Event Speakers

Anna Garbar works for the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), where she is committed to promoting research and implementation of patient-centered practices for those dealing with the disease of Addiction by developing educational activities and courses for providers in the field of Addiction Medicine.

Anna's background is in International Relations, and she is the former executive Co-Director of New Story Leadership (NSL), a program that brings Israelis and Palestinians to a summer program in Washington D.C. to advocate for policies that include the voices of young Israelis and Palestinians from the region and aim towards building a better future in Israel and Palestine. Through her work with NSL, Anna was introduced to UNA-NCA and has quickly become an active member.

Human Rights are always the center of her work as she focuses on developing and promoting policies that put the individual in the center, often highlighting issues like gender equality, diversity, and inclusion.

Ryan Kaminski has over a decade of experience in human rights, sustainable development, and international public policy. He is currently the LGBTQI+ Advisor at the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Inclusive Development Hub. Based in the Bureau for Development, Democracy, and Innovation (DDI) the Hub promotes the rights and inclusion of marginalized and under-represented populations in the development process.

Previously, he was the World Benchmarking Alliance’s Global Public Policy Lead. In this role, he led the organization’s multilateral advocacy strategy at the UN, G7, and G20 with the goal of holding the world’s most influential corporations to account on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and human rights standards. This included leading WBA’s engagement at the UN High Level Political Forum, UN General Assembly, and at the UN Human Rights Council where he worked regularly with diplomats, business leaders, human rights advocates, and other international decisionmakers.

Ryan was also the Human Rights Policy Advisor at the UN Foundation overseeing high-level advocacy, cross-sector partnerships, and campaigns with a focus on LGBTQI+ human rights, the SDGs, and U.S.-UN relations. There he worked to build bridges with hundreds of UNA-USA grassroots advocates across the country and UN human rights mechanisms including the UN Human Rights Council and Universal Periodic Review mechanism. He also briefed congressional membership and staff on developments in the UN human rights system.

He has authored and co-published reports and articles with the Council on Foreign Relations CFR, Center for American Progress, Just Security, The Atlantic, The Advocate, Yale Journal of International Affairs, and Georgetown Journal of International Affairs on topics including human rights, U.S. foreign policy, and international institutions. Ryan's latest piece is a co-authored chapter in the book, The North Korea Conundrum: Balancing Human Rights and Nuclear Security.

Ryan has also consulted for Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria on the role of civic space in combating global epidemics and was a research associate at the CFR International Institutions and Global Governance Program . He was also previously a U.S. Fulbright Fellow at Education University of Hong Kong. He interned at Papua New Guinea’s Permanent Mission to the UN in New York, Amnesty International USA, and at the Brookings Institution.

Ryan is currently a CFR Term Member, Security Fellow with the Truman National Security Project, and appeared on the Out in National Security Leadership List in 2020. He has also run marathons in Hong Kong, New York, and Chicago and is excited to run the Honolulu Marathon in 2022.

Ryan received his BA from the University of Chicago and MIA from Columbia University. He is based in Washington DC and a Chicago native.

Sultan is the Executive Director of SMYAL (Supporting and Mentoring Youth Advocates and Leaders), an organization that works to support and empower queer and trans youth in the Washington, DC, metro area. SMYAL works to expand opportunities for young LGBTQ people through youth empowerment and providing culturally competent programming and support. Sultan has worked to increase SMYAL’s impact through expanding the organization’s ability to reach a broader range of young people. The organization provides housing to youth experiencing homelessness, offers safe and affirming support to youth as young as 6 and their families, and works in communities and schools in DC, MD, and VA to ensure youth have the support they need to thrive.

Based in the Washington, DC, metropolitan region, SMYAL (Supporting and Mentoring Youth Advocates and Leaders) supports and empowers lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) youth ages 6-24.

Through youth leadership and daily community programs, SMYAL creates opportunities for LGBTQ youth to build self-confidence, develop critical life skills, and engage their peers and community through service and advocacy. Committed to social change, SMYAL builds, sustains & advocates for programs, policies & services that LGBTQ youth need as they grow into adulthood. In addition to working in schools and communities across the DMV, SMYAL has a comprehensive housing program for homeless LGBTQ youth that provides safe & stable shelter, food, case management services, crisis intervention, and community support for its residents. To further meet one of LGBTQ youth’s most pressing needs, SMYAL also provides free affirming mental health counseling through their Clinical Services Department. Through this unique program, queer and trans youth have a space where they do not have to worry about how they’re going to pay for services or have to educate their therapist on LGBTQ issues. Instead, they can just focus on themselves. With programs tailored towards the individual needs of each young person who walks through their doors, SMYAL works to ensure that LGBTQ youth have access to resources, support, and community at every step of their journey.