Chethana Biliyar joined Amideast in May 2026 as Deputy Vice President of Operations. She brings more than thirteen years of operations experience spanning enterprise finance, IT, people operations, and multi-country coordination in both nonprofit and international development settings. Prior to joining Amideast, she served as Vice President of Operations at the Good Food Institute and spent nearly a decade with DAI Global managing USAID-funded programs across the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa. Ms.

Jennifer Smith is Deputy Vice President for Academic and Professional Programs at Amideast, where she leads initiatives that expand access to education, strengthen workforce readiness, and advance economic development across the Middle East and North Africa. She oversees a broad portfolio including workforce development, Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL), accessible education, and Education Abroad programs.

Josephine Clark Kennedy is Deputy Vice President for English Language and Teacher Development Programs at Amideast, where she leads the organization’s strategy, strategic growth, and technical direction for English language learning and teacher development programs across the Middle East and North Africa and beyond. She oversees initiatives related to English language education, teacher professional development, curriculum and assessment design, instructional design and digital learning, and institutional partnerships.

Larry will be responsible for designing, developing, and implementing knowledge management strategies, structures, and best practices across Amideast’s global operations and programs. He will play an instrumental role in shaping and driving Amideast’s organizational approach to knowledge management and promoting a culture of continuous collaboration and innovation. Larry will lead the development of a knowledge management strategy to include digital tools, staff training, and policies to establish and to maintain an organization-wide knowledge management system.

Dr. Meriem Guetat is an experienced professional in international education and program management. Currently serving as the Director of Programs at Amideast, she brings over a decade of hands-on experience from her work in North Africa. In her present role, she oversees a diverse range of educational and training programs across the organization as well as manages the implementation of Amideast proprietary exchange programs. Before her current position, Dr.

Mr. Ayad Zein has been supporting the Fulbright Program in different capacities for 16 years. As Director of the Fulbright Program, he oversees Amideast staff at our Washington, DC headquarters and in the MENA region who support the Fulbright Foreign Student program and Amideast’s administration of the program.  

As Director of Finance, Rashid Khalfallah manages the regional finance function and overseeing the work of the field accounting staff to ensure accurate, timely and efficient processing of financial transactions and effective controls that prevent or timely detect errors and fraud. In addition, he is responsible for developing, implementing, and monitoring Amideast’s annual budget and periodic forecasting and providing critical analysis that supports major corporate decisions of the CFO, Senior Leadership Team, and the Board of Directors. Mr.

Ms. Serena Boustany serves as the Controller of Amideast, overseeing the accounting department including financial reporting, general accounting, accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll, and cash management. 

She joined Amideast in 2015, bringing 15 years of experience in the nonprofit world. Before entering the nonprofit sector, she worked for QinetiQ North America, serving as a senior program finance/budget analyst. she also worked in Lebanon for Arab Business Solution where she was the head of accounting.  

Mr. James T. Grabowski serves as Amideast's Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. In this capacity, he is responsible overseeing and optimizing Amideast’s day-to-day operations and for leading technology-driven efficiency, growth, and profitability. He devises strategies for Amideast’s growth and success and turns them into actionable plans and initiatives.

Ms. Debby Blazquez has served as the Vice President of Finance, and Chief Financial Officer since 2018. She currently manages the following teams: Accounting and Finance, Contracts and Grants, Information Technology, Financial Planning and Analysis, Internal Audit, and Risk Management, Assets and Facilities.