As an historian of the modern Middle East and North Africa,Dr. Bookin-Weiner has been working professionally in the region since the mid-1960s. His research interests are connected with the corsair phenomenon in North Africa in the early modern period and to the early history of Moroccan-American relations – Morocco was the first country to recognize American independence in 1777. Drawing on more than 45 years of experience in the Middle East and North Africa, Dr. Bookin-Weiner oversees the development of all aspects of AMIDEAST’s Education Abroad Programs, including academic program development, selection of academic coordinators, curriculum design, approval of faculty, and on-going academic oversight. He also liaises on a regular basis with the on-site staff and provides staff support and staff development expertise.

Cara Lane-Toomey

Senior Program Officer, Education Abroad

Cara received her MA from the American University in Cairo in the Department of Middle East Studies and also holds a B.A. in Peace Studies and Political Science, minor in Middle Eastern Studies, from University of St. Thomas. Originally from South Dakota, Cara's experiential education trip through Southeast Asia in 2001 opened her eyes to the beauty of travel and cultural exchange, which has led her to Central and South America, the Middle East, North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and Europe. 

In 2004, Cara gained in-depth exposure to Middle Eastern culture and language while studying abroad in Egypt. This experience was the catalyst for her service as a Peace Corps Youth Development Volunteer in Morocco from 2005-2007. Cara served in Qelaât M'Gouna, an indigenous town on the edge of the Sahara, working on community projects ranging from photography to women's rights education. Cara also spent two years in the heart of the Arab world while she completed her Masters in Middle East Studies at the American University in Cairo. Cara was first introduced to AMIDEAST when she conducted her master's research on increasing numbers of U.S. students studying abroad in the Middle East and North Africa. Cara has been working with AMIDEAST in the Washington D.C. office since the spring of 2011.

Shino Yoshen

Senior Program Assistant, Education Abroad

Shino graduated from American University in with a B.A. in International Studies, a concentration in Peace and Conflict Resolution, and a minor in Arabic. Shino first fell in love with Arabic and knew she wanted to work on issues related to the Middle East when she traveled in Egypt, Jordan and Israel by bicycle in 2003. Her experiences connecting with the people and culture in this region served as her first inspiration to help other young people access this remarkable part of the world. In 2007 Shino's love of travel and learning took her on a second long-distance bicycle trip from Kenya to South Africa. Although Shino gained much from her travels, she began to yearn for the type of deep culture-learning that comes from living in a foreign culture for an extended period of time.

As a Boren Scholar, Shino spent the 2009-10 academic year in Rabat, Morocco on the AMIDEAST program. This first organized study abroad experience opened Shino's eyes to the possibility of realizing her aspirations from her first bike trip in 2003 - helping people have the opportunity to experience the Middle East / North Africa first-hand. After interning at AMIDEAST Headquarters in Washington D.C., Shino joined the AMIDEAST team as a Program Assistant in June 2011.

Lauren Kardos

Program Assistant, Education Abroad  

Lauren graduated from the George Washington University in May 2012 with a B.A. in Middle East Studies and International Affairs, a concentration in Contemporary Cultures and Societies, and a minor in Anthropology. Growing up in a small town outside of Pittsburgh, PA, Lauren’s utmost delight is travelling, learning new languages, and experiencing cross-cultural exchanges. This love of travel has taken her across Central and Eastern Europe and through the Middle East and North Africa thus far. She began her study abroad experience with AMIDEAST in Egypt the spring of 2011. Due to the political upheaval, she transferred to AMIDEAST’s Jordan Area & Arabic Language Studies program for the remainder of the spring and stayed in the country for two AMIDEAST Intensive Arabic Programs until August 2011. Lauren has been working with AMIDEAST in the Washington D.C. office since the fall of 2011.

Elizabeth Rauh

Program Assistant, Education Abroad

Liz recently graduated from American University with a B.A. in International Relations with a regional focus in the Middle East/North Africa. Her first exposure to the region occurred when she attended AMIDEAST’s Education Abroad Program in Cairo in the fall of 2010. After falling in love with the people, culture, and city of Cairo Liz decided to extend her stay into the following semester. The program ended abruptly due to the Egyptian Revolution and Liz chose to complete her spring semester in AMIDEAST’s Amman, Jordan program. Studying abroad for a year expanded Liz’s understanding of the region and amplified her interest in the Arab World. Liz has been working with AMIDEAST in the Washington D.C. office since the fall of 2011.

Zeinab Ibrahim

Arabic Studies Consultant

Dr. Zeinab Ibrahim serves as AMIDEAST’s Arabic Studies Consultant. Dr. Ibrahim is a sociolinguist of Arabic who holds a Ph.D. in Arabic linguistics from Georgetown University, Master of Arts degrees in Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language and Mass Communications from the American University in Cairo, and a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications, also from the American University in Cairo.  She is one of the most distinguished specialists in teaching Arabic as a foreign language.

In addition, Dr. Ibrahim has consulted with the United Nations Arabic Language Department in New York (2002-2009), the National Foreign Language Center (NFLC) at the University of Maryland (2001- 2004), and the Arabic Language Program at Al Akhawayn University in Morocco (2001).  She is a certified ACTFL Oral Proficiency Tester since 2006, and has done proficiency testing for the Center for Arabic Study Abroad, American University in Cairo, and the Middlebury College School of Arabic as well as a Defense Language Institute program organized by AMIDEAST in Alexandria. In addition, Dr. Ibrahim has done similar work for the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies at Georgetown University and the Australian Embassy in Cairo and served as a Foreign Service Institute Proficiency Tester for the: American Embassy in Cairo in 2005 and 2006. Currently, Dr. Ibrahim teaches content courses for native Arabic speakers at Carnegie Mellon University in Doha, Qatar. 

Staff in Field Offices

EGYPT

Matthew Kuehl

Program Manager in Cairo, Egypt 

Matthew Kuehl serves as the Program Manager for AMIDEAST Education Abroad Programs in Egypt. Born and raised in the small town of St. James, Minnesota, he received his education in Arabic Language and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. Matthew has a M.A. in International Human Rights Law from the American University in Cairo and has done extensive research on human rights conceptions in Yemeni tribal law. He has worked in professional and educational exchange programs for nearly 5 years, including developing a study abroad college in Sana’a, Yemen. Matthew joined AMIDEAST/Egypt in 2008, working first as the Program Officer for the USAID-sponsored Tatweer program, assisting Iraqi scholarship recipients with studying abroad in Cairo. In his current position as Program Manager, Matthew coordinates all aspects of the program, including orientation, housing, excursions, scheduling, student activities and much more. His experiences living, working, and traveling throughout the Middle East, including studying abroad in Cairo as an undergraduate, makes him a strong resource for students. He further developed skills in intercultural learning in 2009 when he attended the Summer Institute in Intercultural Communication in Portland, Oregon.

Ashraf Abdel-Hamid

Arabic Coordinator & Arabic Instructor

Mr. Ashraf Abdel-Hamid began his teaching career as an English Language Instructor at the preparatory and secondary levels and later transitioned to teaching Arabic to non-native speakers at the university level.  Most recently,  Ashraf was an Arabic Language Instructor at the American University in Cairo, where he was responsible for teaching Egyptian Colloquial Arabic and Modern Standard Arabic at the elementary and intermediate levels.  Ashraf's experience includes teaching grammar, vocabulary, printed media, and aural media.  In addition, to his professional experience, Ashraf has also volunteered as a language instructor, teaching both English and Arabic, in vairous non-profit organizations in Cairo.  Ashraf earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Cairo University in 1991 and his Masters of Arts in Teaching Arabic as Foreign Language from the American University in Cairo in 2011.  He is currently pursuing a M.A.  in Arabic Studies, focusing on Arabic Language and Literature, and a Masters of Education in International and Comparative Education, both from the American University of Cairo.  Ashraf joined the AMIDEAST Arabic faculty in 2011. 

Dr. Dina Shehata

Program Special  Academic Coordinator & Professor, Contemporary Egyptian Politics

Dr. Dina Shehata is a senior researcher at al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies specializing in the study of Egyptian and Middle East politics with a special emphasis on the role of new social and youth movements affecting change in the region.  Dina holds a PhDin comprative Politics from Georgetown University, an Msc in Political Theory from the London School of Economics and a BA in Middle East Politics from the American University in Cairo.  He has published a number of books and articles in Arabic and in English.  Her latest publications include the Fall of the Pharaoh (Foreign Affairs, May/June 2011), Youth Movements and the 25 January Revolution (Strategic Papers, April 2011), the Return of Politics:  New Protest Movements in Egypt (Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, 2010), and Islamists and Secularists in Egypt: Opposition, Conflict and Cooperation (Routledge, 2009). 

Noha Faltas

Program Specialist

Noha Faltas earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the American University in Cairo (AUC) in 2012  with a double major in international law and international relations.  Noha was born and raised in Cairo and had the opportunity to study abroad as an undergraduate student, spending a semester at the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. in 2011.  There she experienced the many benefits of traveling, studying, and living in a different culture.  For the past five years, Noha has volunteered at Life Vision, a small Cairo-based non-governmental organization.  There Noha has organized summer camps for impoverished children from Upper Egypt so that they have an opportunity to experience life outside their villages.  Noha coordinates all aspects of the camp including program, logistics, fundraising, and recruitment of volunteers.  As someone who has worked with young people and studied abroad herself, Noha is a valuable resource to incoming AMIDEAST Education Abroad students in Cairo. 

Zeyad Elkelani

Junior Instructor

Zeyad Elkelani is the Education Abroad Program academic intern for AMIDEAST in Cairo, Egypt.  Originally from the coastal city of Alexandira, Zeyad moved to Cairo to study at the Faculty of Economics and Political Science at Cairo University where he earned a bachelor'sdegree in political science with a minor in public administration.  Zeyad graduated from Cario University in 2013 with the highest honors.  Zayed'sinterest in intercultural dialogue first developed while he worked as a research assistant at the Future Studies Unit at Bibliotheca Alexandrina and while he attended the Arab Turkish Congress on Social Sciences in Ankara, Turkey.  In addition to these experiences, as an undergarduate Zayed spent a summer at Moscow State Institute of International Relations studying global politics and another in Berlin where he focused his research on democratic transitions after the Arab Spring.  Zeyad's interest in academics and cultural exchange help him as he works with AMIDEAST students as they develop their own understanding of Egyptian society.

JORDAN

Hala Qubein

Program Manager in Amman, Jordan

Hala Qubein is AMIDEAST’s Education Abroad Program Manager in Jordan. A Jordanian, born and raised in Amman, she lived in the US for 4 years and received her bachelor’s degree from High Point University in North Carolina. She has travelled extensively throughout Europe and the US and has been involved in several inter-cultural projects throughout her life. Having studied abroad, and gone through the challenges and triumphs of adjusting to a new culture and speaking a different language, she is able to help students adjust to new surroundings and overcome the challenges of being away from familiar surroundings. Hala has been working in Jordan for the past ten years and is well acquainted with the professional, social and cultural aspects of Amman. She is involved in different cultural and volunteer organizations, and has worked with people from different cultures and backgrounds for many years. She has also worked with young adults for over ten years in both a professional and volunteer capacity. Hala joined AMIDEAST at the start of the program in the summer of 2009. In that role she coordinates all aspects of the program, including orientation, housing, excursions, scheduling, student activities and much more. A resident of Amman, Hala loves music, travelling, meeting new people and chocolate!

Safa'a Nimir Al-Adwan

Program Officer

Safa'a received her Bachelor's degree in German and English from the University of Jordan in Amman from the University of Heidelberg's Department of Modern Languages and European Culture in Germany. Throughout her studies, Safa'a was involved with several non-gorvernmental organizations, such as Mercy Corps and Queen Zein Al Sharaf Institute for Development (ZENID).  Additionally, Safa'a served as a project coordinator for one of Pricess Basma Youth Resource Center (PBYRC)'s programs and in 2010.  Safa'a is also extremely accomplished linguistically, as she speaks five languages, including Arabic and English. Safa'a's many work and educational opportunities have exposed her different world cultures and religions, and these past experiences greatly influence her work at AMIDEAST.  Safa'a began working with AMIDEAST Education Abroad program in 2012. 

Majd Alrafaia

Program Officer

Majd Alrafaia graduated from the University of Al-Baqa'a in Jordan with a Bachelor's degree in planning and management with a focus on regional planning.  During his time at the university,  Majd volunteered for the Fund of Abdullah II and INJAZ, a Jordanian non-governmental youth development organization.  Following graduation, Majd worked at INJAZ and organized a summer camp for youth.  Majd's first experience with American culture was though participation in a program called the Students Leadership Forum, where he represented Jordanian culture in a program of East-West cultural exchange.  That intercultural experience helped Majd realize that he wanted to find a career working with different cultures and people.  Majd found such an opportunity at AMIDEAST, where he has been working since 2012.

Dr. Khaled Abuamsha

Program Arabic Language Coordinator & Instructor

Dr. Khaled Abuamsha is a Curriculum Coordinator and Senior Lecturer of Arabic at the Qasid Institute and serves as an Arabic Language Coordinator and language instructor for AMIDEAST in Amman, Jordan.  Since 1997, Dr. Abuamsha has been teaching and giving lectures at various academic institutions, including the International Islamic University in Malaysia, the University of Jordan, and Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, where he was a visiting professor at teh Department of Asian and Near Eastern Languages for most of 2012.  Dr. Abuamsha holds a PhD in curriculum development and methods of teaching Arabic as a second language and is finishing his second PhD in linguistics.  His research interests include proficiency measurement, methods of foreign language teaching, teacher training, foreign language program evaluationand curriculum design.  He has written mroe than 20 books and papers and participated in several international conferences pertaining to Arabic teaching and linguistics.

Dr. Salam Khalid Al-Mahadin

Academic Coordinator and Professor of Contemporary Jordanian Culture

Dr. Salam Khalid Al-Mahadin is Associate Professor of English at the American University of Madaba.  She earned her MSc in Translation and Interpreting and her PhD in Text-linguistics and Discourse Analysis from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland.  Dr. Al-Mahadin has over 14 years of teaching experience in cultural studies.  Her research interests have focused on various aspects of politics of national identiy, media studies, women's issues in Jordan and the Arab world, and children's literature.  She has translated several works into English and Arabic. 

MOROCCO

Doha Ait Ahmed

Program Manager in Rabat, Morocco

Doha Ait Ahmed serves as Program Manager for AMIDEAST Education Abroad Programs in Rabat. A Moroccan citizen, Doha grew up in Agadir in southern Morocco and has lived in Rabat for the past eight years. After graduating in 2000 from Ibnou Zouhr University in Agadir with a bachelor’s degree in English, she taught English and classical Arabic at two schools in Agadir before moving to Rabat to work with the U.S. Peace Corps. While working with the Peace Corps from 2001 until 2008, Doha was a Moroccan Arabic and Tashelhit (an Amazigh dialect) teacher, cross-cultural trainer and home stay coordinator.

Rachid Slimany

Program Specialist

Rachid Slimany is a Program Specialist and home stay manager for AMIDEAST Education Abroad Programs in Morocco.  Rachid was born in Essaoiura and spent much of his youth as a member and a trainer of the wind/kite surfing team of the city.  In 2006, he graduated from Ibn Zohr University in Agadir with a degree in Spanish studies. 

Rachid joined AMIDEAST in 2006 as a Program Assistant and began to oversee the host family aspect of AMIDEAST programs.  Rachid works with incoming students to match them with a complementary local family and then continues to manage host family-student relationships over the course of each program.  

In addition to his work with host families, Rachid also assists with other aspects of the Education Abroad progam in Rabat including managing Moodle (an online resource for courses) and facilitating some aspects of orientation.  Rachid maintains strong links with many national and international organizations in Rabat, which helps him in his role managing volunteer placements for the Community  Based Learning course.  Finally, in addition to his work on regular Education Abroad Programs, Rachid also works with short-term customized programs, overseeing their host family experiences and providing logistical support during their time in Morocco. 

Dr. Mohammed Ezroura