After completing her undergraduate studies in Politics and International Relations from the University of Kent in Canterbury, England, Basma joined the European Commission in Brussels as a stagiaire, interning with the Directorate General for Energy. Following this, she moved to Kuwait where she pursued a career as a television host and writer for a regional variety program. Basma’s successful media career was abruptly interrupted by the 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, during which she and her family remained in Kuwait until the end of the war in 1991.

Upon her return to Washington, DC in the early nineties, Basma joined the Kuwait-America Foundation. In addition to obtaining her Bachelor of Social Science degree in Politics and International Relations from the University of Kent in England, she has received two Master of Arts degrees; one in Public Communication from American University in Washington, DC, and the other in Arab Studies from Georgetown University.

Shereen Abdel-Nabi is Program Director at the Kuwait-America Foundation, where she is responsible for programs initiated or supported by KAF, including philanthropic endeavors and community outreach. She joined KAF in 2005, having spent several years working in the non-profit sector, including two summers as an intern for “Do the Write Thing’s” National Recognition Week. Shereen is currently pursuing a PhD in Anthropology from American University,

She is most importantly a mother of two – her 13 year old son, Jad, and her 5 year old Cavapoo, Fairouz. You are likely to meet both during your stay in Washington!

Lisa Cone has been the Program Director of the National Campaign to Stop Violence for the past fourteen years. She is a native to WashingtonD.C. and she and her husband raised their six children in the Washington area. With her children and grandchildren now spread across the country, her out of office time is spent visiting and helping her expanding family. Her other passion is creating beautiful spaces out of neglected homes. After remodeling an historic carriage house on Capitol Hill, she turned her attention this year to a home in Nashville that was a true fixer upper. Prior to joining NCSV, Lisa served in various school, church and community organizations where she volunteered her time and was responsible for managing other volunteers. Lisa’s greatest enjoyment is working with others who give of their time because of their passion for a cause.

Mohammad holds a degree in Industrial Design and brings years of experience and skills to the KAF and NCSV. His real specialty is fixing things with duct tape. His favorite part of DtWT is meeting the young scholars and reading their work. Always keep writing!

Derek Farino was born and raised in Northern Virginia. This year is his sixth year working for the National Campaign to Stop Violence.

Derek enjoys implementing his background in theater and art to the everyday needs of the organization. In his free time, Derek enjoys all things pizza and dabbling in art projects such as illustration, pottery, and song writing.

From an early age Rooj was drawn to photography and film, using her summers during middle and high school to write, produce and create short films with her cousins. In 2018, Rooj finally decided to pursue her career as a filmmaker and moved to NYC where she received her MFA in documentary filmmaking.

Since then, Rooj has worked in a variety of capacities in film production, helping to tell high quality branded stories for Google, Starbucks, Vans, UNICEF, HIAS and more. At DtWT, Rooj assists with managing DtWTs digital and social media.

When Rooj is not busy producing, you can find her hanging with her new dog, Baldwin and kindling her enthusiasm for herbs.

Jenna first joined the KAF/NCSV team in 2015 as an intern. She's since left to pursue other goals, but remained committed to the organization's mission of promoting peace and nonviolence among the youth. From 2016 to 2018, she served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Eastern Europe, followed by an 8-month Fulbright fellowship in the Middle East. She's now working at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service as the Assistant Director of its research center. In her free time, you can find Jenna solving a crossword puzzle, catching up on TV shows, or walking around to reach her daily 10,000 steps.

Amber Pulley Moyer learned about the DtWT program while working as the Program Coordinator for the Kuwait-America Foundation in 2002. Prior to working for the foundation, she worked as Marketing Director for ESPN and local sports affiliates in Utah. In 2001 Amber joined Salt Lake Organizing Committee to work as an event planner for the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Village. After a decade of public relations work, she switched professions to become an educator because her volunteer work in classrooms was so fulfilling. She has taught in a Title I school with over 30 languages spoken and had the privilege of teaching 3rd, 5th, 6th grade as well as in the Education department at Westminster University in Salt Lake City, Utah.

While studying International Relations at Virginia Commonwealth University, Iman began interning at NCSV. Her hopes were that iit would be similar to The Office (because that’s her favorite show), but it’s very much like Parks & Rec. She claims she is exactly like April, what do you think?

Her favorite part about working at NCSV is getting to meet the National Ambassadors and seeing them develop and create new bonds with each other.

Jose Wray is an undergraduate student at Santa Clara University where he is pursuing a double major in Political Science and Religious Studies. Wray is also a member of Santa Clara’s rowing team, where he is entering his fourth year and second as a team captain. Wray grew up in the D.C. metropolitan area and is excited to be back for the summer and working with the NCSV. He is looking forward to being a part of his second National Recognition Week in July and learning from the student ambassadors and their experiences.

Coming soon.

Douglas Christensen is an Advocacy Associate at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP). He holds an MA in Arab Studies from Georgetown University's Center for Contemporary Arab Studies and a BA in Government with minors in Arabic and Mathematics from St. Lawrence University. Prior to joining TIMEP, he was the Liaison for US Government Affairs at Arab Center Washington DC as well as a research intern with the State Department's Bureau of Human Rights, Democracy, and Labor. He has published numerous policy papers with Arab Center Washington DC and has published an academic article in the journal Protest.

Shahad Alhusain is a recent graduate of McMaster University with a BEng in Mechatronics Engineering. Growing up, Shahad has always had a passion for community service and helping others. As a new member of the KAF office, Shahad is excited to attend her first National Recognition Week and connect with the DtWT student ambassadors!

Prior to joining Kuwait-America Foundation, Hala worked at Western University for over 17 years. Beginning as a Work Study student for the Student Financial Aid Team, Hala progressed to the OSAP Officer position where she developed her leadership, problem solving and customer service skills. She then went on to work as a Team Leader at Student Central. Throughout her career, Hala has always enjoyed helping students and making a positive impact.

Hala holds a MA in Professional Education Leadership (MPED) Program with a focus on Leadership, and a BA in BMOS, with a specialization in Finance from the University of Western Ontario in Canada. She also holds a BA in Business Administrative Studies, with a specialization in Management from Omdurman Ahlia University in Sudan.

In her free time, Hala loves to watch movies, enjoys music, dancing, and time spent with family and friends.

Hamed Boodai is a Kuwaiti student studying in Kuwait entering his senior year. This is Hamed’s first year at KAF. He previously worked as a Barista in a coffee shop and assisted as an IT helper at the National Creative Industries Group in Kuwait. Last year Hamed experienced college life at Brown University! He took a pre-college course, Trends in Modern. Wherever life takes him, Hamed strives to discover the synergies and similarities his culture shares with others around the world.

Yara Matar is an undergraduate student at Earlham College pursuing Linguistics and Media. Yara is passionate about filmmaking and bringing stories to life on screen. Her initial exposure to National Recognition Week was when she filmed the event last summer. This brought Yara to KAF to have a direct impact on the event. Yara is excited to meet the student ambassadors and learn from their experiences!