Executive Committee
Ali Daher
President
Ali Daher has made Houston home since 1985. A graduate of Central State University in Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting, and sole owner of Daher & Associates Inc. Since 1990, a small firm specializing in providing business financial services, and tax preparation.
Mr. Daher enjoys serving the Arab Community in Houston, and volunteers time and services for many charitable organizations in town.
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Waleed Gaber, Ph. D.
Vice-President
Dr. Gaber has a bachelor’s degree in Physics from Ain Shams University and a Ph.D. in Nuclear Physics from University College London. He also holds a master’s in biomedical engineering from the University of Tennessee. He is currently an Associate Professor at Baylor College of Medicine.
Abdel Elkhadiri
Treasurer
Bio is coming soon
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Lema Barazi, Esq.
Secretary
Mrs. Barazi is the Litigation Partner at Lloyd & Mousilli, a boutique law firm specializing in intellectual property and technology law. She advises executives on a wide range of complex commercial matters and is an Adjunct Professor in Business Law and Constitutional Law.
Jill Yaziji, Esq.
Immediate Past President
Ms. Yaziji was voted President of the ACC in February 2021 and is the Principal of Yaziji Law Firm, PLLC. In 2017, Ms. Yaziji was elected Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation where Fellows are selected from the top 1/3 of 1% of the membership of the State Bar of Texas. She also holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from UT-Austin.
Board Members
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Abla Amin
Ms. Amin has been an active community volunteer since 1998, volunteering in four FBISD schools and community organizations. She has held various organizational leadership positions as president and vice-president and was one of the founders of the annual IFEST International Festival in Sugar Land.
Faiza Zalila, PhD
Coming Soon
Ghaidaa Makki, DDS
Coming Soon
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Kamal Khalil, M.D.
Dr. Khalil has been in Houston for the last 45 years and joined the ACC Board at its inception in the late 1990s. He is a cardiothoracic and vascular surgeon and holds clinical professor of surgery positions in both subspecialties at UT and Baylor Medical Schools.
Nancy Zakhour
Hassan Ghosn, Ph.D.
Bio Coming Soon
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Mahmoud Rabie, Ph.D.
Dr. Rabie was the President of the ACC for 2019-2020. He is the Chairman of the Board of Guidance College and the CEO of Gore Resources, Inc. He previously served on hospital Boards of Directors. He is also the Founder and President of Association Health Care Management, Inc.
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Rachida Benamar
Ms. Benamar is a native Algerian and holds a bachelor’s degree in Engineering. She began her career in the petroleum field for 8 years, was a free- lance translator for 15 years, and is the founder of RBGlobal SVC. She is also the President of the Algerian Association of Houston.
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Samir Tuma, M.D.
Dr. Tuma is a retired professor of medicine, the founder of the Arab American Medical Association (NAAMA). And the recipient of The Tuma Innovation Prize in Nephrology. He is one of the founders of the ACC and served as its president in 2009 & 2010.
Wafa Abdin, Esq.
Mrs. Abdin is an immigration attorney and the Founder and Managing Partner of Abdin Consulting. She has 18 years of experience in managing non-profit legal services as the Executive Director of Houston Volunteer Lawyers and the Vice President for Immigration and Refugee Services at Catholic Charities.
Burhan Ajouz, Ph.D.
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Ahmed Alaswad
Mr. Alaswad is a second-generation Syrian American with extensive experience in the public service and the nonprofit sector. He is currently the Chief of Staff to Fort Bend County Commissioner Ken R. DeMerchant.