30.8.07

Congratulations Dr. Fakhouri

I can't describe the great pride and admiration I felt as I read about Dr. Haifa Fakhouri today in the Jordan Times joining the leadship board at Harvard University:


Harvard appoints Jordanian American to women’s leadership board
DETROIT (Petra) - Harvard University has appointed Founder and President of the Arab American and Chaldean Council Haifa Fakhouri as a member of the Women’s Leadership Board at its John F. Kennedy School of Government. The group comprises influential women from around the world who are responsible for advancing women globally through leadership, advocacy and dialogue on public policy. Fakhouri has also been selected for induction into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame for 2007. Fakhouri, who is the first American Jordanian figure to join the hall, was chosen in appreciation of her efforts and activities in empowering women and boosting their leadership roles in the US and elsewhere.



I've have the privelege to interact with Dr. Fakhouri on many occasions and find her to be a very down to Earth person and a wonderful professional. As a Jordanian, it is truly an honor to call her a fellow countrywoman. This great accomplishment is one of many she has received over her career. In fact, she was selected as a Michiganian of the Year for 1999 (http://www.detnews.com/specialreports/2000/michiganians/fakhouri/fakhouri.htm). These citizens are choosen every year by readers of one of, if not THE, largest newspaper in the state of Michigan.


Her work with the ACC (Arab and Chaldean Council http://www.myacc.org/) throughout the metropolitan Detroit, Michigan area is blessing to those people that hail from the middle east in settle in the areas her offices serve. These people find many services at their disposal to make aclimating to the US much easier. The organization has been assisting people for over 26 years.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow...really impressive and in a way makes me proud of Jordanian women!
This is a proof that they can make it big anywhere! I mean if she made it big in the USA then she can make it big anywhere else, just like rock starts!!!

Somehow I wish people like Dr. Fakhouri would be appreciated and well known in their own country!

I wonder about this a lot of times, if people like Dr. Fahkouri ever decide to go back home, would they get the same appreciation or recognition they got in a foreign land??
I really do not blame the people who worked hard all their lives, left their homeland and worked so hard to prove themselves and worked for their people in a strange land, later they got the appreciation they deserve, mind you, not from their own people, I do not blame them if they do not go back to their homeland!! I am sure people like her are thinking of going back to give back to her own community, but I am pretty sure if they do, they will face a lot of red tapes and problems trying to implement and share their knowledge...all the people like her will only get one disappointment after another. And I am talking from many stories I have heard...Thanks for sharing....I would not have known if you had not posted about it.
YFA

YFA said...

Thanks for your comment MFA. Very good thoughts you shared.

I am not so sure females would get the recognition they do in western countries in countries of the middle east. The Forbes 100 most powerful women list has recently been released (www.forbes.com) and would you believe that it includes several Arab woman. I was so proud to read their bios. With the exception of HRH Queen Rania, I didn't know the others. We are taking about a list that includes movers and shakers from both East and West! Did the Arab media pick that up and praise this annoucement? I seriously doubt that it did. We have a long way to go, but I think we are making progress. Hopefully soon we will see a Arab Female Leader!