Emil Ismayilov

Emil comes to us with a wealth of experience in international development, working with refugees, pandemic-related federal loan and assistance programs, affordable housing and community development block grant programs, just to name a few. He was drawn to CU Strategic Planning for the opportunity to work with credit unions helping underserved communities and BIPOC and immigrant populations gain better access to financing and affordable housing and achieve financial inclusion.

He arrived in the US at age 20 as a refugee, having fled political persecution in his home of Azerbaijan due to his involvement in pro-democracy student protests. Once here, Emil earned a BA in Political Science from Baruch College and MA in International Affairs – Governance and Rights from the New School. He’s also been part of a leadership program studying free market economics in Universidad de Los Andes in Santiago and led student workshops on conflict resolution at the Czech Parliament in Prague as part of a program at Charles University in Prague. He’s worked for the United Nations, served as a disaster recovery specialist for the Small Business Administration and was program manager for the New York State Office of Resilient Homes and Communities.

Emil is an avid follower of world politics, as you might imagine, and speaks four languages: Azerbaijan, English, Turkish and Russian. In his down time, you’ll find him cooking new dishes, spending time with his cats and dog, or doing some gardening in the yard of his Queens, New York home.