Omar Bandar

Bandar_Omar@hotmail.com
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PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:

New England Real Estate, Inc. & RILO, LLC
, Cambridge, MA  12/00-1/03; 9/08-Present
Property Manager

     ·  
Serve as Property Manager, Account Manager, and Facilities Supervisor for several
         commercial properties in the Greater Boston area

     ·  
Primary lead in tenant relations, lease, and vendor negotiations
     ·  
Responsible for operations budget management and the presentation of quarterly
          and end of year budget reports

City of Cambridge, City Councillor Marjorie C. Decker                                   8/08-2/10
Council Aide

·   Served as the Councillor’s representative by providing Cambridge residents with constituent services and representing her office at official and community meetings

·   Performed research and liaised with other city departments to assist Councillor Decker to serve as an informational resource to community groups and neighborhood associations

·   Coordinated issue-specific community meetings and Committee hearings; provide timely reports and updates to the Councilor on city, national, and international issues

     ·   Served as Councillor Decker’s representative on the International Association of       
         Peace Messenger Cities (IAPMC) Executive Board & General Assembly


City of Cambridge,
Mayor Kenneth E. Reeves                                                  2/06-1/08
Special Assistant to the Mayor

·   Project manager and community forum coordinator for Mayoral initiatives such as the CORI Education Forum and the Cambridge Neighborhood Safety Task Force

·   Worked with various city departments and business associations as coordinator for Cambridge’s participation in the BIO International Convention

·   Represented the Mayor’s Office at official functions and various speaking events


Native Affairs & Development Group
, Washington, DC                                   4/05-8/05
Business Development Researcher (Independent Consultant)

·   Represented NADG in the submission of inquiries to tribal governments

·   Researched reservation/tribe-specific economic development opportunities

·   Reported to the Chickasaw Ambassador on relevant Congressional activities 


Prisons Foundation
, Washington, DC                                                                9/04-7/05
Director, Arts Division (Independent Consultant)

·   Managed division public relations and outreach

·   Managed division budget and volunteer human resources

·   Oversaw compliance with State/Federal correctional institution regulations


Delphi International, World Learning
, Washington, DC                                 3/04-11/04
Program Associate

·   Organized International Visitors’ Programs for the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs

·   Represented Delphi as liaison between delegations and host organizations

·   Researched and identified appropriate program components  


Best Buddies International, Bethlehem, PA                                                        1/99-12/00

Northampton Community College (NCC) Buddy Director

·   Served as the NCC Best Buddies public relations contact

·   Conducted NCC BB meetings and oversaw chapter requirement compliance

·   Managed volunteer human resources



EDUCATION:

American Graduate School of International Relations and Diplomacy, Paris, France

Master of Arts, International Relations and Diplomacy. February 2006

Masters Thesis: Masters thesis analyzed the region of West Africa, focusing on: regional and global demographics, environmental degradation, resource scarcity, disease proliferation, as well as interstate and intrastate violent conflict.
HONORS:    Magna Cum Laude

Johns Hopkins University, SAIS, Washington, DC
    Certificate in International Studies, December 2005


Bentley College, Waltham, MA

Bachelor of Science, Management. May 2002

HONORS:    Magna Cum Laude

Dean’s List

President’s List


Northampton Community College, Bethlehem, PA

Associate of Arts, Business Administration. December 2000

HONORS:    Dean’s List

Certificate of Appreciation for Outstanding Service


Brandeis University, Waltham, MA

Summer 1998

Sociology of Deviance




ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:


·  
CORI Reform: Participated in initiatives advocating for the reform of Massachusetts’ Criminal Offender Record Information law, including the coordination of the Cambridge CORI Education Forum, organized Cambridge city government’s participation in CORI reform rallies, presented at the Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School on the impact of CORI law, and worked to advance a Cambridge City ordinance that would mandate fair use of CORI in hiring practices for city vendors.

·   Regional European Criminal Justice Project: With the objective of producing comparative study articles and a book on the project, I completed a 50 day, eleven country, European tour of governmental and nongovernmental organizations that operate in the criminal justice and human/prisoners’ rights fields.  In addition to having the opportunity to visit European prisons and speak with prisoners during this study I also met with representatives, scholars, and government officials of the following organizations: Penal Reform International; Kings College, Center for International Prison Studies; Howard League for Penal Reform; Prison Reform Trust; Prison Health Care Practitioners; Scottish Prison Service; Sarpsborg Prison, Norway; Norwegian Parliament, Justice Committee & Ministry of Finance; European Prison Education Association; Murru Prison, Estonia; Estonian Ministry of Justice; Latvia State Probation Services; Latvian Center for Human Rights; Daugavpils Prison and Grivas Prison, Latvia; The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, Strategic Police Matters Unit; UN Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute; Association for the Prevention of Torture; Prison Fellowship International; Max Planck Institute for Foreign & International Criminal Law; Council of Europe, Committee for the Prevention of Torture; Dutch Probation Service; Defense for Children International; and others.

·   International Association of Peace Messenger Cities: As Councillor Marjorie Decker’s representative, I had the opportunity to attend the 2008 Executive Board meeting in Suwon, South Korea, the 2008 General Assembly in Sochi, Russia, and the 2009 Executive Board meeting in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. As a representative on the Executive Board I was able to petition the Board and other IAPMC members to debate and pass IAPMC resolutions regarding human rights issues such as military aggression against civilians, the need for international attention for the treatment of prisoners, and for elected city officials to petition their countries’ leaders to support the United Nations’ Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture.

·   People to People Delegation to the West Bank: As a participant in a people-to-people public diplomacy effort to the West Bank I had the opportunity to meet with representatives from various human rights organizations, peace and cultural organizations, refugee centers, governmental bodies, as well as with prisoners’ rights advocates. I have since been able to present in educational forums about my participation in the project. 

·   Life abroad/graduate studies focus: Lived for 14 months in Paris, France, while attending graduate school. Masters thesis analyzed the theory of “global anarchy,” specifically focusing on the region of West Africa and the subjects of regional and global demographics, interstate and intrastate violent conflict, cross border regional crime, environmental degradation, resource scarcity, and disease proliferation.

·   Memberships Include: The United Nations Association of the United States of America and the Business Council for the United Nations; The American Civil Liberties Union; The World Affairs Council; The Sierra Club; The Smithsonian Institution; The Beta Gamma Sigma Honors Society.

·   Languages: Speak intermediate level French, currently studying Arabic