Strategy and Policy Expert, Minister’s Advisors
United Arab Emirates Ministry of Community Empowerment
Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Mia Ožegović 12C is a strategy and policy expert, advising the United Arab Emirates (UAE) minister of community empowerment on national priorities in education, social development, and the third sector — the country’s network of nonprofits, charities, foundations, and social enterprises that operate independently of government and for-profit businesses. 

She currently leads the creation of the UAE’s first Third Sector Strategy, strengthening nonprofit ecosystems and expanding programs that support communities across the country.

Before this role, Ožegović advanced education and youth empowerment through positions at the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation, the UAE Ministry of Education, and the Education and Human Resources Council. Her passion for education and development also grew through experiences with UNICEF, Humanity in Action, and Teach for America.

A former refugee from Sarajevo, Bosnia, she found both a community and a calling at Emory. Graduating summa cum laude in international studies, she went on to earn a master’s in public policy from Harvard Kennedy School. For Ožegović, Emory inspired a lifelong commitment to service, global citizenship, and building a more equitable world through policy.