Washington, DC/Beirut, Lebanon, November 5, 2012—Led by Chairman Dr. Paul F. Boulos, President and COO of Innovyze Corporation, the AMIDEAST/Lebanon Advisory Board pledged $250,000 in new annual support for scholarships, entrepreneurship training, and workforce development initiatives in Lebanon during its recent meeting in Beirut. The two-year-old board also welcomed several new members, bringing its membership of prominent Lebanese business and civic leaders to 23.

The advisory board’s generous contribution will enable AMIDEAST/Lebanon to strengthen its efforts to provide scholarship support for deserving Lebanese youth. By working through the Diana Kamal Scholarship Search Fund, the Lebanon office has undertaken scholarship search efforts that have matched nearly 20 talented men and women with scholarships for undergraduate study at leading colleges and universities in the United States. Last year alone, it was able to use $40,000 in funding provided by the board to leverage $546,000 in new scholarship awards.

The advisory board’s support is also critical to the ongoing success of AMIDEAST/Lebanon’s efforts to advance the country’s entrepreneurial potential. Central to those efforts is AMIDEAST’s Cisco Entrepreneur Institute in Lebanon, which provides workshops, individual support, mentorship programs, and networking to aspiring Lebanese entrepreneurs. The Institute is also an active supporter of a variety of entrepreneurship initiatives, including the upcoming Global Entrepreneurship Week/Lebanon, and one of four organizations recognized as a pillar of Lebanon’s national entrepreneurship initiative, entrepreneurslebanon.com.

This year’s support from the board will also help AMIDEAST/Lebanon launch a new program, Skills for Success, to benefit 90 young women with an intensive work-readiness training program to include English, computer, business and job search skills. The board’s support may also advance AMIDEAST’s efforts to make its new Professional Certificate in English Language Teaching (PCELT) training program available to English language teachers in Lebanon, thereby helping to raise the quality of English language teaching in the country’s schools.

“I am thrilled that our members were able to exceed last year’s total of $100,000 by such a significant amount,”’ said Dr. Boulos. “Their intense dedication to our students is truly inspiring.”

“AMIDEAST greatly appreciates the generous support of the Lebanon Advisory Board,” said AMIDEAST President and CEO Theodore H. Kattouf. “It is critical to enabling AMIDEAST/Lebanon to widen its outreach and expand opportunities for a growing number of young Lebanese.”

Advisory Board Officers:  
Chairman: Dr. Paul F. Boulos, President and COO, Innovyze Corporation
Vice Chair: Salim Sfeir, Chairman and General Manager, Bank of Beirut
Vice Chair: Anis Nassar, Founder, Owner and Chairman, Anis Nassar Group of Companies
Secretary: Dr. Marilyn Bezdikian, Los Angeles, California

Members:
Amine Georges Abboud, Former Chairman and CEO, Nestle Waters (Middle East, Africa, and Central Asia)
Hussam Abdul Salam Abu Issa*, Vice Chairman and COO, Salam International; Deputy Managing Director, Salam Holdings
Walid Assaf, Chairman and General Manager, Societe Moderne Libanaise Pour Le Commerce (SMLC)
Michel Asseily, President, Prime Investments
Hanna Ayoub, Chairman, Hameng Holdings Co.
Amid Baroudi, Director, Eastern Consultants Group, Ltd. (BVI)
Moustafa Bissat, General Manager and Chairman, National Technology Company, Eduware
Raphael Debbane*, Chairman, DESCO Holding SAL
Habib Debs*, President and CEO, Advanced Technology Systems Co.
Mounir Douaidy*, General Manager and CFO, Solidere
George Doumet, Chairman and President, Federal White Cement, Ltd.
Rami El Nimer*, Chairman and General Manager, First National Bank SAL
Eva Kotite Farha*, Houston, Texas
Antoine Frem, Vice Chairman, INDEVCO Group; Chairman and CEO, Interstate Resources
Kanan Hamzeh*, Chairman, Owner and Founder, Tri Pole Corp.
Maha Kaddoura, President, Kaddoura Association for Philanthropy
Harry Nadjarian*, Chairman and CEO, Industrial Motor Power Corporation
Salim Zeenni, Chairman, American Lebanese Chamber of Commerce
Asma Zein, Regional Manager, Lebanon and West Africa, Aramex

*new members since the 2011 annual meeting