Facility for DNO – Construction Engineer responsible for onsite observation, inspection of construction activities project timeline scheduling, quality control for all construction activities including construction of concrete foundations, drainage structures and ditches, erosion control and road work inside the facility, traffic control plans, and construction of 8 miles 40” pipeline and necessary paperwork and documentation.

 

Gulistan Balata

Ms. Delveen Tahir is currently the Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Pacific Disability Program Manager and Reasonable Accommodations Coordinator.  Ms. Tahir obtained her Bachelor’s in Social Work and a Master’s in Rehabilitation Counseling with an emphasis in Rehabilitation Technology from San Diego State University. Ms. Tahir obtained her Health and Wellness Coaching certification from Georgetown University Institute for Transformational Leadership.

Ms. Tahir is a powerful force in the workplace and uses her positive attitude and tireless energy to encourage others to work hard and succeed.

She is a firm believer that volunteering is the resource with the greatest potential for continued growth. She continues to be inspired by volunteering in her community and provides her valuable time to causes that improve the greater good.

If you would like to learn more about Ms. Tahir, please visit the website below:
Life and Work with Delveen Tahir