About HAF 
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Peter Jupp, Chair of the Board of Directors
Peter is a major supporter of HAF’s community initiatives and has played an important role in scaling-up the organization’s projects and partnerships in Morocco. His deep commitment to Morocco’s development grew from his many visits to the country and the close friendships that formed over the course of his professional life. Known as a true entrepreneur, Peter is Chairman of Infocore. He has been a leader in direct mail, list brokerage and management services for over two decades – helping companies realize significant growth potential in new customer acquisition, organic growth and retention programs, new and improved customer relationships and revenue. Before founding InfoCore, Peter was CEO of a London, England based direct mail firm where he grew the business to one of the UK’s largest direct mail providers while expanding the business to support emerging client needs. Peter is an active member of the World President’s Organization and the Chief Executive Organization and is an active supporter of the San Diego Rescue Mission and the Salvation Army.
Yossef Ben-Meir, PhD, President of Operations
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Dr. Yossef Ben-Meir has been dedicated to the field of international development since he joined the Peace Corps as a volunteer in Morocco in 1993. In 2000, he co-founded the High Atlas Foundation and served as president of the Board of Directors until January 2011, and since has been president of operations. Yossef was an Associate Peace Corps Director (1998-99) managing the agriculture and environment program in Morocco, and a professor at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane (2009-10). In 2003 he was an AIMS research fellow in Morocco. He writes on the subject of human development in Morocco and the region, and participatory strategies to advance it. Dr. Ben-Meir holds a PhD in sociology from the University of New Mexico (2009) where he also taught, an MA in international development from Clark University (1997), and a BA in economics from New York University (1991).
Suzanne Baazet, Co-Vice President
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Suzanne (Moyer) Baazet is an entrepreneur and non-profit leader with extensive experience working with NGOs and the private sector in Morocco and throughout Northern Africa. She is currently the Vice-President of AmeriSource, a company which she co-founded to increase business linkages and trade between the US and Morocco. Suzanne’s previous experience includes serving as the President of AIESEC United States Inc., where she oversaw the launch of The Salaam Program, a cultural exchange program which has provided over 100 international internships to Arab and American university students in partnership with major corporations such as Google, Sun MicroSystems, Kraft Foods Intl., and MasterCard. Suzanne also served as a Senior Program Manager at the African Studies Association where she supported major initiatives to foster collaboration among scholars world-wide. Suzanne speaks fluent French, Arabic, and Moroccan Arabic, and is a published author on business and development in the Middle East. Suzanne was awarded a Fulbright grant to research the impact of the globalization of Moroccan economic policy on the management competencies required of Moroccan entrepreneurs and executives.
Larbi Didouqen, Co-Vice President
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Larbi Didouquen served as Director of Toubkal National Park - Morocco's largest national park - for over ten years (1993-2004). During this time he worked closely with many Peace Corps Volunteers who were assigned to serve in the park and its neighboring villages. He has been actively involved with HAF since its inception in 2000, playing a key role in project implementation and partnership building. He is currently an independent consultant, and volunteers his time with numerous civil society organizations in the Marrakech Province. Larbi was trained as a forestry engineer.
Nora Larhouasli Marrakchi, Outreach and Events Co-chair
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Nora Larhouasli Marrakchi is an independent international energy Consultant specializing in Global Industry Benchmarking, Asset Management, Regulatory / PAS 55 projects and Renewable Corporate Strategy across North America, Europe and Latin America. Nora has served on the boards of several North African and Middle Eastern organizations. She researches and writes on issues related to Moroccan women, education, energy and international development. Nora’s work on Moroccan women and education has been published in the Journal of North African Studies and in Routledge Major Works’ 3-Vol. Islam and Education: Major Themes in Education (Routledge). She holds a BA in economics, French literature, and Middle Eastern studies from Douglass College, Rutgers University, and was raised in Fes and Marrakech, Morocco. Nora chairs HAF’s Outreach and Events Committee, helping to create a strong presence for HAF’s work in the US, and co-chairs HAF’s Moroccan Film Festival.
Barbara Balaj, PhD
Barbara Balaj is an independent consultant for the World Bank and other organizations, as well as private sector firms. She specializes in international economic development in the Middle East and North Africa and Central/Eastern Europe and Balkan regions. She has worked extensively on international aid mobilization and donor coordination, especially with respect to large-scale, multi-sectoral post-conflict reconstruction. She is the author of numerous World Bank and international journal publications regarding economic development issues in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Kosovo, the West Bank and Gaza, and Yemen.
Talal Belrhiti
Talal Belrhiti is vice president for international business at the Moffett Group. Previously, Talal launched the Discovery Channel’s Global Education Partnership in Morocco, and helped in negotiating the introduction of the same program in Egypt. He previously served as founding director at the Maghreb Center, a Washington DC think tank, and currently serves on the board of the High Atlas Foundation, an organization whose aims is to establish development projects and plant trees in rural Morocco. Talal has extensive experience in issues related to the Middle East and Africa, previously serving as the Director of Economic Development Programs at the MENA Center, and as Assistant Editor of the Middle East Journal, published by the Middle East Institute, a Washington DC think tank. He has also worked at think tanks in Morocco and other NGOs with focus on democratic development. Talal completed his MA in Politics at the University of Virginia and his undergraduate studies in government and international politics at George Mason University
Charles Benjamin, PhD
Charles Benjamin is a Senior Manager with the International Resources Group, an international development consulting firm based in Washington, DC. He has over twenty years of experience in rural development and program management, with extensive experience in community development and natural resource management in Morocco and other African countries. For nearly six years (1993-1998) he was the Near East Foundation (NEF) Country Director in Morocco, based in the rural Ouarzazate Province. Charles has conducted long-term field research in Morocco and Mali. As a Fulbright scholar (1990-1992), he lived for two years in a village in the Drâa Valley of southern Morocco, where he conducted ethnographic research on the social organization of traditional canal irrigation systems. Prior to this, he was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Casablanca (1986-88). He holds a PhD in natural resources and environment from the University of Michigan, with a focus on decentralization and local institutional development
Elmehdi Boudra
Elmehdi Boudra is an undergraduate student at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco, concentrating in international studies and business administration. Elmehdi has a special interest in minorities’ rights and intercultural dialogue. In 2007, he co-founded and serves as president of the Al Akhawayn’s Mimouna Club, which is a student organization dedicated to discovering the Moroccan Jewish identity, culture, and heritage. Elmehdi has also taken an active role in student affairs, where he is a member of the Student Government Association and an active reporter for the University’s English speaking newspaper.
Kimeo Carr
Kimeo Carr is an independent consultant, with over ten years of experience in business administration and public policy, and has consulted for the World Bank’s Resource Management Advisory and Knowledge Dissemination division. He holds a MBA with an international marketing concentration from Richmond, The American International University in London, England, and a BS in marketing from Hampton University. Kimeo served as a small business development Peace Corps Volunteer in Morocco (2001-2003). He is a lifetime member of the National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA) and is the Government Affairs Committee chairman for the DC Chapter.
Sir Charles Dahan
Born in Meknes, Morocco, Sir Charles Dahan earned a Masters in chemical engineering in Geneva, Switzerland. He came to the United States in 1973 and began his company, Custom Optical, Inc. He has also worked in conjunction with the World Bank, National Institutes of Health, and other private interests. Charles has served as a good-will Ambassador for the Moroccan Jewish community and the Arab World. In 1990 he received the 1000 Points of Light award from President George Bush, and in 2000 he was the recipient of the Chevalier Du Wissam Al Moukaffa At Watania (Knight of the Order of National Merit) presented by H.M. King Mohammed VI of Morocco.
Rabia El Alama
Rabia El Alama serves as the Managing Director for the American Chamber of Commerce in Morocco. She has extensive experience in project management, entrepreneurship, international business, negotiation, mediation, training and mentoring, consulting, and counseling in management and strategy. Rabia has participated in a range of research and consultancy projects on doing business in Morocco with national and international firms such as McKinsey, Global Integrity, Nathan Associates and MEPI. She actively promotes Morocco as a place for investment and prosperity in the US and other countries, and most recently promoted Morocco in Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta & Austin. Dedicated to public service in Morocco, Rabia’s personal goal is to contribute to the empowerment of women, women’s access to healthcare (particularly breast cancer awareness), access to education for rural girls, as well as poverty reduction through community development. Rabia El Alama holds a Master’s degree in international business and a Bachelor’s in finance. She was awarded a grant to participate in the US State Department International Visitor Program on Entrepreneurship in 1992.
Charlie Kellett
Charlie Kellet served as a Peace Corps Volunteer and trainer in Morocco (1994-1996). As an environmental education Volunteer in the Eastern High Atlas National Park, Charlie partnered with the High Commission of Waters and Forests and civil society organizations to implement conservation, education, and health projects in rural villages. Currently, he works at the US Department of State, East Asia and Pacific Branch. Charlie is an avid photographer.
