Botanists and environmentalists run the KBF from the region and abroad. The Board of Directors includes four scientists each in a different disciplinary but related field of botany:
1.Sarbagh Salih
Born in Iraqi Kurdistan, the city of Koysinjaq/Erbil. Acquired B.Sc. in horticulture from the University of Baghdad (1980), and Ph.D. from the University of Bath, UK (1987). Specialized in plant tissue culture. Worked for 13 years for USDA/Agriculture Research Service in Beltsville, Maryland (US). Has published 15 papers. Founder of an NGO named Hataw in Kurdistan to help people to go back to their villages to work in the fields after they were forced to move to the cities. Member of the Board of Director for Nature Iraq and Sakran-Halgurd National Park organization. Member of the committee of the Kurdistan National Herbarium.
2.Ihsan A. Al-Shehbaz
Born in Basrah, Iraq in 1939. A top-ranked student in College of Education, Baghdad University (1962). Obtained both M.Sc. (1969) and Ph.D. (1973) from Harvard University. Taught in Iraq in both Baghdad and Sulaimani Universities. Currently a senior scientist at the Missouri Botanical garden, adjunct professor at the University of Missouri St. Louis, and associate editor of six international botanical journals. Editor of all botanical entries of the American Heritage Dictionary, third edition (1992). Supervised many graduate and post-doctoral botanists. Conducted fieldwork in 27 countries of all continents except Antarctica. Gave seminars and conducted workshops in numerous countries. Published 325 scientific papers in international, peer-reviewed journals. Currently recognized worldwide as the ranking authority of the mustard family in which (As of December 2015) over 960scientific plant names carry his name as their author (links: http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/Research/brassicaceae/welcome.shtmlhttp://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/Research/curators/ihsan.shtml)
3- Narmin Othman, BOD President
Born in Koysinjaq, Iraq on 9th July 1951. She has graduated from the University of Baghdad, College of Education in 1972. She was employed and taught in a secondary school in Erbil. From 1984 to 1989 She has employed in a Handicaps hospital in Stockholm, Sweden. After 1992 she has returned to Kurdistan to work with the different organizations regarding Kurdistan save children and sheltering. Mrs. Othman was appointed Minister of Labour and Social Affairs in the Kurdistan Regional Government-Iraq in 2000. After one year she became a Minister of Education. Then in 2004, Mrs. Othman appointed as Minister of Women Affairs in the Iraqi Government. In 2005 she became a Minister of Environment and Minister of Human Rights. In 2006 she became minister of environment. She led some Iraqi delegation to participate in the international conferences related to the environment and water resources. Different studies have been published by Mrs. Othman in the Iraqi magazines in both English and Kurdish languages. She is the author of books titled "Strategic Glimpses" and " Kurdistan Region, a safe location and how to keep it" she also been an editor of the other three books in the Kurdish language. She is the Editor in Chief of "Nargez" magazine. Mrs. Othman is now a member of the Trustees Board of American University of Iraq Sulaimani, and the Chief board of the Kurdistan Botanical Foundation.
4.Ali A. Askari
Born in Kurdistan in 1935. He received his M.Sc. in pharmacy in 1966, from the University of Connecticut, and Ph.D. in pharmacy- pharmacognosy in 1970 from the University of Rhode Island, USA. Founder and director of Pharmacognosy and medicinal plant research center within the Iraqi scientific foundation from 1977-1986. Founder and Dean the Collage of Pharmacy, University of Sulaimani 2005-2008. Supervised 21 M.Sc.-Ph.D. students at both colleges of Pharmacy and Agriculture. A winner of Saddam Hussien Prize for Agriculture Development 1988-1989 discovering new exogenous plant hormone which increases yield in agricultural crops.
Bios of current Staff
1.KBF President: Saman Abdulraham Ahmad
Saman A. Ahmad. born in Sulaimani, Kurdistan. Received his Ph.D. in plant taxonomy (Plant systematic), University of Sulaimani, 2013. Works on several projects like Key biodiversity Area in Kurdistan Iraq, Flora of Iraq. Discovered 30 species new to Iraq. More than 22 novelties to science, of which Ferula shehbaziana S.A.Ahmad (Apiaceae), Petrorhagia sarbagiae S.A.Ahmad (Caryophyllaceae), Onosma hawramanensis S.A.Ahmad (Boraginaceae), Scrophularia sulaimanica S.A.Ahamd (Scrophulariaceae), Scrophularia kollakii S.A.Ahmad (Scrophulariaceae), Salvia Ali-askari S.A.Ahmad (Lamiaceae), Silene shehbazii S.A.Ahmad (Caryophyllaceae), and Cousinia azmarensis (Asteraceae, Cardueae), Echinops shakrokii (Asteraceae) are published, and several others are in press.
2. Mardin Khidir Abdulla
Born in Sulaimani, Kurdistan in 1992. Graduated from Field Crop Department. College of Agricultural Sciences, University of Sulaimani. Mardin is working for Kurdistan Botanical Foundation since 2015 for the Plant specimens preparation from the filed collection, pressing and mounting, and now working as KBF Administrator and Accountor.
3. Nariman Ahmad
Born in Sulaimani, Iraq on 15 April 1974. He graduated from the University of Sulaimani, College of Agricultural Sciences in July 1997, completed his Master of Science in Plant breeding in November 2003. He has joined The School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, the UK to complete his Ph.D. in Plant Biotechnology on 15 March 2013. Nariman has developed a proposed project of ' National Plant Gene Bank of Kurdistan' and now working with Kurdistan Botanical Foundation to raise funds for this project in collaboration with the American University of Iraq Sulaimani. He is also working as a coordinator of the project “Rehabilitating the Transboundary Habitat of the Persian Leopard through the creation of a Peace Park- A Multi-stage Approach to Conservation” since September 2016, in collaboration between Nature Iraq (NI) and the Kurdistan Botanical Foundation (KBF).
4. Amina Hama Mahmoud:
Born in Sulaimani, Kurdistan in 1973. Graduated from Agriculture college, Soil and water department at Sulaimani University. Got employed in General Directorate of Agriculture in 1998, has participated in different training and FAO projects. Trained women on how to store vegetables and fruits.
Former staff:
1. Herbarium Assistant; Khoshii Faraidun Omer
Born in Sulaimani, Kurdistan in 1992. Graduated from the Field Crop department of Agriculture college, University of Sulaimani.
2. Field Assistant; Kaziwa Mustafa Ahmad
Born in Sulaimani, Kurdistan in 1991. Graduated from Agriculture College, University of Sulaimani.
3. Herbarium Assistant; Parzhin Kamal Sharif
Born in Sulaimani, Kurdistan in 1992. Graduated from Agriculture College, University of Sulaimani.
4. Administrator and Accountor; Shokhan Babarasul Ismael
Born in Sulaimani, Kurdistan in 1986. Graduated from Field Crop Department, College of Agricultural Sciences, University of Sulaimani.