Professor Sheikha Abdulla Al-Misnad, a leading Qatari educator for nearly three decades, has occupied numerous and prestigious positions in teaching, administration, and research, assuming the presidency of Qatar University in 2003. Prior to that date, she served Qatar University as Vice President for Research and Community Development (2000-2003), Head of the Department of Foundations of Education (1992-1995), and as a member of the University Council (1986-1989; 1998-2004).

Professor Al-Misnad received her undergraduate training at Qatar University where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Education (1977), and subsequently a diploma in Education in 1978. She then enrolled in doctoral studies at Durham University in the United Kingdom, where she was granted the title of Doctor of Philosophy in Education in 1984.

Professor Al-Misnad became active in research pertaining to education in the Gulf area in general, and education pertaining to women in particular during her graduate studies at the University of Durham. Her doctoral dissertation on “The Development of Modern Education in the Gulf States with Special Reference to Women's Education” was subsequently published by Ithaca Press (London) in 1985. Despite her administrative duties and community involvement, Professor Al-Misnad has written more than 50 articles published in professional journals and presented at leading conferences and seminars.

Professor Al-Misnad's involvement in educational reform is not limited to her duties at Qatar University. For many years, she has played a key role in the reform of primary, secondary, and private education in Qatar. As a member of the Board of Directors of Qatar Foundation for Education Science and Community Development since 1999, she has been instrumental in the governance and leadership of the educational institutions comprising Education City, foremost among which are Qatar Academy and The Learning Center. As an ex-officio member of the Board of Governors of both institutions, she has seen Qatar Academy flourish into an accredited international school enrolling nearly 800 students from the pre-school to secondary school levels. The Learning Center was established as an educationally conducive environment that provides an option to average or above-average students with learning difficulties.

At the international level, Professor Al-Misnad is a member of several prestigious bodies and delegations. For example, she was a contributing member of the Steering Committee of the Symposium at the UNESCO World Conference on Higher Education Applicability to the Arab States of the Gulf, held in Doha on December 5-7, 1999. Since June 2004, she has been a selected member of the United Nations University Council (UNU). Professor Al-Misnad’s long and illustrious record in education has gained her a wide and esteemed reputation not only in Qatar,but also in the Arab Gulf region and international arenas. She was recently awarded an honorary doctorate in Civil Law by Durham University in recognition of her "Outstanding achievements in the field of education" in January 2008.

Professor Dr. Emil Constantinescu served as the President of Romania from 1996-2000. During his time as head of state, Dr. Constantinescu targeted corruption and was an advocate for human rights and the rule of law. Dr. Constantinescu is also a university professor, scientist, and writer who was previously the President of Bucharest University and Chairman of the National Council of Romanian Universities’ Rectors from 1992-1996. Dr. Constantinescu has published 12 books and more than 60 scientific studies.

Since 2001, Dr. Constantinescu has been a member of the International Board of the East West Institute, the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy, and the International Centre for Democratic Transition, among others.

He received his Bachelor of Laws and his Bachelor of Geology from the University of Bucharest, and holds a Ph.D. in Geology.

Dr. Ashraf Ghani co-founded the Institute for State Effectiveness in 2005 to develop innovative approaches to the issue of state functionality in the contemporary world. In 2001 as Adviser to the United Nations Secretary General, Dr. Ghani advised on the Bonn Agreement, a provisional arrangement in Afghanistan pending the re-establishment of permanent government institutions. Dr. Ghani was credited with a series of successful reforms as Afghanistan’s Finance Minister, including reform of the treasury, customs, budget, and the currency. He prepared Afghanistan’s first “National Development Framework and Securing Afghanistan’s Future,” a $28 billion reconstruction program for the country.

As Chancellor of Kabul University, he instituted a style of participatory governance to enlist the students in managing their university’s transformation. Dr. Ghani is involved on the advisory boards of the Commission on the UN High-Level Panel on Legal Empowerment of the Poor, Brookings Institution’s Project on Global Insecurity, and the Atlantic Council.

Dr. Ghani was educated at American University Beirut and Columbia University, where he received his Ph.D. He taught at Johns Hopkins and Berkeley Universities before joining the World Bank. He recently wrote a book with Clare Lockhart, Fixing Failed States, published by Oxford University Press.

Mr. William C. Hubbard is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the World Justice Project. He is a partner in the Columbia, South Carolina office of the law firm Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP, heading the Business Litigation and Employment Law Group.

In August 2010, Mr. Hubbard completed a two-year term as Chair of the American Bar Association’s House of Delegates, the second highest elected position in the 400,000 member organization. Mr. Hubbard now serves as President of the American Bar Foundation, the nation's leading research institute for the empirical study of law. He is a past president and current board member of the American Bar Endowment.

Mr. Hubbard is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the American Board of Trial Advocates, the American Judicature Society, the John Belton O’Neall Inn of Court, and the Richland County Bar Association. He is a permanent member of the United States Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference. Mr. Hubbard has served on the Board of Trustees of the University of South Carolina since 1986 and served as Chairman of the Board from 1996-2000.

In 2002, Mr. Hubbard was presented the Order of the Palmetto, the highest civilian award presented by a South Carolina Governor. In 2007, Mr. Hubbard received the American Inns of Court Professionalism Award for the United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit.

Mr. Hubbard earned his J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of South Carolina.

Mr. Mondli Makhanya is the Editor in Chief of Avusa Media, one of South Africa’s largest newspaper companies, as well as the chairman of the South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) and the deputy chairman of the All Africa Editors’ Forum.

William H. Neukom is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the World Justice Project. He is a partner in the Seattle office of the international law firm, K&L Gates. He is Chairman Emeritus of the San Francisco Baseball Associates, L.P., the ownership group of the San Francisco Giants major league baseball team (having served as its CEO from 2008 to 2011). He is a past president of the American Bar Association (2007-08) and trustee emeritus of Dartmouth College (Chair 2004-07).

Mr. Neukom served as the lead lawyer for Microsoft Corporation from 1978 to 2002. As executive vice president of Law and Corporate Affairs, Mr. Neukom managed Microsoft’s legal, government affairs, and philanthropic activities. Mr. Neukom led Microsoft’s efforts to establish, distribute, and protect intellectual property rights around the world, and also led Microsoft's defense of antitrust claims brought by the United States and the European Union. Under Mr. Neukom, Microsoft also initiated the Microsoft Giving Campaign, the Microsoft Matching Gifts Program, the Microsoft Volunteer Program, and Libraries on Line.

Mr. Neukom has served on many organizations, including: the Dean’s Council at Stanford Law School, the Gates Challenge Endowment Campaign of the United Way of King County, the Pacific Council on International Policy, and the Policy Consensus Center. In 1995, Mr. Neukom and his four children founded the Neukom Family Foundation, which supports not-for-profit organizations principally in the fields of health, human services, education, justice, and the environment.

Mr. Neukom earned his LL.B. from Stanford University and received his A.B. from Dartmouth College.

Justice Ellen Gracie Northfleet served as Chief Justice of the Federal Supreme Court of Brazil from 2006 to 2008. In 2000, she became the first woman to be appointed to the Federal Supreme Court of Brazil.

In addition to serving as Chief Justice, she has been Vice-President of the Federal Electoral Court and President of the National Judicial Council. Over a legal career spanning more than 30 years, Justice Northfleet has served in a number of roles. She began her career as a Federal Attorney with the Ministerio Publico Federal in 1973, after which she entered the bench as a Judge of the Federal Court of Appeals, where she was a member of the Regulations Committee and the Continuing Education Committee. She has also been a member of the Administration Board, Chief Judge, and Member of the Regional Electoral Court.

Justice Northfleet is also a member of the board of the Global Legal Information Network; a member of the International Association of Women Judges; Founding Director of the Escola Superior da Advocacia, a lawyer’s continuing education program; and a member of Instituto dos Advagados. She was a Fulbright Scholar at American University, where she specialized in Administration of Justice. She also served as Jurist in Residence at the Law Library of Congress.

Justice Northfleet was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and holds an A.B. degree from the Law School of Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul and a M.ABD in Social Anthropology from the same university.

Mr. James R. Silkenat is Vice President and Member of the Board of Directors of the World Justice Project. He is a Partner in the New York office of Sullivan & Worcester LLP, where he is a member of the corporate department. Mr. Silkenat has extensive experience in international mergers and acquisitions and joint venture transactions, particularly in the energy industry, and is a former Legal Counsel at the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation. Mr. Silkenat is also a former Adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center.

An active member of the American Bar Association (ABA), Mr. Silkenat has served as Chair of both the Section of International Law and the Section Officers Conference. He served on the ABA Board of Governors from 1994-1997 and has chaired the American Bar Association’s Latin American Legal Initiatives Council and the ABA’s China Committee. In 1990, he was elected to the ABA House of Delegates and served as Chair of the New York Delegation in the House of Delegates from 2000-2009. He is also a former Chair of the ABA’s Museum of Law.

In addition to his responsibilities in the ABA, Mr. Silkenat has served as Chair of the Lawyers Committee for International Human Rights (now Human Rights First). He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and of the American Law Institute, has served as a Fellow in the U.S. State Department Scholar/Diplomat Program, and was a Fellow of the National Endowment for the Humanities. He is a Life Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and has served as National Chair of the Fellows.

A prolific writer, Mr. Silkenat has authored more than 100 articles on law and business for various national and international publications and has edited numerous books, including: The Imperial Presidency and the Consequences of 9/11: Lawyers React to the Global War on Terrorism (2007); The Law of International Insolvencies and Debt Restructurings (2006); The ABA Guide to International Business Negotiations (1994, 2000, and 2009 Editions); and The ABA Guide to Foreign Law Firms (1988, 1993, 1999, and 2004 Editions).

In 2007, Mr. Silkenat received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the ABA’s Section of International Law. In 2000, he received the Outstanding Alumni Award for Career Achievement from Drury University. He also received the Diversity Champion Award from the Association of the Bar of the City of New York in 2009.

Mr. Silkenat received an LL.M. Degree from New York University School of Law, a J.D. Degree from the University of Chicago Law School, where he was an Editor of The University of Chicago Law Review, and a B.A. Degree from Drury College.

Mr. William C. Hubbard is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the World Justice Project. He is a partner in the Columbia, South Carolina office of the law firm Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP, heading the Business Litigation and Employment Law Group.

In August 2010, Mr. Hubbard completed a two-year term as Chair of the American Bar Association’s House of Delegates, the second highest elected position in the 400,000 member organization. Mr. Hubbard now serves as President of the American Bar Foundation, the nation's leading research institute for the empirical study of law. He is a past president and current board member of the American Bar Endowment.

Mr. Hubbard is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the American Board of Trial Advocates, the American Judicature Society, the John Belton O’Neall Inn of Court, and the Richland County Bar Association. He is a permanent member of the United States Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference. Mr. Hubbard has served on the Board of Trustees of the University of South Carolina since 1986 and served as Chairman of the Board from 1996-2000.

In 2002, Mr. Hubbard was presented the Order of the Palmetto, the highest civilian award presented by a South Carolina Governor. In 2007, Mr. Hubbard received the American Inns of Court Professionalism Award for the United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit.

Mr. Hubbard earned his J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of South Carolina.

William H. Neukom is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the World Justice Project. He is a partner in the Seattle office of the international law firm, K&L Gates. He is Chairman Emeritus of the San Francisco Baseball Associates, L.P., the ownership group of the San Francisco Giants major league baseball team (having served as its CEO from 2008 to 2011). He is a past president of the American Bar Association (2007-08) and trustee emeritus of Dartmouth College (Chair 2004-07).

Mr. Neukom served as the lead lawyer for Microsoft Corporation from 1978 to 2002. As executive vice president of Law and Corporate Affairs, Mr. Neukom managed Microsoft’s legal, government affairs, and philanthropic activities. Mr. Neukom led Microsoft’s efforts to establish, distribute, and protect intellectual property rights around the world, and also led Microsoft's defense of antitrust claims brought by the United States and the European Union. Under Mr. Neukom, Microsoft also initiated the Microsoft Giving Campaign, the Microsoft Matching Gifts Program, the Microsoft Volunteer Program, and Libraries on Line.

Mr. Neukom has served on many organizations, including: the Dean’s Council at Stanford Law School, the Gates Challenge Endowment Campaign of the United Way of King County, the Pacific Council on International Policy, and the Policy Consensus Center. In 1995, Mr. Neukom and his four children founded the Neukom Family Foundation, which supports not-for-profit organizations principally in the fields of health, human services, education, justice, and the environment.

Mr. Neukom earned his LL.B. from Stanford University and received his A.B. from Dartmouth College.

Ms. Deborah Enix-Ross is Vice President of the World Justice Project. She is currently the Litigation Practice Group Manager at Debevoise & Plimpton, LLP. Previously, Ms. Enix-Ross was appointed by the United States Departments of Commerce and State as one of eight U.S. members of the tri-lateral NAFTA Advisory Committee on Private Commercial Disputes.

Ms. Enix-Ross is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, member of the Advisory Board of the Institute for Transnational Arbitration, and member of the American Arbitration Association Board of Directors. From 1998 to 2002, Ms. Enix-Ross was a Senior Legal Officer and Head of the External Relations and Information Section of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Arbitration and Mediation Center.

Ms. Enix-Ross was the Director of International Litigation for the Dispute Analysis and Corporate Recovery Services Group (DA&CR) of Price Waterhouse LLP. Ms. Enix-Ross served as the American representative to the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) International Court of Arbitration.

Ms. Enix-Ross holds a law degree from the University of Miami School of Law, a Diploma from the Parker School of Foreign and Comparative Law of Columbia University, and a Certificate from the London School of Economics.

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Mr. James R. Silkenat is Vice President and Member of the Board of Directors of the World Justice Project. He is a Partner in the New York office of Sullivan & Worcester LLP, where he is a member of the corporate department. Mr. Silkenat has extensive experience in international mergers and acquisitions and joint venture transactions, particularly in the energy industry, and is a former Legal Counsel at the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation. Mr. Silkenat is also a former Adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center.

An active member of the American Bar Association (ABA), Mr. Silkenat has served as Chair of both the Section of International Law and the Section Officers Conference. He served on the ABA Board of Governors from 1994-1997 and has chaired the American Bar Association’s Latin American Legal Initiatives Council and the ABA’s China Committee. In 1990, he was elected to the ABA House of Delegates and served as Chair of the New York Delegation in the House of Delegates from 2000-2009. He is also a former Chair of the ABA’s Museum of Law.

In addition to his responsibilities in the ABA, Mr. Silkenat has served as Chair of the Lawyers Committee for International Human Rights (now Human Rights First). He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and of the American Law Institute, has served as a Fellow in the U.S. State Department Scholar/Diplomat Program, and was a Fellow of the National Endowment for the Humanities. He is a Life Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and has served as National Chair of the Fellows.

A prolific writer, Mr. Silkenat has authored more than 100 articles on law and business for various national and international publications and has edited numerous books, including: The Imperial Presidency and the Consequences of 9/11: Lawyers React to the Global War on Terrorism (2007); The Law of International Insolvencies and Debt Restructurings (2006); The ABA Guide to International Business Negotiations (1994, 2000, and 2009 Editions); and The ABA Guide to Foreign Law Firms (1988, 1993, 1999, and 2004 Editions).

In 2007, Mr. Silkenat received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the ABA’s Section of International Law. In 2000, he received the Outstanding Alumni Award for Career Achievement from Drury University. He also received the Diversity Champion Award from the Association of the Bar of the City of New York in 2009.

Mr. Silkenat received an LL.M. Degree from New York University School of Law, a J.D. Degree from the University of Chicago Law School, where he was an Editor of The University of Chicago Law Review, and a B.A. Degree from Drury College.

Mr. Lawrence B. Bailey is Secretary of the World Justice Project. Previously, Mr. Bailey was the managing attorney for Microsoft Corporation for eighteen years, providing advice to its general counsel and legal department in directing the efforts of over 300 outside attorneys and staff during Microsoft's development from a startup into one of the world's most successful companies.

Mr. Bailey has a broad range of management and legal experience in all aspects of the law. Mr. Bailey has served as general counsel of a number of private companies in the northwest and has significant hands-on business experience, serving as Interim Chief Executive Officer of a private real estate development company, Managing General Partner of an investment partnership, and Executive Chairman of the board of directors of a major northwest retail sales company. He has been an officer or chair of numerous local, state, and national bar association sections and committees and has been a leader in numerous professional, civic, and community organizations.

Mr. Bailey received his A.B. from Dartmouth College and his J.D. from the University of Illinois, which awarded him its Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2007.

Mr. Roderick B. Mathews is Treasurer of the World Justice Project. He is past President of the Virginia State Bar, the Children’s Hospital of Richmond, Virginia, and of the Society of the Cincinnati in the State of Virginia. He is a member of the Board of Medicine of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the Virginia Law Foundation, the Children’s’ Hospital Foundation, and the Virginia Holocaust Museum.

Mr. Mathews is a retired Partner of Troutman Sanders LLP. He served two terms on the Board of Governors of the American Bar Association, both times as Chair of the Board’s Finance Committee and as a member of its Executive Committee.

Mr. Mathews is a graduate of the Executive Program of the University of Michigan, School of Business. He received his B.A. in Economics and Political Science from Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia, and his Law Degree from the University of Richmond, Virginia.

Mr. Gerold W. Libby is General Counsel of the World Justice Project and a partner in the Los Angeles law firm Zuber & Taillieu LLP. His practice focuses primarily on mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance transactions, corporate governance counseling, and cross-border joint ventures. A significant portion of Mr. Libby’s practice involves the representation of foreign clients, usually based in Asia, in their United States business and investment matters, and in advising United States and European clients doing business in Asia.

Early in his career, Mr. Libby practiced for three years with one of the largest law firms in Japan, and for one year with a law firm in Korea. He remains active in Asian affairs, most recently he was President of the Inter-Pacific Bar Association. Mr. Libby is a former Chair of the American Bar Association’s Section of International Law and is a member of the American Bar Association Asia Law Initiative Council.

Mr. Libby is a graduate of Yale University and the New York University School of Law.