Laila Kassis
Laila works as an associate at Spectrum Equity Investors, a Boston-based private equity firm with $3 billion of capital under management.  At Spectrum, Laila focuses on sourcing investments in privately held mid- to late-stage growth businesses in the information technology and information services sectors.  Prior to joining Spectrum, Laila was a financial analyst in the Technology Group of Bear Stearns where she executed M&A transactions and debt and equity financings. Laila is an Arab-American very much in tune with her culture and heritage.  When she's not working, Laila spends much of her time volunteering with the Network of Arab American Professionals.  She is also a member of Zaitoun, a Boston-based Palestinian Dabke Performance Group.  Laila also volunteers with the Center for Women and Enterprise, a non-profit organization that helps women entrepreneurs start, grow and operate their businesses.  Laila earned a B.A. in Economics and Foreign Affairs, with Distinction, from the University of Virginia.

Bob Ayan
Bob Ayan, a Boston native is the Program Manager at the MIT Entrepreneurship Center, and he works closely with the Managing Director, Chairman and other members of the E-Center’s team to build, develop and sustain the E-Center’s research and educational programs, events, publications, alumni outreach, and networking activities. He promotes the MIT Entrepreneurship Center’s courses, programs and activities throughout MIT, manages relations with MIT faculty, students and alumni, as well as entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and private and corporate donors. Mr. Ayan holds a degree in Management Information Systems from Boston University and an M.B.A from the MIT Sloan School of Management. Prior to joining the E-Center Team, Mr. Ayan worked as a Product Manager for a local technology startup.

Samer Balbaky
Samer, raised in Damascus, Syria, finished his degree in civil engineering from Damascus University in 1999. Samer finished his Masters of Business Administration at Northeastern University in Boston while working as a Marketing Associate for a building material company in Cambridge. He is currently a sales manager for a security company. Samer was one of the co-founders of the Arab American Young Professionals, now known as NAAP-Boston, and has been a very active member.

Joy Farrah Haidar
Farrah, raised between Beirut, Lebanon and the United
States, is currently a Marketing Communications
Manager for a measurement technology company in
Marlborough. She holds a degree in Marketing at
California State University, Hayward and an M.B.A.
from Boston University. Farrah was the founder of the Arab American Young Professionals of Boston four years ago, which has now merged into NAAP-Boston.

James Samir Ismail, Ph.D.
Born in California to parents from a small coastal village of Syria, Samir attended the University of California at Santa Barbara where he completed both his undergraduate and graduate studies in Mechanical Engineering majoring in Control Theory. Along the way, he has immersed himself in strengthening Arab and Middle Eastern cultural ties with America, primarily by presenting the rich musical traditions of his heritage through Ud performance. Recently, Samir deepened his knowledge of Arabic music by learning the art of Ud construction. With a professional career starting in the Aerospace industry, it quickly diversified into Photonics Manufacturing Automation and Hybrid Electric Vehicle development. Samir is currently developing an innovative nanopositioning technology independently, with applications in Scanning Probe Microscopy and Photonics Manufacturing Automation.

Salma Tag
Salma, raised in Qatar received her undergraduate degree in chemistry from South Dakota State University, and her medical technology degree from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. Salma is currently works as an Account Manager for Nichols Institute Diagnostics, San Clemente CA. A recent transient to Boston and an active member of the NAAP-Boston chapter, Salma is co-chair of NAAP’s Second Annual Conference Steering Committee.

Noreen Hafez
Noreen, raised in upstate New York, attended Ithaca College, before she decided to move to Beirut, Lebanon as a transfer student to the American University of Beirut. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, and then at the Lebanese American University her Bachelor of Science in Business. Afterwards, she worked for Twentieth Century Fox Representatives for the Middle East in Beirut, before she decided to return home after a 9-year stay. She worked for a startup Internet Company as a Advertising Sales Manager, before she began her own web design company, netFacing. Noreen is also working as a consultant for a UAE-based company looking to tap into the U.S. Market. She was one of the co-founders for the Arab American Young Professionals, which has last year merged into NAAP-Boston, and recently was a liaison for the Arab American Institute for the DNC Celebration in Boston.

Sara Mraish Demeter

Sara, is Jordanian-American, studied abroad in Strasbourg, France and graduated with honors from Framingham State College, MA with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and French.  She later received her Web Development Certificate from Northeastern University. As president and founder of Zanzitek, LLC, she has achieved excellence in the field of multilingual technology, linguistic consulting, and custom software development to Fortune 500 companies.  She is currently working on the Middle East and US market bridging companies between Jordan and the US.  By volunteering at NAAP, Sara hopes to strengthen the Arab-American voice by sharing her personal experience and cultural understanding of the Middle East.