Special Skills, Qualifications & Previous Board Experience
I am one of the founding group of alums who launched the Wharton Club of the National Capital Region in 2019, and since then I have enjoyed serving on the WCNCR board in various capacities, including as Webmaster, Director of Young Alumni, Director of Communications, Secretary and Treasurer. In my first (pre-pandemic) term on the board, I also initiated and hosted a monthly ‘pub’ happy hour series, which I hope we can relaunch this summer!
In addition to my board experience with WCNCR, I lead one of the largest employee resource groups at my workplace, am on the board of a nonprofit film production studio, and on an alumni committee for my undergraduate alma mater. As part of my day job, I also participate in a number of corporate boards, and so am familiar with best practices for corporate governance and other board matters. Additionally, as a Wharton student, I held leadership roles in several student organizations, where I organized large social and speaker events, and gained relevant experience in marketing and communications (including email newsletters, websites, and social media marketing).
Diversity
I am a Lebanese-American woman who grew up in Abu Dhabi, UAE, and first moved to the US for college as an international student. In my day job in development finance, I work with clients and colleagues from all regions of the world, and am part of our workplace Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council. Our Wharton alumni community is a diverse and multicultural one, and I am proud that our board reflects our diversity of race, nationality, gender, professional backgrounds, and interests. Outside of work, I love exploring DC’s theatre scene and many museums, and have recently started dabbling in silk painting and watercolor, and so I hope to connect with other alums interested in the arts!
Vision
WCNCR was created to be a key focal point for our region’s diverse Wharton alumni community to connect with each other and with the school. I hope to continue working with the board to engage our local alumni, particularly the more recent alumni of the last decade, through hosting targeted social/networking events, including restarting our previous informal ‘pub’ happy hours on a monthly or quarterly basis, and helping bring back our first post-pandemic ‘Walnut Walk’ event.
Additionally, a lot of WCNCR’s work takes place behind the scenes, whether it is managing our finances, responding to member inquiries, or troubleshooting event signup glitches. I’m proud of the progress we’ve made in this area, but there is always more to be done, and I hope to continue to work on building an even more seamless member experience, and maintain the smooth running of the Club!