Layla Sekari, Consultant/Training Coordinator

Layla Sekari

Consultant/Training Coordinator

ICARDA

Location
United States
Education
Bachelor's degree, English Literature
Experience
21 years, 8 Months

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Work Experience

Total years of experience :21 years, 8 Months

Consultant/Training Coordinator at ICARDA
  • Jordan - Amman
  • January 2013 to November 2013

January-November 2013: Consultant for Wheat Productivity Improvement Training Years 2, IRAQ (JICA)

As a consultant, I was responsible for preparing all the necessary logistic arrangements of training activities pre-, post and during training courses that are funded by JICA and other donors, including travel of scientists, accommodation, visas, per diem, payments, follow up on trainees’ performance during and at the end of the course; conduct training course and trainer’s evaluations; arrange field trips (regional and international) for training participants, students and employees and follow-up on the financial issue of trainees participating in regional and international conferences.

Also, I worked for the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD) scholarship of 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 (M.Sc. and Ph.D.) degrees. I was responsible for all the logistic arrangements of the students and preparing acceptance letters for the new applicants in coordination with the head of CDU.

I played an outstanding role as senior administrator for the CDU, I was responsible for all the office affairs, including airlines tickets and visas issuing, hotel reservation, transport arrangements, procurement, furnishing the office, providing office supplies and training material for trainees and students.

Director of Relations, Minister's office at Ministry of Planning
  • Iraq - Erbil
  • March 2007 to December 2009

March 2007 - December 31, 2009: Director of Relations for the Minister of Planning Office, Kurdistan Regional Government, Erbil-Iraq. My responsibilities were:

•In-charge of the administrative affairs of the minister's office;
•Committee Member of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Collaborative Program in Research and Capacity Building between the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq and the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA);
•Assisting the Senior Advisor of the Minister in the strategic planning program and training programs of the civil servants on capacity building and management;
•Conducting training courses on administration and secretarial affairs to the secretaries of the KRG ministers;
•In-charge of the Ministry of Planning website, editing Arabic language articles and translating from Arabic to English and from English to Arabic;
•Preparing periodic reports on timely bases;
•Maintain proper records and documents, according to the minister supervision;
•Translating the communication (English to Arabic and Arabic to English) for the Minister’s visitors and delegations;
•Preparing the minister presentations;

Senior Secretary-Office Manager-Administrator at icarda
  • Syria - Aleppo
  • September 1987 to July 2005

•Organizing all logistic arrangements for workshops, meetings, seminars and lectures; Manage the schedule of activities for the Head of (HRD);
•Maintain coded systems for HRD and all documents and records of the training participants;
•Budgetary accounting for office supplies, training participants' housing, transportation and other training materials;
•Translate the communication (Arabic to English and English to Arabic);
•Supervise all junior secretaries, technicians permanently or temporarily assigned to the HRD, around 20 staff members;
•Typing correspondence related to training activities and courses;
•Typing reports, lectures and manuals;
•Preparing invitation letters, brochures, handouts for the training participants who were participating in headquarter, in-country, regional and international training courses;
•Preparing contracts for ICARDA visitors and Graduate Research Training Program (M.Sc. and Ph.D.) degrees program;
•Organizing cultural and recreational trips for the trainees
•Communicating with the ICARDA outreach offices to solicit information, arrange appointments and provide information on the training activities of the Center.
•Coordinating with the National Agricultural Research Centers (NARC)of the Arabian Peninsula Countries for nominating participants in the training courses;
•Preparing and typing all the related correspondences including, invitation letters, preparing for issuing air tickets, entry visas, hotel and/or guest house reservation, .etc;
•Preparing certificates for training participants and other training materials;
•Organizing opening and closing ceremonies for training courses that conducted in the center;
•Oversaw all the junior staff members in the Training Coordination Unit (TCU)
Preparing brochures, certificates, handouts and slides for the training participants

Education

Bachelor's degree, English Literature
  • at Faculty of Art, Aleppo University
  • February 1988

N/A

Specialties & Skills

Training Coordination
Translation
Office Work
Microsoft Software
Administration
Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
translation
Office Manager,

Languages

Arabic
Expert
English
Expert
Kurdish
Beginner

Hobbies

  • reading, traveling, work-out, internet search, trip organizer, exhibition organizer
    During my work in ICARDA, I was member in the regional trip committee and I organized a regional trips for ICARDA Staff member and for the scholarship students. In addition I was an active member in the Sport and Social Club of ICARDA. I was responsible for organizing exhibitions, cultural nights, graduation parties for ICARDA staff members and their families.