Experience

Jewish Voice for Peace

• United States
• International Affairs
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Sr. Communications Manager

  • Feb 2018 - Present

  Directed the traditional and social media program for a grassroots public advocacy non-profit organization. Led a team of five people. Ensured JVP shifted the narrative on issues related to Palestine human rights, the American Jewish community and social justice causes at home and abroad. Designed and led annual strategic communications plans and crafted campaign-specific messaging.Designed and implemented successful communication strategies- Synergized JVP’s traditional and social media, launched successful social media campaigns and expanded following across three platforms- Oversaw Instagram following double to 100k in three months- Coverage in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Newsweek, Buzzfeed, Vice, AP, CNN, NBC and CBS- Designed communications for campaigns on medical apartheid, rights of Palestinian children and police militarization- Identified and built relationships with journalists, and oversaw the launch of a CRM tracking systemWriting, editing and capacity building- Drafted, edited and/or placed dozens of op-eds, analysis and think pieces, as well as hundreds of press releases, executive summaries and talking points- Designed toolkits and held trainings for JVP members, chapters and coalition partners - Built and trained chapter media teams in NYC, Chicago, Bay Area, Boston and Detroit Management and organizational support- Led diverse, five-person team; supervised two staff members and ad hoc consultants - Represented JVP in numerous media engagements- Designed and led internal evaluations team



UN-ESCWA (United Nations Economic and Social Commission of Western Asia)

• Strategic Directions & Evaluations Officer, P-4

  • Nov 2014 - Jan 2017

  Worked with Senior Management at a United Nations Regional Commission to enhance the impact of economic, social, health and sustainable development in the Arab states. Managed multi-national team of three staff and four year-long interns, as well as 10 consultants.Strategic planning for policy change- Designed and drafted key position documents, including ESCWA’s Conceptual Framework and the ESCWA Vision 2030, for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the Arab region.- Authored strategic communications on institutional goals and values, designed institutional roll-out plans for organizational goals and prioritiesDesign and management of evaluations to promote institutional learning- Redesigned and strengthened internal evaluation systems; built and trained the evaluation team; established monitoring systems and assessment tools to gauge impact- Institutionalized organizational learning from evaluations and re-designed the assessment tools of Senior Management to promote knowledge building- Designed and supervised a meta-analysis of all ESCWA evaluations in prior five years; based on findings, led participatory process to establish new systems to ensure evaluation recommendations and learning were integrated into planning processesSenior Management support- Designed and drafted messaging and talking points for Senior Management’s formal and back-channel engagement with government officials, and at international development conferences- Represented ESCWA at high-level UN conferences and training workshops and presented summaries of ESCWA achievements and evaluation findings at international fora



Ibtikar Research & Consulting

• Co-Director, Community Empowerment and Well-being

  • Apr 2010 - Oct 2014

  Co-founder of a women-led consulting group that promoted holistic community health in development and humanitarian work. Applied social determinants of health lens. Grew Ibtikar to over 25 clients and trebled its annual revenue. Led or supported over 30 projects, often managing teams of 10-plus consultants.Grant-making and funds mobilization- Asfari Foundation, Capacity building and humanitarian relief work in Syria: Established grant-making process for the launch of a program funding Syrian civil society organizations offering relief work in 2012-14, and implemented the first five funding cycles. Led the team identifying, vetting, monitoring and supporting 21 new grassroots organizations. Designed and provided customized capacity building training workshops. Assessed and supported project proposals and budgetsCommunity health and development- PARD (Popular Aid for Relief and Development), Environmental Health and Awareness program:Developed a five-year strategic plan for the neighborhood health program in three Palestinian refugee camps, in consultation with community leaders, stakeholders and key target groups. Assessed the communities’ knowledge, access and practices regarding potable water supplies, garbage collection and waste management, environmental health hazards and health education and applied a Boot Camp Translation approach.- CAFOD (Catholic Agency for Overseas Development), Empowerment, Employment and Advocacy: Addressing Gender Inequality for Palestinian Women Refugees in Lebanon: Undertook evaluations of a five-year, multi-organization program targeting young women’s empowerment and sexual and reproductive health, through awareness raising, skills training and combating gender-based violence. Identified upstream ACEs. Economic development- Christian Aid, Middle East Economic Justice Program: Designed and led implementation of a participatory assessment of 25 local groups, including organizational capacity reviews and strategic planning.



UNRWA

• Jordan
• Non-profit Organizations
• 700 & Above Employee

• Donor Relations Officer

  • Nov 2009 - Apr 2010

  Oversaw the EU portfolio for the External Relations Division of the UN agency dedicated to the well-being of Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and SyriaDonor relations: Focal point for EU grants and 10 bi-lateral funds, including maternal health and child well-being. Promoted funding opportunities and progress to governmental donors through field visits, outreach meetings, and written updates- Led quarterly reporting on EU education grant (€110m) and for ECHO livelihood recovery grants (~€250m), including budget reconciliationExternal relations: Designed media messaging, drafted informational press kits and background papers, and presented summaries of projects’ achievements to donors and mediaField liaison: Oversaw communication between UNRWA HQ, its field staff and a network of 75 Palestinian civil society organizations active in 12 refugee camps. Organized outreach events and help roundtable meetings with community leaders and donors



Taawon (Welfare Association)

• Palestine, State of
• Non-profit Organizations
• 100 - 200 Employee

• Grants and Reports Officer

  • Sep 2007 - Oct 2009

  Led three-person team on proposal drafting, project design and grants reporting for a Palestinian philanthropic organization funding 35 local partners working in refugee health and development - Authored a successful proposal for a $1.2m, four-year emergency relief and recovery program, and helped oversee program implementation. The project brought together 14 Palestinian civil society groups providing community health services, psychosocial support and micro-credit- Led the design of a high-level donor conference to fund 16 local organizations in the reconstruction of a refugee camp, resulting in pledges from 30 donor individuals and organizations towards a $2m multi-sector recovery program targeting overlooked populations, including the elderly and disabled- Oversaw a year-long capacity building program for 50 Palestinian local groups: Provided training in proposal design, donor outreach and reporting through individual skills trainings and joint workshops. Supported groups in joint proposal drafting process



UNDP

• United States
• International Affairs
• 700 & Above Employee

• Research Officer - Gender and Poverty Focal Point

  • Jan 2005 - Sep 2007

  Supported the Knowledge Management Services team in the UNDP’s regional hub for 18 Country Offices- Facilitated the Gender and Poverty Community of Practice for UNDP Arab region; Provided research, guided conversations, drafted discussion summaries and articles- Authored policy briefs and undertook research for development articles. Supported the design of numerous regional workshops, including drafting background papers and executive summaries on women’s health and childhood mortality, personal status laws, social determinants of health, and unified basic needs indices. - Supported the programmatic management and implementation of the Gender Thematic Trust Fund



The Daily Star

• Lebanon
• Newspaper Publishing
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Features Editor

  • Oct 2000 - May 2003

  Section editor of a daily English-language newspaper, (then part of the International Herald Tribune franchise). Responsible for the section's content and approach. Solicited, revised and edited feature articles and news briefs - Wrote or edited hundreds of articles, and developed and orchestrated themed series, including: Arab-Americans post 9/11; Lebanon’s Palestinians during the Second Intifada; and Lebanon and the anti-WTO Movement- Built the Features desk into four full-time staff and recruited 20 free-lancers (locally and internationally), designed writing guides, held training workshops and weekly open meetings