Yossef Ben-Meir, PhD, President
yossef@highatlasfoundation.org

Yossef Ben-Meir has nearly twenty years experience in international development, specializing in participatory development and community planning. He served in Morocco as an Associate Peace Corps Director (1998-1999), managing the environment program, and as a Peace Corps Volunteer (1993-1995), helping to establish socio-economic and environmental projects in communities that border Toubkal National Park. In 2000, he co-founded the High Atlas Foundation and has since served as President, overseeing an eighteen member international Board of Directors, and providing strategic vision for program development. Yossef has published articles in approximately thirty countries on the subject of international development, with a particular focus on the Middle East. He joined the faculty of Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco in August 2009, where he teaches sociology and comparative political systems. Yossef holds a PhD in sociology from the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque (2009), where his research concentrated on comparative development, education, gender, and race; a MA in International Development from Clark University (1997); and a BA in economics from New York University (1991). In 2004 he was the recipient of an International Excellence Award from the University of New Mexico; he is a former research fellow of the American Institute of Maghrib Studies (2001-2002), and a 1999 recipient of the Meritorious Honor Award from the Department of State.

Suzanne Baazet, Co-Vice President
suzanne@highatlasfoundation.org

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
larbi@highatlasfoundation.org
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.

Kendra Simonton, Secretary
kendra@highatlasfoundation.org
Kendra Simonton traveled to Morocco in May 2005 and instantly developed a connection to the country's history and culture. She began volunteering with HAF in 2006 while interning at the United Nations. After graduating with a Masters in Public and International Affairs in 2007, Kendra completed a year of service with AmeriCorps and the New York City Coalition Against Hunger. She currently works for Project Impact, an HIV treatment and prevention program at the Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center.

Nora Larhouasli Marrakchi, Outreach and Events Co-chair
nora@highatlasfoundation.org

Nora Larhouasli Marrakchi is a business analyst at UMS Group, a New Jersey based international utilities management consulting firm. Nora has served on the boards of several North African and Middle Eastern organizations, including AMPA.  She researches and writes on issues related to Moroccan women, education, and international development and has published in the Journal of North African Studies.  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 co-chairs HAF’s Outreach and Events Committee, helping to create a strong presence for HAF’s work in the US.

Leila Alaoui

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.

Dan Cahill
Dan Cahill served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Kenitra, Morocco (1968-1970) teaching English. He is an award-winning filmmaker and videographer, providing services to a variety of clients, including the NYU School of Law and numerous prominent New York law firms.  Two of his screenplays were optioned by a major Hollywood studio, and he has had short pieces published in Rolling Stone and the New York Times. Dan holds a BA from Washington University (St. Louis) in English literature and an MFA from New York University in film & TV production.

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.

Michelle Ghiselli
Michelle Ghiselli served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Morocco (1993-1996), teaching English. She was a Crisis Corps Volunteer in Cote d'Ivoire in 1997 where she did teacher training with a program for Liberian refugee children suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. Michelle previously worked with Peace Corps Response (formerly known as Crisis Corps) as a Recruitment and Placement Specialist. Before this, Michelle worked with the National Peace Corps Association (NPCA) as Associate Director of Membership where she served as primary liaison for the RPCV groups among other duties.  Prior to that, she spent three years in the non-profit association field developing and managing educational programs for youth and adults. Michelle received her Master’s from Harvard’s Kennedy school of Government in June 2008.  Originally from Kansas, Michelle attended Kansas State University where she earned a BA in English and French.

Nichole Christensen Hardeman
Nichole Christensen Hardeman served in the Peace Corps (2003-2005) as a small business development Volunteer, working with a group of women weavers in Tawli (Middle Atlas Mountains) to create a cooperative. She trained the weavers on how to market and sell their goods in craft fairs throughout Morocco. Nichole has over ten years of retail experience, most recently working in sourcing and product development for furniture, decorative accessories, and tabletop items.  Nichole is currently pursuing her MBA at Brandeis University with a concentration in sustainable development.

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.

Tina Khartami
Tina Khartami is a Senior Business Developer in Community Development at Fannie Mae in Washington, D.C., where she works directly with U.S. based housing and community development organizations and domestic banks on investment programs targeted towards low- and moderate-income people and communities. She brings fifteen years of experience working for large financial services institutions, including managing a book business of more than $50 million annually.  She has volunteered for numerous organizations, mostly in support of domestic homeless service providers.  While serving as a Resource Council member for the High Atlas Foundation, Tina created and launched the pilot program for the HAF’s teacher toolkit raising over $400 from a small change campaign with elementary school children. Tina holds a MBA in International Business from George Mason University, and completed her undergraduate studies with a B.A. in history and German minor at the American University in Washington, D.C.  Tina has been married for fifteen years to a Moroccan hailing from Casablanca and together they have two children. She has traveled to Morocco on numerous occasions and considers herself half Moroccan through osmosis.