People

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People are the heartbeat of our organization. We believe that every individual has the potential and ability to transform themselves, their community, and the world.

Every person we work with - staff, board, volunteers, delegates, partners, and donors - has something to learn and something to teach. We invite you to join us!    

Meet Our Staff

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Omar    Education & Advocacy Coordinator   Omar has been involved in Palestine activism and organizing since 2012, first with Students for Justice in Palestine and eventually, as a member of the Palestinian Youth Movement, a position they hold to this day. In June 2020, Omar received a doctorate in comparative literature from UCLA with a focus on how racialized subjects use literature as a means of resisting the dominant logics that justify military and police violence and surveillance. Omar remains committed to exploring the possibilities of how intellectual efforts can positively augment projects of community uplift, empowerment and liberation, a dedication they are excited to explore in their capacity as Education and Advocacy Coordinator for Eyewitness Palestine.

Omar
Education & Advocacy Coordinator

Omar has been involved in Palestine activism and organizing since 2012, first with Students for Justice in Palestine and eventually, as a member of the Palestinian Youth Movement, a position they hold to this day. In June 2020, Omar received a doctorate in comparative literature from UCLA with a focus on how racialized subjects use literature as a means of resisting the dominant logics that justify military and police violence and surveillance. Omar remains committed to exploring the possibilities of how intellectual efforts can positively augment projects of community uplift, empowerment and liberation, a dedication they are excited to explore in their capacity as Education and Advocacy Coordinator for Eyewitness Palestine.

Nada    Managing Director   A Palestinian-American, Nada joined the staff in 2017. She spent her early years in the Middle East before moving to the Washington, DC suburbs. Nada earned a B.A. in Political Science at Virginia Tech and has worked in the nonprofit sector for more than 13 years, most recently at UNRWA USA. Her expertise includes the creation and implementation of programming that supports community vitality, project and grants management, and strategic planning. Nada currently serves on the board for the DC Palestinian Film & Arts Festival.

Nada
Managing Director

A Palestinian-American, Nada joined the staff in 2017. She spent her early years in the Middle East before moving to the Washington, DC suburbs. Nada earned a B.A. in Political Science at Virginia Tech and has worked in the nonprofit sector for more than 13 years, most recently at UNRWA USA. Her expertise includes the creation and implementation of programming that supports community vitality, project and grants management, and strategic planning. Nada currently serves on the board for the DC Palestinian Film & Arts Festival.

Emily   Program Director   Emily joined the organization in 2010. She holds an MA in International Peace and Conflict Resolution from the School of International Service at American University and a BA in International Relations from the University of Delaware. Emily is a trained facilitator and has worked with Partners for Peace, AMIDEAST, and the US Institute of Peace. Her research and work has focused on the intersection of justice, peace-building, and social change through education.

Emily
Program Director

Emily joined the organization in 2010. She holds an MA in International Peace and Conflict Resolution from the School of International Service at American University and a BA in International Relations from the University of Delaware. Emily is a trained facilitator and has worked with Partners for Peace, AMIDEAST, and the US Institute of Peace. Her research and work has focused on the intersection of justice, peace-building, and social change through education.

Meet Our Board

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We are only as strong collectively as we are individually. At Eyewitness Palestine, we seek to strengthen each other as individuals, knowing that doing so strengthens us as a collective.  Each member of Eyewitness Palestine's Board of Directors is a leader, a representative, and a partner in our work.

 
Mary Ann   Co-Chair   Mary Ann is Associate Professor Emerita at the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern University. Her book Native Americans in the News (Greenwood) was published in 1996. She also co-edited and co-authored US News Coverage of Racial Minorities 1934-1996 (Greenwood) and contributed a chapter to Media in an American Crisis (University Press of America). Mary Ann was a member of the Detroit Free Press staff that won a Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the 1967 riots. She joined an Eyewitness Palestine delegation in 2006.

Mary Ann
Co-Chair

Mary Ann is Associate Professor Emerita at the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern University. Her book Native Americans in the News (Greenwood) was published in 1996. She also co-edited and co-authored US News Coverage of Racial Minorities 1934-1996 (Greenwood) and contributed a chapter to Media in an American Crisis (University Press of America). Mary Ann was a member of the Detroit Free Press staff that won a Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the 1967 riots. She joined an Eyewitness Palestine delegation in 2006.

Tom   Co-Chair   Tom is a planner and business owner. A Lebanese American, Tom works with educational institutions and other non-profits to provide high-quality analysis and advice to decision makers facing complex planning and management decisions. A graduate of Brown University and The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, he writes and presents often on issues related to planning and development in education. Tom joined an Eyewitness Palestine Delegation in 2016.

Tom
Co-Chair

Tom is a planner and business owner. A Lebanese American, Tom works with educational institutions and other non-profits to provide high-quality analysis and advice to decision makers facing complex planning and management decisions. A graduate of Brown University and The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, he writes and presents often on issues related to planning and development in education. Tom joined an Eyewitness Palestine Delegation in 2016.

Rami   Treasurer     Raised in the Palestinian city of Hebron, Rami is a financial services professional with an Investment firm in Chicago. He has worked with the Resource Center for Nonviolence in Santa Cruz, California and the Fellowship of Reconciliation in Nyack, New York. Rami received his B.A. from Hebron University in 2002 and his Master’s in Business Administration in Global Finance from Alaska Pacific University in 2006. He previously served on Eyewitness Palestine's Board of Directors from 2010 until 2014.

Rami
Treasurer

Raised in the Palestinian city of Hebron, Rami is a financial services professional with an Investment firm in Chicago. He has worked with the Resource Center for Nonviolence in Santa Cruz, California and the Fellowship of Reconciliation in Nyack, New York. Rami received his B.A. from Hebron University in 2002 and his Master’s in Business Administration in Global Finance from Alaska Pacific University in 2006. He previously served on Eyewitness Palestine's Board of Directors from 2010 until 2014.

Sarah    Secretary   Sarah is a community organizer and advocate for affordable housing and racial equity, moving from Washington, DC to the Bay Area in 2019. She worked in the West Bank from 2006-2008 and again in 2010, reporting Israeli human rights abuses and supporting Palestinian communities leading nonviolent resistance to the Israeli occupation. Sarah holds an MA in International Peace and Conflict Resolution and authored a chapter in the book Nonviolent Resistance in the Second Intifada: Activism and Advocacy. Previously serving on Eyewitness Palestine’s board for 6 years, she also joined delegations in 2017 and 2018.

Sarah
Secretary

Sarah is a community organizer and advocate for affordable housing and racial equity, moving from Washington, DC to the Bay Area in 2019. She worked in the West Bank from 2006-2008 and again in 2010, reporting Israeli human rights abuses and supporting Palestinian communities leading nonviolent resistance to the Israeli occupation. Sarah holds an MA in International Peace and Conflict Resolution and authored a chapter in the book Nonviolent Resistance in the Second Intifada: Activism and Advocacy. Previously serving on Eyewitness Palestine’s board for 6 years, she also joined delegations in 2017 and 2018.

 
Susan    Fund Development Committee Chair       A strong believer in the power of change through experience and especially through travel to affected communities, Susan first traveled with Eyewitness Palestine in 2013. In 2017 she bicycled the length of the West Bank deepening her understanding of the joys and challenges of everyday life under occupation. A founding member of the New Haven chapter of Jewish Voice For Peace, she has served on the board of the New Haven León Sister City Project.

Susan
Fund Development Committee Chair

A strong believer in the power of change through experience and especially through travel to affected communities, Susan first traveled with Eyewitness Palestine in 2013. In 2017 she bicycled the length of the West Bank deepening her understanding of the joys and challenges of everyday life under occupation. A founding member of the New Haven chapter of Jewish Voice For Peace, she has served on the board of the New Haven León Sister City Project.

Joe   Personnel Committee Chair   Joe was the Director of Interfaith Peace-Builders (now Eyewitness Palestine) beginning in 2001 and “retired” from IFPB in 2011 as co-director. Joe was Professor of Religious Studies and Peace and Conflict Studies at Guilford College in Greensboro, NC, and then Adjunct Professor of International Peace and Conflict Resolution at American University in Washington, DC. While in Greensboro, he was involved in various efforts on racial and economic justice, and in DC, he worked closely with Nonviolence International as a volunteer and staff member. He has now retired to Chapel Hill, NC.

Joe
Personnel Committee Chair

Joe was the Director of Interfaith Peace-Builders (now Eyewitness Palestine) beginning in 2001 and “retired” from IFPB in 2011 as co-director. Joe was Professor of Religious Studies and Peace and Conflict Studies at Guilford College in Greensboro, NC, and then Adjunct Professor of International Peace and Conflict Resolution at American University in Washington, DC. While in Greensboro, he was involved in various efforts on racial and economic justice, and in DC, he worked closely with Nonviolence International as a volunteer and staff member. He has now retired to Chapel Hill, NC.

Jayeesha   Communications Committee   Jayeesha is a tri-coastal, nearly tri-lingual Bengali-American interdisciplinary artist, cultural organizer and pop-ed facilitator. She is a co-founding member of Another Gulf Is Possible Collaborative, galvanizing voices and experiences from across the Gulf South to the Global South working towards a "just transition" for our people and the planet. She serves as a voting member for Alternate Roots, and on the national steering committee for the Climate Justice Alliance. Jayeesha is an avid traveler, home chef, live music lover, and adores being near (or in) any body of water. She was born in Mobile, raised in New York, aged in Oakland and is deeply grateful to call New Orleans home.

Jayeesha
Communications Committee

Jayeesha is a tri-coastal, nearly tri-lingual Bengali-American interdisciplinary artist, cultural organizer and pop-ed facilitator. She is a co-founding member of Another Gulf Is Possible Collaborative, galvanizing voices and experiences from across the Gulf South to the Global South working towards a "just transition" for our people and the planet. She serves as a voting member for Alternate Roots, and on the national steering committee for the Climate Justice Alliance. Jayeesha is an avid traveler, home chef, live music lover, and adores being near (or in) any body of water. She was born in Mobile, raised in New York, aged in Oakland and is deeply grateful to call New Orleans home.

Katie    Program Committee Chair   Katie is a community organizer and advocate for equal rights, justice, and freedom in Palestine/Israel. She formerly directed the Middle East Peace Education Project of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) in the US Midwest Region and continues to work on AFSC projects. Katie is a board member of Nebraskans for Peace Palestinian Task Force and a member of Students for Justice in Palestine’s National Organizing Committee. She joined Eyewitness Palestine delegations in 2011 and 2016.

Katie
Program Committee Chair

Katie is a community organizer and advocate for equal rights, justice, and freedom in Palestine/Israel. She formerly directed the Middle East Peace Education Project of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) in the US Midwest Region and continues to work on AFSC projects. Katie is a board member of Nebraskans for Peace Palestinian Task Force and a member of Students for Justice in Palestine’s National Organizing Committee. She joined Eyewitness Palestine delegations in 2011 and 2016.

 
Cecilie   Communications Committee Chair     A former newspaper columnist and talk radio host, Cecilie is a veteran communications expert who has worked in movements for LGBT, children’s, farmworker, and housing rights. She was the founding communications director and later deputy director of Jewish Voice for Peace. Cecilie consults with Middle East peace, climate justice and other social justice nonprofits that want to grow and increase impact. She also works in advocacy film. A longtime trainer for Eyewitness Palestine, Cecilie joined a delegation in 2016.

Cecilie
Communications Committee Chair

A former newspaper columnist and talk radio host, Cecilie is a veteran communications expert who has worked in movements for LGBT, children’s, farmworker, and housing rights. She was the founding communications director and later deputy director of Jewish Voice for Peace. Cecilie consults with Middle East peace, climate justice and other social justice nonprofits that want to grow and increase impact. She also works in advocacy film. A longtime trainer for Eyewitness Palestine, Cecilie joined a delegation in 2016.

Naser   Communications Committee     Naser is a Palestinian-American professor of pharmacy sciences at Creighton University. Active in the community to educate the people of Nebraska about Palestine and the Palestinians, Arab World, Islam and Muslims, cultural competency/sensitivity, and cultural humility. Naser served on multiple local boards to promote interfaith dialogue, afford career opportunities to underserved student population, and provide education and advocacy for high school students related to topics of diversity and inclusion. He is the founder and director of Middle East Cultural and Educational Services. Additionally, he is a high school and college soccer referee and a D-license soccer coach for a select club in Omaha. He is married to Linda and they have two children, Zaki and Melina. They love traveling together, volunteering in the community, and gatherings with family and friends.

Naser
Communications Committee

Naser is a Palestinian-American professor of pharmacy sciences at Creighton University. Active in the community to educate the people of Nebraska about Palestine and the Palestinians, Arab World, Islam and Muslims, cultural competency/sensitivity, and cultural humility. Naser served on multiple local boards to promote interfaith dialogue, afford career opportunities to underserved student population, and provide education and advocacy for high school students related to topics of diversity and inclusion. He is the founder and director of Middle East Cultural and Educational Services. Additionally, he is a high school and college soccer referee and a D-license soccer coach for a select club in Omaha. He is married to Linda and they have two children, Zaki and Melina. They love traveling together, volunteering in the community, and gatherings with family and friends.

Huwaida   Communications Committee   Huwaida is a Palestinian-American attorney and human rights activist. Over the past two decades she has been involved in a number of legal and grassroots initiatives for Palestinian rights. In 2001, she co-founded the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), a Palestinian-led non-violent resistance movement in the occupied Palestinian territory; and from 2008 to 2012, she served as the chairperson of the Free Gaza Movement which, from August to December 2008, led 5 successful sea voyages to the Gaza Strip to confront and challenge Israel's illegal blockade. Huwaida was one of the initiators and organizers of the first delegation of lawyers to enter Gaza following Operation Cast Lead (2008-2009) and co-authored the report on the delegations finding. She was one of the primary organizers of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla and was traveling with it when it was lethally attacked by Israeli forces in May 2010. Huwaida has been co-leading delegations to Palestine with Eyewitness Palestine since 2008. She currently practices civil rights law in Detroit.

Huwaida
Communications Committee

Huwaida is a Palestinian-American attorney and human rights activist. Over the past two decades she has been involved in a number of legal and grassroots initiatives for Palestinian rights. In 2001, she co-founded the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), a Palestinian-led non-violent resistance movement in the occupied Palestinian territory; and from 2008 to 2012, she served as the chairperson of the Free Gaza Movement which, from August to December 2008, led 5 successful sea voyages to the Gaza Strip to confront and challenge Israel's illegal blockade. Huwaida was one of the initiators and organizers of the first delegation of lawyers to enter Gaza following Operation Cast Lead (2008-2009) and co-authored the report on the delegations finding. She was one of the primary organizers of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla and was traveling with it when it was lethally attacked by Israeli forces in May 2010. Huwaida has been co-leading delegations to Palestine with Eyewitness Palestine since 2008. She currently practices civil rights law in Detroit.

 
 

Meet Our Delegates

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Our delegates are the core of our work. Delegates represent Eyewitness Palestine in Palestine/Israel, in the movement for Palestinian rights, and in their communities. They are donors, volunteers, partners, and friends. Here are profiles and interviews with some of them:

 

More Eyewitness Palestine Delegates: