board of directors

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Natasha-Christina Akda is Chief Operating Officer and Chief Legal Counsel for Cordoba Advisory Partners, LLC-a SEC Registered Investment Advisory Firm based in New York that specializes in custom wealth management solutions for globally-situated high net worth and ultra-high net worth individuals and families. Natasha is also the Founder and Lead Counsel of The NCA Group where she advises businesses and organizations in the arts, private enterprise, and the non-profit sector on considerations and issues arising from corporate structuring, conventional and alternative financing, strategic development, regulatory compliance, and government affairs. Prior to establishing her own practice, Natasha served as in-house counsel for Blue Pearl International Energy Holding PLC, a start-up renewable energy company based out of the U.K, where she provided strategic and legal guidance to company executives during negotiations with foreign sovereigns in the Middle East. Natasha also frequently engages in pro bono work and serves as Board Member/Legal Counsel to several nonprofit organizations. 

Rashal Baz Zureikat is an attorney and civic activist based in Chicago. She specializes in corporate and labor and employment work.

Her practice focuses on the representation of management in a range of employment law matters and includes a variety of single plaintiff, class action, and wage and hour work.ers in numerous industries ranging from industrial and general contracting to technology, staffing and retail.  

Her experiences also include drafting employee policies, master service agreements, pyrotechnic compliance regulations and advising clients regarding such policies and practices.

Rashal maintains an active pro bono practice by partnering with organizations such as Chicago Volunteer Legal Services, Cabrini Green Legal Aid, CARPLS, and the National Immigrant Justice Center. 

She also serves as the President and Chair of St. Jude Children Research Hospital’s Young Professionals of Chicago.

Razmig Boladian is an entrepreneur, private equity executive and a Middle East expert. He co-founded Rubicon Point Partners (RPP), a San Francisco based real estate private equity firm investing in commercial real estate on behalf of institutional investors. 

He also co-founded Bliss Capital, a MENA based investment management firm focused on the direct secondary and cross border investments. He additionally serves as an Executive Board Member at Al-Nahr Solutions, a mid-market system integrator in Saudi Arabia. 

Prior to his current responsibilities, Razmig co-founded Roland Berger Strategy Consultants’ Middle East practice and served as Partner and Saudi Arabian Country Manager. He was thus responsible for establishing a foothold for the German-based consulting firm in the region. 

Razmig has served on Harvard University’s KSG Board of Admission as well as Harvard University’s alumni board in Lebanon.  

Salma Chehabi is a licensed board-certified genetic counselor practicing cancer genetic counseling in Newport Beach, CA. She established the Hereditary Cancer Genetic Counseling Program at Newport Diagnostic Center, a leading medical imaging facility in Newport Beach, California, in November 2015. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences, a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Social Behavior, and a Master of Science in Genetic Counseling; all from the University of California Irvine. A long-time resident of Orange County for over 30 years, she has served on various committees at the University of California, Irvine where she has been a foundation trustee since 2008, and the recipient of the 2010 UCI medal of honor award. She currently serves on the President’s Advisory Council at City of Hope Orange County.

Born and raised in Lebanon, Diana Elmas established, with her brother, Diamony International in 1979. This company started in the wholesale distribution of multi designer’s brands in swimwear and lingerie in the Middle East. Diamony opened its first retail stores during the 90’s and since then, has become the pioneer in multi brand boutiques. Diana went beyond and opened a chain of luxury boutiques named “Fifth Avenue” that offers a coveted range of women's evening dresses. 

Diana serves on the board of Medistar Investment Corporation focused on the development of general, surgical and rehabilitation hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and medical office buildings. 

A true philanthropist, Diana is a mother of 3 daughters who spends her time between Beirut and Houston. 

Emile Haddad is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of FivePoint Holdings, the largest developer of mixed-use communities in coastal California. 

Beyond over 30 years of development experience, Emile is active in his community. He serves as Chairman of USC’s Lusk Center for Real Estate and as a member of the USC Price Planning Program Advisory Board. He is the Immediate Past Chair of the Board of Trustees at the University of California, Irvine and serves on the Real Estate Advisory Boards of the University of California, Berkeley, to name a few. 

He is also the recipient of the Boy Scouts of America Construction Industry Good Scout Award, the UCI Center for Real Estate Lifetime Achievement Award, and the American Diabetes Association Father of the Year Award. In May 2017, he also received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.

Ricardo Karam is a veteran talk-show host, television presenter, producer, author, public speaker and advocate of promoting social causes. He has interviewed the movers and shakers of the world, inspiring Arabs to break new ground one conversation at a time. His interviews went beyond the topics du jour and sought to explore the thoughts and intricate sentiments behind events impacting the world

In 2010, he decided to take storytelling to the next level and use it as a means of creating impact. He brought together those he worked with over the years and created TAKREEM which stems from his strong belief in the importance of giving back to one’s community by empowering its beacons and honoring its traditions.

TAKminds came as a natural next step in the Foundation’s strive to bring about change by uniting the TAKREEM community through thought and action-triggering events, talks, and activities. TAKREEM AMERICA has followed a decade after. 

Yasmina Moukarzel is an art advisor and interior architect based in Philadelphia and Avalon, New Jersey.  Yasmina received her BA from Washington College in Art History, the Master’s degree in Architecture from Drexel University, the Master’s program of Art Business and Contemporary Art from Sotheby’s in New York, and is currently achieving a Masters in Architecture from the Academy of Art. Yasmina provides strategic business advice and guidance to collectors regarding the international and American art markets. She works closely with international artists, designers, and gallerists, merging the creative works of the art world with architectural projects and art institutions. Some of her notable projects, include Philadelphia's Reading Terminal Market and Paine’s Park. Yasmina serves on the Ambassadors Board of the Barnes Foundation and Museum, the Legacy Foundation Board of the Union League of Philadelphia, as well as the Union League's Scholarship Committee.

Micheline Nader BSN, MPH, DESS, is a best-selling author, serial healthcare entrepreneur and President of Jesra Impact, which creates breakthrough content, education and networks. She has extensive expertise in hospital administration, long-term care and healthcare management. As the author of the best-selling book, The Dolphin’s Dance: Discover Your True Self through a Powerful 5-Step Journey into Conscious Awareness, she bridges the gap between traditional healthcare and complementary medicine. 

After a successful career in hospital administration, Micheline was interested in supporting the needs of seniors. She thus founded the Blue Dolphin Healthcare Group, which grew to become a large chain of nursing homes and was eventually sold. 

Micheline is an advisory board member of the Rothman Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. She continues to empower and enrich individuals by developing and implementing innovative content as a writer, speaker and coach.  

Manal Saab is Chief Executive Officer of SGCS in Flint, Michigan. She is active on the local, national, and international levels through associations spanning from cultural heritage to healthcare.  Appointed by Michigan’s Governor as Chair of CMEAA (the Commission on Middle Eastern American Affairs); she is an Emeritus member of the Board of Governors of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and a founding member of the national professional advisory board of the Center for Arab American Philanthropy (CAAP). Mrs. Saab and her husband, Ghassan, are the first Flint-area philanthropists to receive the 2010 Russell G. Mawby Award for Philanthropy, the highest award recognizing philanthropy in the State of Michigan and the Rotary International Crystal Award. They were both selected 2016 honorees by ACCESS, the largest Arab American Social Services organization in the U.S. 

Oscar Seikaly is the CEO of NSI Insurance Group, one of the largest privately-owned firms specializing in insuring families and businesses across the USA and in over 70 countries. 

Oscar is the recipient of several professional awards and designations in the insurance industry.  He was a member of the Producer Advisory Council of AIG and is currently a member of the Advisory Board of Vault Reciprocal Exchange, a subsidiary of Allied World. He is on the Advisory Board of University of Miami Law School’s RPD program.  He also serves as a member of the Collector's Council and is a Benefactor of the Perez Art Museum of Miami, Board Member of The Bass Museum of Art and Sponsor of the Miami City Ballet. 

In addition he is active in numerous other civic and charity organizations such as, Institute of Contemporary Art of Miami, The Pompidou Foundation,  The Renee Mouawad Foundation, Doctors Without borders and American Task Force for Lebanon.

Nabil Taleb is an accomplished serial entrepreneur. He is the Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of the Infiniux group—a group of companies focused on deploying the infrastructure for the smart economy. The Infiniux group includes Nexius, a leader in engineering and deployment of telecom infrastructure and a Supplier of the Year award recipient. 

Infiniux has a proven track record of bringing together teams of software, engineering and field services to empower humans with technology and create life-changing results. 

The group's technical academy MyndCo has a mission to graduate the next generation of smart technicians. Infiniux has incubated many software products throughout its history and in 2010, successfully sold one of its software analytics divisions to a publicly listed company. 

Nabil has won the E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year Award. He is an early investor and guide for countless startups and a board member of many charities.

Dr. Tony Tannoury is Chief of Orthopedic Spine Surgery at Boston Medical Center and Boston University School of Medicine in Boston, MA. He is internationally recognized for developing and patenting Minimal Invasive (MIS) techniques and implants that are widely used worldwide. He is the inventor of Johnson & Johnson’s MIS Spine Portfolio that includes award winning copyrighted systems on the market today. With a reputable and highly attended surgeons’ visitation program, he spends a significant amount of time educating and teaching surgeons, residents and medical students from Brazil, China, the Middle East, and all over Europe. Tony is considered to be an international expert in diagnosing and treating complex spinal deformities. He is the chairman of the Workerscomp care group, a think tank of leading experts group that teaches the latest innovative techniques on how to manage work injuries. Author of two books and more than 500 manuscripts/scientific peer reviewed presentations, he presides the International Musculoskeletal Society since 2008.

Richard Westmark is the Founder and Executive Chairman of Westmark Enterprise, Ltd., a family office structured, multi-asset manager with an international presence. He is the Managing Partner and Chief Investment Office of Triple V Management, LLC, an alternative investment advisor and a Global Board Member and the Texas Regional Director of the Hedge Fund Association. He has authored numerous articles in peer-reviewed scientific literature as well as a chapter in a textbook familiar to all neurosurgeons, Schmidek and Sweet: Operative Neurosurgical Techniques, W.B. Saunders. Upon finishing his training at Harvard, Dr. Westmark was a pioneer in spinal cord injury research at the University of California, San Francisco, where he worked on the regeneration of injured spinal cords in animal models in Linda Noble’s world-renowned lab. His most recent publication is a book written for non-medical people entitled “My Back Hurts!”, a guide to understanding what’s Wrong and choosing the best treatment. A much sought-after lecturer, he is often an honored guest at several universities and forums.

Sylviane Zehil is an American Lebanese journalist with over 35 years of experience in journalism, research, documentation and public relations. 

Since 1992, Sylviane has served as the New York and UN Bureau Chief for “L’Orient Le Jour”, a leading daily independent French language newspaper published in Lebanon. 

In 1977, Sylviane launched and directed “CEDRE”, the first computerized documentation and research center in Beirut, Lebanon. She helped establish “La Maison du Futur”, a center for strategic studies where she worked under the direction of President Amine Gemayel.

In 2012, she received an honor from Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz during the “Lebanese Heritage Day’s” celebration for her contribution to Lebanon at the United Nations and for her devotion in helping shape the Lebanese community in New York.

Youmna Ziade holds a Masters in Law from Saint-Joseph University in Beirut and in Political Sciences and International Relations from Sciences-Po Paris.

She currently works at BLC Bank in Beirut, Lebanon, where she has held several managerial positions, notably heading the Bank’s efforts in corporate social responsibility (CSR) during the past years. She started her career at Société Générale de Banque au Liban in 2003 where she occupied several positions within the corporate banking group. Youmna is also an entrepreneur, having established one of the country’s first organic farms in the early 2000s and co-founded Kitchenlab, an innovative concept in the food and beverage industry. She represents the National Heritage Foundation within the Beirut Heritage Initiative, an independent and inclusive collective, working on restoring the built and cultural heritage of Beirut affected by the August 4, 2020 Blast.

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