Board Members
The Arab Women's Leadership Institute’s uniqueness derives from a governing board of highly respected and dedicated women, predominately from the Arab region, who provide integral direction and follow up for the Institute’s work.
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Ms. Tami LongabergerChair, United StatesMs. Longaberger is Chair and Chief Executive Officer of The Longaberger Company, a premier U.S. manufacturer of handcrafted baskets and home products, as well as one of the country's largest direct-selling organizations. She most recently served in 2005 as the former chair of the National Women's Business Council, a bipartisan federal advisory council advising the President, Congress, and the U.S. Small Business Administration on economic issues for female-run businesses. Longaberger also participated as a member of the U.S. delegation to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights held in Geneva, Switzerland, in 2004.
Notable work includes her advocacy and leadership in the Longaberger Company's broad fundraising and awareness-building program in partnership with the American Cancer Society. The campaign, entitled Horizon of Hope®, has reached out to approximately 19 million women with educational information, raising almost $14 million in breast cancer research and education.
Ms. Longaberger has also served on the board of the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars, and previously chaired the U.S. Executive Committee for the 2002 Helsinki Women Leaders Summit, a conference bringing together women from Finland, Russia, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. Ms. Longaberger has also served as board member of the John Glenn Public Policy Institute and National Audubon Society. She received her degree in Business Administration from Ohio State University, where she also has served as the chair of the Board of Trustees.
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Dr. Sundus AbbasVice Chair, IraqDr. Abbas is the Executive Director of the Women's Leadership Institute in Baghdad, an organization that helps build the capacity of Iraqi women to become involved in the political process. She also regularly contributes to Iraq’s main daily newspapers and other media outlets pressing to further women’s rights in Iraq, and she has worked to build the capacity of Iraqi civil society organizations to take part in national reconciliation efforts.
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Dr. Wajeeha Sadiq Al BaharnaVice Chair, BahrainDr. Wajeeha Al-Baharna is the founder and vice president of Bahrain Women Association-for Human Development (BWA). She is a renowned activist in the Middle East in the field of human and women rights, and campaigns for women empowerment, promoting democracy, and gender equality. She is leading the Nationality Campaign in Bahrain and is a member of the Family Law Committee within the Bahrain government. Dr. Al-Baharna has surpassed many taboos and launched open discussions on all cultural, political, social, economical, environmental and judicial discriminations against women in the Arab and Islamic worlds. She is also Board Member of Innovation Cultural Society (Al- Tajdeed), focusing on Innovation of Islamic thought, a board member of the Bridging the Gulf Foundation (The Netherlands) and the Board of Trustees of Arab Thought Forum (Jordan). Dr. Al Baharna has a PhD in Environmental Studies and has worked as a marine biologist.
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Dr. Eman Al HusseinVice Chair, JordanA successful women’s empowerment and human rights consultant, Dr. Al Hussein is a board member of the Sisterhood is Global Institute (SIGI) and an assistant professor at Al-balqa' Applied University. Dr. Al Hussein is also chair of the political Arab Organization for Empowerment and the Jordanian Coalition for Education. In addition, Dr. Al Hussein is a member of several administrative boards in Jordan. She was the head of the Amman branch of the Jordanian National Forum for Women (1998-2004) and also served as a councilor for the Greater Salt Municipality (2003-2007). She continues to encourage other women to run for elected offices throughout Jordan. Dr. Al Hussein has a PhD in Philosophy of Woman and Leadership.
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Ms. Wafa’a Abedalqader Al JasemVice Chair, KuwaitMs. Al Jasem serves as the Director of Training and Development at the Kuwait Stock Exchange and has previously held several positions in Kuwait’s banking sector. In addition to her position with the Kuwait Stock Exchange, Ms. Al Jasem is a member in Kuwait Women's Cultural Society and served as a board member for the Society where she chaired the Public Relations Committee from 2007 – 2011. Ms. Al Jasem organized and participated in many conferences and workshops related to women's rights in and outside Kuwait. Ms. Al Jasem also serves as a member of the Khair Al Kuwait Orphanage, helping with events that raise community awareness for orphan children. She holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Glamorgan in Wales and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Al Kuwait University.
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Ms. Myriam Kairouz AucarVice Chair, LebanonMs. Aucar is a practicing lawyer and member of the Committee on Women’s Affairs and of the Committee of Foreign Relations at the Beirut Bar Association. She is an active member of the Women’s Democracy Network’s Advisory Council, for which she conducts regional outreach. She is also a member of the Steering Committee of the Wellesley Centers for Women. Ms. Aucar has been involved in initiatives and organizations to promote political, judicial, social, and economic reforms in Lebanon and managed electoral campaigns for independent, reformist candidates to the Lebanese Parliament. She conducted legal analysis on the labour situation and laws in specific Arab countries in order to promote reforms in those fields. She is routinely involved in reform advocacy efforts with a wide range of non-governmental organizations and think tanks.
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Dr. Najat ZarroukVice Chair, MoroccoA lifetime public servant in the Moroccan government, Dr. Zarrouk has over 30 years of experience in the Ministry of the Interior. She is currently the Governor Director of Training for administrative and technical staff. Prior to her current appointment, Dr. Zarrouk was appointed as the first female Chief of Division at the General Secretary, then as the first female Director of Legal Affairs. In 2009, Dr. Zarrouk was appointed by United Nations General Secretary Ban Ki Moon to join the U.N. Committee of Experts on Public Administration (CEPA), one of 24 members on the global panel. She was also elected by her colleagues as the Chair of the CEPA for the Session of 2012. She has a PhD in Politic Sciences and graduated from the National School of Public Administration.
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Dr. Lily FiedyVice Chair, West BankDr. Feidy has been an advocate of human rights, good governance, and gender issues throughout the West Bank. She is the CEO of The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue & Democracy (MIFTAH). From 2002-2006, she served as the Deputy Secretary General/Program Design & Management for MIFTAH. Prior to that, Dr. Feidy was Director General for International and Cultural Relations at the Ministry of Higher Education in Palestine from 1996-2002. She is also a board member of the Faculty for Israeli-Palestinian Peace, the American-Palestinian Peace Organization, and the Network on Women’s Leadership-Wellesley College, among many others. Dr. Feidy has a PhD in Applied Linguistics from the University of Deleware and a MA from the University of Michigan. She received her BA in English literature from Birziet University.
