Guest Expert Profiles: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

James Zogby

Dr. James J. Zogby is founder and president of the Arab American Institute (AAI), a Washington, D.C.-based organization which serves as the political and policy research arm of the Arab American community. Since 1985, Zogby and AAI have led Arab American efforts to secure political empowerment in the U.S. A co-founder and chairman of the Palestine Human Rights Campaign in the late 1970s, he later co-founded and served as the Executive Director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. Zogby appears frequently on television and radio. He has appeared as a regular guest on all the major network news programs. After hosting the popular "A Capital View" on the Arab Network of America for several years, he now hosts "Viewpoint with James Zogby" on Abu Dhabi Television. He has authored a number of books including two recent publications, "What Ethnic Americans Really Think" and "What Arabs Think: Values, Beliefs and Concerns." In 1975, Zogby received his doctorate from Temple University's Department of Religion, where he studied under the Islamic scholar Dr. Ismail al-Faruqi.

Dr. Zogby has lectured our trainees on how to speak to Democrats.

Hisham Melhem

Hisham Melhem is the Washington-based correspondent for An-Nahar, the leading Lebanese daily, Al-Qabas, the Kuwaiti daily, and Radio Monte Carlo in France. He is currently the host of Across the Ocean, a weekly talk show for Al-Arabiya, the Dubai based satellite station. Mr. Melhem appears regularly on a number of television programs such as the News Hour with Jim Lehrer, Nightline, Good Morning America, CNN, MSNBC, The Charlie Rose Show, as well as National Public Radio and its national affiliates. As one of the most respected Arab analysts and a leading advocate of democratization in the region, he has lectured at the Brookings Institution, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Aspen Institute, and the Carnegie Endowment in New York.

Mr. Melhem has lectured our trainees on techniques of effective television communication.

Suhail Khan

Suhail Khan is Associate Director for Governmental Affairs at the US Department of Transportation. He previously served as Associate Director for Congressional Affairs for Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta, where he was awarded the “Secretary’s Team Award“ in 2005. Following the election in 2000, he was in charge of Muslim outreach for the White House Office of Public Liaison. Before that, he served as Policy Director and Press Secretary for U.S. Congressman Tom Campbell (R-CA) where he worked closely on legislation relating to health antitrust reform, civil liberties, tort reform, the War Powers Act, and racial and gender discrimination. Mr. Khan grew up in California and earned his B.A. in political science from University of California at Berkeley in 1991 and his J.D. from University of Iowa in 1995.

Suhail Khan has lectured our trainees on campaigning as a volunteer.

Amjad Atallah

Amjad Atallah is President of Strategic Assessments Initiative, an organization committed to providing legal and policy assistance to parties involved in negotiations in conflict and post-conflict situations. For the past three years, Mr. Atallah has advised the PLO’s Negotiations Affairs Department and Palestinian Prime Minister Abbas’ office in negotiations with Israel on the international border, security, and constitutional issues. Mr. Atallah is also co-founder and a member of the Board of Directors of Women for Women International (www.womenforwomen.org), a women’s humanitarian and development aid organization working with women survivors of war and other conflict with centers in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Columbia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Kosovo, Nigeria, and Rwanda. Mr. Atallah received a B.A. and M.A. from the University of Virginia and received his J.D. from American University’s Washington College of Law.

Amjad Atallah has lectured our trainees on Organization Building.

 

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Guest Expert Profiles: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4