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Mariam C. Said was born and raised in Beirut, Lebanon and currently resides in New York. She is a major force behind the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, which was co-founded in 1999 by her late husband, the literary critic and public intellectual Edward W. Said, and the pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim. In 2009, Mrs. Said published the critically acclaimed memoir “A World I Loved: The Story of an Arab Woman,” by her mother Wadad
Rima K Bishuti was born and raised in Beirut and currently lives in Connecticut. She received her MBA in Finance and Management at the American University of Beirut after which she worked for over 10 years in Banking. Her last banking job was at the New York branch of the Banque Nationale de Paris where she worked at the European Corporate Lending Desk. Rima is fluent in Arabic, Armenian, French and English.
Grace Said holds degrees from Duke University and Columbia University’s Teachers College. She has worked for thirty years as a software training developer and is currently based in the Washington DC area. A proud Palestinian-American like her late brother, Edward W. Said, Grace is involved in numerous charitable initiatives, including as a board member of Friends of Sabeel North America, Episcopal Peace Fellowship Palestine Israel Network, Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace, American Friends of the Spafford Children’s Center, and Al-Shabaka, the Palestinian Policy Network.
Nada Kiblawi is a retired professional consulting engineer and business owner. Founder and president of NHK Consulting Services, LLC, a professional engineering practice providing design and project and construction management for corporate and institutional clients. A graduate of the American University of Beirut (AUB) with Bachelor and Master degrees in Electrical Engineering (1973 and 1977), Nada practiced as a licensed professional engineer in Lebanon, Kuwait, and the US and worked on landmark projects located in numerous countries and states worldwide. Outside professional practice, Nada has been a dedicated active supporter and/or participant in numerous NGO’s and human rights organizations and institutions in the US. Nada is the executive director of the Kiblawi Foundation, a US registered 501(c)(3) family charitable fund that supports educational programs mainly benefiting refugee students in Lebanon and the region.
Philip Mone is a partner at the law firm of McCarter & English and has been practicing energy regulatory law for over 15 years. Philip knows the importance of education and holds degrees from Boston College Law School, the Courtauld Institute of Art, and Dartmouth College, where he volunteers his time each year by interviewing students applying for undergraduate admission. Raised in the Boston area, he now lives in Washington DC and enjoys spending time with his wife and four young children, working in his yard, and rooting for New England sports teams.