Professor Ishac Diwan's farewell party- today at 3:30 pm Perkins Conference Room- Rubenstein 415 at HKS

[Abdelhamid, Souad]

Dear Members

Hope all is well at your end and congratulations for those graduating this year

Please make sure to attend Professor Ishac Diwan's farewell party this afternoon at 3:30 pm Perkins Conference Room-Rubenstein 415 at HKS-  This event is organized by the Middle East Initiative.

On behalf of the Arab Caucus, we would like to deeply thank professor Diwan for his great and amazing support to the HKS Arab Caucus and the Arab Students.

Looking forward to seeing you

All the best

HKS Arab Caucus

[Safia Tmiri]

Friends,

I hope all is well and congratulations on graduation!

As you might know, a few of us are running for the HAAA elections to renew the executive board. 

This is an opportunity to give a new dynamic to HAAA, leveraging on its current achievements and working together to make a greater impact on our Harvard community.

I know that some of the graduating class didn't receive the email and link to vote, so don't hesitate to reach out to Hesham Hamoda to get your link and your opportunity to vote, every vote counts!

Below is the HAAA email for your convenience.

All the best,

Safia

World Economic Forum

Global Shaper - Casablanca Hub

Master in Public Administration 2014

Harvard University - John F. Kennedy School of Government

Mob: 1 (857) 928-6599

safia...@hks14.harvard.edu

Begin forwarded message:

Subject: 2014 HAAA Executive Board Elections NOW OPEN
Reply-To:harvarda...@gmail.com

Dear Members of the HAAA:

The HAAA is holding elections for its seventh Executive Board this year.  Voting ENDS on Thursday, June 18, 2014.  Please take a few moments to vote by clicking on the link below.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=XvBzGVQdKqxlEKYC3276kA_3d_3d

This link is uniquely tied to this survey and your email address. Please do not forward this message.

These elections are extremely important to the HAAA.  Member participation in our elections is critical to ensure that we have the most representative and effective Executive Board in place for the coming two years.  So, we urge you to take the time to vote.

Below, is a list of the Board positions and names of candidates running for each position.  You must vote for only one candidate for each of the President and Vice President positions and for no more than 5 candidates for the Board Member Positions.   The 5 candidates with the most votes will be elected as Board Members.  Although candidates have indicated a preference for specific positions, you should evaluate their potential as an effective Board Member in general as specific positions will be selected within the elected Board. 


2014 - 2016 HAAA Executive Board Candidates:

1. President

Candidate 1:  Ahmed el-Gaili (HLS 2003, COL 1998)

2. Vice President

Candidate 1:  Hesham Hamoda (HSPH 2010)

3.  Board Members

Candidate 1:    Amr Abdallah (HKS 1999)   
Candidate 2:    Souad Abdelhamid (HKS 2014)
Candidate 3:    Carine Abi Akar (HGSE 2013)
Candidate 4:    Yazane Alaily (HKS 2014, HGSD 2014)
Candidate 5:    Redha Alhaidar (HKS 2014)
Candidate 6:    Ruba Al Hassan (HKS 2013)
Candidate 7:    Mohamad Al-Ississ (COL 2000, GSAS 2000, HKS 2007, GSAS/HKS 2010)
Candidate 8:    Muhamed Almaliky (HSPH 2007, HKS 2009, FAS 2013) 
Candidate 9:    Heba el-Habashy (COL 2011)
Candidate 10:  Nora Elsheikh (HGSE 2013)
Candidate 11:  Mona Hammami (HKS 2013) 
Candidate 12:  Bill Kabbaj (HBS 2001)  
Candidate 13:  Mosbah Kahaleh (HBS 2011)
Candidate 14:  Amira Sayedahmed Rashad (HBS 1998)
Candidate 15:  Noura Selim (HBS 2013)
Candidate 16:  Safia Tmiri (HKS 2014)
Candidate 17:  Alsherif Wahdan (HKS 2014)



Candidacy Statements 

PRESIDENT

Candidate 1:  Ahmed el-Gaili

•    Prior Involvement with HAAA:  This is my 4th year on the HAAA board where I am currently serving as Vice President of the HAAA. In this capacity I supported the President in all of HAAA activities and led our organization of the HAWC in Tunis and Dubai.   I also previously served as HAAA Treasurer. 

•    Prior Student Leadership: While at Harvard College, I served as Co-President of the Society of Arab Students (SAS) and was a founding organizer of the Intercollegiate Arab Students Conference (IASC), the predecessor to the HAW.  While at HLS, I was the founding President of Justice for Palestine (JFP).  I was also a co-founder of the Woodbridge Society of International Students at Harvard and a member of its alumni board. 

•    Deep Connection to Harvard:  Having spent seven years at Harvard College and Harvard Law School, I am not only intimately familiar with the University’s culture but also able to build bridges to and between two important alumni groups.

•    A Lawyer Who Can Add:  As a practicing lawyer (Managing Partner of the UAE offices of Vinson & Elkins), I will bring helpful legal and business experiences to the President’s role.  Moreover, as a former investment banker (at Morgan Stanley), I am numerically literate and will work closely with the Treasurer on budgeting and the Director of Development on fundraising. 

GOALS
•Continue the institutionalization of HAAA by finalizing the work of the governance sub-committee and updating our constitution
•Continue to make HAAA more transparent and inclusive by finalizing the work of the outreach sub-committee and implementing its proposals
•Continue to improve the scale and substantive quality of the HAW and HAWC as world class conferences
•Secure the financial independence of HAAA through better fundraising efforts


VICE PRESIDENT 

Candidate 1:  Hesham Hamoda

I am currently a Faculty Member at the Harvard Medical School and have served on the HAAA executive board 2012-2014 as the Director of Harvard Relations. I have been at Harvard for a total of 9 years including 5 years as a student at the Harvard School of Public Health/Harvard Medical School and 4 years as a Faculty member. During my term on the HAAA board I served as a liaison between HAAA and the Harvard administration, faculty members and student groups. I was actively involved in the organization of the Harvard Arab Weekend (HAW), coordinated the Harvard Arab Graduation Ceremonies and represented the Arab voice at the Alumni leadership conferences. With the support of the HAAA board I introduced 2 new initiatives including the HAAA Student Grants and the HAAA Early Career Award.  As a student at Harvard I was also actively involved in Arab causes including co-charing the Harvard Arab Weekend Medicine and Public Health Conference in 2010.

If elected as the HAAA VP I plan to work closely with the HAAA President and the board to ensure a smooth transition, work to promote Arab causes and strengthen the Arab voice at Harvard through increasing student admissions, fundraising for the scholarship fund, establishing research fellowships related to the Arab World and promoting student and faculty exchanges between Arab universities and Harvard. 

BOARD MEMBER CANDIDATES 

Candidate 1:  Amr Abdallah

I completed my studies at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University with focus on how to improve institutional operations. I teach Principles of Business Administration, Strategic Management and Business Policy at Egyptian and Arab Universities. I perform management-consulting services to government, public, private companies and International Donor organizations. 

I am interested in running for the HAAA position of Director of Development in order to contribute to expanding and increasing the role of the HAAA plays within the Harvard Community and foster stronger relations.  I feel that I have the knowledge and necessary skills to work with the HAAA Executive Board to reposition the organization to sustain its success and advance its goals. I want to see the position facilitates and creates value for both HAAA and the Harvard University.  


Candidate 2:  Souad Abdelhamid 

I am a Palestinian with13 years of experience working with the business advisory service arm of Andersen and Ernst & Young, the public service arm of Chemonics, Bearing Point and Deloitte Consulting in Jordan along with short term consultancy for the UN and EU funded projects. I have a master in management from Boston University and I am currently enrolled in the Master in Public Administration at the Harvard Kennedy School. 

I believe that running for the HAA executive board would allow me to play an active role in supporting the Arab Alumni across the different Arab Countries.

Throughout this year, I led the Arab Caucus at the Harvard Kennedy School and worked intensively in building a very active student association by;

•    Organizing talks between Harvard professors and thought leaders
•    Creating an online platform for a vision 2025 in the Arab World
•    Organizing workshops with the World Bank MENA to discuss their strategies in the MENA 
•    Bringing together the Arab students from different Harvard universities and MIT as to create a well concerted Arab Community at Harvard

The specific goals I would wish to achieve would consist on;

•    Creating a platform for dialogue between professor at Harvard Kennedy School and fellows with thought leaders and youth in the Arab World
•    Create a unified vision across the different HAA associations and a comprehensive directory of alum that allows for an effective networking
•    Create an active mentorship network between students and Alum
•    Actively raise funds to sustain the HAA
•    Ensure the creation of active HAA associations in the different Arab Countries and ensure efficient communication and coordination between the associations
•    Promote creative initiatives initiated by/at Harvard in the Arab World specially in the domain of entrepreneurship

My interests in leading the HAAA subsists in my strong believe that I would better contribute in leading and developing a broader vision for the Board and pushing for implementation of the goals set by the HAAA. 

Candidate 3:  Carine Abi Akar

I would like to nominate myself for the position of Director of Outreach of the HAAA Executive Board. I have chosen to run for the board because I truly believe I have the capacity to bring fresh, fun, and engaging new ideas to the association. I believe I have the experience, energy and passion to direct the outreach program of the HAAA. 

I am a graduate of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Technology, Innovation and Education Master's program 2013. I completed my Bachelor's at MIT in Computer Science and Engineering. At MIT, I was the president of the Lebanese Club at MIT(LCM) and led all the outreach duties to the Lebanese and Arab community within campus and within the city of Boston. I also led the redesign of the LCM communication plan, and oversaw the development of their website. I have also been involved in the College Admissions Arab Mentorship program (CAAMP) where a group of students (including myself) travel across the Arab world to explain and connect students to higher education. 

In 2012, I was the Co-Chair of the Education panel and the Syria Crisis panel at the Harvard Arab Weekend. In 2013, as part of the initiative I co-managed at the Queen Rania Foundation, Edraak, I paved the path for Her Majesty Queen Rania to speak at the opening ceremony of the HAW to announce the initiative for the first time. Also, in 2014, I co-chaired the Education panel at the Harvard Arab World Conference (HAWC) in Dubai. 

My goals through this position are to increase the Arab student body at Harvard, to increase HAAA membership, to connect HAAA members to one another and to provide a space for our members to foster new ideas and innovations for the region, together. I believe I can accomplish this as Director of Outreach and look forward to being a part of the Board, inshAllah.  

Candidate 4:  Yazane Alaily

Yazane is a joint degree student at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and Graduate School of Design. His focus is on the interaction between policy-making, physical planning, and financing of infrastructure in developing countries. Prior to joining Harvard University, Yazane worked in the management team leading the effort of designing the infrastructure of Beirut’s new waterfront district. He also held various positions in the banking industry, first as an intern in the structured finance team of Societe Generale (Paris) and then as a financial analyst in the investment banking division of Merrill Lynch (London). Since his teenage years, Yazane has been passionate about the culture, history, and politics of the Arab world, this passion was driving force behind his decision to co-chair 2013 Harvard Arab Weekend, which has witnessed new records in terms of attendance (800+) and fundraising ($100K+).

After being involved in the Harvard Arab Weekend last year, I realized the extent to which the Harvard Arab Alumni Association (HAAA) shapes student experiences, as well as how much this organizational reach could be leveraged to create a stronger Harvard Arab Community.

As my Harvard experience draws to an end, I leave with a sense of bittersweetness. The exhilarating moments where our community came together, such as the Harvard Arab Weekend or student mixers, are counterbalanced by the sense of campus fragmentation that leaves Arab students disconnected from each other for most of their time on campus. While other regional groups seem to be immersed in intense networking experiences throughout their stay in Harvard, we only rely on a few isolated opportunities to get to know each other. This situation leads to various missed opportunities, one of which can be addressed by HAAA - employment opportunities.

Through my present application to the HAAA board, I am hoping to work on formalizing links between alumni and current students with respect to employment opportunities. The idea is simple but powerful: creating an online platform where Harvard Arab Alumni make the community aware of job openings in their organizations (full-time or summer internships), with the hope of finding a match from the pool of current Harvard Arab Alumni and students. To be sure, this link currently exists in an informal manner, but it seems important to formalize it so as to increase the breadth and depth of its impact.

In order to achieve this goal, I am specifically applying to the position of Director of Outreach, which would hopefully allow me to leverage the remarkable human capital of Harvard Arab Alumni and foster stronger personal bonds and better professional ties within our community. 

Candidate 5:  Redha Alhaidar 

My name is Redha Alhaidar and I am Mid-Career MPA 2014 at the Harvard Kennedy School. I am interested to run for the Director of Harvard Relations on the board. I was a former official and a strategic communication consultant in Saudi Arabia. I also sit on the board of couple of non-profit foundations. 

As a former Co-chair of the HKS Arab Caucus, I would like to ensure that that the relationship continues between current students and Alumni. I want to ensure the continuity of some of the programs that has been established. I want on working to build a bridge between promising Arab students and Harvard. There are many talents from our region who have the caliber to be this institution but this does not materialize for many reasons. Therefore I would like to be part of effort to enhance that situation. 

Candidate 6:  Ruba Al Hassan 

My Harvard experience was transformational.  I came away with new perspectives and insights, an incredible network and strengthened leadership skills that comes from a heightened sense of self, but most of all, I came away with a deep desire to "ask what you can do". 

I am running for the HAAA Executive Board to ensure as many Arabs as possible benefit from the Harvard experience, and for those that do, to ensure that we maintain the motivation and support that comes from an tight-knit network. I specifically would like to see a prouder and more cohesive Arab voice at Harvard that can influence positive change for our students, alumni and eventually our region.  

I am particularly well placed to take on the role of the Director for Outreach as I am currently overseeing, on behalf of my government, a close Harvard relationship. We have just signed a new partnership with Kennedy School that will support Arab fellowships with customized programming that strengthens public leadership for Arab fellows. My current role as Senior Advisor to the UAE Ambassador in Washington DC geographically positions me regularly in Boston, DC and UAE. My past 15 years of professional experience has primarily focused on social development with Abu Dhabi government and with the UN. In my spare time, I co-founded an innovative youth empowerment program in Dubai, as well as founded the first shelter in the Arab region for sexually exploited human trafficking victims and successfully lobbied for the region’s first anti-trafficking legislation. I hold an MSc in Development Studies from SOAS in London and an MPA as an Edward S. Mason Fellow from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. I am passionate about the huge potential of Arab youth and believe that together we are stronger and can make the Arab world a better world. 

Candidate 7:  Mohamad Al-Ississ

Mohamad Al-Ississ, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the School of Business and School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the American University in Cairo. He is an economics lecturer at the Harvard Kennedy School's midcareer program, and a visiting scholar (Spring 2014). Al-Ississ is a member of The World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on the Arab World. 

Al-Ississ received his doctorate in Public Policy – Economic Development from the Harvard Kennedy School.  Al-Ississ has a BA with honors in Economics from Harvard College, an MA in Middle Eastern Studies from Harvard University, and a Masters in Public Administration in International Development from Harvard Kennedy School. 

Al-Ississ’ research focuses on the cutting edge intersection of behavioral economics, genetic distance, and economic development. He investigates the impact of beliefs on financial markets. He examines the cross-border impact of political violence and religious experience on financial markets, and the effect of insurance on trust and trustworthiness in the Middle East through lab experiments. 

Al-Ississ’ professional experience includes management consulting with the Boston Consulting Group, serving as a senior advisor to Jordanian ministers of Industry and Trade and managing a portfolio of USAID projects in Jordan. 

Al-Ississ held fellowships with Harvard University’ Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs Dubai initiative, Harvard University's Program On Negotiations. He is a fellow at Harvard Kennedy School Presidential Public Service Program.

As one of the founding members of HAAA, I am a strong believer that in addition to serving as a network platform for its members, HAAA should continue to leverage its unique strengths for the betterment of the Arab World. An example of that is a project that I have been working on over the last year,Edraak.org, an Arab Massive Open Online Courses platform in cooperation with Harvard and MIT's Edx, to provide free high quality education in Arabic. I am hoping to work with fellow members to extend HAAA's outreach and impact well beyond its core constituency of Harvard affiliates.

Candidate 8:  Muhamed Almaliky 

I am coming to this position with 8-year legacy at Harvard University and 5-year engagement with HAAA Board members and activities. Through my long presence at Harvard, I have been able to nurture healthy and solid relationships with faculty, students and staff across the University’s schools and departments. My engagement with HAAA through the annual Arab weekends and conferences have provided me with ample opportunity to familiarize myself with its leadership, initiatives and activities. 

Witnessing HAAA grow over the years is a source of pride indeed for all Arabs who graduated from the University and those who aspire to be members of this community. I have observed this growth in both the number of Arab Students admitted as well as the extent of HAAA membership and participation.  
My experience at Harvard traverses three schools and stretches beyond that. I started with Harvard School of Public Health in 2007 where I, along with another colleague, established HSPH Middle East Club which since has become an organizing source for Arab Students activities within the school as well as a contributing source to HAAA Arab weekend in matters of Health and Public Health. I still maintain a good friendship with the director of admission and the director of the MPH program. At the Kennedy School and through my role as a VP in the Students Government I was able to establish a useful connection with the dean and director of admission with whom I addressed on several occasions the need for expanding Arab Students admission. In my current capacity as a researcher at the Center for International affairs, I have expanded my reach within FAS Faculty, Staff and Centers including the Vice Provost and the former Director of WCFIA Jorge Dominguez who has been instrumental in promoting Harvard Arab presence. I am engaging Professor Dominguez in a program for Iraqi Students in coordination with the Iraqi Government. This program can be replicated for other Arab countries. 

I believe the challenges in the Arab world necessitate first and foremost well-trained and skilled labor force where this University can best provide and Where HAAA is well positioned to promote. I am coming to HAAA equipped with a thorough knowledge of Harvard and a vast network. I will build on the legacy of my predecessors by pushing further to expand admission and funding mechanisms for Arab Students across Harvard schools, degree programs and executive education, and finding ways to mitigate the asymmetry in representation cross the Arab World at the University. I currently reside on Campus.  

Candidate 9:  Heba el-Habashy 

I am currently based in Dubai, where I work at Uber. Prior to that, I was one of the managers of Flat6Labs, a technology startup accelerator and seed investment vehicle based in Cairo. 

My desire to be involved with HAAA comes from a funny albeit a pretty pathetic story. A few months ago, my father called to tell me that the president's office in Egypt had called my house and asked for me so that I can be part of the Harvard student task force that would meet with some ministers and discuss how we could "salvage" Egypt from its economic distress. I thought he was pulling my leg until I saw the headline in "Youm7" a week later. This call made me realize that while the Egyptian government has clearly identified me as a Harvard alumni, I myself was doing a poor job of being one. 

This coupled with my desire to give back and remain involved with the best institution I have ever been part of is why I'm running for Director of Outreach.  As Director of Outreach I would like to better engage fresh graduates from all Harvard schools as well as older alumni who have not been involved for some time. I'm an extremely social person who loves people and so this position would be a great fit for me. I also believe that while our large scale events have proven to be a huge success, it would be interesting to test out smaller "themed events" for specific class years, interests, professional goals etc. HAAA can prove to be a great asset for both social as well as professional networking and I hope to help make the most of both of these cases for all involved members.

Candidate 10:  Nora Elsheikh 

As a recent graduate of the Harvard Graduate School of Education (’13), I moved to the MENA region as a member of the Arab diaspora eager to see the region flourish. In Doha, I took on a position at the Museum of Islamic Art as their Senior Learning Coordinator, developing learning and academic programs and interpretative methods to connect object biographies to the personal narratives of the visitor, from South Asian laborers and Western expats to local Arab populations. 

As the Director of Communications of HAAA, I aspire to cultivate that same culture of unity amongst our diverse members, creating strong channels that can be used for continuing the conversation and achieving goals beyond conference walls. I would seek to create lines of communication where HAAA members can share current projects, stories, and aspirations. HAAA should serve to connect the dots between our internal community in order to ensure thoughtful and sustainable contributions to the Arab world. 

In 2012, I had the opportunity to chair two panels at the HAW Cambridge conference, one that highlighted the nexus of the arts and education, followed by a panel on the geopolitical terrain of Syria. Both were extremely well attended and comprised of a diverse set of panelists including award-winning composers, World Bank consultants, and young, promising entrepreneurs changing the game in the region. 

Inspired by the energy, intelligence, and creativity of the conference attendees, panelists, and my fellow organizing teammates, I was eager to join the efforts of HAWC in Dubai 2014, chairing a panel on pluralism, education, and educational advancements in the region. 

This position is an opportunity to carry out my own personal mission, to create a platform of communication that ensures promising contributions to the region, and a means of ever-strengthening the bond I share with my fellow Harvard graduates. 

Candidate 11:  Mona Hammami

Mona is a Senior Project Manager at the Office of Strategic Affairs, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Court. Her role includes analysis of social and economic developments globally and locally and drafting of publications and white papers to influence policy making. Prior to joining the crown Prince Court Mona was a lead associate at Booz and Company. She holds a PhD in Development Studies from the university of Oxford and a Master in Public Administration International Development from Harvard Kennedy School. She is also the founding Curator of the World Economic Forum Abu Dhabi Global Shapers Hub, the secretary of the Harvard UAE Society and was the co-Chair for the 2011 Harvard Arab World Conference that took place ibn Abu Dhabi and a member of the steering committee of the 2014 Conference in Dubai. 

The opportunities and experiences I had at Harvard made a huge impact on who I am today both personally and professionally. As a Harvard alumnus I continue to be involved with Harvard serving on the executive committee of the Harvard Society of the UAE, interviewing for Harvard undergraduate admission, co-chairing the 2011 Harvard Arab World Conference in Abu Dhabi and being a member of the steering committee of the 2013/2014 conference in Dubai. Today, I am humbled with the opportunity to serve on the HAAA board to further reinforce my link to the university and the community.

The Harvard Arab Alumni Association serves not only as a way to help alumni reconnect with each other and the university, but also supports programs and activities so that current and future students can have opportunities/circumstances as good if not better than the ones we had, allowing them to grow into successful individuals. I am eager to be part of the team that makes these goals possible. In particular, I am keen on promoting further the role HAAA plays in funding students into Harvard. Having been a recipient of a public service fellow and lately a donor, setting-up my own Graduate fellowship for the Harvard Kennedy School, I know how much this support means to many eager Arab students looking forward to the Harvard experience but restricted by the inability to finance it. I am also keen on expanding the membership base, increasing involvement of existing members and helping expand HAAA’s outreach through a diversified set of events regionally.

I’m asking for your support, so we can together continue HAAA’s mission in supporting its members, future students, and the community at large.

Candidate 12:  Bill Kabbaj 

The Harvard Arab World Conference is expected to take place in Morocco in 2015.

•    As a Moroccan – American, I am looking forward to making a significant time commitment and assuming a key role in working with other HAAA Members and Officers to make the upcoming Conference in Morocco one of the highest profile HAAA Conferences in recent years and an astounding success.\

•    I expect to bring to bear all my relationships in Morocco, the US and the Gulf to provide the highest level of exposure in the global media for this upcoming Conference and for future HAAA events.

•    Additionally, having established a successful M&A Advisory and Proprietary Investment group (BIKA Group) based in Dubai and New York, following years as a senior investment banker covering the Media sector at Merrill Lynch and Bank of America, will enable me to seamlessly assume the other responsibilities of the Director of Communications including:
o    Overseeing efforts to maintain and strengthen relations with media in the US and the Arab world
o    Updating and revising all communications with alumni, sponsors and friends
o    Editing and producing the annual HAAA newsletter/annual report in cooperation with the Director of Membership
o    Drafting press releases for conferences and other events
o    Revamping the HAAA website
I hope you will afford me the opportunity to serve you in the role of Director of Communications.

Candidate 13:  Mosbah Kahaleh 

My name is Mosbah Kahaleh (HBS ’11), currently living in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and I would like to contribute back to HAA by way of helping in the Development/Fundraising efforts. Clearly, ensuring consistent and diversified sources of funding is of vital to fuel the remarkable initiatives undertaken by HAA and its community members. 

In my current post as an Investment Manager, I interact with a number of investors and large family groups in the region. Based on these interactions, I believe that most of these groups will be excited to contribute to the initiatives and efforts led by HAA, with the Scholarship Fund and the Annual Conference being on the forefront of such initiatives. 

My plan is to expand HAA’s sponsor base, including groups in Saudi Arabia and GCC. Such groups will be of a great value to HAA not only in terms of providing funding, but also in providing a wide network of contacts in the MENA region for any future initiatives that HAA plans to undertake.

Secondly, I plan to enhance our existing marketing efforts.  A lot of quality time and hard work has been put by HAA members towards the current initiatives, and I believe we can shed more spotlight on such achievements that will both validate HAA’s value proposition and strengthen our position when approaching new sponsors.

Indeed, such vision requires a lot of work, so I will be engaging all of our community members to harness their networks so that we can reach our vision serving all of HAA’s members. 


Candidate 14:  Amira Sayedahmed Rashad 

•Head of Media at Yahoo Middle East, Africa and Turkey. Responsible for all Yahoo sites, editorial teams, products and productions in the region. 2011- present.
•Over 18 years of general management, strategy consulting and marketing management experience working in the U.S, Europe and the Middle East.
•Advised Fortune and S&P 500 media and consumer companies as a consultant with Booz Allen Hamilton and The Valen Group.
•Led marketing, product and business development teams at Dun & Bradstreet, PepsiCo International, and Leo Burnett Advertising.
•HBS Harbus Editor in Chief, 1996-1997
•Chevening scholar
•Prior involvement with HAAA limited to event attendance 

I moved back to the region in late 2010, twelve years after graduating Harvard Business School. Since then, I have become acutely aware of the need for Harvard Arab alumni to contribute to the growth and development of the region. This can only be possible if the infrastructure is in place to facilitate communication, networking and collaboration between alumni, as well as with the various government, private, public and non-profit sectors across the region. Moreover, to fuel this effort, greater collaboration with the school is warranted. From knowledge sharing to research, Harvard can help enable many growth initiatives in the Arab world. Finally, it is clear that the Arab world is severely underrepresented in the Harvard student body. I believe it is the responsibility of Harvard alumni to work towards changing this fact, especially given the “youthquake” occurring in this region. 

Specifically, I would like to see HAAA pursue the following goals going forward:

•Provide HAAA members with the infrastructure to better network amongst themselves and with various public, private and non-profit organizations in the region, for professional, social and philanthropic purposes.
•Identify and champion 1-2 key projects through which HAAA members can play a significant role in supporting growth and development in the region
•Enhance alumni relations with the school and raise the profile of Arab alumni in school programs and research
•Increase qualified Arab student applications to Harvard by at least 25% over 2 years; grow scholarship opportunities for qualified Arab students to attend Harvard


I am particularly passionate about making a difference in the region through harnessing the collective potential of some of its top talent. Having spoken to many fellow alumni, I know many of them share this passion. This is a key driver for member and sponsor engagement, which I believe I can help in unlocking. I believe that my management experience, especially in the areas of marketing and digital media, can be instrumental in serving this purpose. As Head of media at Yahoo MEA I am engaged daily in identifying the needs of my target audiences and prospects, and defining the best approach of keeping them engaged. As Director of outreach for the board, I intend to leverage this approach, as well as available data to expand the HAAA membership base and grow engagement.

Specifically, I would like to pursue the following goals if elected as Director of Outreach:

•Grow HAAA membership through enhanced communication with alumni and facilitation of networking and collaboration opportunities between them
•Grow HAAA engagement through providing project volunteering opportunities for alumni (government, private, public and non-profit)
•Launch a lecture series with leading speakers across sectors; co-sponsor specific networking events in collaboration with leaders in each field
•Launch a New Ventures competition for alumni
•Provide mentorship opportunities for recent alumni
•Increase the number of qualified applications to Harvard through enabling alumni to help mentor graduate and undergraduate candidates
•Make the HAAA site a key resource for members through enhanced functionality and enhanced service offerings. Launch an alumni newsletter with region specific news and insights.


Candidate 15:  Noura Selim 

I would like to apply for the Director of Outreach position. I'm passionate about increasing the participation in HAAA from students across Harvard and for Alumni from around the world. My experience working with HAAA as co-chair of Harvard Arab Weekend 2012 has shown me the tremendous impact that can come from the collaboration of Harvard students representing all Arab nationalities and Harvard alumni, through their various professional roles. I hope to bring in my passion for connecting people and organizing events to this role to ensure that HAAA expands its network and that members feel that they are part of an organization that can serve different functions for them: from continued connectivity to Harvard, to meeting new people, to engaging in the various thought provoking and educational conferences we hold. If I were to assume this role, I would engage in organizing more gatherings in cities with large alumni representation, and to potentially holding a speaker series, where Harvard alumni can share their experiences. Additionally, I would work on increasing student participation in HAAA from while they are at Harvard - HAW serves as a great introduction to HAAA, but I believe that we can use HAW more to introduce students (beyond organizers) to HAAA and to ways that they can be involved. Additionally, HAAA can continue to play an active role in increasing Arab student applications at Harvard, and one way I would want to try is using Alumni ambassadors in each of the major cities in the Arab world to hold talks at schools to raise awareness about the application process and scholarships available. 

I have had an amazing experience working on HAW and working with HAAA and am excited about the Director of Outreach position as it would mean that I can continue being involved and engaged with the organization, and contributing to its success. 

Candidate 16:  Safia Tmiri

Safia is a Moroccan graduate from Harvard John F. Kennedy School of Government (HKS) where she earned a Master in Public Administration in 2014.
Prior to this, Safia spent four years in investment banking working with MENA telecom companies on their expansion strategy and infrastructure monetization.  She holds a MSc. in Management from ESSEC Business School in France 

What brought Safia to HKS is her passion for politics and institutional changes in 
Morocco and the Arab World.  During her studies in Paris, she was an active member among the Moroccan students serving notably as executive secretary of the Association of Moroccans in "Grandes Ecoles" in 2006.  During her term, she
founded the "Days of Moroccan Youth", a forum that brings together key Moroccan representatives and students to discuss the country's challenges.  The conference held its seventh edition in 2014.  

At Harvard, Safia co‐chaired the Harvard Arab Weekend 2013 under the theme:  “Cherish|Challenge|Change”. As the region wrestles with the dramatic implications of an increasing polarization in Egypt, the dire threat of failed states in Syria, Iraq, and Libya, and a renewed hope for change in Tunisia, the theme anchored us to (re)think the concept of society that is emerging around three questions: What do we keep from our ancient regimes, what do we wish to renegotiate and how do we design a new social contract to impress a sense of shared destiny and future.  

As a member of the HAAA Board, Safia will continue to raise these questions through HAAA's flagship conferences, but also through a dedicated portal to carry on the conversations and encourage research on the most pressing issues in the region.  This will tie with improved efforts to promote Arab presence in Harvard through working on increasing scholarships and outreach efforts across the region.  


Candidate 17:  Alsherif Wahdan 

Alsherif Wahdan's experience spans 15 years in corporate finance, private equities, real estate investments, development and construction. He has worked on Projects and deals spanning Egypt, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Dubai and Qatar. His management portfolio included $2.4 billion of design and construction packages at the Pearl – Qatar, the most glamorous address in the Middle East. In addition he actively managed two private equity real estate funds with assets exceeding $350 million in Egypt. Alsherif projects involvement includes hospitals in Turkey, Cairo Airport, Dubai Airport, Four Seasons Hotel in Alexandria and Damascus, Arkan Mall in West Cairo, Egypt. 

Alsherif is an MBA holder from Thunderbird University and MPA holder from Harvard Kennedy School. Bsc in Civil Engineering from Cairo University

Why do I want to run for a board position?

I believe that my broad network and my commitment to public service are two important pillars to support an enthusiastic, vibrant and useful Harvard Arab Alumni Association. With my previous track record in consummating successful deals, I can add value to the fund raising effort for HAAA. In addition, with my engineering and organizational skills managing outreach and keeping our database organized, useful and retrievable is a task that can be done.  I have had the wonderful opportunity to call for and organize the End of Year Harvard Arab Mixer, where we also invited Arab members from the MIT community into a successful event at Harvard.

Having said that, what I would really like to kick start is to seed an endowment fund for the Arab student similar to that of Harvard University. It can start small, and with time and good work, it will grow to something spectacular.


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