Board of Trustees

Dr. Tanas Alqassis

Chairman

Regional Trans-cultural Manager for the Church Mission Society for Europe and the Middle East and North Africa

Tanas Alqassis is the Regional Manager for the Church Mission Society for Europe, Middle East and North Africa. Tanas have a  vision to change the way the West views the Middle East and the way the Middle East views the West, he has a passion for education and media and the firm belief that the only solution for the Middle East is Jesus Christ. He worked for World Vision in Jerusalem for nine years as the Finance/Administration Manager, and has also worked in Romania as a the Grant Manager for World Vision Romania.  Tanas has also been very involved with Musalaha, serving both on the Board, and as a leader of Desert Encounters and other forms of training. He served as the Chairman of the Arab Vision Board,  a trustee of  Embrace the Middle East, and Middle East Concern, and has also served with ACTdev Tunisia and Middle East Media. Tanas began his accounting career with BethBC and was a part of the BethBC choir for many years, as well as an integral part in preparing for BethBC’s 25th Anniversary celebrations. He is committed to doing all he can to help the Body of Christ reconcile and work together, for the sake the Lord Jesus Christ and His testimony in us. Tanas is in the process of finishing his Doctorate in Ministry degree concentrating on Practional Leadership.

Nassim Nour

Treasurer

Private Sector Development Advisor in Palestine

Nassim Nour is currently the Executive Director of Sharakat for Small and Medium Size Investments.

A seasoned development professional and entrepreneur with over 27 years of diverse experience with international organizations across Africa, Australia, and Palestine. Prior to his work with Sharakat, he was seconded by the UK government as advisor to Quartet Representative Tony Blair and to lead on tourism and light manufacturing portfolio within the $10 billion Initiative for the Palestinian Economy. He also held several senior positions with the U.K. Department for International Development (DFID) for over ten years, including as policy lead for its multilateral support and head of private sector development division. Nassim also held several senior positions across Africa and Australia as part of his tenure with World Vision International.

Born and raised in Bethlehem, Palestine, Nassim is a Fulbright scholar with an MBA from Georgia State University and a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration and accounting from Bethlehem University.

Dr. Jonathan Kuttab

Leading human rights lawyer in Israel and Palestine

Jonathan Kuttab is a leading human rights lawyer in Israel and Palestine. He was born in West Jerusalem, but his family moved to the United States after the Six Day War. After practicing with a Wall Street law firm for several years, he returned home to co-found the Palestinian Center for the Study of Nonviolence with his cousin Mubarak Awad.  He co-founded and plays a leading role in numerous organizations, including in Al-Haq (lawyers and others who assist with human rights issues), the Mandela Institute for Political Prisoners, and the Palestinian Center for the Study of Non- Violence and the Human Rights Information and Documentation Systems (HURIDOCS). He was the Head of the Legal Committee, negotiating the Cairo Agreement of 1994 between Israel and the PLO and has been active in peace and justice issues for many years.  He is a recognized authority on international law, human rights and Palestinian and Israeli affairs.

Jonathan has taught Law at Palestinian universities and has lectured extensively throughout the United States and Palestine. He has received substantial recognition for his work, including the “Rothko Chapel Award for Commitment to Truth and Freedom” in 1986. He is licensed to practice law in Palestine, Israel and New York.

Samar Al-Araj

Director of the Athletics Department at Bethlehem University

Samar is the director of the Athletics Department and a lecturer at Bethlehem University. Samar serves as the General Secretary of the Palestinian Tennis Federation and is a former member of the Palestinian Olympic Committee. Currently, she is the president of the Sports Federation of the Palestinian Institutions of Higher Education.

Samar has dedicated her life to promoting women’s sports in a country under occupation as well as putting women’s football on the map in a male-dominated society.

She joined the University of Jordan to study sports in an attempt to prove that women have the same qualifications as men for any career they choose. She graduated first in her class.

After graduation, Samar received her first post as a Sports Education teacher at Bethlehem University. Due to the political situation faced daily and the social attitudes against women’s rights, she insisted on founding the first women’s national football team in Palestine.

Mirabo Shammas

Lecturer of Accounting at Birzeit University

Mirabo Shammas is currently working as a lecturer at Birzeit University/Accounting Department.  He holds a B.S. and an M.S. in Accounting.

Mirabo started his career as an academic assistant at Birzeit University.  He later joined the Accounting Department as a lecturer.  During his career at Birzeit University, he was appointed as the Chair of the Accounting Department, and later as the Chief Financial Officer.  He also worked as the Director of Internal Audit at the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem.  In addition to his university education, Mirabo earned a number of international professional certificates in the fields of Accounting, Auditing, and Financial Management including: Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Management Accountant (CMA), Certified in Financial Management (CFM), Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), Certified in International Public Sector Accounting Standards (CIPSAS), Certified Risk Professional (CRP), Certified Business Manager (CBM).  In addition, Mirabo is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in Palestine.

Mirabo’s previous experience includes working as a Senior Auditor with EL-Yousef & Co., a representative firm of KPMG (one of the Big Four international auditing firms).  He also worked as a Financial Consultant for a number of international and local organizations including: The World Bank, Ministry of Finance and Planning, Ramallah Municipality, Municipal Development and Lending Fund, National Team on preparing the National Strategy and the Executive Program for Palestinian Local Governments.  He also developed and delivered a number of training programs for public and private organizations.  Mirabo is a member of a number of professional organizations including:  The Association of Palestinian Internal Auditors (co-founder and board member) and The Palestinian Association of Certified Public Accountants.

Dr. Khaloob Kawar

Head of special department education and lecturer, Beit Berl college 

Khaloob was born and raised in Nazareth city, serves with children, youth and women ministries. She studied speech and language pathologist at Tel-Aviv University, and currently works as a speech and language pathologist with children with disabilities and a s a lecturer and a head of special education department at Beit Berl college. Khaloob believes in integrity, commitment, human rights, and social justice. In addition, she values curiosity, ambition and learning which motivate both her academic and clinical work.

Rev. Rajai Samawi

Evangelical church Pastor

An Evangelical church Pastor born in Jordan and is currently living and serving in Nazareth, Israel. He is a church planter, leader of an evangelistic organization, and owner of a Tourist company in Israel. Rev. Samawi has been in ministry since 1992. He has worked in several countries in the Middle East and Europe and is currently focusing on reaching out to refugees and planting Churches among them in Turkey, Greece, and Germany. Rev. Samawi is married to Samar Mansour Samawi and they have one daughter, Farah, who is 18 years old and holds both Jordanian and Israeli citizenship.