As the Director of Communications, Ms. Betsy Laun Maalouf works closely with HQ program staff and our 11 field offices to manage Amideast’s branding and public outreach via publications, social media, the website, and special events and activities. 

She covered business, energy, and development news for publications focused on the Middle East and North Africa for nearly 25 years.  Since joining Amideast in 2005, she has discovered the rewards of managing communications for a mission-driven nonprofit organization focused on the MENA region. 

As the Director of Financial Planning & Analysis, Mr. Rashid Khalfallah is responsible for financial planning, budgeting, periodic forecasting, and negotiation of the annual indirect rates. He develops periodic financial and budget analyses to support the decision-making of the Board, the Senior Leadership Team, and Department Heads. He also acts as the internal expert on matters relating to external audits, compliance with grant regulations, generally accepted accounting standards and internal controls. 

Ms. Juleann Fallgatter serves as Amideast’s Senior Director of Advising and Testing Services. She oversees the organization’s EducationUSA, career advising, and standardized testing activities. 

Ms. Elisabeth Dahl joined Amideast in 2006. In her current role as Senior Director of Business Development, she leads the proposal development process for Amideast’s HQ and field offices. In this role, she leads Amideast’s Business Development efforts and processes across Headquarters and Amideast’s eleven field offices.  

Previously she served in Business Development roles at Amideast and CARANA Corporation, K&M Engineering, and PADCO, Inc., focusing on United States government, donor, and private sector work. 

Dr. Elena Corbett serves as Amideast’s Senior Director of Academic Engagements and has oversight of Amideast’s Education Abroad department, which develops and implements all aspects of academic and experiential programming and support for US students and educators seeking opportunities to learn in the MENA region. She leads the team responsible for Amideast’s programming, customized and faculty-led programming for institutional clients, and implementation of the US State Department’s National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) and Kennedy-Lugar YES Abroad programs. Dr.

Ms. Serena Boustany serves as the Controller of Amideast, overseeing the accounting department including financial reporting, general accounting, accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll, and cash management. 

She joined Amideast in 2015, bringing 15 years of experience in the nonprofit world. Before entering the nonprofit sector, she worked for QinetiQ North America, serving as a senior program finance/budget analyst. she also worked in Lebanon for Arab Business Solution where she was the head of accounting.  

Mr. Andrew Bhattacharya is a compliance and operations professional with 25 years of experience with international actors including Red Cross/Crescent, the UN system, EU, US federal agencies, Peace Corps, and FHI360. He specializes in sanctions, procurement, and US federal regulations as well as staff training in those areas. He is a native New Yorker, near fluent Spanish and Russian speaker, and a board member of Kyrgyz Children’s Future, a 501(c)3 nonprofit operating in Kyrgyzstan. He has a BA from the College of William & Mary and an MBA from the University of Buffalo.

Ms. Debby Blazquez has served as the Vice President of Finance, and Chief Financial Officer since 2018. She currently manages the following teams: Accounting and Finance, Contracts and Grants, Information Technology, Financial Planning and Analysis, Internal Audit, and Risk Management, Assets and Facilities.

Dr. Mondher Ben Ayed is a Tunisian entrepreneur, engineer, and academic. He is the president and CEO of TMI, a leading company in the field of information and communication technologies, and Oradist, a distributor of Oracle products and services in Tunisia. He is also a former professor of computer engineering at the University of Rochester, where he obtained his PhD in 1990. He holds an MS and a BS in electrical engineering from the same institution.

Mr. Antoine N. Frem is the co-founder and vice chairman of INDEVCO, a group of manufacturing enterprises that produce paperboard, corrugated cartons, plastics, and sanitary products. He is also the chairman of the board of UNIPAK, a subsidiary of INDEVCO that specializes in packaging solutions. He has more than 45 years of experience in the packaging and paperboard industry and has worked in the US and international markets.