ADVISORY BOARD

Thomas Abraham is a nationally recognized business entrepreneur and civic leader. He is the son of the late Genevieve and Anthony R. Abraham founding members of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. He currently serves as President/Partner in the operation of numerous family office enterprises. For over 45 years, the Anthony R. Abraham Foundation which he chairs, has provided millions to numerous worthy causes in Lebanon such as the Genevieve Abraham School of Nursing, the Lebanese Hospital-Geitawi, the school for the Blind and Deaf, the Spastic Center, the Crèche St Vincent de Paul, the Lebanese American University, the Lebanese Order of the Knights of Malta, Beirut Marathon ,the Rene Moawad Foundation, Little Sisters of Nazareth, APEAL, the Beirut Marathon Association and more. He also achieved widespread acclaim for his vision and cultural commitment to contemporary artists in Founding Miami’s not-for-profit StarArt Foundation. Mr. Abraham is also the Founder of the Beirut Foundation -USA and Help US Rise Initiative.

Fouad Chartouni is a Lebanese real estate investor and developer.

He is president of Kensico Properties, a real-estate holding company based in New York. He graduated from the American University of Beirut and received a master's degree in business from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a doctorate in economics from Columbia University.

While completing his PhD at Columbia University, he bought The Lowell Hotel at a time when New York really did not have any small luxury hotels. Coming from a European background, he felt that New York needed a European style luxury boutique hotel. Fouad Chartouni is involved in several cultural projects and philanthropic activities. 

Hazem H. Chehabi is a board-certified nuclear medicine physician and the founder and president of Newport Diagnostic Center. Born in Aleppo, Syria, he attended the University of Damascus, School of Medicine, then moved to the U.S. to pursue his postgraduate training at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. Hazem has been honored as a distinguished fellow by both the American College of Nuclear Medicine and the American College of Nuclear Physicians. In 2009, 2010 and 2011, he was selected to receive the Orange County Medical Associations “Physician of Excellence” award. He has served as the Chair of The University of California Irvine Foundation Board of Trustees between 2011 to 2014  and is Trustee Emeritus at Claremont Graduate University.

The scion of a prominent Iraqi family, Hussein Al-Damirji was raised as part of the Iraqi diaspora in Beirut and London. A graduate of jurisprudence from Pembroke College, Oxford, and law at Harvard Law School, he has over 30 years of international experience having worked and working with some of the most preeminent international firms in London, Washington D.C and the MENA region. 

Hussein has a track record of successfully establishing relatively unknown firms in the MENA region under very competitive market conditions. He founded a law firm that went on to be nominated by the leading legal publication in the United Kingdom for Best Firm MENA in pro bono work. With a unique ability to cross cultures, he is an advisor and Board member to a number of corporations, to prominent families and to UHNW individuals for both inward and outward investments in the USA, MENA region and Europe. Hussein works with the international law firm DLA Piper.

Omar Durra is a board-certified anesthesiologist born in Los Angeles, CA to Jordanian-Palestinian parents. He completed his internship and residency at Rush Presbyterian St Luke’s Medical Center in Chicago as chief resident. He went on to complete his cardio-thoracic anesthesiology Fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, where he became fellow of the year from 2001 to 2002. He returned to Los Angeles and began his professional career as an attending anesthesiologist at Cedars Sinai Medical Center, where he is currently an associate professor, a program director of the advanced clinical anesthesia fellowship, co-director of the neuro-spine anesthesia division, and a faculty member of the anesthesia simulation center. In the midst of the Corona virus pandemic, he has been a front-line medical professional as the head of the COVID-19 airway management team. Omar has numerous clinical publications and has written several peer-reviewed articles in medical journals; he is a presenter and moderator for numerous national anesthesia conferences.

Louay Eldada, a Lebanese American businessman, is the Founder and CEO of SCIDATEK. A technical leader with proven track record at both small and large companies and a recognized expert in nanotechnology and advanced optoelectronics, he is the former CEO of Quanergy Systems, a developer and manufacturer of advanced nanophotonic 3D sensors and sensing systems.

He formerly was VP of Technology at Amprius, where he led the R&D and Engineering activities, developing advanced energy storage solutions using rechargeable lithium ion batteries based on silicon nanowire anodes. Dr. Eldada is Associate Editor of the Journal of Photonics for Energy. He published 280 technical papers and books, chaired and organized 160 technical conferences, gave 200 keynote and invited talks, garnered 50 technical awards, and has 64 patents.

Eva Kotite Farha graduated from Beirut University College, currently Lebanese American University, majoring in mathematics and computer science. She worked at MD Anderson hospital in the Biomath department as a statistician in cancer research. She is one of the founders and president of the Lebanese Club at Houston. She was also a member of National Organization of Arab-American Women that participated at the United Nations Women’s Conference in Beijing, China.

She formerly served on the Board at Institute of International Education, the Health Musuem of Houston and currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Lebanese American University as well as of the Methodist Debakey Heart and Vascular Center.

Bassima Al Ghussein has been the Council's Executive Director of the Middle East Policy Council (MEPC) since January 1, 2021. Prior to joining the MEPC, she founded Alghussein Global Strategies, a government affairs and communications consulting firm. She has executed projects involving the U.S. Congress, the U.S. Dept. of State, the European Union, the British Parliament, the Egyptian Parliament, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Economic Forum. Ms. Alghussein is a Truman National Security Project Political Expert, a Board Member of Women of Color Advancing Peace & Security (WCAPS), and a member of the Meridian International Center Young Global Leaders Council. She frequently appears on international news outlets to discuss foreign and domestic policy issues. Ms. Alghussein earned her master's degree from the Georgetown School of Foreign Service in Security Studies and her bachelor's degree from Mount Holyoke College in International Relations.

Luciana Haddad Hakim is an experienced attorney who received a Doctorate in Law at Mackenzie University in São Paulo-Brazil, being awarded with a Master’s degree of Law and specialization in Comparative Law and International affairs, both at Harvard University. She has more than 25 years of strong entrepreneurship, working in the areas of Negotiations, Planning, Intellectual Property all over the world, Litigation, Health Care, Medical Devices and New Business Development. She is a legal advisor and strategist leader on multinational legal matters , representing US and Multinational Corporations doing business in the US and litigation on South American countries. An art lover and Philanthropist, Luciana has co-founded  AQUARELA, a Foundation providing better quality of life for foster kids in Colombia.

Khaled Janahi is the Chairman of Vision 3. He served as Group Chief Executive at Dar Al-Maal Al-Islami Trust (DMI Trust Switzerland). He is the Chairman of the Solidarity Group Holding, Naseej Company, Faisal Private Bureau of Switzerland, and the Islamic Investment Company of the Gulf. He is also the Executive Vice-Chairman of Ithmaar Bank and a Boards Member at the Faisal Islamic bank of Egypt and Ithmaar Bank. He has served on a number of other boards including the Center for International Business and Management, and the University of Cambridge. Khaled holds a BS in Computer Science & Accountancy from the University of Manchester, and he is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. He is currently focused on venture capital, specifically on start-ups. 

Lynn Jochim has established herself as a prominent leader and collaborator in the creation of world-class cities within California. AS President and Chief Operating Officer at FivePoint Holdings, LLC, Jochim guided the strategy and implementation of fully integrated, multi-generational communities that generated approximately 288,000 jobs during construction and $54 billion in activity for the California economy. Jochim has addressed solutions to some of California’s biggest challenges - job creation, climate change, the environment, mobility, and the lack of affordable housing and housing inventory. Previously, Jochim served as Regional Vice President of Lennar Homes in the San Francisco Bay Area. In the early 1990s, Jochim founded and was president of a minority and woman-owned business, and the BIA Women’s Education Council. Jochim has also served on the board of the Oakland Children's Hospital and as a president and board member of the Building Industry Association in Northern California. 

Habib Kairouz is a Managing Partner of Rho Capital Partners, Inc. a private equity firm with approximately $1.2 billion under management and offices in New York, Palo Alto and Montreal. Rho's business units span various classes of private equity investments, including venture capital in early stage and growth equity technology and healthcare companies (Rho Ventures and Rho Canada), buyouts in the technology sector (Rho Acceleration) and fund investments in all classes of venture capital and private equity funds (Rho Fund Investors). Prior to joining Rho in 1993, Habib worked for five years in investment banking and leveraged buyouts with Reich & Co. and Jesup & Lamont.

Habib received a B.S. in Engineering and a B.A. in Economics from Cornell University and an M.B.A. in Finance from Columbia University.