Board Members
AWLI's Executive Board is chaired by successful American businesswoman Tami Longaberger and comprised of six prominent vice chairs from different Arab countries. AWLI's board provides integral direction and follow-up for the Institute's work.
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Tami LongabergerChair, United StatesChair and CEO 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 small 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.
During her term as Longaberger Company's president, 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 brining together women from Finland, Russia, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. 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 previous chair of the Board of Trustees.
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Wafa’a Abedalqader Al JasemVice Chair, KuwaitWafa’a Abedalqader Al Jasem serves as the Director of Training and Development at the Kuwait Stock Exchange. She has previously held several positions in Kuwait’s banking sector. In addition to her position with the Kuwait Stock Exchange, Ms. Al Jasem serves as a Board Member for the Kuwait Women’s Cultural Society where she chaired the Public Relations Committee from 2007 – 2008. 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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Myriam Kairouz AucarVice Chair, LebanonMyriam Aucar is a practicing lawyer and active member of the Women’s Democracy Network’s Advisory Council, for which she conducts regional outreach. She has been involved in initiatives and organizations to promote political, judicial, social and economic reforms in Lebanon. Ms. Kairouz has experience managing electoral campaigns for independent, reformist candidates to the Lebanese Parliament. She actively conducts reform advocacy with a wide range of NGOs and think tanks.
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Dr. Sundus AbbasVice Chair, IraqDr. Sundus 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 regularly contributes to Iraq's main daily newspapers and other media outlets, pressing to further women's rights in Iraq. Additionally, Dr. Abbas has worked to the 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 Sadiq Al Baharna is President of the Bahrain Women's Society, which seeks to expand the role of women in the public sphere in Bahrain. She also serves as a board member of the Innovation Cultural and Social Society and is a member of the Board of Trustees at the Arab Thought Forum, the Network of Democrats of the Arab World and the Global Fund for women. She is currently leading the nationality campaign in Bahrain.
Dr. Al Baharna has a PhD in Environmental Studies and has worked as a marine biologist.
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Dr. Lily FiedyVice Chair, West BankDr. Lily Feidy is the Secretary General 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 a board member of several international organizations, including the Faculty for Israeli-Palestinian Peace and the American-Palestinian Peace Organization. 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.
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Dr. Eman Al HusseinVice Chair, JordanProfessor of Education at Al-Balqa'a Applied University in Jordan. From 2003-2007, Dr. Hussein was a councilor on the Greater Salt Municipal Council. As head of the Jordanian National Forum for Women, Amman Governorate Branch, she was active in encouraging women to run for elected office at the municipal and parliamentary levels in the 1997 and 2003 election cycles.
Dr. Al Hussein has a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Amman Arabian.
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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 Director of Training for administrative and technical staff. Prior to her current appointment, Dr. Zarrouk served for 17 years as the MOI Secretariat General. She has also served as Division Chief for organization and connections and Director of Legal Affairs. Dr. Zarrouk was appointed by United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon to join the U.N. Committee of Experts on Public Administration, where she is one of 24 members on the global panel.
