Board of Directors

Board of Directors – 2009/2010

ONTARIO

David Comerford is an international development project management and evaluation specialist with experience in over 20 countries. As a Middle East specialist he has a functioning knowledge of spoken and written Arabic and has visited, lived and studied in many countries in the Arab region including Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, UAE, Lebanon, Palestine, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. In addition, he has worked with stakeholders in, and conducted missions to, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Pakistan, India, Indonesia, Timor Leste, Laos, Haiti, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Ethiopia, Somalia, South Africa, Guatemala, Georgia and Russia.

Much of this work has focused on initiatives in the formal and informal education and skills training sectors. He has held senior positions both overseas and in Canada with Oxfam-Quebec, El Taller International, the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) and CUSO. He currently works as an independent consultant and a Senior Advisor with Integrated Development Enterprise Associates (IDEA) in the National Capital Region

Mr Comerford is married and has four boys. Fully bilingual in French and English, he is a graduate of political science and international development from the University of Ottawa in Canada.
Doug Daniels worked at Canada ’s Department of External Affairs, IDRC, FAO and the Department of Cooperative Development in Uganda .. He brings extensive experience to NCCAR acquired while working in every continent and region on development issues related to education, health, agriculture, economics and research. He has published three books and more than 50 articles concerning international affairs and development. He has been and/or is on the following boards: Advisory Board, Canadian Journal of Development Studies International Board of Governors, Society for International Development (Development ( Rome ); Vice-President, International Book Bank (US); President, SID Ottawa; and CODE.

Michel De Salaberry is a former Canadian Ambassador to Egypt , Iran and Jordan. He also served as former Deputy Director, Middle East Division, Chief of Staff to the Minister for Constitutional Affairs, and Director, Middle East Relations Division at Foreign Affairs Canada. Since retirement in January 2005, he returned to active service as Canadian Government representative in Southern Afghanistan for part of 2007. He is now engaged in a number of civil society activities with L’Arche communities of the mentally handicapped in both Gatineau and Bethlehem-Azzarieh, Future Generations Canada (community development in Bamian province, Afghanistan), and the New Day Foundation for cultural dialogue between Canada and Iran.

Dr. John Menzies (Treasurer) a practicing physician in Pembroke Ontario He finished his medical studies in 1982. Since then, Dr. Menzies served with the Canadian military as a Doctor in Canada and Europe, and completed his Radiology training in Ottawa . He is married and has four sons.

Samah Sabawi is a Human Rights and Social Justice advocate. She has worked with various NGOs and Human Rights groups both in Canada and in the Palestinian Occupied Territories . Ms. Sabawi was former Executive Director of the National Council on Canada-Arab relations (NCCAR) and is currently on the board of directors of the Canadian Palestinian Congress. She has designed and facilitated educational workshops for Canadian diplomats, civil servants, military personnel as well as for high school students on the politics, culture and history of the Arab World. Ms. Sabawi is also involved in the theater and is recently produced her second play on the Palestinian/Israeli conflict which made its debut in Ottawa December 2008.

Bahija Réghaï (outgoing NCCAR president, ex-officio Advisor) has extensive experience in the area of human rights, community development, and intercultural training. She has worked and travelled in Africa, Europe and North America . She brings over 20 years of community and NGO experience. She is a vice-president and founding member of the Arab Canadian Women’s Association (ACWA) of Ottawa, first co-chair of Al-Awda-Canada, a member of the Advisory Council of the Across Boundaries Multifaith Institute (ABMI) Montreal, and former president of the Coalition of Arab Professionals and Community Associations (CAPCA) of Ottawa and a member of Potlucks for Peace, a Jewish-Arab dialogue group in Ottawa.

QUEBEC

Mark Khoury (Vice-President) brings a diverse background to NCCAR’s board, with roles spanning from community leadership, the corporate world, entrepreneurship to the military. Mark is the director of the Social Network of Arab Professionals, a peer-networking professionals’ organization, and a past Executive and contributor of advocacy and humanitarian organizations. In his roles, Mark has brought policy advocacy to our Canadian Parliamentarians, meeting with dozens of MPs and Senators, government ministers and opposition critics. He has also spoken and presented at union board meetings, teachers’ federations, university and CEGEP student groups and classes, Arab and non-Arab community organizations, and the national convention of a major Canadian political party. On the media front, Mark has been regularly interviewed on CTV local and national news, the French TVA / LCN network, La Presse, CBC Radio and Télé-Québec. He was also the subject for a documentary examining North American media portrayal of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Professionally, Mark has two decades in the software industry and is currently president of Claritive Consulting, a computer software services firm based in Montreal , serving Quebec mid-sized firms and institutions. As an entrepreneur, he is or has been involved in projects that include an 80-seat day care center, a medical startup and e-learning startup. Finally, Mark volunteers annually with the Terry Fox Run Montreal organization, and has served as an Infantry Officer in the Canadian Armed Forces.

Rula Odeh (President) has an extensive scientific and business background in the healthcare industry. In addition to her M.Sc. in Pharmacology and MBA, she is a Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma, which ensures delivery on customer needs in a way that is faster, better and more efficient. Rula has played a leadership role in several organizations advocating for Canadian policies in the Middle East based on human rights, equality and freedom. Her interest in Canadian media’s representation of Canada ’s foreign policy in the Middle East and related current affairs has resulted in several published letters-to-the-editor, an opinion piece in a major national paper, as well as numerous appearances on TV and radio. Rula has participated in regular interactions with parliamentarians and diverse community organizations.

ALBERTA

Ahmad Jawad (Secretary of the board) is the President of Intellinet Technologies Inc., a technology outsourcing and consulting firm located in the Edmonton Research Park . He has a B.Sc. from the University of Alberta and an MBA from Athabasca University. Ahmad has served on many non profit boards as president of the Canadian Arab Professional and Business Club in Edmonton . He is currently on the board of the World Lebanese Cultural Union in Edmonton.

Bob Aloneissi is an Edmonton based lawyer who has practiced criminal defence law since 1988. His passion is vigorous defence of those whose liberty is at stake. He served as Managing Partner for his firm, one of the largest criminal defence firms in Western Canada, and teaches at the Bar Admission course for prospective new lawyers. Born and raised in Edmonton, Bob values involvement in his community . He has served as an executive member on a number of boards and associations and was awarded the Alberta Centennial Medal recognizing his volunteering and his charitable works. Bob’s other passion is peace and justice both at home and abroad, particularly in the Middle East. He is active in mobilizing and advpcating for policies that will achieve those goals.