About QFI

Maggie Mitchell Salem

Executive Director

Maggie’s passion and energy for promoting education, facilitating interaction across geographic and social boundaries, and supporting local communities drives the Qatar Foundation International’s work and enthuses its staff. Maggie’s story begins in 1990 when she first traveled outside of the U.S. as a Fulbright scholar. She lived with a Syrian family in the heart of Damascus, an experience that shaped her belief that such programs should be expanded to include high school students. Maggie’s interest in the region sparked a near-20 year career focused on Middle East issues. In her tenure as Regional Director for the MENA region at the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), a leading democracy and governance NGO, Maggie implemented innovative programs in Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Yemen. As the first Director of Communications and External Relations at the Middle East Institute, she developed a strategic communications plan and placed more than a dozen op-eds in American newspapers and magazines, including The Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, and International Herald Tribune. Prior to MEI, Maggie was a Foreign Service Officer at the U.S. Department of State and served in Mumbai, India; as a Staff Assistant to Ambassador Martin S. Indyk at the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel; and, as a Special Assistant to Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Deeply committed to innovation and education, Maggie ensures that the direction of QFI remains relevant, effective, and efficient.

Kent Lewis

Director of Programs

Kent Lewis comes to QFI with nearly two decades of experience in international education and capacity building, primarily in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Early in his career he managed a portfolio of U.S. Government-funded scholarship programs, including the Muskie Fellowship Program, which brings young leaders to American universities to pursue master’s degrees in management, economics, public policy, journalism, and other fields. Later, working for the Eurasia Foundation and the World Bank, Kent helped launch and manage world-class master’s programs at local universities in Ukraine and the Republic of Georgia. In addition to his work in international higher education, Kent has had numerous consulting assignments with the World Bank, the Eurasia Foundation, CHF International, and others, related to such topics as education reform, research-policy linkages, child welfare, and fundraising.

Lauren McCollough

Director of Communications

Lauren joins QFI with many years of experience in both communications and the Middle East. She recently worked in Doha, Qatar as a senior specialist in International and Media Relations for the Al Jazeera Network.  Previously, at the U.S. – Qatar Business Council, Lauren was Director of Programs and Media.  She also served as the Programs Manager of the Crimes of War Project, a non-profit focusing on journalism and international humanitarian law. Lauren received her Masters in journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, where she has since served as an adjunct broadcast journalism professor. She has also been a reporter, producer and videographer for various news outlets.

Carine Allaf

Senior Program Advisor for Arabic Language and Culture Initiative

Carine joins QFI with a rich background in education and non-profit work. After receiving her Masters in Elementary Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, Carine Allaf taught in North Philadelphia and then in Beirut, Lebanon, where she is originally from.  Her time working in the Middle East highlighted the gap in research on education in the region and this pushed her to pursue her doctorate at UCLA. Carine’s experiences include work with the Center for International Development and Education (CIDE), researching for UNICEF the integration of Iraqi refugees into the Jordanian education system, and time spent in Iraq with Save the Children as the Program Development Manager. In June 2010, she completed her PhD in International Comparative Education and taught as a full-time lecturer in the Department of International and Transcultural Studies at Teachers College, Columbia University.

Latrecia Wilson

Senior Finance and Grants Manager

Trece comes to QFI with six years of experience in grants management and financial administration. Having recently served as the Senior Manager for Finance and Administration, Trece managed a $30 million portfolio of grants including funding from the U.S. State Department (Fulbright Scholar), Chinese Embassy, U.S. Embassy in Iraq, Ford Foundation, and Rockefeller Foundation. She also worked for Save Darfur Coalition managing a $20 million portfolio that supported awareness on the Darfur region in Southern Sudan through local grassroots micro-grants and international grants to NGOs based in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. Trece graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a Bachelors degree in English and a concentration in Peace Studies and holds a Master of Public Administration from American University.  Currently, she’s completing coursework in her Master of Science in Accounting at American University.

Helene Theros

Senior Communications Officer

Prior to joining QFI, Helene Theros worked as an editor at Noozz.com, a business news service focused on the Middle East. There she worked with journalists across the region, wrote business articles, and managed designers and writers to produce a monthly newsletter. Helene has also carried out extensive editing and research work for PhD students and fellows at the London School of Economics, where she developed her interest and knowledge of the study of civil society, human rights, transitional justice, and freedom of expression. Recent projects have included bringing together preeminent human rights activists across the globe for a conference on Civil Society and Transitional Justice held in Belgrade, Serbia. Helene holds a Bachelor’s degree from Concordia University in Montreal and an MSC from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Andrew Armentano

Program Officer for STEAM/ALCI

A recent transplant to D.C., Andrew interned with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Tel Aviv, where he was primarily concerned with refugee protection and registration issues.  Andrew also served as the Assistant Editor of “Middle East Desk,” the Middle East Research and Information Project’s media outreach website. Andrew has a Bachelors degree in Middle Eastern Studies from Trinity College and spent a year at the University of London School of Oriental and African Studies, where he focused on Islam and Middle Eastern politics. After graduating from Trinity, he enrolled in the Middlebury College Intensive Summer Arabic Program, which he continues to study today. Andrew’s interest in the Gulf began after working on the U.S.-Qatar Business Council’s bi-weekly journal.

Kasia Skuratowicz

Evaluation and Research Officer

Kasia joins QFI with an extensive background in social research and education. Her experiences cover a diverse area that intersects well with her passion for bridging cultures, supporting inclusive societies and empowering young people. Prior to joining QFI, Kasia assisted in conducting a series of UN workshops on good governance in Sudan and worked with the Ministry of Polish Foreign Affairs regarding cooperation with African nations. She was also responsible for graduate student community building at the University of Maryland Graduate Student Life Office. Kasia received training in conflict management and resolution and was a teaching assistant at the program of Conflict Management and Multi-Track Diplomacy at the Center for International Development and Conflict Management at the University of Maryland. Kasia received an MA in African Studies from Warsaw University, an anthropology post-graduate diploma from Université Libre de Bruxelles, an MA in sociology from the University of Louisville, KY, and a PhD in sociology from the University of Maryland. Her dissertation focused on Arab-American political activism.

Lobna Hassairi

Program Officer

A documentary Filmmaker, Videographer and Editor with a deep interest in the human experience and documentary storytelling, Lobna received her Master's degree in Film and Video from American University, Washington, DC in 2010. Her work includes At 9th and S, winner of Best mini- documentary at Our City Film Festival and Outstanding Short Documentary and Best Sound Recording at Visions 2010, American University Student Film Festival. Lobna recently produced, directed and edited a short documentary, The Right to the Main Hall about Islamic Feminism and the Accommodation of women in the mosques in the Washington, DC area. Lobna joined QFI during the Summer of Science and Service 2010 to assist the students with their video projects.

Denise Dodson

Program Consultant

Denise joined QFI in the Fall of 2009 as our West Coast Programs Officer and was instrumental in developing QFI's first Arabic language initiative in the West.  A graduate of he Johns Hopkins University, she has resided with her family for the past 18 years in Portland, Oregon where she previously worked as an attorney specializing in probate, guardianships, conservatorships and mediation.  Her love of the Middle East was fueled by an opportunity to visit Syria while in law school.  She is a skilled photographer and maintains a part-time portrait photography business. 

Nasser Al Khori

Program Associate - Qatar

Nasser joins QFI as a Programs Associate after having completed an intense summer internship with the organization in Washington, D.C. where he impressed QFI staff members with his initiative, hard work, and intelligence. Nasser has also demonstrated his leadership skills through his involvement with Reach Out To Asia (ROTA) and several student clubs at Carnegie Mellon University. Based in Doha, Qatar, Nasser is currently completing a Bachelor degree in Business Administration at Carnegie Mellon University – Qatar.
 

Christopher Dubia

Technology Consultant

Christopher Dubia joined Qatar Foundation International in the fall of 2009 as a Technology Consultant. Under Christopher’s guidance, technology has become an engine that drives QFI’s mission and enables its programmatic focus on education, community engagement, and health. Prior to joining QFI, Christopher worked extensively in a range of independent and private educational settings, improving their work flow through technology systems. With his input, these institutions were able to incorporate technology as an integral feature of their administrative and academic programs. As part of a development team, Christopher created networks and platforms that increased efficiency and allowed for extensive collaboration and knowledge sharing using social networking tools in the classroom.