Our Board of Directors

Our board members are a diverse group of Canadians who bring a wealth of experience and leadership in a wide range of areas that will be beneficial to NCCAR and its mission.

Gabriel Fahel, ChairGabe is a founding member of the Canadian International Development Organization and the Canadian Arab Institute. He has served as counsel to community organizations intervening in cases before the Federal Court and the Supreme Court of Canada.Gabe began his professional career as a commercial litigator in Toronto and was later retained to advise on US-sponsored Israeli-Palestinian negotiations from 2007 – 2011. Gabe has also served as Associate General Counsel at a multinational media company and currently works at the RCMP’s oversight body, the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission. Gabe is a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada, clerked for the Ontario Court of Appeal (2001), and holds a Master of Laws in International Law from New York University (2002), a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Windsor (2000) and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from York University (1997).

David Comerford, Vice ChairDavid is an international development specialist with a focus on management and evaluation of technical and vocational education projects and programs.Since April 2013 he has been a Director at the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) and currently is Director of Business Development for the MENA Region and Sub-Sahara Africa.Previously, David spent 7 years as sole proprietor of David Comerford & Associates securing and implementing contracts on educational, institutional capacity building, youth entrepreneurship and conflict resolution projects funded by a variety of donors including the Canadian International Development Agency, the World Bank, the African Development Bank, UNESCO, Youth Business International, International Alert and Canadian colleges, universities and non-governmental organisations.

He has also served as Director of External Relations at CUSO, a Canadian international volunteer placement organisation and as Senior Manager at CBIE responsible for management of education projects in Pakistan, the Middle East and Haiti. David has a graduate degree in International Development and Cooperation from the University of Ottawa, is fluently bilingual in French and English and has an intermediate level understanding of Arabic. He served as President of NCCAR in 2010-2011.

Mayssam Zaaroura, Vice ChairMayssam has over 10 years of experience in the field of international development, with expertise in Gender and Conflict, Forced Migration and Political Settlements, with extensive research in Egypt, Lebanon, and Indonesia.Prior to joining CLIC, Mayssam was a Senior Political Reporter and National Desk Editor at the Daily Star newspaper in Lebanon covering the Middle East and North Africa region for six years.She also worked as a consultant and Research Award Recipient at the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) in Ottawa, liaising with major donors such as the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Canada (DFATD), Department for International Development (DFID), the United Nations, as well as working with global partners in the civil society and private sectors. Mayssam holds a Master’s in International Development and Global Studies from the University of Ottawa, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications and Languages from the University of Sunderland (UK).

Doug Daniels, TreasurerDoug, an economist, has worked in the international development field beginning with CUSO in East Africa and later with the International Development Research Centre and the UN and as a consultant across a spectrum of organizations representing the UN, governments, foundations, NGOs and the private sector.He has been active on the boards of both national and international organizations and has published a number of books and articles on evaluation, planning and different development issues. He has worked in more than 80 countries and managed programs in the Middle East and Eastern Europe.

Tala Khoury, Legal Officer and Secretary
Tala is an associate at the Ottawa office of law firm Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP where she carries on a litigation practice focusing on commercial arbitration and white collar crime. Tala is a graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School, where she has received awards for her achievements in business law and human rights law.Tala has volunteered with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada as a legal researcher and helped organize a legal symposium on Law & Revolution and the implications for the “Arab Spring” on the development of the law in the Middle East and North Africa. Tala previously worked as a Research Assistant at Osgoode Hall and as a Legal Fellow for the Kosovo Law Centre. She has also worked as a Program and Policy Assistant with Ontario’s Pay Equity Commission, as an intern with the law offices of Ali Sharif Zu’bi in Jordan, and as a Congressional Intern with the Office of Congressman James P. Moran in Washington, D.C.

Dina AwadDina is a dedicated advocate with a general practice including commercial litigation, administrative law, employment and labour law, human rights law, and constitutional law. Dina practices in English and French, and also speaks Arabic.She has experience with a broad range of litigation matters and has appeared on behalf of clients before various administrative boards, tribunals, the Superior Court of Justice, including the Commercial List, and before arbitrators in commercial arbitrations. She has also prosecuted and defended professionals in English and French disciplinary proceedings.Prior to joining Pinto Wray James LLP, Dina maintained a bilingual litigation practice at the Toronto offices of McCarthy Tétrault LLP, providing clients with strategic advice and representation. Dina previously clerked at the Federal Court of Appeal, assisting the Honourable Justice Gauthier on a Canada-wide docket of bilingual cases. She also summered and articled at a prominent regional law firm, where she focused on litigation and government law. Before becoming a lawyer, Dina worked in communications and education policy for the Ontario government, and in communications and peace building abroad for an international governance and economic consultancy firm.

Dina attended McGill University as a law student and undergraduate. While at the Faculty of Law, she managed the McGill Law Journal, was president of the Arab Law Students’ Association, and volunteered at a Montréal refugee legal aid clinic assisting refugees with administrative law matters. She earned both LLB (common law) and BCL (civil law) degrees, completing McGill’s bilingual transsystemic legal programme in the top third of her class. Prior to her legal studies, Dina obtained a Bachelor of Arts with Great Distinction in Psychology at McGill, where she edited and coordinated the publication of an award-winning peacebuilding journal. Dina currently sits on the Toronto Lawyers Association (TLA) Roundtable of Diversity of Associations on behalf of the Arab Canadian Lawyers Association (ACLA).

Reem BahdiProfessor Bahdi joined the University of Windsor, Faculty of Law in 2002. Her current research focuses on two areas. The first concentrates on the human rights dimensions of national security laws and policies in Canada. The second focuses on access to justice in the Palestinian context.Professor Bahdi is Co-Director of KARAMAH, The Project on Judicial Independence and Human Dignity, a multi-million dollar initiative which aims to support access to justice in Palestine through research, continuing judicial education and directed civil society engagement. She is also the Editor-in-Chief of the Windsor Yearbook of Access to Justice.Professor Bahdi teaches Access to Justice and Torts. She was awarded the Student Law Society Faculty Award for exemplary teaching and dedication to Windsor Law in 2008 and the University of Windsor Faculty Recognition Award in 2005. Professor Bahdi served as Associate Dean of Windsor Law from 2012 – September 2015.

Ainsley ButlerAinsley is an international development professional based in Ottawa. She has held management positions in leading Canadian non-profit organizations focused on trade and economic development.Her professional interests center around women’s economic empowerment, responsible sourcing, local content and shared value.Ainsley is a member of the Responsible Jewellery Council’s Standards Committee and sits on the board of directors of the Organization for Women in International Trade (OWIT-Ottawa).

Adil El MezouaghiAdil is a high performing professional with a proven track record of accomplishments in facilitating mutually beneficial international trade agreements between Canadian and Arab corporations with value exceeding millions of dollars.Adil is the Executive Director of the Canada Arab Business Council. He recently served as a Senior International Trade Executive and as a trade commissioner at the Canadian Embassy in Saudi Arabia with responsibility over Bahrain, Oman and Yemen. Adil taught at the University of Ottawa on courses focusing on political and economic developments in the Middle East and worked as a research center coordinator at the University of Québec and Assistant Professor at the Institute of Leadership and Communication Studies in Rabat, Morocco.

Adil is pursuing his Master of Arts in Regional Development at the University of Québec and holds a Master’s Degree in Development Law and Economics from the Institute of Peace and Development Law, Nice, France, and a Bachelor’s in Management Science from the Business Administration Institute, Nice, France.

Sean FraserSean is a an international affairs professional with experience working with the UN, Canadian government and various NGOs on rule of law, human rights and conflict resolution initiatives. He holds a LL.M. (School of Oriental and African Studies), B.C.L., LL.B. (McGill) and B.A. Hons. in Islamic Studies (Concordia).

Adel IskanderAdel is an Assistant Professor of Global Communication at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver/Burnaby, Canada. He is the author, coauthor, and editor of several works including “Egypt In Flux: Essays on an Unfinished Revolution” (AUCP/OUP); “Al-Jazeera: The Story of the Network that is Rattling Governments and Redefining Modern Journalism” (Basic Books); “Edward Said: A Legacy of Emancipation and Representation” (University of California Press); and “Mediating the Arab Uprisings” (Tadween Publishing).Adel’s work deals with media, identity and politics; and he has lectured extensively on these topics at universities worldwide. His forthcoming publication is the co-edited volume “Media Evolution on the Eve of the Arab Spring” (Palgrave Macmillan).Prior to his arrival at SFU, Adel taught for several years at the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies and the Communication, Culture, and Technology Program at Georgetown University, in Washington, DC. He is a coeditor of Jadaliyya.

Raja KhouriRaja is co-founder of the Canadian Arab Institute. He is a commissioner with the Ontario Human Rights Commission, committee member of Human Rights Watch Canada, and co-founder of the Canadian Arab/Jewish Leadership Dialogue Group.Raja formerly served on several government and civil society bodies, such as Ontario’s Hate Crimes Community Working Group, the Minister of Education’s Equity and Inclusive Education Strategy Roundtable, Pride Toronto Community Advisory Panel, the Couchiching Institute on Public Affairs, and as advocacy co-chair of Human Rights Watch Canada.He also served as president of the Canadian Arab Federation in the period following the events of 9/11, authoring the book Arabs in Canada: Post 9/11. For many years Raja was an international consultant in organizational development and capacity building focusing on civil society and human rights work.

Marina KunMarina is the President and owner of Kun Shoulder Rest Inc., a manufacturer of accessories for violins and violas, which are well known internationally. Marina was named by PROFIT magazine as one of Canada’s top 100 women entrepreneurs, was one of 3 finalists in the Womens’ Executive Network Entrepreneur of the Year category, was a finalist in the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce Business Person of the Year Awards, and was designated by Third Wall Theatre Company as one of Ottawa’s “Top Girls”.She received the Business Recognition Award for 2011 from the Council for the Arts in Ottawa for her “outstanding contribution to the Arts”; received a Business of the Year Award from the Lebanese Chamber of Commerce, an “Achievement of Excellence Award” given by the Council of Arab Ambassadors (2013) and an Honourable Mention in Ottawa’s 16th Annual Philanthropy Awards.

Marina also received the Design Exchange and National Post Gold Medal for Industrial Design and has been the subject of several articles featured in various magazines and journals. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, supports concerts and many other cultural events and organizations such as Suzuki’s “Stellae Borealis”, a scholarship at Ottawa University, the Banff Music Centre, as well as supporting the Palestinian National Orchestra.

Rula Odeh Rula has served on the NCCAR board for several years including as President in 2009-2010. She was NCCAR’s Executive Director from Sept. 2014-Mar. 2016, on a part-time basis. She has played a leadership role is 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 has resulted in a CBC Ombudsman review of a biased news report, several published opinion pieces in Canadian media and numerous appearances on TV and radio. Rula has participated in regular interactions with parliamentarians and diverse community organizations.

Rula has extensive experience as a management consultant specializing in change management, process improvement and Lean/Six Sigma. Rula holds a M.Sc. in Pharmacology and a MBA from McGill University.