Executive Director

Maysam Ali is the Executive Director of the Stevens Initiative at the Aspen Institute.

Maysam rejoins the Aspen Institute after nearly a decade at Amazon Web Services, where she led the development of AWS’s education strategy across more than 20 countries. She helped education institutions navigate technology transformations, including leading efforts to support the transition to remote and hybrid learning during COVID and enabling education technology providers to scale their platforms as demand for online learning surged. More recently, she shaped AWS’s AI strategy for education, helping institutions deliver personalized learning and advance academic research.

Prior to AWS, Maysam spent 6 years at the Aspen Institute. In her earlier roles at Aspen, she was Deputy Director of Middle East Programs, where she directed the program’s work on Lebanon and Syria, including the Syrian conflict and its regional impact. Before that, she led Aspen’s Partners for a New Beginning program in Jordan and Libya building partnerships with business and civil society leaders to advance entrepreneurship and education across the region. 

Maysam is Treasurer of the Board of Teach For Lebanon. She holds a Master of Arts in International Economics and Middle East Studies from Johns Hopkins SAIS and a BA in Political Studies from the American University of Beirut. She lives in Washington, DC with her husband and son.