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AMERICAN-ARAB ANTI-DISCRIMINATION COMMITTEE
WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT FORUM (ADC-WEF)
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY CELEBRATION
Tuesday March 31st, 2015 – Washington DC, USA
BIOS
PANEL – WOMEN FOR PEACE
Moderator – Dr. Osama Abi-Mershed, Director,
Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, Georgetown University (CCAS – GU)
Osama Abi-Mershed is Associate Professor of History at Georgetown University,
where he teaches courses on North Africa, the Middle East, and the Western
Mediterranean (medieval and modern); on Arab and Ottoman societies in the
nineteenth and twentieth centuries; and on colonial and postcolonial FrancoMaghribi relations. His academic research focuses on the ideologies and practices
of modernization in nineteenth century Algeria, and on the processes of state-and
nation-making in colonial France and North Africa. He is also Director of the
Center for Contemporary Arab Studies in the Edmund Walsh School of Foreign
Service. He holds a Ph.D. in History from Georgetown University (2003), a M.A.
in International Affairs from George Washington University (1997), a M.B.A. in
International Finance from George Washington University (1988), and a B.A. in
Economics (1985) from the American University of Beirut.
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H.E. The Hon. U.S. Ambassador Wendy Chamberlin, President,
Middle East Institute
Wendy Chamberlin has been president of the Middle East Institute since 2007.
Previously, as deputy high commissioner for refugees from 2004 to 2007, she
supervised the administration of the U.N. humanitarian organization. A 29-year
veteran of the U.S. Foreign Service, she was ambassador to Pakistan from 2001 to
2002, when she played a key role in securing Pakistan’s cooperation in the U.S.led campaign against al-Qaeda in Afghanistan in the wake of the terrorist attacks
against the U.S. on September 11.
Ambassador Chamberlin served as director of global affairs and counter-terrorism
at the National Security Council (1991-1993) and as deputy in the bureau of
international counter-narcotics and law enforcement affairs (1999-2001). As
assistant administrator in the Asia-Near East bureau of the U.S. Agency for
International Development from 2002 to 2004, she oversaw civilian reconstruction
programs in Iraq and Afghanistan and development assistance programs
throughout the Middle East and East Asia. Other assignments included U.S.
ambassador to the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (1996-1999), director of
press and public affairs for the Near East Bureau (1991-1993), deputy chief of
mission in Kuala Lumpur (1993-1996), Arab-Israeli affairs (1982-1984) and
postings in Morocco, Pakistan, Malaysia, Laos, and Zaire.
A graduate of Northwestern University, Ambassador Chamberlin earned a M.S. in
education from Boston University and attended the Executive Program at Harvard
University. She was awarded an honorary Ph.D. from Northwestern University.
Ambassador Chamberlin serves on the board of the Hollings Center. She is a
member of the Trilateral Commission and the American Academy for Diplomacy.
Her opinion pieces have been published in the Washington Post, International
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Herald Tribune, and Philadelphia Inquirer, among others. She has commented on
Pakistan and the Middle East in interviews with The News Hour with Jim Lehrer,
ABC, CBS, NBC, BBC, FOX, NPR and Al-Jazeera. Sudan is another of her
countries of expertise.
Her areas of specialty and expertise include Women's Issues, Terrorism, Refugees,
Education, Development, Culture, Society and Geo-politics of the Middle East.
Melanie Greenberg, President & CEO,
AfP – Alliance for Peacebuilding
Melanie Cohen Greenberg is President and CEO of the Alliance for
Peacebuilding. Before joining the AfP, she was the President and Founder of the
Cypress Fund for Peace and Security, a foundation making grants in the areas of
peacebuilding and nuclear nonproliferation. From 2003 to 2004, she was a visiting
scholar at the Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies, focusing
on issues of justice in post-conflict peacebuilding. From 2000 to 2002, Melanie
was director of the Conflict Resolution Program at the William and Flora Hewlett
Foundation. She previously served as associate director of the Stanford Center for
International Security and Cooperation and deputy director of the Stanford Center
on International Conflict and Negotiation.
In her work on international conflict resolution, Melanie has helped design and
facilitate public peace processes in the Middle East, Northern Ireland, and the
Caucasus. She has taught advanced courses in international conflict resolution,
multi-party conflict resolution, and negotiation at Stanford Law School and
Georgetown University Law Center and is currently an adjunct faculty member at
the Elliott School of George Washington University. She was lead editor and
chapter author of the volume Words over War: Mediation and Arbitration to
Prevent Deadly Conflict (Rowman & Littlefield, 2000).
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Melanie is a frequent writer, lecturer, teacher, and trainer in a broad range of areas
related to international law, international security, and peacebuilding. In her
training, she has led courses for Congressional staff, scientists at the National
Institutes of Health, international lawyers, business executives, and graduate
students from around the world. Recently, she helped facilitate government
discussions on international legal protections for minorities in Tanzania and
developed a set of training materials for government groups working on
reconciliation in Kenya (both with the Public International Law and Policy Group).
Before beginning her work in international peacebuilding, Melanie practiced as a
bankruptcy lawyer at Weil, Gotshal & Manges in Houston. She is a member of the
International Advisory Board of the United States Institute of Peace and is on the
board of the Institute of World Affairs. She served as board chair of Women in
International Security and the Alliance for Peacebuilding and has sat on the boards
of Dispute Resolution Magazine, Partners for Democratic Change, and the
Lawyers Alliance for World Security. Melanie holds an AB from Harvard and a JD
from Stanford Law School. She lives in Washington, DC with her husband and two
teenagers.
Souleyma Haddaoui, Visiting Scholar,
Georgetown University
Souleyma Haddaoui is Visiting Researcher at Georgetown University and doctoral
candidate at the School for Advanced Studies in Social Sciences (EHESS) in Paris.
After having worked with the Institute for International and Strategic Affairs, a
French Think Tank, on US foreign Policy, she moved to Washington DC to
complete her sociological fieldwork research on the status of American Muslims
after 9/11.Her thesis examines, among other things, the impact of the war on terror
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and political radicalization on the dynamics of American Muslims' social
integration.
Born and raised in Morocco where she obtained her law degree with a focus on
family law, Ms. Haddaoui has worked with local NGO’s on women's rights and
social justice. She has researched and written on a number of societal issues,
including questions relating to various forms of discrimination, socio-economic
deprivation, and freedom of expression. She has spoken publicly internationally in
both academic and other institutional contexts and is a member of the Steering
Committee of the Women’s Empowerment Forum and the Co-Chair of the WEF’s
International Women’s Day Organizing Committee.
Dania N. Korkor, Legal Analyst, Associate Director of Development,
Project Coordinator of Representation 2020, FairVote,
The Center for Voting and Democracy
Dania N. Korkor is the Legal Analyst and Project Coordinator of Representation
2020 at FairVote. She has focused her studies and professional experience on
promoting democracy and peace and encouraging the use of alternative dispute
resolution to address conflict. Dania has significant experience working with
federal, state, and local governments. She served as a policy intern at the State
Department in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor in the Office
of Near Eastern Affairs and also served as a legal intern at the Ohio Senate.
Additionally, she worked for the Ohio Attorney General, a local Ohio mayor, and
the Department of Defense.
Dania earned a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Psychology and Arabic language from
Case Western Reserve University in 2010. In 2013, she graduated with a Juris
Doctor (J.D.) from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law and a Master
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of Arts (M.A.) in Public Policy and Management from The Ohio State University
John Glenn School of Public Affairs. While in law school, she specialized in
Dispute Resolution.
2015 IWD ADC-WEF Awards Recipients
The Hon. Hind H. Al-Fayez,
Member of Parliament (Jordan)
Excellence in Public Service and Leadership in Advocacy & Promotion of
Women’s Rights
The Hon. Hind H. Al-Fayez, M.P. is a current Member of the Jordanian
Parliament. She is the Vice President of the Integrity & Fact-Finding Committee
of the Jordan House of Representatives and a former member of its Financial
Committee and of its Energy & Mineral Wealth Committee. She is also a member
of the Jordanian Democratic Group Caucus and a Member of the Female
Parliamentarian Forum.
She heads the Jordanian Chinese Parliamentary Friendship Committee. Ms. AlFayez has had significant experience in elected public office while promoting
Women’s Rights. She also has 14 years of experience leading corporate marketing
and communications with extensive hands-on management experience in TV
production, media, advertising and commercial business.
She has experience managing multiple successful companies with an acute
knowledge of international markets, government regulatory frameworks and best
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business practices. Her experience includes managing business relationships with
agencies and organizations from both the public and private sectors, with a strong
background in marketing, finance, with multi-lingual fluency.
Ms. Fayez has served as Assistant CEO of Sakher International (Media &
Advertising), from January 1995 to 2003. She was the CEO of OUN Ground
Handling Services Company from 2002 to 2004. She was CEO of Al-Rabieh
Printing Press, Ltd., from April 2006 and still holds that position and also serves as
CEO of Jawaher Media services from April 2002.
Ms. Fayez holds a Bachelor of Science (B. Sc.) Degree in Computer Science with a
Minor in Finance from the Yarmouk University, Certificate in Sales Marketing
from the IBM Business School and Certification in Marketing and Network
Training from La Hulpe College, Brussels, Belgium.
Jihan Mansour,
Media Anchor and Journalist, Egypt (Anchor, Al-Thareer TV Channel)
Excellence in Media and Promotion of Women’s Rights
Egyptian anchor and media journalist, Jihan Mansour, is the presenter of “With the
People of Egypt”, a daily / nightly talk show at Al-Tahrir TV Station. She has also
been the presenter of “Sabah Al Tahreer” program on Egyptian Al Tahrir TV
Channel. She holds a Master's degree in English - Arabic comparative literature
from Ain Shams University.
Prior to joining Tahrir TV, Ms. Mansour presented “Sabahek Ya Masr”, a daily
morning show at Dream TV in Cairo. She was formerly the Director of the Office
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of Russia Al Youm and the Correspondent for RTTV in Washington DC and New
York.
Before that, Ms. Mansour was a News Anchor at Alhurra News TV in Washington
DC and a News Anchor at Al-Arabiya News Channel in Dubai. She has held
multiple media assignments, including with such major international Arab
channels as ART.
She has been an advocate for Women’s Rights using her Media prominence to
promote Women’s Empowerment and taking successfully to trial a powerful
member of the Leadership of the Muslim Brotherhood, during the FJP’s brutal
rule, on charges of defamation and slander.
She has been at the forefront of quality TV and Media reporting, during the most
turbulent times the Arab World has known in more than a generation, achieving
Star status in the Egyptian and International Arab Media landscapes.
May Rihani
KEYNOTE ADDRESS
WEF Award: Leadership Excellence in Global Women’s Rights Advocacy and
Pioneering Achievement in Support of Girls’ Education
May Rihani is a pioneer in girls’ education and a tireless advocate of women’s
rights. She served as co-chair of the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative
(UNGEI) between 2008 and 2010. Her book, Cultures Without Borders is a
memoir of her career and work in gender equity. Her technical book Keeping the
Promise, is a framework for advancing girls’ education that is used by global
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organizations. Her knowledge on the subject is drawn from years of experience
designing and implementing programs in more than 40 countries in Africa, Asia,
and the Middle East for a range of donor agencies, including the U.S. Agency for
International Development, UNICEF, the World Bank, as well as private and
corporate foundations such as GE and ExxonMobil.
May Rihani has for the past 30 years served as Senior Vice President at FHI360,
the Academy for Educational Development (AED), and Creative Associates. She
also served as Vice President at TransCentury. In these organizations, Ms Rihani
was responsible for ensuring the planning and implementation of educational
projects as well as the integration of gender perspectives in programs in education,
economic productivity, and health. She designed, planned, and managed numerous
cross-cutting education projects.
Ms. Rihani’s extensive work in education and gender includes research, policy
assessments, innovative program designs, training, systems analysis, and
management of country programs. She presented lessons learned, best practices,
and strategies on education at a large number of international conferences and
symposia. Ms. Rihani is also an international leading voice on the relationship
between girls’ education and health, nutrition, and economic productivity. May
Rihani worked in over 40 countries and traveled to over 70 countries. Ms. Rihani’s
in-depth knowledge in education and gender equity has attracted the attention of
many donor organizations that have sought her ideas and analytical skills to
support their missions.
In addition, May Rihani is a writer and a poet. She wrote and published five books
in English and three poetry books in Arabic.
Ralph Nader,
Political Figure, Consumer Advocate, Lawyer, Author and Activist
Excellence in Defense of Women’s Rights and Civil Rights Advocacy
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Ralph Nader 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. In 1967-68 he returned to Princeton as a lecturer, and he continues to speak
at colleges and universities across the United States.
In his career as consumer advocate, he founded many organizations, including the
Center for Study of Responsive Law, the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG),
the Center for Auto Safety, Public Citizen, Clean Water Action Project, the
Disability Rights Center, the Pension Rights Center, the Project for Corporate
Responsibility and The Multinational Monitor (a monthly magazine).
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Tanya Rahall,
Managing Director of RTK Consulting
MC, 2015 International Women’s Day Celebration Hosted by the
ADC – Women’s Empowerment Forum
Tanya Rahall is Managing Director of RTK Consulting Group LLC. She
specializes in public and government relations primarily for domestic organizations
and foreign government and business interests. She has extensive experience with
the U.S. Congressional legislative process and particular expertise with the
Congressional authorization and appropriations process.
Ms. Rahall’s career began with federal election campaign work, which
subsequently shaped her career in government work and consultancy. While
serving as a Staff Member for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on
Education and Labor, she was recruited to the position of Director of Grassroots
and Government Relations for then a 50,000 + member trade association focused
on U.S. – Middle East relations. Subsequently, Ms. Rahall co-founded and directed
the American Task Force for Lebanon (ATFL) and currently serves on its
Executive Committee Board of Directors.
These experiences led her to private practice representing a diverse clientele, both
domestically and internationally based. In addition to serving a number of energy
related clients in recent years, Ms. Rahall served as the public and government
relations consultant for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the Embassy of the
State of Qatar. During this time, she established the 50-member Congressional
Caucus for Qatar and managed Congressional delegations to the Middle East
region. She has been engaged, as well, in human rights work throughout the
Middle East and Central Asia.
In addition, Ms. Rahall has served as the consulting Public Relations Director for
the Ministry of Information for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, an advisor to the
Saudi Arabia Committee on International Trade, and as a Consultant to the
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“Friends of Saudi Arabia”. Capital Management and Development / Restaurant
Holdings, one of the most successful international real estate development
operations in the U.S., Europe and the Middle East has also retained the services of
Ms. Rahall for communications work. She is currently a founding member and
officer on the Board of Directors for Middle East & North Africa Consultants
Association (MENACA) and the co-founder and Executive Committee Member of
the American Task Force for Lebanon (ATFL), Board Member of the ATFL
Legislative Council, and Secretary of the ATFL Legislative Council PAC. As well,
she incorporated in 1999 the American Foundation for St. George Hospital and
directed its operations for a number of years.
Ms. Rahall has been an occasional guest of the White House, most significantly for
meetings in the Oval Office with Arab-American leaders, a State Dinner for His
Excellency then Prime Minister of Israel Ehud Barak, a State Dinner honoring His
Majesty the former King Hussein of Jordan and two historic occasions for the
signing of the Israeli-Arab Peace Accords.
Tanya has held a number of prestigious consulting mandates for various
institutions and has been a tireless organizer within the American-Arab
Community. She serves on the Women’s Empowerment Forum’s 2015
International Women’s Day Committee and is the event’s MC since its Maiden
inception in 2014.
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