Dr.Abed Ayoub has decades of experience in the relief sector.
Dr. Ayoub holds a PhD in International Development. He is a former CEO for Islamic Relief USA. In 2010, he was appointed to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to serve on its Advisory Committee on Voluntary Foreign Aid (ACVFA), and was reappointed in 2013, concluding two terms.
Dr. Ayoub provided advice, analysis, and recommendations to USAID on the most pressing developmental issues in the world today.
He also served a second term with the U.S. State Department’s Religion and Foreign Policy Working Group. Dr. Ayoub is an adjunct faculty member of The Fund Raising School at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University.
In addition, he serves on the Advisory Board of the Center on Muslim Philanthropy; as well as a member of the Board of Trustees, and faculty member, of the Nonprofit Management Department at The Islamic Seminary of America in Dallas, TX.
He is certified as an Executive Director, Master Business Coach, and Professional Coach. He is also a Certified International Professional Trainer for German Jordanian University (GJU). Finally, he is a lecturer/trainer for Cambridge International College, U.K.
Samer Darwish has decades of experience in non-profit organizations. Back in college Samer served as the MSA chapter president.
After moving to Santa Clara he served as a volunteer in a number of grass root organizations as a board member twice (Executive Board Public Relations Officer and later in 2013 to 2015 as Board of Directors member) in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Also in Santa Clara he served at the Muslim Community Association of the San Francisco Bay Area in different capacities. From 2009 to 2012 Samer held the Vice President and President position at the Muslim Community Association, a non-profit organization founded in 1981 to serve the community in the San Francisco Bay Area. Samer is also a volunteer with the Girl Scouts of the USA, and Boy Scouts of America.
Samer holds two Master degrees, one in Electrical Engineering and the other in Engineering Applied Science, both from UC Davis. He is licensed as a professional engineer (PE) by the State of California board for professional engineers & land surveyors.
Samer works in the Silicon Valley, where he held different positions as a design, and applications engineer. Samer also held the position as an Account Executive, and currently works as a Senior Sales Manager reporting to the CEO.
Dr. Ismail Mehr is an anesthesiologist in Hornell, New York and is affiliated with St. James Mercy Hospital.
He received his medical degree from Universidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE) and has been in practice between 11-20 years.
Dr. Mehr became involved with IMANA while in his final years of residency and upon completion of residency began to increase his involvement. At the time IMANA was beginning its role of becoming an internationally respected medical relief organization.
Dr. Mehr also served on the IMANA executive committee in various capacities becoming IMANA President in 2013.
Muhieldin Salih is a high-profile business expert based in the Washington D.C. Metropolitan area.
He is the Founder and Chairman of American Trading, Management, and Consultation Corporation; the Founder and Executive Director of a leading diaspora radio station, Hona Radio; and the Executive Director of ITC Group, LLC.
He has a Bachelor’s degree in Islamic Sciences, and a Master’s degree in Administration Sciences. He hold Special Diplomas in Publication and Information Authentication from Great Britain.
His work is focused on administration, finance and media research.
Wedian Eltom is a medical professional currently working as a general practitioner registrar in East England.
She has previously worked as an SHO in general medicine and elderly care medicine in London.
She earned her MBBS degree from Ahfad University for Women in Sudan where she worked for a few years before settling in London with her family.
During her time studying medicine in Sudan, she gained experience in voluntary health campaigns to raise health awareness in rural areas.
Dr. Falah served as CIO for multiple agencies at the DC government, an associate Professor at Compbellsville University, and adjunct Professor at George Washington University. Dr. Falah graduated with a degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Southern Illinois University, earned a Master of Science in Management of Information Systems from the University of Maryland, and completed his PhD in Management and Leadership from Campbellsville University.
Dr. Falah is a Federally Certified Chief Information Officer from the CIO University and a Federally Certified Enterprise Architect from the Federal Enterprise Architect Council. He also holds a Certified Project Management Professional designation from the Project Management Institute.
Dr. Habib has over 13 years of experience designing and overseeing high-quality programming in countries including Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Sudan, Turkey, and Jordan.
In addition, he has written proposals resulting in over $150 million in funding for humanitarian assistance, stabilization, and development programming from donors, including USAID, BHA, PRM EU/ECHO, SIDA, SDC, DANIDA, and various UN agencies.
In his most recent position before UMR, he was a humanitarian technical advisor based in Washington-DC, responsible for supporting humanitarian programs, including the new business development process across Blumont’s Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Afghanistan, and Columbia portfolio.
During his career, he has held multiple Senior Management positions and has actively led designing proposals, strategies, and annual operations plans by providing political, contextual analysis, and technical support.
He has an MSc. in Project Management from the University of Salford Manchester – the UK, where he focused on lean management in a non-profit organization working in war zones, and a BSc in Medical Science from Sana’a University.Â
Jason Matechak has served as the outside Legal Advisor to UMR since 2015. Mr. Matechak is a Founder and Principal at the Impresa Legal Group. He focuses his practice on Government Funded Programs, NGO-Non-Profits, Governance and Compliance and International Matters.
He serves as the Director for the Center for International Procurement Law and Policy at the International Law Institute. He has served as the General Counsel of International Relief & Development, the Legal Advisor to the International Development Law Organization, and as a Partner in the Reed Smith Firm. As a civil servant, he served as a contract negotiator and legal reform officer for the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Caroline received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Creative Writing from the George Washington University in 2019. Prior to joining UMR, she worked as a Media Outreach Intern at PEN/Faulkner, a literary nonprofit in the DC Metro area, and also spent time as a Writing and Editing Intern for a magazine in the Czech Republic.
Passionate about helping others and making a difference in the world, Caroline has been with UMR for more than five years, dedicated to providing communities in need all over the world with not just quick fixes, but long-term, sustainable solutions.
Mohamad serves as the Director of Development for UMR and has over a decade of experience in research, management, and fundraising in the US and abroad.
He has worked for research centers, NGOs, and federal contractors conducting and managing research, programs, and partnerships to secure funding for new opportunities.
He received a BS in Economics from George Mason University.
Salaudeen is a purpose driven marketing and business development professional with extensive experience in successfully implementing fresh ideas and opportunities to organizations eager to grow. He is an innovator with the ability to blend new technology, marketing concepts and market opportunities to engage customers and expand impact.
Salaudeen has experience across multiple industries including Islamic finance, Halal investment, sports, retail, non-profit, technology and social entrepreneurship. Â
Salaudeen Nausrudeen is the Founder of Islamic Games of North America, an organization that aims to provide organized and structured competitive opportunities to inspire Muslim athletes to pursue their potentials, while developing healthy habits for strong communities.  Â
Ammar Aqlan is a program manager with 10+ years of experience in the global education and development sector, with a focus to empower local communities through sustainable solutions.
Ammar has trained over 1,000 youth from Argentina, Caribbean, Chile, Iraq, the U.S. and Yemen, on a variety of soft skills including leadership, dialogue, and entrepreneurship.
Ammar obtained a Bachelor degree in English literature and MA in International Relations and Development.
He has worked with Relief International, Oxfam America, and World Learning. Throughout his years of service, Ammar has developed a comprehensive understanding of program management, M&E, translation and youth engagement.
Sarah Khalil is a dedicated data entry specialist at UMR. Passionate about helping her fellow brothers and sisters in humanity, she combines her professional skills with a commitment to making a positive impact.
In her free time, Sarah enjoys spending time with family and friends, watching sci-fi movies, and savoring a good cup of tea. Driven by a visionary dream, she aspires to transform the Sahara Desert into a thriving green oasis.
A globally-oriented strategic thinker and planner, Radwan Chanawani organized the Syrian Turkish forum with the presence of the Turkish Prime Minister as well as coordinated the International Conference for Investment and Financial Markets in Damascus, Syria for four consecutive years ultimately resulting in the launching of the Damascus Securities Exchange.
Mr. Chanawani has also successfully launched, managed, and operated over 70 global events, executed event fulfillment for B2C events, coordinated the largest global insurance conferences (The Arab Insurance Conference, the 26th GAIF General Insurance Conference, and The Third Damascus Insurance Forum), and much more.
A graduate of University of Detroit Mercy, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, Mr. Radwan Chanawani has a Minor in Computer Information Systems from Humboldt State University, as well as a Certification in Exhibition Management.
Abdulghani Ismail holds the position of Regional Representative for the Horn of Africa at
United Missions for Relief and Development (UMR). He earned his LLM Masters Degree from Metropolitan University in London prior to commencing his career in humanitarian work.
From 2008 to 2015, he held the role of Middle East Desk Manager at Muslim Aid UK.
Abdulghani also briefly served as one of the Arab League observers at the onset of the
Syrian war. In 2016, Abdulghani facilitated the registration of UMR in Kenya and has since been actively involved as the Regional Representative for the Horn of Africa. His
responsibilities entail representing UMR in the region, cultivating relationships at both
national and regional levels, engaging with government bodies, and establishing
partnerships to further UMR’s objectives in the region.
Additionally, he plays a pivotal role in developing connections with institutional donors in Kenya. Abdulghani oversees the effective utilization of project resources, ensures adherence to project commitments, and supervises staff to ensure the timely and efficient implementation of activities in the Horn of Africa.
Caleb Ouma has over 10 years of professional experience, 9 years of which have been at the project/programme management level.
He has played a leading role in the implementation of key processes that produced operating government and regional partnership instruments and programs.
In 2012 while working for Fafi Integrated Development Association (FaIDA), Caleb was part of a team that designed a USAID-funded WASH project in Kambioos.
In 2016, he joined Muslim Aid, a UK-based international humanitarian and development organization as the Programme Officer for a Kenyan program where he designed a primary healthcare project to address the healthcare challenges in Wajir County.
The project was later adopted and taken up by County Government of Wajir.
Nancy is an exceptional and multi-skilled accountant with over 5 years of professional experience in finance and accounting, both in public and private sector companies. She received her BA in Economics from South Eastern Kenya University in Kenya. She also has professional accounting certificates from KASNEB as a CPA-FINALIST.
Her main duties include preparing accounting reports and documenting all financial transactions completely, reconciliations, preparing tax returns, improving on internal controls of the organizations, budget preparations as well as assisting with Administration duties and procurements processes.
Mohannad Alnimer brings in a decade of with solid knowledge ,
technical expertise & background in the dynamics of
humanitarian assistance while working in UN Agencies, INGOS,
NGOS supporting their programmes and interventions in
different contexts and in multi thematic areas of : Child
protection, Education, Youth, Health, and with a significance
focus on MEAL operations , remote crisis operations in a quest
to ensuring that our support reaches all beneficiaries especially
those who are most vulnerable through maintaining and
working on further improving effective relief and sustainable
system.
Mohammed obtained his bachelor degree in English Literature, and diploma in business correspondence from Sana’a University.
His work is focused on process management, Financial oversight, resource management, and ensuring smooth execution of domestic operations.
Mohammed is passionate about helping others and aiming to make a difference in their lives. Before joining the UMR, he led local initiatives aimed at assisting vulnerable families impacted by conflict. During these engagements, he refined his expertise in planning, managing supply chains, and ensuring regulatory compliance.
