SPEAKERS

Tony Shalhoub

Dr. Hussein Ibish
Hussein Ibish is the Washington Correspondent for the Beirut-based Daily Star, the leading English-language newspaper in the Arab world. From 1998-2004, he served as Communications Director for the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), the largest Arab-American membership organization in the United States. He has made over 3,500 radio and television appearances, and has written for many newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post and the Chicago Tribune. Ibish is editor and principle author of 2 major studies of Hate Crimes and Discrimination against Arab Americans 1998-2000 (ADC, 2001) and Sept. 11, 2001-Oct. 11, 2002 (ADC, 2003). He is author of "At the Constitution's Edge: Arab Americans and Civil Liberties in the United States" in the collection States of Confinement (St. Martin's Press, 2000), Legitimizing Occupation: Cordesman, CSIS and the New Intifada (ADC.org, 2000) and "Anti-Arab Bias in American Policy and Discourse" in Race in 21st Century America (Michigan State University Press, 2001). He is also the author, along with Ali Abunimah, of The Palestinian Right of Return (ADC, 2001) and "The Media and the New Intifada" in The New Intifada (Verso, 2001). He has a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

G. Simon Harak, S.J.

Karim Nagi Mohammed

Robert Buderi

Dr. Iya Khalil

Dr. Hanna Hanania
Hanna Hanania is a family dentist in Woodbridge, Virginia. In 2001, he graduated from University of Maryland with a Doctor of Dental Surgery. In 1997, he completed his BS, majoring in Biochemistry and Political Science. Dr. Hanania has been the driving force that has networked the Arab Student body for the past five years. As the founder and Chairman of the UASA, Dr. Hanania has enabled local and national schools to take stronger initiatives to integrate the issues that pertain to Arab-Americans and convey them in a very positive light. His work with the Arab-American community ranges from forming aggressive campaigns and outreach programs to educational events. Dr. Hanania has experienced the most diversified fields of politics and has been able to introduce them into his community. From film and lecture series, TV and radio interviews, publications, speeches and rallies, Dr. Hanania has been a key resource to several organizations. He is the coordinator and a co-founder of the Network of Arab-American Professionals and the co-chair of al-Awda Students.

Dean Obeidallah 
Dean Obeidallah, a former attorney turned stand up comic, Dean has been featured in segments about Arab-American comics on ABC's 20/20, CNN's Newsnight with Aron Brown and on MSNBC. Dean's day job is at NBC's Saturday Night Live where he has worked for the past 6 seasons as the rights and clearance administrator. He also co-hosts a monthly radio show in New York City on WBAI 99.5 FM entitled "Fen Mejnoon with Dean and Maysoon" which focuses on Arab-American artists. Dean also writes a monthly comedic political op-ed column for "Aramica," an Arab-American newspaper in NYC. He is also the co-founder and co-executive producer of the New York Arab-American Comedy Festival. Dean has recently appeared several times on Janeane Garafalo and Sam Seder's national radio show on "Air America," in numerous sketches on "Saturday Night Live" and he will be appearing in a bonus feature for Michael Moore's soon to be released DVD for the movie "Fahrenheit 911" in a segment showcasing Arab-American comics.
 
Dr. Nader Hebela
Dr. Hebela is a 4th year resident in the department of orthopaedic surgery at the hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He currently serves as an instructor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the hospital and as Editor, Electronic Publications for the University of Pennsylvania Orthopaedic Journal. As a second year resident, he went on a medical relief mission w/ the Palestine Children's Relief Fund (www.pcrf.net), a non-political, non-profit, American organization dedicated to helping children in the West Bank & Gaza who are unable to get the medical care they require in their homeland. Dr. Hebela first went to the Gaza & the West Bank in September of 2002 & then again to the West Bank in February 2004. He is currently on the medical advisory board of the PCRF.

George Naggiar
George Naggiar is a lawyer and a member of the New York and New Jersey State Bars. He holds a law degree from Georgetown University School of Law and a Bachelors Degree from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey.  

Najla Said
Najla is the founding member of a theatre group called Nibras, the Arabic word for lantern. Najla continues to perform in New York, doing both theatre and stand-up comedy. She recently collaborated with poet Suheir Hammad, percussionist Karim Nagi Mohammed and oud virtuoso Alan Shavarsh Bardesbanian on RE-Orientalism, a multimedia theatre piece that toured the Northeastern United States this past Fall. She has been profiled in Lebanon’s Daily Star and featured in The New York Times.

Dr. Shaker Zahra
Shaker Zahra is the Paul T. Babson Distinguished Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies at Babson College. He has published six books and his research has appeared in journals such as Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Management, Information Systems Research, Journal of Organizational Behavior, Entrepreneurship: Theory & Practice, and Journal of Business Venturing among others. Professor Zahra has been awarded several grants and has garnered dozens of honors and awards, including Best Paper awards from three divisions of the Academy of Management, Academy of Management Journal and Journal of Management, among many others. His research has been also nominated for the best paper in the Academy of Management Review.  Prior to joining the Babson faculty in 2002, Professor Zahra taught at Georgia State University and George Mason University. He has held visiting professorships at several institutions in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. He had conducted executive seminars for senior executives for several companies and organizations in the US and other countries. Dr. Zahra has also taught in several EMBA and PhD programs in the US and elsewhere. His research has received several awards.  Professor Zahra has served as a member of 15 editorial review boards that include Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of Management, Journal of Management Studies, Journal of Business Venturing, among others. He serves as a member of the board of the Southern Management Association. In addition, Dr. Zahra has served as a track chair for three divisions of the Southern Management, track chair of the strategy area in the Decision Science Institute, and has been elected as the incoming Program Chair of the Entrepreneurship Division of the Academy of Management. He is also the Director of the Babson-Kauffman Entrepreneurship Research Conference (BKERC).


Sarab Al-Jijakli
Sarab Al-Jijakli, is a founding member of the NY chapter of the Network of Arab-American Professionals. Sarab graduated from Pace University, with a degree in Political Science and a minor in Marketing, where he founded Pace's Arab Student Union. Currently, Sarab is a Marketing Associate at an integrated marketing firm, and specializes in developing marketing programs that cut across all mediums. As NAAP-NY's Political Action Committee facilitator, Sarab has focused on developing comprehensive election outreach campaigns throughout New York and New Jersey in Arab-populated neighborhoods, and is heavily involved in coalition building efforts with grassroots initiatives, particularly in efforts to raise awareness about the situations in Palestine and Iraq, as well as to increase civic participation within the Arab-American community.


Councilman Mohamed T. Khairullah
Mohamed T. Khairullah was born in Aleppo, Syria in 1975. He moved with his family to Saudi Arabia where he received his education up to the tenth grade. He moved again with his family to the United States in 1991. His family settled in Prospect Park, NJ where he still resides. He started his community involvement in 1993 as a hospital volunteer. In 1994, he joined the local volunteer fire department. As a college student he was involved in several organizations such as the Muslims Society, United Asian Americans, and was a Student Government Representative. He graduated from William Paterson University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Management in 1998. Mr. Khairullah became a U.S. citizen in April of 2000. Within one year, he had filed his petition to run for Council in his borough. He overcame the negative backlash of "September 11" to be elected for his council seat less than two month after that national tragedy. In the same year, Mr. Khairullah changed his career path from management to education. He is currently a business education teacher in the Paterson school system. He is also the President of the Prospect Park Democratic Club and a member of the board of directors of the Paterson YMCA. Mr. Khairullah is currently pursuing his master's degree in Education Administration from Montclair State University.

George Atallah
George is a Senior Development Associate at Seeds of Peace, a New York City based non-profit, non-political organization that focuses on coexistence, conflict resolution and leadership training programs for youth from regions of conflict. The primary focus of the organization is for youth from the Middle East, specifically engaged in the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict.  George graduated from Boston College with a degree in English and Philosophy, where he was also appointed as the Assistant Director of Communications for the Undergraduate Government of Boston College.  Upon graduation and prior to his current role with Seeds of Peace, he was a Senior Client Analyst with the Equity Derivative Sales group at Goldman Sachs for 2 ½ years.  George has worked as an intern in the United States Senate with former Senator and current Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham.  He also put together a peace forum of young Arab and Jewish American interns in Washington, D.C. in which Khalil Jahshan, vice-president of the ADC and Honorable Congressman Ray Lahoud from Illinois participated. George recently served as a volunteer political consultant for New York State Senator Martin J. Golden in Brooklyn's 22nd Senatorial district and for State Assembly candidate Tony Sayegh in Westchester's 88th Assembly district.  He is also a recent contributor to the Daily Star, a Lebanese based on-line publication.


Amel F. Ahmed
Amel F. Ahmed is a doctoral candidate in political science at the University of Pennsylvania. She received her BA from Dartmouth College in Government and Middle East Studies. She also holds a Masters degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem where she studied Israeli Politics and Society. During her time in Jerusalem she worked with the Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information (IPCRI), where she advised members of the Palestinian Authority on international legal standards for civil rights legislation. She has also worked for the Association for the Study of Ethnicity and Nationalism (ASEN) in London. There she conducted research on ethnic conflict and co-edited a volume on genocide in Rwanda. The focus of her doctoral work has been on democratic development in the West. Her research interests include: electoral systems, representative institutions and modes of participation, as well as labor mobilization and working class incorporation. She is currently writing a dissertation entitled "Constituting the Electorate" which examines the politics of electoral reform in the United States, France, and the United Kingdom.
 

Jeffrey W. Goldman
Jeffrey W. Goldman is the Counsel to the Immigration Practice Group. Mr. Goldman's practice covers all facets of business immigration law, with a sub-specialty in representing scientists and technology workers for permanent residency matters. Mr. Goldman is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), and currently serves as the Chair of the New England Chapter. He has been a frequent speaker on business immigration law at national conferences and also at many New England universities, including Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, Brown University, Boston University, Northeastern University and Babson College. Mr. Goldman spoke about Extraordinary Alien and National Interest Waiver permanent residence applications with attendees at the BIO 2000 and 2003 conferences and at the Asian Diversity conference in New York in 2002. In June 2002, Mr. Goldman was named "Pro Bono Attorney of the Year" by the Political Asylum/Immigrant Representation (PAIR) Project in Boston. Mr. Goldman received his B.A. from Brown University in 1983 and his J.D. from Boston University in 1986.


Saba L. Shami
Mr. Saba L. Shami has been involved in American politics for the past 24 years, during which he has raised millions of dollars for Democratic candidates for a variety of offices both Local (Virginia) and national. In 1992 Mr. Shami was a Virginia candidate for the Democratic National Committee, the highest body in the Democratic Party in the U.S.A. Throughout the past 18 years Mr. Shami served on virtually all Finance committees of all Democratic candidates for local General Assembly, Statewide and National office from Virginia.
Mr. Shami founded Washington Works in 1997 as a public affairs firm, as first major assignment he was hired as lobbyist for the Kingdom of Morocco and a congressional advisor to the then Ambassador and presently foreign Minister of Morocco Mr. Mohamed Benaissa. During this assignment Mr. Shami organized Congressional trips to Morocco in which over 100 Members and staffers participated. One of the most important of Mr. Shami’s and Washington Works accomplishments is the “Statement of Friendship” and the founding of “Friends of Morocco in The US Congress” which was signed by 110 members of congress including a cover letter By Speaker Dennis Hastert to the late king of Morocco. In 2002, Mr. Shami co-founded the newdominionPAC, “the Voice for Arab Americans in Virginia” and serves as its treasurer, NDPAC is the first of its kind for Arab Americans, totally dedicated to state politics www.ndpac.org  Mr. Shami has a superb understanding of the workings of US Congress and extensive network of political acquaintances in Washington and beyond. In 2001 Mr. Shami worked as advisor for ethnic affairs to successful Virginia Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Mark R. Warner, the current Governor. Currently Mr. Shami is Director of the “Virginia Taskforce for Business Development with Iraq”, a position created by the Governor to help generate business for Virginia firms, in post Saddam Iraq. Mr. Shami is a known face on major Arab TV satellite stations, as a US political commentator and elections analyst. Mr. Shami is a regular with Alhurra TV and Radio Sawa.

Kerry Campaign Representative
Bush Campaign Representative


Ralph Nader*
Ralph Nader is a consumer advocate, lawyer, and author. He was born in Winsted, Connecticut on February 27, 1934. In 1955 Ralph Nader received an AB magna cum laude from Princeton University, and in 1958 he received a LLB with distinction from Harvard University. His career began as a lawyer in Hartford, Connecticut in 1959 and from 1961-63 he lectured on history and government at the University of Hartford. In 1965-66 he received the Nieman Fellows award and was named one of ten Outstanding Young Men of Year by the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce in 1967. Between 1967-68 he returned to Princeton as a lecturer, and he continues to speak at colleges and universities across the United States.


Betty Shamieh
Betty Shamieh is a Palestinian-American writer and actor. She is currently a Van Lier Fellow at New Dramatists. Her solo performance work Chocolate in Heat was remounted off-off-Broadway and toured various theatres on the West Coast.  Her play "Roar"" premiered off-Broadway under the direction of Tony-nominated Marion McClinton and was chosen as the New York Times Critic's pick for four weeks. Betty presented a monologue "Tamam" she wrote for Imagine: Iraq at Cooper Union (co-presented by The Artists Network and SALAAM), which was also presented in London and New York at the Brave New World Festivals.  Her latest play, "The Black Eyed," will premiere at the Magic Theater in 2005. She received a BA in English Language and Literature from Harvard College, MFA in Playwriting from the Yale School of Drama and is presently a Professor of Screenwriting at Marymount Manhattan College.


Maysoon Zayid
Maysoon Zayid is an actress and professional stand-up comedian, who received her BFA in acting from Arizona State University. She has appeared on As The World Turns, MTV, 20/20, and WashingtonPost.com. Maysoon has performed comedy in top New York clubs, including Caroline's, Gotham, and Stand Up NY, and has toured her stand-up act extensively in both the USA and abroad.  Maysoon was the first comedian to perform stand-up live in Palestine, performing in Nazareth, Haifa, Bethlehem, Ramallah, and Jerusalem. Maysoon spends 3 months a year in Palestine where she runs an art program for disabled and wounded refugee children. She is also Co-Chairperson of the New York Arab American Comedy Festival as well as co-host of the radio show Fen Mejnoon ("Crazy Art") with Dean and Maysoon.


Dr. Elaine C. Hagopian
Dr. Elaine C. Hagopian is Professor Emerita of Sociology, Simmons College, Boston.   She was born in Cambridge, MA to Syrian parents. She received her Ph.D. in Sociology and Anthropology from Boston University (1962). She served on the Smith College (Northampton) faculty from 1962-1967).  She was the recipient of two Fulbright-Hays Faculty Research Grants to do research on Palestine and Lebanon (1971, 1983). She held a visiting professor appointment at the American University/Beirut, and Distinguished Lecturer at American University/Cairo. She was appointed as a special consultant to UNICEF in the United Arab Emirates to evaluate a program in process on Women and Health as well as community development (Summer 1974), and as an Expert on a UNESCO team (1979-1980) to do a feasibility study for a Palestine Open University for Palestinian Refugee education. She is a principal founder of the Trans-Arab Research Institute (1999). She is a former president of the Association of Arab-American University Graduates (1976), and Director pro tem of the Institute of Arab Studies (1980).  She was the major organizer of the first conference on the “Right of Return: Palestinian Refugees and a Durable Peace” held at Boston University Law Auditorium, April 8, 2000.  Her publications include Arab-Americans: Studies in Assimilation (Editor and contributor), Medina University Press, 1969; Israel/Palestine conflict including a study of “Palestinians and Comparative Lessons from Black America and South Africa” in The Center for Policy Analysis on Palestine”s The Legitimacy of Resistance: Options for Palestinian Survival, 1998; and articles on Lebanon, Arab nationalism, race and class in national and international contexts, and acculturation studies.   Her two most recent studies are:  “Palestinian Refugees:  Victims of Zionist Ideology,” a chapter in a book on Palestine/Israel conflict, How Long O Lord, edited by Reverend Bob & Maurine Tobin, Cowley Press, 2003; and “The Interlocking of Right Wing Politics and U.S. Middle East Policy:  Solidifying Arab/Muslim Demonization,” a chapter in a book edited by her, Civil Rights in Peril:  The Targeting Arabs and Muslims, Haymarket and Pluto Books, 2004.  In may/June 2004, she led a delegation of twenty people to meet with Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon and Syria to understand the plight of these forgotten refugees.  Hagopian is a frequent public speaker on Middle East issues, and she serves as a political interviewer for Arabic Hour Television in Boston. 


Susan Akram
Susan Akram's interests are in immigration law; refugee law; domestic and international refugee advocacy Professor Susan Akram was born and raised in Lahore, Pakistan, in a multicultural, multiethnic, multilingual household. “My father’s family were refugees from the 1947 India-Pakistan partition, and my own life experiences and professional choices have been indelibly marked by that legacy,” she says. Her early exposure to the plight of refugees steered her into a legal career in immigration and refugee law. Professor Akram, who teaches in the School of Law’s Clinical Program, worked for many years as an immigration lawyer before joining the faculty in 1993. She has served as executive director of Boston’s Political Asylum/Immigration Representation Project and as directing attorney of the immigration project at Public Counsel, a public interest law firm in Los Angeles. From 1992 to 1993 she was interim director of the agency overseeing the resettlement of Gulf War Iraqi refugees in Saudi Arabia. At Boston University, Professor Akram teaches in the Civil Litigation Clinic, where she supervises law students in their representation of indigent clients in immigration and refugee cases. She also teaches Immigration Law and Policy, and Comparative Refugee Law. Her distinguished research was recognized with a Fulbright Senior Scholar Teaching and Research Award for the 1999/2000 academic year. She used the grant to research and write recommendations for a durable solution for Palestinian refugees in light of the 1993 Oslo Talks, and to teach at the Palestine School of Law at Al-Quds University in East Jerusalem. “My areas of teaching and practice are an extension of my personal, political, and philosophical beliefs about law as a change agent for social justice,” she says. “The rewards are many: from restoring safety and security to individual lives, to giving students the satisfaction of using law for positive change.”
B.A. with honors, University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
J.D., Georgetown University Law Center
Diplome in International Human Rights, Institut International des Droits de l'Homme, Strasbourg (France)

Dr. Albert Mokhiber
Albert Mokhiber is a former President and current Board Member of the ADC. He is also a former President of AAUG. He is an attorney at the Law Offices of Mokhiber & Moretti, LLC located in Washington, D.C. area. He has an extensive background in government affairs, political consulting and public relations. He served as national president of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) from September 1990 to October 1994. In that capacity, he has represented ADC in public and private forums across the United States, Europe and the Middle East on issues ranging from civil rights at home, to human rights abroad. Also, Mr. Mokhiber has served on the national boards of the Association of Arab-American University Graduate (AAUG), the American Committee on Jerusalem (ACJ) and ADC, for which he currently serves as Vice Chairperson. In addition, he has served as a co-chair of the Ethnic Affairs Committee of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. He served as a member of an international observer team for the 1997 elections in Yemen. Mr. Mokhiber represented ADC before the United States Supreme Court in the landmark decision of St. Francis College v. Al-Khazraji which held that Arab- Americans were entitled to full protection under the Civil Rights Act. A frequent media guest and lecturer, Mr. Mokhiber has been featured on numerous American and foreign radio and television shows from Larry King Live and Crossfire to print media pieces ranging from The New York Times to People Magazine.


Cynthia H. Fareed
Cynthia H. Fareed is an attorney who specializes in intellectual property and employment litigation. Cynthia has been lead counsel for, and successfully litigated on behalf of, a wide range of individual and corporate clients, including SAAB, Britannia Airways, Pacific Sunwear and Ales Groupe-Phyto Shampoo. Cynthia has full trial experience and has obtained bench trial opinion in Federal District Court as first chair. As a law student at Brooklyn Law School, Cynthia worked at the Al-Haq Human Rights center in Ramallah and received the Amnesty International Patrick Steward Human Rights Scholarship.Cynthia is also the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of SWAY Magazine, a magazine that highlights the culture, art, and beauty of the Middle Eastern community worldwide.  

Nadeen Al-Jijakli
Syrian-American, Nadeen Al-Jijakli is a graduate of New York University, where she served as president of the Arab Students United organization. Upon graduation, she co-founded the New York chapter of the Network of Arab-American Professionals (NAAP-NY) and currently attends Brooklyn Law School. She is pursuing a career in civil rights and immigration, and serves as chair of the American Civil Liberties Union at BLS, as well as president of the Muslim Law Students Association. In organizing social, political, and cultural gatherings, Nadeen has worked tirelessly to remedy misconceptions about Arab and Muslim communities and elucidate their struggles in the US and abroad. Through poetry and song, she has shared her message of peace and justice with audiences at universities and various cultural showcases. Her poetry has appeared in Mizna and other journals.

Sarah Eltantawi
Sarah Eltantawi is a consultant to American organizations dedicated to promoting harmony among diverse communities and a sound and productive foreign policy toward the Muslim world.  Some of her current consulting projects are with the Asma Society, a group dedicated to building bridges between the American Muslim community and other Americans based in New York City, and Bridges T.V., a new American Muslim Entertainment Channel set to launch in October of this year.  From 2001-2004, Ms. Eltantawi served as Communications Director for the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) in Washington D.C.  Ms. Eltantawi is a frequent media commentator on American Muslim affairs and Middle East policy, making hundreds of television and radio appearances on national media outlets.  Ms. Eltantawi has also written for publications, such as  the New York Times Upfront on Counterterrorism issues.  She is also contributing to an anthology on the lives of Muslim women to be published Beacon Press next year, and frequently writes on social and political issues.  Ms. Eltantawi served as the Secretary for the National Coalition to Protect Political Freedom in Washington D.C. from 2002-2003.  In 2004, she was invited by the Brookings Institute and the state of Qatar to participate in a world U.S.-Islamic dialogue.  Also in 2004, she briefed Democratic National Convention delegates on outreach to the American Muslim community.  Ms. Eltantawi has a Bachelor's Degree in Rhetoric and English from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master's Degree in Middle Eastern Studies from Harvard University.  She lives in New York City.


Yasmin Hamidi
Yasmin Hamidi is currently a Development Associate at the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding,  a not-for-profit, non-sectarian organization that works to defuse the physical and mental violence that people do to one another in the name of religion.   In her capacity as Development Associate, she coordinates special events, helps to design and implement programs, and coordinates communication and external relations.  Before joining the Tanenbaum Center in January 2003, Yasmin worked as New Jersey Field Coordinator for the Arab American Institute (AAI), where she organized the Arab-American community's participation in U.S. electoral politics.  Yasmin serves as a facilitator for NAAP-NY's Media Committee and  is an active member of its Political Committee.  She also serves on the Board of the NY Chapter of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC).  Ms. Hamidi, herself an Ahwazi Arab, is an active member of the Ahwaz Human Rights Organization (AHRO), an international body dedicated to gaining political and cultural rights for Ahwazi Arabs, who are indigenous to southwestern Iran.  Yasmin holds a B.A. in International Affairs from The George Washington University's Elliott School of Foreign Service, where she served as an officer for the Arab Student Association.


Abdallah Al-Zuabi
Abdallah serves as the National Field Director for the Arab American Institute (AAI), where he has successfully mobilized Arab Americans in key communities nationwide to increase their participation in local, state, and national campaigns since joining the AAI in January 2000.  During the 2000 election cycle, Al-Zuabi was active working on both state and national mobilization efforts. He managed GOTV activities, educational campaigns, facilitated meetings between candidates and the Arab American community, built community coalitions, and recruited Arab American volunteers. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, Al-Zuabi became a key link between the Arab American community and law enforcement agencies.  He represents the AAI as Community Liaison to the FBI-Arab American Advisory Committee, the first such committee to be formed in the United States, as well as serving on the US Attorney’s Office Bias Crimes Task Force.  In this capacity he helps facilitate community meetings with the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, and US Attorney’s Office to address the community's issues and concerns post 9/11. A graduate of the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Al-Zuabi began his organizing activities at the University’s Center for Multicultural Affairs and the International Development Commission, City of Jacksonville Mayor's Office.  Al-Zuabi is a frequent contributor to local, national and international media.


Dr. Edward P. Marram
Dr. Edward P. Marram has been an entrepreneur in the high-technology sector for more than 35 years. He is the founder, President and CEO of GEO-CENTERS, INC., a high technology, professional services firm. GEO-CENTERS has twice been recognized by Inc. Magazine as one of the fastest growing, privately-held companies in the United States.  Dr. Marram has developed a reputation for outstanding technical and academic accomplishments during his long years of scientific, industrial, and academic careers. In 1999 and 2000 he was appointed to the National Defense Science Board, which deals with strategic planning for our nation's defense. In addition to his professional activities, Dr. Marram is Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Babson College where he has developed entrepreneurship cases. He is also an Adjunct Professor at Flanders Business School in Belgium. He regularly lectures on entrepreneurship and issues facing high-growth companies in both graduate level and executive education programs. Dr. Marram was named a Price-Babson College Fellow and received the Edwin M. Appel Prize for Bringing Entrepreneurial Vitality to Academia.  Dr. Marram serves as a member of both public and private boards. He is a member of the Health and Educational Financial Authority (HEFA) of Massachusetts and the MIH Power Options (a Massachusetts nonprofit energy-purchasing consortium). He serves on the College Advisory Council, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors, and he serves on the boards of several privately held companies.


Les Charm
Les Charm has been a partner in the firm of Youngman & Charm since 1972. The firm specializes in directorship functions for firms owned and operated by entrepreneurs and in assisting companies that are experiencing operating and/or financial problems. Youngman & Charm has operated in a variety of industries, channels of distribution, and has been involved in many successful financings and acquisitions and mergers.  From 1977 through 1990, Professor Charm was chairman and president of a major distributor and specialty retail chain. He has been active in other specialty marketing companies, and served as a member of the Board of Directors of the International Franchise Association from 1983 to 1988. He is currently director of the National Association of Corporate Directors-New England, as well as director of several public and privately-held firms.  Professor Charm has taught throughout the world on a variety of topics regarding entrepreneurship. He is on the President's Council at Babson, and is the recipient of the Appel Award for Entrepreneurship. He is also a Babson undergraduate alumnus.


Dr. Najib Saliba
Dr. Najib Saliba is a Professor of History at Worcester State College in Massachusetts.  At Worcester he teaches a variety of topics including Modern and Medieval Middle East History, Government and Politics of the Middle East and North Africa, International Relations, History of Western Civilization, History of World Civilization, Renaissance and Reformation, The U.S. and the Middle East and Arabic Language.  Dr. Saliba has written extensively about the Middle East, particularly about Syria and Lebanon; and the subject of his doctoral dissertation is “The Province of Syria: 1876-1909” with emphasis on administration, government and modernization.  His research and writing has also covered the functions of the Orthodox Church in the Near East, the Decline of Nasirism in Sadat’s Egypt, and the future of Christianity in Lebanon among others.  Dr. Saliba has extensive experience in translating between Arabic and English and he contributed to the authorship of Modern Standard Arabic: Intermediate Level.  Dr. Saliba has traveled extensively and conducted research in the Middle East and Europe.


Sayed Badreya
The Egyptian-born filmmaker Sayed Badreya realized a childhood dream when he won roles as an actor in major Hollywood films such as “The Insiders,” “Three Kings” “Independence Day” and “Stargate.” Badreya’s persistence has paid off, growing up in poverty in Port Said, his dreams of movie stardom looked as bleak as the prospect of peace in the Middle East. Movies were his escape from the Six Day War in ’67 through the Yom Kippur War in ’73.  Movies transported him to a magical land. It was at this point in his life that Sayed know he was destined to be a part of that magic. Sayed attended New York University film school, and than moved to Hollywood to pursued his film carrier. He worked as an assistant to Actor-Director Anthony Perkins and worked closely with Director James Cameron on “True Lies.” Sayed’s mission to make movies to tell the Arabic story since it has yet to be told. Sayed Created a Production Film Company "Zoom In Focus"  His credit is Directed & produce a Documentary Film "Saving Egyptian Film Classics (2002)", produce "The Interrogation (2002)." Which won Best Creative Short film at New York Int'l Film Festival ( 2002).  His latest credit, producing and staring in "T for Terrorist (2003)" which won Best Short film at Boston International Film Festival, (2003) and The San Francisco World Film Festival (2003). He also acted in "Stuck on You", a Farrlly Brother's Film, MGM's new film "Soul Plane" and Wim Wenders's new Film "The Land of Plenty" (2004). Sayed Baderya has been interviewed many times on the radio and television, and he has been featured in several major publications around the world, including The New York Times, GQ Magazine, NPR Radio, Politically Incorrect (ABC) with Bill Maher, BBC PANORAMA UK TV, Hollywood Reporter and Egypt Today.


Hanna Elias
Hanna Elias was born in 1957 in Jerusalem, Palestine. Graduating from the University of California Los Angeles Film School in 1991, he directed several short films, including "The Mountain" (1992). In 1997 he directed and produced the children's television program "Sesame Street" in Palestine, then from 1998-1999, he worked for the United Nations on a series of promotional films on women in Palestine. The Olive Harvest is his first full length film. 

H.E. Dr. Imad Moustapha
Dr. Imad Moustapha was Dean of the Faculty of Information Technology at the University of Damascus, and Secretary General of the Arab School on Science and Technology. He is a co-founder of the Network of Syrian Scientists, Technologists and Innovators Abroad (NOSSTIA). He was an active consultant to several international and regional organizations on Science and Technology policies in the Middle East (UNDP, UNESCO, ESCWA, ALECSO). He was also a member of the Syrian team responsible for drafting reform strategies for the ministries of Culture, Education, and Higher Education.  Imad Moustapha is a versatile writer with a long list of publications both in English and Arabic. He mainly writes on the political scene in Washington and on US policies. He has publishes extensively in Teshreen, Abiad wa Aswad, Al Hayat, Al Ahram Al Douali, and Al Thawra. His publications list includes more than 200 published articles. He has authored, co-authored and edited several books in English and Arabic. (The Echoes of Orpheus, Creativity out from the Windows of Hell, and Concurrent Engineering).  His wide range of interests include: globalization, cultural identities, social and economic impacts of the Internet, and western classical music.  He is a co-author of the UN sponsored Human Development Report in the Arab World which was widely quoted throughout the world.   He has appeared in numerous US, British, Syrian, and Arab TV news programs and shows, and presented a large number of public lectures in various Arab and American cities.  Imad Moustapha holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Surrey, UK. He is fluent in both English and French with a moderate command of German. 

Dr. George Frangieh
Dr. George Frangieh has been at the forefront of advances in laser surgery for over 10 years.  He has been an active participant in PRK and LASIK development, by performing numerous procedures both in the United States and abroad. Dr. Frangieh trains other surgeons overseas in the laser refractive techniques. He completed his residency in ophthalmology at the University of Southern California where he received numerous teaching awards. He completed an Eye Pathology Fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore and a Corneal Fellowship at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Frangieh is a partner of Eye Care Specialists, P.C., one of the leading eye practices in the metropolitan Boston area with offices in Norwood, Needham and Jamaica Plain. He has written articles on corneal disease and refractive surgery for over forty medical publications and textbooks. Dr. Frangieh is one of the founding members of the Laser Eye Care Center of Boston and of the Eye and Ear Hospital International in Lebanon. He also donates much of his time to the surgical care of needy patients overseas. 

⁺ Tentative
* Invited Speaker
   Dress Code: Business Casual

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