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Board of Directors - 2009/2010
ONTARIO
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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.
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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.
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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,
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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.
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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 designs and facilitates 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 currently producing her second play
on the Palestinian/Israeli conflict which will make its debut
in Ottawa December 2008.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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 lobbying for policies that will achieve those goals.
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