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Board Members

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President | Eng. Sawsan Gabra Ayoub Khalil

Sawsan G.A. Khalil studied engineering at the University of Alexandria, Egypt, and the University of Delft in the Netherlands. Her motivation to establish the Center for Arab-West Understanding came in 1994 when she observed the misrepresentation by Western media and activists of incidents involving Christian-Muslim relations in Egypt. To rectify this, Sawsan felt that the Egyptian opinion needed to be translated to produce more nuanced reporting. This resulted in the join founding of the Religious News Service from the Arab World (RNSAW) with her husband in 1997 – the predecessor to Arab-West Report which in turn preceded the foundation of the Center for Arab-West Understanding. 

Sawsan was also a founder of the Center for Intercultural Dialogue and Translation and from 1997 to 2010; she was also the country coordinator for the Dutch NGO, World Servants

Sawsan has been involved in a number of projects during her time at CAWU including in the assistance of research by Dr. John Watson and Prof. Otto Meinardus.

Vice President | Drs. Cornelis Hulsman

Cornelis 'Kees' Hulsman, originally studied developmental sociology at Leiden University in the Netherlands; however, since 1976 he has spent the majority of his time in Egypt. He is a member of the Cairo Foreign Press Association, of which he was General-Secretary between 2003 and 2009, and has been an accredited journalist with the Egyptian Press Center since 1994. In 1997 he co-founded the Religious News Service from the Arab World (RNSAW), which eventually became the electronic magazine and database Arab-West Report. See his CV here

Secretary | Prof. Hoda Ragheb Awad

Hoda Awad is professor of political science and mass communication at Misr International University and formerly assistant professor at Cairo University. Her research focuses on comparative political systems, sustainable development and the political economy of development. She has participated in a number of conferences and seminars around the world. With Tawfik Hasanin Ibrahim, Dr. Awad published the book 'The Muslim Brotherhood and Politics in Egypt (1984-1990)' (Al Mahrūsah Center, Cairo, 1996). In 2011, her chapter 'The Legal Status of Women in Egypt: Reform and Social Intertia' was published in 'Women in the Middle East and North Africa: Agents of Change' edited by Fatima Sadiqi and Moha Ennaji (Routledge). She has a PhD in political science from Cairo University.

Treasurer | Mr. Adel Rizkallah

Mr. Rizkallah has over 30 years of financial experience having worked in a number of Egyptian and French companies since graduating from the Faculty of Commerce at Cairo University. 

 

Board Member | Eng. Nagwa Raouf

Founder of the Emarat al-Insan Foundation (Buildings of People) in Cairo: an NGO that works for affordable housing in Ezbet el-Nakhl, Cairo. Nagwa is also a member of the Egyptian Moral Rearmament Association.

 

Strategic Advisor | Prof. Dr. Rasmy Abdel Malek Rostom

An educational specialist and professor in the Faculty of Arts at Ain Shams University, Dr. Rostom has published numerous books and articles on education. He also has a background in social work and has been Secretary General of the Egyptian Association for Family Protection against Addiction since 1990, he is also a consultant with the YMCA in the Middle East and UNICEF.