Anny Fitzpatric

Anny Fitzpatric brings over two decades of operational leadership, strategic execution, and mission-driven service to her role as Director of Operations at AERC. A retired U.S. Army Special Operations leader with 21 years of active service, she has led complex, high-stakes initiatives across Southwest Asia, Africa, and the Pacific, translating strategy into measurable results in dynamic and resource-constrained environments.

Throughout her military career, Shamaila specialized in operational management, stakeholder coordination, and cross-cultural engagement. She directed multidisciplinary teams, managed sensitive programs, and executed missions requiring precision, discretion, and accountability. As one of the first women to graduate from the Special Operations Combat Medic Course and later serve as a Senior Instructor and curriculum developer at the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, she institutionalized new training programs and advanced leadership practices within elite units.

Shamaila holds a Master of Public Policy from the University of Chicago's Harris School of Public Policy, with specializations in Environment and Energy Policy and International Development. Her academic training sharpened her ability to evaluate systems-level challenges, governance frameworks, and financial oversight into operational planning, ensuring that strategy is not only visionary but executable.