Staff

Nuwan Dinushka is Fulbright Sri Lanka’s Finance Consultant assigned by Sathis & Company, Chartered Accountants. He works closely with the Executive Director and other staff on all finance activities. He has over eight years of accounting and auditing experience and previously worked at Deloitte Sri Lanka and IBM World Trade Corporation. 

Soraya Fajudeen has served as Executive and Program Assistant for 20 years at US-SLFC. She works closely with our staff to successfully administer the Fulbright programs. Prior to joining the Fulbright Commission, she worked at the Asia Foundation-Sri Lanka, Television Trust for the Environment-Sri Lanka, and in the NGO and the corporate sectors.

Sabitha George is EducationUSA Student Adviser and Special Projects Assistant at US-SLFC. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Geography from University of Jaffna and a Master’s degree in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura. She previously worked as Project Coordinator at the Center for the Study of Human Rights at the Faculty of Law, University of Colombo. She was a temporary lecturer in Geography at University of Jaffna.  Working at Fulbright Sri Lanka gives her the opportunity to use her connections and experience to promote US-Sri Lanka educational exchanges.

Upali is the driver for US-SLFC. He served in the Sri Lankan Forces. His number one priority is the safety of his passengers.

Patrick McNamara, Ph.D., serves as Executive Director of the United States-Sri Lanka Fulbright Commission. He has worked with universities, governments, corporations, nonprofits, and foundations for over 35 years. Before joining Fulbright Sri Lanka, Patrick was at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) where he taught conflict resolution, sustainable development, and social entrepreneurship. At UNO, he also served as Senior International Officer, Director of the International Studies major and minor, Director of the Sustained Dialogue Initiative and Director of the Omaha World Affairs Council. Dr. McNamara achieved distinction as a Fulbright-Nehru Senior Scholar in India in 2011, during which he spent time on a Regional Travel Grant to Sri Lanka.

Other past experience includes: Director of Philanthropic Services at Omaha Community Foundation which annually donated over $80 million to nonprofits; Director of the Omaha Hate Crimes Project, a partnership funded by the U.S. Department of Justice to fight hate and discrimination; managing a printing ink manufacturing company; litigation paralegal at a Wall Street law firm; and Capitol Page in the U.S. House of Representatives. He is on the governing board of Initiatives of Change, a global interfaith NGO “building trust across the world’s divides.” Patrick’s TED Talk is Water Conflict, Water Peace.

Dr. McNamara earned a Ph.D. from the School of Public Administration at UNO. His dissertation research, funded by a fellowship from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, focused on public-private partnerships to solve homelessness. He earned a M.Sc. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University with specializations in international and organizational dispute resolution. His B.A. in Religion is from Swarthmore College where he studied comparative religions and ethics.

Shanaka Premarathna is the new Program Officer at the United States-Sri Lanka Fulbright Commission. He brings skills and experience in education, business, strategic planning, program management, stakeholder engagement, and outreach. He has played a key role in enhancing U.S.-Sri Lanka collaboration in various capacities. Shanaka previously served as Coordinator of the American Corner Matara, a U.S. Embassy-supported information center, where he oversaw daily operations, developed strategic initiatives, and fostered partnerships with NGOs, educational institutions, and private sector organizations. Previous to that he was Chief Executive Officer of the Matara District Chamber of Commerce & Industry. He holds an MBA from University of Ruhuna.