About HAF 
• Yossef Ben-Meir, PhD, President
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
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
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
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
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
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.
• Abderrahim Ouarghidi, Project and Training Manager
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Abderrahim Ouarghidi coordinates HAF's field activities with rural communities, including facilitating community meetings, assisting beneficiaries with project design and implementation, and carrying out HAF's participatory monitoring and evaluation program. He also provides training in participatory development to diverse groups both in the field and at the Center for Community Consensus-Building and Sustainable Development. Abderrahim received his Bachelor's degree in animal biology (2002) and his Master's degree in biodiversity (2007) from Cadi Ayyad University of Marrakech. His field research, focusing on traditional herbal remedies in the Zat and Imenane Valleys, allowed him to spend extensive periods of time living and working with rural communities. Abderrahim is currently pursuing his PhD in ethno-botany, ethno-medicine, and ethno-ecology - an interdisciplinary field that examines the traditional uses of plants and the conservation of their biodiversity. Born and raised in Marrakech, Abderrahim is fluent in Arabic, Tashlhait, French, and English.
• Ouafa Elbargui, Project Coordinator at HAF’s Center in Tahanaout, Al Haouz Province
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Ouafa Elbargui received her Bachelor’s degree in English Literature (2005) and Sociology (2010) from Cadi Ayyad University of Marrakech. She worked previously as an English teacher at World School, a private primary school in Marrakech, and as a teacher of Arabic with Ait Faska Association for Development, which is committed to encouraging pre-school education in rural areas of the Al Haouz province. During her membership in Afoulki Association for Women’s Development, she helped to organize workshops against marginalization of children and women in the Zarqeten commune of Al Haouz. Born and raised in Ait Ourir, Ouafa speaks fluently Tashlhyt, Arabic, English and French.
HAF Community-Level Coordinators (these HAF Team Members are part of the local communities that are also HAF project and training sites)
• Malika Ankes
Mlika Ankes helps Middle School girls adapt to school life. She received her Baccalaureate and then studied law for two years at Cadi Ayyad University of Marrakech Faculty of Law and Economics. She obtained a certificate in Computer Science. As a member of the Afoulki Association for Women’s Development, she contributes to implementing literacy classes, income-generating Cooperative, and workshops to build awareness against the employment of school-age children and of sexually transmitted diseases. In 2009, she became president of the Human Development Committee in the Communal Council. Born and raised in Tahanaout, Malika speaks Arabic, Tashlhyt, French and English.
• Zahra Baaki
Originally from the Toubkal commune, Zahra Baaki completed high school in Talouine, 110 km from where she lives. Zahra is considered highly intellectual in her valley despite her young age. She has been a field facilitator since 2010, coordinating field activities in the Tifnoute Valley, Taroudant province. Zahra has been particularly active in HAF’s participatory training programs.
• Abderrahim Gahouane
Abderrahim Gahouane, a Middle School graduate, is a former vice president of the Rural Commune of Ait Taleb in the Rhamna Province, and a former vice president of the Commune’s Committee for Human Development. He is an active member in several associations for development in Ben Guerir and Bouchane. He has been trained in financial management of associations organized within a framework of Morocco’s National Initiative for Human development and the Social Development Agency. Born and Raised in Bouchane, Abderrahim speaks Arabic and French.
• Omar Ouaccar
Omar Ouaccar is responsible for the General Administration Department at the Rural Commune of Toubkal. He received a Bachelor’s degree in Islamic Studies (1995) from Cadi Ayyad University of Marrakech. He has two years of experience in commerce. Omar is also vice president at the Toubkal Association for Development and Cooperation, where he helps to coordinate human development projects. He speaks Arabic, Tashlhyt, French and English.
