CAC Board of Directors
We invite you to meet our board members for the Center for Arabic Culture (CAC), a dedicated hub for cultural exchange based in New England. By "Building Bridges, Connecting Cultures," we aim to enrich the community's cultural landscape. Join us as we celebrate and promote the vibrant tapestry of Arabic heritage.
Randa Shedid - President
Randa Shedid has lived and worked in Boston since 1991. Born in Cairo, she worked as an attorney in Egypt in the offices of international lawyers, El Ghatit Law Firm and Kosheri, Rashed & Riad. In Boston she held various positions in financial and legal firms, including Smith Barney (currently Morgan Stanley), Milberg Weiss Bershad Hynes & Lerach LLP, and Choate, Hall & Stewart. She was employed by the American Civil Liberties Union, Boston (ACLU), for 6 years as the attorney responsible for incoming complaints.
Shedid earned a J.D. from the New England School of Law, Boston and a law degree (Licence en Droit) from Cairo University Law School. She completed her BA in Middle Eastern Studies from the American University in Cairo, Egypt, with a year as an exchange student at UCLA. She is fluent in English, German, and Arabic with a reading knowledge of French.
Randa Shedid served as a Commissioner at the Cambridge Human Rights Commission (CHRC) for 13 years. She is a founding member and the current president of the board of the Center for Arabic Culture, Boston (CAC) and its Arabic School, which she has directed since its inception in 2006. She also serves on the board of trustees of the German International School of Boston (GISB).
Randa Shedid looks forward to continue working with the CAC Board on improving and diversifying the cultural, educational, and artistic programming of CAC; developing the brand and marketing the image of CAC and its school, and locating and acquiring a permanent home for the Center and the School in Boston.
Julie Nijmeh, Ph.D. – Vice President
Vice President of the Board for the Center for Arabic Culture in Boston, has a rich and diverse background shaped by her education and career spanning multiple disciplines and continents. Born and raised in Amman, Jordan, to a Palestinian father and a Jordanian mother, Julie's journey began at the American University of Beirut where she earned a Bachelor of Science and met her lifelong partner. Her academic pursuits led her to the United States, where she obtained a master’s degree in Molecular Pharmacology & Structural Biology from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, with a focus on cancer biology. She then earned a PhD in Environmental Health Sciences from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where she specialized in asthma and other inflammatory pulmonary diseases. After years as a research associate, her career took a turn towards science communication following a postgraduate medical writing program at Harvard Medical School. She now serves as scientific writer at Harvard Medical School within the Pulmonary and Critical Care Division at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Her work not only contributes to advancements in medical science, but also makes complex scientific knowledge accessible to a broader audience.
Beyond her professional life, her lifelong interest in art and design led her to pursue a residential interior design certificate at the Boston Architectural College and served the Boston metro area as a real estate agent, helping families find their perfect home.
Julie is a passionate advocate for cultural education and community engagement. At the Center for Arabic Culture, Julie’s leadership and dedication contribute to promoting cultural heritage and educational initiatives. Along with her husband, they support their two daughters in celebrating and sharing their rich Arabic cultural heritage with their friends and community.
Her personal hobbies include cooking and traveling, activities through which she explores and shares diverse cultures, further enriching her family’s and community’s appreciation of global traditions.
Munir Jirmanus – Treasurer
Munir Jirmanus was born in Jerusalem to parents who had immigrated to Palestine from Lebanon. In 1948 his parents lost their house & land as part of the ethnic cleansing of Palestine and ended up going to Lebanon to start a new life. Munir graduated from the American University of Beirut (AUB) in 1964 with a B.S. in Physics, and with an M.S. in Theoretical Physics from Tufts University in 1966. He subsequently went back to Lebanon and taught at the Lebanese University, then came back to Tufts where he received a Ph.D. in Experimental Physics in 1973. After brief teaching stints at Tufts University and AUB, he joined Janis Research Company, one of the world leaders in designing & supplying cryogenic equipment to the Low Temperature Physics research community. He was the Vice President and Technical Director responsible for developing new products for Laboratory Cryogenics at Janis. He is currently “employed” in a full time child care position for his four grandchildren. He has two daughters who were born and educated in public schools and private universities in Massachusetts, and they both have very strong connections to Lebanon & Palestine. Munir & have his wife have a long history of involvement in Peace & Justice issues in the Arab American community in Boston, first as students and subsequently after they returned to Boston in 1978. They organized several local & regional educational conferences for the Presbyterian Church, USA, along with two SABEEL conferences in Boston, with Archbishop Desmond Tutu, about Palestine / Israel. More recently he served as chair of the Medford Human Rights Commission and is a member of Massachusetts Peace Action, the Boston Alliance for Water Justice, the local BDS movement and works closely with Jewish Voice for Peace in Boston.
Ruth Faris – Secretary
Ruth is a clinical social worker and therapist in Somerville, MA. Ruth worked for many years in human resources, focusing on Employee Assistance, management coaching, and career development, so she brings that enhanced understanding of the workplace to my work. She is a certified Myers-Briggs Type Indicator practitioner and use this tool as appropriate. Closest to her heart, She is devoted to yoga.
Noreen Hafez
Noreen Hafez combines her deep marketing knowledge with her experience in emerging technologies such as SaaS, AI, Blockchain, and Web3, with a strong commitment to social good. Raised in upstate New York and holding degrees in Psychology and Business Admin. Noreen has contributed to diverse teams at Twentieth Century Fox, Microsoft, and Akamai, where she led the Global Product Marketing team. Recently, she has supported initiatives at Algorand, a well known Blockchain startup from MIT.
As the founder of Blocsinc.io, a GTM marketing firm, Noreen offers guidance to startups on market entry and innovation. She also co-founded the Network of Arab American Professionals' Boston chapter and contributes to the advisory board of ARCKBoston, a nonprofit aiding under-resourced students. Noreen is dedicated to empowering entrepreneurs, developers, and students by providing them with the necessary tools and resources to succeed.
Mawya Shocair, MD, FACP, FNKF
Dr. Mawya Shocair, MD, FACP, FNKF: a Nephrologist Renal Division at Newton Wellesley hospital. She is the Medical Director at the Dialysis Center in Waltham. Dr. Shocair was the Past President of Massachusetts Medical Society/ Charles River district. She is the Chair/ Advisory Board of National Kidney Foundation/ New England chapter.
John Makhoul
John Makhoul was born in Deirmimas, Lebanon and graduated from the American University of Beirut (AUB) with a bachelor’s in electrical engineering in 1964. He received an M.S. from the Ohio State University (OSU) in 1965 and a Ph.D. in 1970 from MIT in electrical engineering. Since then, he has been with BBN Technologies, Cambridge, where he is now a Chief Scientist responsible for research in various aspects of speech and language processing, including speech recognition and machine translation. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the Acoustical Society of America, and the International Speech Communication Association (ISCA). He has received a number of professional awards from the IEEE, including the Third Millenium Medal in 2000 and the 2009 James L. Flanagan Speech & Audio Processing award and medal “for pioneering contributions to speech modeling.” In 2016, he received the ISCA Medal for lifetime scientific achievement. In 2010, he received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the College of Engineering at OSU, and in 2013, he received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from AUB.
Dr. Makhoul has a long history of volunteerism. While a student at MIT, he served as President of the Arab Club. He has served as Secretary and then as President of the AAUG. For many years, he was active with the AUB alumni, serving as Secretary then President of the AUB New England Chapter, and then as Secretary and Vice President of the Board of Directors of the AUB Alumni Association of North America. More recently, he has been serving on the Board of the Trans-Arab Research Institute (TARI).
Abir Kanan
Abir Kanaan is an accomplished PharmD and RPh who serves as the Associate Dean for Professional Education and a Professor of Pharmacy Practice at the School of Pharmacy in MCPHS.
Assef Zobian, D.Sc.
Dr. Zobian was born in Lebanon and graduated from the American University of Beirut with BS in Computer and Communication Engineering in 1990, and ME in Electrical Engineering in 1992. He received an MS in Technology & Policy in 1995 and a Doctor of Science in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1996.
As a research assistant at the MIT Laboratory for Electromagnetic and Electronic Systems, he evaluated alternative organizational structures for the electric power industry after deregulation, and recommended policies for efficient operation in the newly evolving open access environment.
He is the founder and president of Cambridge Energy Solutions, LLC, a software company with a mission to develop software for the deregulated electric power industry. He is an electrical engineer with over twenty years of experience in power systems technology, economics, and planning. He developed a set of market simulation tools to simulate the economic and engineering operation of electric power markets in the US. These models are being used to forecast locational market clearing prices of electricity and congestion cost, analyze the impact of regulatory policies on stakeholders, analyze market power issues, economics of entry and exit, the technical and economic feasibility of new power plants and transmission lines projects; evaluate alternative market structures and pricing regimes; define geographic market areas based on transmission constraints; and determine the impact of environmental regulation on electricity prices.
Haytham Kaafarani, MD, MPH, FACS.
Haytham Kaafarani, MD, MPH, FACS, is a Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School, the Hospital Medical Director for Quality & Safety and the Trauma Medical Director at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). Between 2022 and 2023, Dr. Kaafarani served as the Chief Patient Safety Officer of The Joint Commission. In that role, he was the president’s designee to prioritize patient safety concerns at Joint Commission-accredited health care organizations, provided oversight and medical expertise for the Office of Quality and Patient Safety, and oversaw data management and analysis related to the Sentinel Event Database. His previous roles include Director of the MGH Center for Outcomes & Patient Safety in Surgery (COMPASS) and Director of the MGH Wound Center. Dr. Kaafarani is a recognized authority and speaker with more than 450 published peer-reviewed manuscripts and textbook chapters with a focus on surgical patient safety from intake to discharge, benchmarking quality care, peer support, and the use of artificial intelligence for risk modeling and predicting outcomes. He has won numerous awards, including a nomination to the Ellis Island Medal of Honor and the 2024 Robert L. Wears Patient Safety Leadership National Award. Dr. Kaafarani received his Master of Public Health from Harvard University and his doctorate from the American University of Beirut, Lebanon. He holds certifications in surgery and surgical critical care from the American Board of Surgery.
EX-OFFICIO & FRIENDS OF THE BOARD
Abed Kanaan
Abed Kanaan was born and raised in Beirut, Lebanon. He holds a Bachelor of Science and Masters of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Northeastern University. Mr. Kanaan currently works for a British Defense firm that specializes in robotics and defense system development. He has worked on various projects including developing robotic equipment for several US government agencies. He is active within the Arab-American community and has been a member of the American Lebanese Engineering Society (ALES) for the past two years. Mr. Kanaan was a founding member of CAC and later became its Treasurer and a member of the CAC school committee. In addition, Mr. Kanaan was instrumental in initial database organization and development of the organization’s long term strategic plan.
Farrah Haidar - CAC Past Executive Director
Farrah Haidar has been a leader within the Arab-American community for almost 20 years. She founded the Network of Arab-American Professionals’ Boston chapter and helped it grow to over 700 members in addition to volunteering for several other Arab-American organizations. Her professional experience includes 15 years of managing marketing communications for a wide variety of companies. Farrah has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from California State University, Hayward and a Masters of Business Administration from Boston University.
George Frangieh, M.D.
Born in Northern Lebanon, Dr. Frangieh is an ophthalmologist in private practice and an active member of the Arab-American community in Massachusetts. Prior to being in private practice, he was Head of Staff at the University of Southern California’s residency program. He was also named active chairman of the Ophthalmology Department at the American University of Beirut (AUB) and completed a fellowship with a specialty in Cornea and External Eye Diseases at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and Harvard Medical School. Dr. Frangieh earned his Bachelors Degree in Biology with honors at the American International College in Springfield, Massachusetts and a medical degree from the AUB Medical School.
Ghaleb H. Daouk, MD, SM
Dr. Ghaleb Daouk is a pediatric nephrology consultant and director of Extramural Renal Clinical Services at Boston Children's Hospital. He is also an assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. His career spanned over 36 years in the Boston area as distinguished physician, educator, published medical researcher, member of several medical professional societies, entrepreneur, artist, outstanding Arab American philanthropist, and community builder.
Ghaleb Daouk was born and raised in Beirut. He pursued his undergraduate education in France and then the US where he graduated magna cum laude in 1979 from Syracuse University. In 1984, he earned his MD from AUB, where he pursued his laboratory research in parallel to his medical education, followed by a research post-doctoral training in molecular biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as a fellow of the American Heart Association, and clinical residency in pediatrics at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)/Harvard Medical School.
Gheed Amara Itani - Past President of CAC
Gheed Amara Itani is an Arab-American of Palestinian descent. Mrs. Itani completed a degree in Architecture from the University of Houston, School of Architecture with an interest in Urban Design and Renovation, and has a Minor in French. She worked for Brown and Root, Inc. on international projects in the Architecture Department, which focused on Industrial Design. Mrs. Itani was a board member of the Arab American Educational Foundation (AAEF) in Houston, currently serves on the Advisory Board for the National Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC). She served as President of the Board for the Center for Arabic Culture for 6 years in Massachusetts. She is a founding member of CAC.
Nadine Tassabehji, PhD
Born and raised in a multicultural environment, Nadine has lived in Jeddah and the United Kingdom. After returning home to Beirut for her higher education, she graduated from the American University of Beirut (AUB) with a Bachelor in Nutrition and Dietetics in 2001. After her graduation, she decided to continue her education in the USA. She received her MS and PhD in Nutrition from the Florida State University in 2003 and 2006, respectively.
Since then Nadine has taught and given lectures at numerous institutions both in the US and in Lebanon. She was an adjunct professor at her Alma Matter (AUB) as well as local colleges such as Roxbury Community College in the Boston Area. She has received numerous fellowships and awards including: Gerber Foundation Fellowship and the College of Human Sciences dissertation research grant.
Nadine’s experience includes clinical and laboratory research work. In addition to her academic life, Nadine has a strong commitment to community work. At AUB, she was the founder of the social care club. At Florida State, she was a member of the Arab Student Association and a tutor for the athletes at the Athletics Department. Nadine has being enjoying living in Boston for the past 9 years with her husband and their three children. Nadine is an active member at the local schools, the PTO, and the annual Voyage en Francophonie. As a board member for Center for Arabic Culture, Nadine hopes to foster a rich community that teaches Arabic and provides better understanding of Arabic culture for both Arabic and non-Arabic speakers.
Naela Sharuk
Naela Sharuk was born in Jordan and raised in Beirut, Lebanon. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the American University of Beirut and a Masters in Business Administration from American International College. Naela completed post-graduate work in Political Science at State University of New York at Albany. Naela was appointed as treasurer of the American University of Beirut Alumni Association’s Northeast Chapter where she was also an active member of the Social Committee. Naela currently works as a Mortgage Officer for Mortgage Master, Incorporated. Her hobbies include yoga and oil painting.
Randa Khuri
Randa Khuri was born in Haifa, Palestine, and grew up in Beirut, Lebanon. She attended the National Evangelical School in Beirut, and was selected by the American Field Service Student Exchange Program to attend the senior year of high school at Eastern High School in Baltimore, Maryland, where she lived the whole year with an American family. Back in Lebanon, she attended Beirut College for Women for two years, and transferred to the American University of Beirut to obtain her B.S. in Nursing. Randa was on the faculty of the Nursing School teaching for two years, until she moved to the United States with her husband. In Boston, she sat for the Nursing State Board Exam, and obtained her nursing license. However, she did not practice nursing because she wanted to be at home with her three children.
Later, she attended New England School of Art and Design and graduated with an Associate degree in Interior Design. Randa moved into the Fine Arts in Painting and Sculpture, and she is currently a member of multiple art societies and exhibit her work in various galleries in the Boston area. she has been a member of a choral society for as long as she remembers. As a flutist, she plays with various flute choirs and she volunteers her time with a pianist to play music in nursing homes.
Raymonda Khoury, Esq.
Raymonda was born in Beirut, and holds a license en droit from the Lebanese University School of Law and a LLM in International Banking from Boston University School of Law. Raymonda specializes in the financial services industry and had a long career working for Fidelity Investments in different positions in Compliance, Risk and Legal functions. She is currently working as a consultant, and is a certified mediator. Raymonda is also involved with 1for3 Organization which seeks to provide long term water resource solutions and other humanitarian assistance to Palestinian refugee camps in the west bank.
Sara Mraish-Demeter
As Founder and CEO of ARCKBoston, I've been at the forefront of transforming education for over 7,000 students, championing a holistic approach that intertwines creativity with core learning. My journey from a refugee to a trailblazer in education underscores my commitment to ensuring that every child has the opportunity to realize their fullest potential, guided by a sense of purpose from an early age.
In 2016, I was honored with the EXTRAordinary Woman of Boston Award, a testament to my impact and dedication, directly from Mayor Martin J. Walsh’s Office of Women’s Advancement. This accolade recognizes women who have made significant contributions to their communities and the city at large.
Additionally, my efforts in fostering partnerships for arts education earned me the ArtsLearning Award for Outstanding Community Arts Education Collaborative, highlighting my role in bringing together organizations for the greater good of Boston’s youth.
Beyond these honors, my dedication to societal improvement led me to serve on Mayor Kim Janey’s 2021 Transitional Education Subcommittee. In this role, I contributed to shaping policies and strategies to enhance the educational landscape of Boston, focusing on inclusivity, equity, and the integration of creative pedagogies. As a Social Innovation Forum and Power Launch inaugural Social Change Fellow, I remain committed to advancing educational opportunities that are rooted in creativity and social skills, essential for the holistic development of students and their success in the future. Together, we can redefine education, paving the way for a generation of thinkers, creators, and change-makers.
In Memoriam
Tala Khudairi
For nearly a decade Tala Khudairi has been committed to establishing, transforming and leading successful interdisciplinary divisions in higher education. Recognized for her drive for excellence, her commitment to strategic collaboration and building a foundation upon common goals has resulted in an array of successes for 1) a multicultural, multinational, and diverse student base; 2) internally across all departments in the institution; 3) all academic and student affairs divisions (student enrollment and services, advising, website and marketing, registration, IT and library resources, institutional research); and 4) externally with educational institutions and industry partners.
She was the Dean of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) at Roxbury Community College, the largest minority-serving institution of higher education in New England. She has actively built the division to become a STEM center of excellence, developed, managed, assessed and evaluated programs, and increased the number of direct reports (full time and adjunct faculty members and technical and support staff) by 160%; generated academic and technical opportunities for more than 2,500 students, thereby increasing recruitment, retention and graduation rates by an additional 10%; and managing over $4M in budget and grants, and most recently integral in being awarded with $20.7M to establish a Life Sciences Institute.
Her passion was to create and facilitate opportunities for students and faculty to empower their lives through education and through synergistic partnerships with industry, universities, K-12 schools and the community. She has established and chaired the four Program Advisory Boards in her Division, and serve on several advisory boards for academic programs and state education initiatives. As a proud Iraqi immigrant, Arab-American- Muslim, she has been serving the Arab/Muslim community with her family all her life. Tala's family has participated and supported many Center for Arabic Culture (CAC) activities and events, including her children attending the Arabic School. For Tala, It was be an honor to serve on the Board of CAC, where its mission resonates with her own. Her desire is for continuous, preservation and promotion of our Arabic heritage and culture for our families and to the community at large and for sustainability and growth of organizations such as CAC. Tala sadly left us early 2024, may she rest in peace.