Ambassador (ret.) Greta C. Holtz joined Amideast in August 2023, following 35 years as a career diplomat with extensive experience in the Middle East and North Africa. She served as the U.S. Ambassador to Oman from 2012 to 2015, the Chargé d'affaires in Qatar from 2020-2021, and the Minister-Counselor for Provincial Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad from 2009 to 2010.

Ms. Dana Al-Ajlani is currently Senior Director of Corporate Affairs at Eli Lilly, with close to 20 years’ experience in public and government affairs. She is a strong leader who held different positions in the corporate and nonprofit industries. 

Ambassador (ret.) Michael Ratney served for over three decades as a distinguished U.S. diplomat, most recently as the U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Amb. Ratney served as the U.S. Consul General in Jerusalem, as the Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy to Israel, as well as postings in Baghdad, Beirut, Casablanca, Doha, Mexico City, Tunis, Bridgetown, and Washington DC. Over his career, Amb. Ratney has been at the center of high-profile diplomatic initiatives throughout the Middle East, including as U.S. Special Envoy for Syria.

F. Gregory Gause III is Professor of International Affairs and John H.

Mr. Jonathan McKay currently serves as the Head of Growth at OpenAI, where he is responsible for driving user and revenue growth for ChatGPT. His responsibilities also extend to the strategic allocation of the GPU fleet and developing product infrastructure to support GPU allocation, internationalization, and comprehensive A/B testing initiatives across ChatGPT platforms.

Dr. Hanine Salem is a senior strategist and established public sector expert with over 20 years of executive level working experience in the field of education, higher education and human capital development. Throughout her career, she has been advising heads of states, prime ministers, ministers and public sector officials in areas related to her field of expertise.

Mr. Amjad Ahmad is a Managing Partner and Emerging Market Advisor at 500 Global, a venture capital firm that invests in founders building fast-growing technology companies. He is also an instructor for 500 Global’s Venture Education, training the next generation of venture capitalists and angel investors in various markets. Mr. Ahmad serves on the board of directors of Amideast, Homzmart, Koita Foods, and Tapal Tea. 

Mr. Antoine N. Frem is the co-founder and vice chairman of INDEVCO, a group of manufacturing enterprises that produce paperboard, corrugated cartons, plastics, and sanitary products. He is also the chairman of the board of UNIPAK, a subsidiary of INDEVCO that specializes in packaging solutions. He has more than 45 years of experience in the packaging and paperboard industry and has worked in the US and international markets.

Ms. Dena H. Elkhatib is the general counsel for Riyadh Air. She is a transactional lawyer with over 20 years of experience and a specialty in high-value transactions in various sectors, including banking and aviation. Her experiences include aircraft portfolio acquisition/sales, finance/operating leases, debt financing, and restructuring transactions.