Staff
Barbara Broomell, Executive Director
Barbara Broomell serves as Director for IRI’s Arab Women’s Leadership Institute based in Amman, Jordan. Barbara has worked for the Institute for about 15 years; based in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina as Resident Country Director, Bucharest, Romania as Resident Program Officer and serving in the Institute’s Washington, DC headquarters on programs for Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, Georgia and Azerbaijan. Most recently, she served as Deputy Director for the Institute’s Middle East and North Africa Division and served as Deputy Director for the Women’s Democracy Network from 2007 - 2009.
In addition to her experience with IRI, Barb served in the Administration of President George W. Bush as Confidential Assistant in the Office of the Director of the U.S. Peace Corps. Barb worked with the Peace Corps Chief of Staff to secure the confirmation of the President’s appointed Director in the U.S. Senate and developed a transparent selection program for overseas country directors.
During the 2000 and 2008 U.S. campaign cycles, Barb served as a volunteer on Senator John McCain’s Presidential campaign. Barb volunteered on the George W. Bush campaigns get-out-the-vote initiatives in the states of New Hampshire, Georgia and Maryland in 2000. In addition, she served as an accredited re-count observer in Broward County, Florida.
Barb received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Russian and International Studies in 1996 from Millersville University of Pennsylvania. She successfully completed the American University’s Campaign Management School in May, 2000.
Feda’a Qudah, Program Officer
Feda'a Qudah serves as the Amman-based Program Officer of AWLI and is responsible for programming activities and membership outreach for the Institute. She is responsible for assisting with the development and implementation of AWLI training modules, translating documents and materials; maintaining AWLI’s website and Facebook pages, managing member relations, and compiling reports on member activities and success stories. Feda’a transferred from IRI's Jordan program in 2010, where she worked as a Program Assistant and Coordinator for five years on political party development and elections programming. She graduated from Jordan University of Science and Technology with a B.A in Water Resources and Environment
Saria Haddadin, Accountant & Office Manager
Saria Haddadin serves as Office Manager and Accountant for IRI’s AWLI program. In this capacity she handles all administrative and logistical tasks related to the AWLI program including events management, daily expenditures and monthly financial reporting. Prior to her positions with IRI, Saria worked in various capacities with Le Meridiem Hotel Amman, Jordan. From 2006 – 2008 she served as Sales Executive working with clients on various events including conferences and weddings. In 2008, became the Personal Assistant and Office Manager for the General Manager of Hotel. In 2009 she was promoted to Events Manager and was responsible for a team of four employees and 13 meeting rooms, including the Royal Convention Center. Saria graduated in 2006 from the Jordan University in Amman with a B.A. in Actuarial Science.
