2023-2025 Al-Bireh Society (ABS) Board

Dr. Reema Wahdan

Dr. Wahdan is serving as the 2023-25 ABS Board Co-President. Dr. Wahdan has been active with the Al-Bireh Society for more than 20 years, serving as Vice President (2005) of the Washington DC chapter, Youth President (2004-2006), and has served on the National Board since 2014. She is the daughter of Said and Urayb Wahdan, wife of Mazen Alaswad and mother to Lamya Alaswad. She currently is a faculty member at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus working in the Department of Pathology.  “I am dedicated to the success of the Al-Bireh Society. Coming together as a community is the beginning but working together for our homeland is success. I am humbled to be apart of this trajectory.”

Maref Arafat Quraan

Maref is currently serving as the 2023-2025 ABS Board Co-President, and has been involved with ABS since 1988. He served on the national board since 2013.  He is the son of Arafat and Tamam Quran (لروحيهما الرحمة). Maref was born and raised in Al-Bireh, and is a 1986 graduate of Birzeit University. He was an educator at the Islamic Saudi Academy in Alexandria, VA for ten years. Now he is an entrepreneur who splits his time between Al-Bireh and Memphis, TN. Maref’s vision is to reach every Birawi in the U.S.A, establish chapters in our various communities, and strengthen our relationship with the motherland. He believes the future lies with the next generations, and hopes ABS can help encourage our youth to become leaders in our society and beyond.

Anas Amireh

Anas is serving as a 2023-2025 ABS Board ABS Board Vice President. He is the son of Bilal Mustafa Tahboub Amireh and Seham Abdallah AlShaker Ali. Anas has founded, co-founded and served as an officer for several non-profit groups for Palestine. He states, “I believe in our mission as a society. It’s our  responsibility to continue our tradition of service, outreach and education, and mentorship for our people. I am excited and motivated to work with the new board in achieving the goals that our prior board set forth to accomplish, as well as contribute new ideas moving forward.”

 

Sana Kahook Itayem

Sana is serving as the 2023-2025 ABS Board Treasurer. She is the daughter of Dakhalallah and Fawzieh Kahook. “I ran for the ABS Board to continue the legacy of Al-Bireh and this Society for generations to come. I am honored to serve on this board and I hope to add value to the continuous growth and success of this society”

 

Maha Hamad

Maha is serving as the 2023-2025 ABS Board Secretary. She is the daughter of Abed Karim and Hurieh Muhsen. “I ran for the ABS Board because I wanted to honor my parents and this community. I am very thankful to have the opportunity to give back, as I have enjoyed attending all the conventions in the past.”

Basel Bahhour

Basel is serving as a 2023-2025 ABS Board as a Member-at-Large. He is the son of Faysal and Ruqayya Bahhour.  He is serving his second consecutive term on the ABS National Board.  He has also been actively involved in the Al-Bireh California Chapter and numerous other Arab and Palestinian non-profit organizations for the past 20 years.  He earned his MBA degree from UC-Berkeley, and Masters and Bachelors of Science degrees from UCLA.  Basel is currently Vice President of Strategic Operations at QSC.  He is honored to serve on the ABS National Board again with the goal to continue to grow the society for future generations.

 

Asharf Rafat Tawfiq Abdullah Judeh Khalaf

Ashraf is serving as a 2023-25 ABS Board Member-at-Large. He is the son of Rafat Tawfiq Abdullah Judeh Khalaf. He is born on the Navajo reservation in Gallup NM, raised in Aspen CO, and has resided in Las Vegas NV with his wife and four children since 2000. Ashraf is one of the largest importers and distributors of Crystals, Gemstones, Fossils, & Recycled Metal Art in America (aka KALIFANO). He is proud, excited, and honored to serve Birwawis in the USA. His goal is to help hire a great Executive Director for ABS and assist with growing its membership, God willing.

 

Murad Ottallah

Murad is serving as a 2023-2025 ABS Board Member-at-Large. He is the son of Khaldon and Tagreen Ottallah. He graduated from the University of South Florida with a degree in Business Management. He has worked in management positions at multiple companies and is currently and Instock and Operations Manager at Amazon.com. In his spare time he likes to read, game, explore the world, workout, and coach CrossFit classes. He is honored to serve on the board and hopes his contributions will aid in the preservation of our values, culture, and history.

Nader Salem Abed

Nader is serving as a 2023-2025 ABS Board Member-at Large. He is the son of Fawzi Abed  And Afaf Suleiman. He is the former Vice President of Al-Bireh Society in  Palestine and a social activist in the City of Al-Bireh while having served on several boards for non profit organizations. “I am honored and excited to work as a member of the ABS Board to help improve and promote the city of Al-Bireh and its citizens in the homeland and abroad.”

Renad Uri

Renad Uri  is serving as a 2023-25 ABS Board Member-at-Large. She was born and raised in El Bireh with her parents and four older siblings. After her high school graduation she traveled to Washington D.C. and received her Bachelor’s Degree from the George Washington University in Economics. Renad moved back to Al-Bireh after undergrad to work with Defense for Children International Palestine, where she got to assist the organization in writing their three-year strategic plan, trained their fieldworkers on data entry mechanisms and worked on coordinating projects that taught children how to document the human rights abuses they experienced. When her contract ended, Renad traveled back to the states to then receive her Masters at the University of South Florida in Global Sustainability. She wrote a lessons learned style thesis on how Florida could change its state crop to olive groves like Palestine after citrus greening took over in the state. That experience led her to her career as an Analyst with Fairfax County Government; her work revolves around zero waste initiatives.

 

Dahlia Ali

Dahlia Ali  is serving as a 2023-25 ABS Board Member-at-Large. Dahlia was born and raised in Florida. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Finance from the University of South Florida and with a master’s degree in Business Development from New York University. She is  currently working at a Development Firm which specializes in commercial and retail property development. She has a diverse set of skills that integrate Asset Strategy & Development, Capital Markets, Branding, Marketing, and fostering strong retailer partnerships and developing property development projects. 

As a new member of the ABS Board, she looks forward to the opportunity to implement her skills and experience to honor her heritage and ancestry and contribute to the extraordinary community of Al-Bireh.