Leadership & Team
The Center operates as an integrated international team, with units based in Tashkent and at Columbia University in New York, working jointly across all three program directions.
The Uzbekistan unit is housed within NASP and led by a Director and Deputy/Program Director. Three program units — Research, Education & Training, and Practice — carry out the Center's core activities on the ground, working closely with NASP, universities, social service institutions, Inson centers, and community partners across the country.
The Columbia University unit is based within the Social Intervention Group at Columbia University's School of Social Work. The unit is led by Program Director Lyudmila Kim, LCSW, who holds both operational and substantive leadership of the Center — overseeing strategic development, technical and methodological guidance, development of tools, protocols, and training programs, and ensuring the integrity and quality of the Center's work across all three program directions. Academic and institutional oversight is provided by Professor Nabila El-Bassel, University Professor and Director of SIG. The CSSW team provides academic and methodological input, supports the research agenda, coordinates international collaboration, and facilitates knowledge and expertise exchange across all three program directions.
The two units function as one international team — with shared leadership, coordinated planning, and joint accountability for the Center's goals and activities.