International entrepreneur and humanitarian founder Morad Shaker has selected Cheyenne, Wyoming, as the U.S. headquarters for his expanding network of nonprofit organizations and global humanitarian initiatives. This decision places Wyoming at the center of the next chapter of his international work.
The move marks a significant personal transition for Shaker, who spent nearly three decades in Hawaii before spending approximately eight months in Asia engaged in international work. He has now established his physical base in Cheyenne, where multiple organizations within his network are headquartered or registered, and from where his U.S. and international activities will be coordinated.
"Hawaii will always remain an important part of my life and history. Today, Wyoming is home. We will serve Wyoming, and from Wyoming, we will serve the world," Shaker said.
At the center of Shaker's work is the Shaker Global Poverty Reduction Ecosystem, which he describes as the largest and most consequential undertaking of his life. Years in development, the initiative is designed as an international framework intended to create pathways toward greater long-term financial stability and economic opportunity for qualified participants.
The project's original pilot was scheduled to launch in Bangladesh in 2025 under Operation Bangladesh, but circumstances and challenges encountered there delayed the broader implementation originally envisioned. Rather than allowing those challenges to define the future of the initiative, Shaker expanded its international direction. Today, the Shaker Global Poverty Reduction Ecosystem is moving toward phased activity across 2026 and 2027, with people in an estimated 30 or more countries expected to have opportunities to participate as the international framework develops.
"The circumstances changed, but the mission did not," Shaker said. "What was intended to begin in one country has evolved into an opportunity for many nations."
Operation Bangladesh remains the origin and an important part of the history of Shaker's broader poverty-reduction initiative. That experience also contributed to the development of Operation Bangladesh - Phoenix Passage, an emerging international youth movement intended to engage a new generation across more than 30 countries around opportunity, leadership, integrity, service and responsibility for future generations.
These initiatives form part of the broader Shaker Global Network, founded by Shaker to connect his U.S. nonprofit organizations and international humanitarian initiatives within a long-term global framework. The network encompasses initiatives involving poverty reduction, humanitarian service, youth engagement, educational opportunity, animal protection, integrity and anti-corruption, emergency response and recognition of service to society.
Shaker's decision to establish his U.S. headquarters in Wyoming is accompanied by a direct commitment to the people of his new home state. He has allocated access for 50,000 qualified people in Wyoming to participate in his Global Poverty Reduction Ecosystem. The allocation gives Wyoming a defined place within the developing international initiative and is intended to provide qualified participants in the state with access to the ecosystem as it moves through its implementation stages. Participation will be subject to the initiative's eligibility, verification, integrity, legal and implementation requirements.
"If Wyoming is going to be our home, I want Wyoming to share meaningfully in what we build," Shaker said. "I don't want Wyoming simply to be the address of our headquarters. I want its people to have a place in our future."
Shaker's establishment in Cheyenne comes as years of development across his organizations begin moving toward a new period of international implementation. His intention is to build a lasting institutional presence in Wyoming while continuing to develop initiatives whose reach extends far beyond the state's borders. For Shaker, the philosophy behind the decision is deliberately simple: Headquartered in Wyoming. Serving Wyoming. Serving the world.
