Arpan Munier
Thanks in large part to her parents’ careers, Arpan Munier has lived around the world. Her father worked for the United Nations (UN) and her mother, for Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere (CARE), an international humanitarian agency. Arpan was born in Bangladesh and at 9 months old, her family moved to Botswana in Southern Africa. She continued to live in Africa as a child in Somalia and Sudan and moved to the United States at 12.
Arpan earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in photography and sociology from the New York University Tisch School of the Arts. She followed in her parents’ footsteps, working for the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and the UN Mission in South Sudan, before heading to graduate school.
After receiving her master’s in nonprofit management from The New School in New York City, Arpan returned to the UN. She worked for the UN World Food Programme (Sudan and South Sudan) and then for the UN Development Programme in China.
“I love the adventure of new places,” says Arpan. “In my mid-20s, I moved to Syria to learn Arabic and met my husband, a journalist. We have lived and raised our son in China, Nigeria and Lebanon.”
Arpan and her family returned to the U.S. in 2021.
During Arpan’s international career, she met colleagues who graduated from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and learned about the scope and reputation of Hopkins. They are what attracted her to apply for a position with the Center for Talented Youth (CTY).
In January of 2022, Arpan joined CTY as the associate director of donor relations. Her responsibilities include donor communications, stewardship, and engagement.
Below she discusses her path to development, her career overseas, and how CTY is impacting the lives of its students.
Your international career is fascinating. Please tell us more.
On three separate occasions between 2010 and 2012, I served on a Hostage Incident Management Team in the Darfur region of Sudan. My role was to prepare internal reports and ensure information management for all aspects of incidents involving my UN World Food Programme (WFP) colleagues. One incident lasted several months. I translated calls with the hostage-takers, as the only other Arabic speaker aside from the negotiator.
How did you get into the development and alumni relations field?
When I was a reporting officer for the WFP in Sudan in 2009, I worked closely with the organization’s deputy director to adapt operational information for advocacy and donor communications. In 2010, I was promoted to the donor relations team. One of the highlights for me was securing emergency funding to provide critical assistance to internally displaced populations during the outbreak of hostilities between Sudan and South Sudan, following the 2011 referendum.
What do you like most about your job at CTY?
It requires creativity. I painted as a child and focused on documentary photography at college. My role allows me to use those skills to showcase the joy and gratitude of our students, families, researchers, alumni, and partners. I enjoy being the creative drive behind our donor communications and engagement, from student messages and family and donor profiles to birthday videos, annual publications, and community events for all our stakeholders.
My role also intersects with all the other functions in our team. I find the opportunities for collaboration with my team members rewarding and supportive of our overall fundraising strategy.
Tell us something we might not know about CTY.
We have heard from families and alumni how participating in our CTY programs has been life-changing and, at times, life-saving because our students have found a supportive community at CTY.
What do you enjoy when you are not working?
I come from a wonderfully hospitable culture. Growing up, I saw my mother host the most wonderful meals and parties. I’m very much my mother’s daughter, and I love nothing better than gathering friends and family around my table. Cooking and feeding my loved ones nourishes me.