Board of Trustees
Fuad El-Hibri
Chairman of the Board of Trustees
Chairman El-Hibri provides leadership in shaping the Foundation’s initiatives for the Foundation’s Board of Trustees and management team, and evaluating results. Recognizing that strategic philanthropy will better address the complex nature of the issues covered by the Foundation’s mission and initiatives, he utilizes his business acumen with a focus on solutions.
Fuad El-Hibri is the chief executive officer and chairman of the board of directors of Emergent BioSolutions Inc., a global biopharmaceutical company. He served as chairman of Digitel C.A. and president of Digicel de C.V., both privately held telecommunications companies. He served as chairman and president of East West Resources Corporation, a venture capital and financial consulting firm. He is a member of the board of trustees of American University, a member of the board of directors of the International Biomedical Research Alliance, an academic joint venture among the NIH, Oxford University and Cambridge University, a member of the board of trustees of the National Health Museum and a member of the board of directors of the Heifetz International Music Institute. He has a Master’s degree in public and private management from Yale University and a B.A. in Economics from Stanford University.
Abdul Aziz Said
Trustee
Trustee Said is an internationally recognized expert in conflict resolution and peace education and provides guidance to the Board on the Foundation’s initiatives.
Abdul Aziz Said is an author and senior ranking professor of International Relations in the School of International Service at American University where he has taught for over fifty years. He is also the director and founder of the American University Center for Global Peace and Occupant of the Mohammed Said Farsi Chair of Islamic Peace. He is involved in a range of activities aimed at advancing the understanding of conflict resolution and global peace and has taught generations of students who have succeeded in utilizing his teachings making the world a better place. He has authored a number of publications in the fields of peacebuilding, conflict resolution and Islam. His public service includes being an advisor to the United States Department of State and the Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and was a Member of the White House Committee on the Islamic World. Trustee Said has served on the board of directors or has been an advisor to more than twenty-five non-profit organizations, including Karamah: Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights, Search for Common Ground, Global Education Associates, the National Peace Foundation, International Youth Advocate Program, The Omega Institute, Nonviolence International, the International Center for Religion and Diplomacy, and the Washington National Cathedral Interfaith Curriculum Advisory Council. He has his Ph.D., M.A. and B.A. from American University.
Abdo Sabban
Trustee
Trustee Sabban contributes his skills and knowledge to the Foundation, from being a successful entrepreneur and long time community activist.
Abdo G. Sabban was a successful entrepreneur with a real estate brokerage, management and investment firm that operated in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. In 2001, he was included in Business Week’s list of successful immigrant entrepreneurs. In 2004, he sold the brokerage portion of the company while maintaining an office in Washington, DC that specializes in property management. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board of the Rene Moawad Foundation, an organization that promotes the social, economic and rural development of Lebanon, and contributes to the building of a responsible civil society that strengthens Lebanese national unity, democratic values and social justice. He is also on the Board of The American Lebanese Foundation. He previously served on the Boards of Save Lebanon, Inc., Karamah: Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights, and the American University of Beirut Alumni Association of North America, serving as the President of the Washington Alumni Chapter, where he was given the “Distinguished Service Award” in 2003. He graduated from the American University of Beirut with a degree in Economics.
Lynn Kunkle
Trustee
Trustee Kunkle contributes her knowledge and experience from the non-profit community and her academic expertise on conflict resolution and interfaith dialogue in providing guidance to the Board on the Foundation’s initiatives.
Lynn M. Kunkle is Assistant Professor and Academic Director for the Contemporary Islam Program at American University’s School of International Service’s Washington Semester Program, where she introduces American students to the breadth and diversity of the Arab and Muslim world today and leads students on trips to the Middle East to meet with a variety of government, religious and civil society leaders on a range of issues. Prior to her position at American University, she was policy director for 3D Security, based in the Center for Peace and Justice at Eastern Mennonite University and was a project director for the Salam Institute for Peace of Fuller Theological Seminary and the Department of Justice grant on conflict resolution between American Christians and Muslims. She has authored a number of publications on conflict resolution and interfaith dialogue. She has a Ph.D. in International Relations from the American University School of International Service, did her Master’s work at George Mason University Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution and a B.A. in International Affairs from James Madison University.
Allen Shofe
Trustee
Allen Shofe contributes his government relations and public service experience and public affairs expertise to the Foundation.
Trustee Shofe is the senior vice president of public affairs at Emergent BioSolutions Inc. He has twenty years of experience in the government relations and public affairs arena with an extensive network of professional contacts throughout North American, Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Prior to his current post, he held senior level government and public affairs positions at international businesses in the United States, the Middle East and North Africa such as Eli Lilly and Company and BAT UK & Export Ltd.
As a public servant, he was Chief of Staff for Congressman Gil Gutknecht of Minnesota, was Special Assistant to Minnesota Governor Arne Carlson and has served as Campaign Director for the Minnesota Republican Senate Caucus. He has also served on the Board of Directors of the Minnesota Taxpayers Association and the Capitol Hill Club in Washington, DC. Trustee Shofe received an L.L.M. Master of Laws from the University of Leicester School of Law, United Kingdom and a B.A. in International Relations from University of Minnesota.
Karim El-Hibri
Trustee
Trustee El-Hibri brings nearly a decade of Board membership experience to the Foundation and represents the next generation of leadership on the Board.
Karim I. El-Hibri actively assists the management team by coordinating the grantmaking evaluation process and by identifying new collaborations and partnerships. In addition to his Board duties, he also serves as Senior Program Associate for the Foundation. Previously, he was a successful fundraiser for the Oren Gateway Center at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he also currently serves as Advisory Council Member for the StepUP Program.
He is a member of the Board of Directors for the Center for Peacebuilding International in Washington, D.C., and holds a B.A. in International Affairs from the School of International Service at American University.