Muskie 2007 alumnus Tolkunbek Abdygulov (Master of Public Administration, University of North Texas [7]) was recently promoted to the position of State Secretary (First Deputy Minister) at the Ministry of Economic Regulations in Kyrgyzstan. “The opportunity to use my knowledge to make a difference in the life of a nation and make people’s lives better attracts me,” Abdygulov notes. “This profession enables me to make difference and be part of something big and valuable.”
Abdygulov is completing his PhD at the Economic Institute of the National Academy of Science, and his research interests include macroeconomic policy, development finance, development economics, and Islamic principles of finance. He has previously worked as an expert in the administration of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic and as Head of the Strategies and Program service at the Central Agency on Development, Investments and Innovations.
The Edmund S. Muskie Graduate Fellowship Program [8] is administered by IREX and funded by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the US Department of State [9].