Board Helps Celebrate Amideast/Lebanon‘s 45th Anniversary
Amideast/Lebanon was pleased to host the board at the same time that it celebrated its 45th anniversary in Lebanon. Amideast President and CEO Theodore H. Kattouf joined the advisory board, the Amideast/Lebanon staff, and Amideast’s many friends in Lebanon for a reception on September 30, 2013, commemorating the 1968 opening of the Beirut office and Amideast’s dedication to serving Lebanon, including throughout the difficult years of the country’s civil war.
The support of the Amideast/Lebanon Advisory Board has been key to the Lebanon office’s success in undertaking scholarship searches on behalf of deserving youth. Through Amideast’s Diana Kamal Scholarship Search Fund, it has matched nearly 30 talented young men and women with scholarships for undergraduate study at leading colleges and universities in the United States. Last year alone, it was able to leverage $50,000 in funding provided by the board to win $1,802,960 in scholarship awards to graduating seniors, covering their four-year degree programs in the United States.
The board’s generosity has also enhanced Amideast/Lebanon’s efforts to advance entrepreneurship in Lebanon through the Cisco Entrepreneur Institute, which offers a robust program of workshops, individual support, mentorship programs, and networking. Amideast’s work with underserved Lebanese women who seek to start a business or expand an existing one has benefited as well. Since 2012, the Arab Women’s Entrepreneurship Project (AWEP) — an Amideast partnership with Citi Foundation — has provided training and mentoring to 40 aspiring female entrepreneurs in Lebanon, and has just begun a third round of training supporting 20 women in 2014. The board’s support is also enabling Amideast to launch its new Professional Certificate in English Language Teaching (PCELT) training program for English language teachers in Lebanon. A pilot round of PCELT training was conducted during 2013, and another one will be held soon.
Also of note, the board’s support has helped advance plans to implement an intensive work-readiness program for young women in Lebanon. The new program, Skills for Success, will offer English, computer, business and job search skills and is expected to launch in 2014.
“Our board has underlined its deep commitment to Amideast efforts to further expand educational and training opportunities, especially for Lebanon’s youth and women. I am profoundly grateful to them for their passion for helping educate the leaders of tomorrow. Their dedication is a reflection of how our lives can become the stars that others steer by,” said ALAB Chairman Dr. Paul F. Boulos, president and COO of Innovyze Corporation.
Dr. Boulos added that he was pleased to announce the addition of several new members to the board, bringing its membership of civic and business leaders to 26.
“Amideast welcomes the new members of the Lebanon Advisory Board. The generous support of the board is critical to the success of our efforts to broaden our outreach and expand educational and training opportunities for young Lebanese,” said Ambassador Kattouf.
Advisory Board Officers:
Chairman: Dr. Paul F. Boulos, President and COO, Innovyze
Vice Chair: Salim Sfeir, Chairman and General Manager, Bank of Beirut
Vice Chair: Anis Nassar, Founder, Owner and Chairman, Anis Nassar Group of Companies
Secretary: Asma Zein, Regional Manager, Lebanon and West Africa, Aramex
Members:
Amine Georges Abboud, Former Chairman and CEO, Nestle Waters (Middle East, Africa, and Central Asia)
Hussam Abdul Salam Abu Issa*, Vice Chairman and COO, Salam International; Deputy Managing Director, Salam Holdings
Walid Assaf, Chairman and General Manager, Societe Moderne Libanaise Pour Le Commerce (SMLC)
Michel Asseily, President, Prime Investments
Hanna Ayoub, Chairman, Hameng Holdings Co.
Salwa Alsiniora Baassiri*, Director General, Rafik Hariri Foundation
Amid Baroudi, Director, Eastern Consultants Group, Ltd. (BVI)
Moustafa Bissat, General Manager and Chairman, National Technology Company, Eduware
Nabil Bustros*, Cofounder and CEO, MIDIS Group
Raphael Debbane, Chairman, DESCO Holding SAL
Habib Debs, President and CEO, Advanced Technology Systems Co.
Mounir Douaidy, General Manager and CFO, Solidere
George Doumet, Chairman and President, Federal White Cement, Ltd.
Rana Zaim Idriss*, President and Founder, The Gulf Company for Development and Real Estate Investment
Antoine Frem, Vice Chairman, INDEVCO Group; Chairman and CEO, Interstate Resources
Kanan Hamzeh, Chairman, Owner and Founder, Tri Pole Corp.
Maha Kaddoura, President, Kaddoura Association for Philanthropy
Mustafa Miqdadi*, Co-Director, Agrimatco, Ltd.
Harry Nadjarian, Chairman and CEO, Industrial Motor Power Corporation
Wafa Saab*, CEO and Board Member, Tinol Paints International Co.
Tania Semaan*, Co-Founder and Director, Semaan Foundation
Gaby Tamer*, Chairman and CEO, G. Tamer Holding
Salim Zeenni, Chairman, American Lebanese Chamber of Commerce
*new members since the 2012 annual meeting
