Sean Carroll
Anera President & CEO
As Anera President and CEO, Sean leads a staff of 150 in Lebanon, Palestine (West Bank, Gaza), Jordan and Washington, DC, delivering $75 million of humanitarian and development assistance annually to refugees and vulnerable communities in the Middle East. Sean oversees a wide range of programs, from distribution of in-kind medicines and other medical and humanitarian relief; to building community infrastructure in water, sanitation, education, sports and health; to revenue-generating agriculture and other economic growth programs, that improve thousands of families’ lives.
Before joining Anera, Sean worked in several international development and policy roles in Washington, DC, Europe and the Middle East, including Creative Associates International, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Club of Madrid, the US Congress, the UN’s World Food Programme and the National Democratic Institute (NDI). For three years he served in the Obama Administration as chief of staff and COO at USAID, which has 9,500 staff and 84 missions around the world, and a $1.7 billion operating budget. Sean also served for six years as director of programs for the Club of Madrid, a leadership alliance that includes 106 former presidents and prime ministers.
Sean’s connection to Palestine and the region began more than 20 years ago when he worked as chief of mission for NDI in the West Bank and Gaza, and lived in East Jerusalem. The city will always have deep significance for his family, because his twin children were born there.
Sean’s career in international affairs began as he earned a bachelor’s in foreign service from Georgetown University and worked at GU’s Center for Immigration Policy and Refugee Assistance (CIPRA). He holds a master’s in international public policy from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Sean serves on several boards, including as chairman of Creative Frontiers.
Jack Byrne
Palestine Country Director
Jack is an experienced development professional with over eighteen years of field work experience in emergency, humanitarian, and development programs across four continents.
Mr. Byrne supervises Anera’s programs across the West Bank and Gaza, including health and education services, sustainable community development, water rehabilitation, agriculture, microfinance, and emergency relief aid.
Prior to joining Anera, Jack was chief of party in Gaza for Catholic Relief Services, where he managed a multiyear program working with local partners to provide training and food assistance to Gazans. He has also served as Country Director for the International Rescue Committee in Jordan, and led the organization’s response to humanitarian needs in Syria. Jack has a master’s degree from the School for International Training in Vermont.
Samar Yassir
Lebanon Country Director
Since 2011, Samar has been Anera’s director, responsible for all of Anera’s Lebanon operations including education and sports programs for vulnerable adolescents, health and relief access for impoverished families, and sustainable community development in refugee camps.
Ms. Yassir is an experienced development professional who has worked in Lebanon in the field of social development for more than 20 years. Prior to joining Anera, Ms. Yassir was country representative for Diakonia, working with civil society organizations to promote human rights, democracy, gender equality, and peace and conflict transformation. She also has managed programs in Lebanon for UNRWA and IMPACT and consulted with several organizations dealing in strategic planning and development.
The Beirut native is a graduate of American University of Beirut and has a post-graduate diploma from the University of London’s Institute of Child Health. She has written numerous publications on disabilities and other health issues.
Subject Matter Experts
AGRICULTURE
Naser Qadous
Palestine Agricultural Programs Manager
During Naser’s 20-year tenure with Anera he has overseen a diverse range of projects, including agricultural land reclamation, construction and rehabilitation of greenhouses, farmer training, and capacity-building of cooperatives. In recent years, he has managed two important water reuse projects, one in the farming communities outside of Jenin and the other in the city of Ramallah. These projects make cleaned wastewater available for agricultural and municipal needs, preserving scarce potable water for household consumption.
Ibrahim Najjar
Gaza Project Coordinator and Agronomist
A trained agronomist, Ibrahim spearheads the Anera's greenhouses program for families in Gaza.
EDUCATION
Leen Ataya
Lebanon Education Program Manager
Leen Ataya manages Anera’s education programs in Lebanon, which impact tens of thousands of out-of-school youths, their families and surrounding neighborhoods. Anera provides basic literacy and numeracy education as well as job skills training that enable Palestinian and Syrian refugees and disadvantaged Lebanese youth to earn an income, support their families, and strive for better job prospects into the future. Leen has an MSc from University College London (UCL) in Development Administration and Planning, and has over 10 years of experience in the development sector. Since 2018, Leen has been overseeing Anera’s education work in five regional offices located in vulnerable refugee communities. She has first-hand knowledge of the challenges refugee populations face in educating and supporting themselves.
Sulieman Mleahat
Palestine Education Manager
Sulieman has been Anera’s education program manager in Palestine since 2010. During his tenure at Anera, he has overseen the renovation or construction of 10% of Palestine’s preschools (208 schools in total); training of 973 preschool teachers; development and distribution of 20,000+ children’s reading packs; training of 15,501 parents; and improved the care and education for 32,311 preschool children. Sulieman also successfully spearheaded the creation of the first national curriculum for preschools in Palestine.
Sulieman always says, “Schools should be ready for children, not just children ready for schools!”
Nariman Othman Deik
West Bank Education Program Coordinator
Nariman manages Anera’s Women Can program, which provides material assistance, training and mentoring to women launching small enterprises in the West Bank. In this role Nariman conducts surveys of women considered for the program and facilitates the delivery of equipment and materials for the women’s initiatives. Her extensive experience working with women and village councils from all over Palestine gives her a unique and first-hand assessment of the economic and social challenges Palestinian women face.
Nariman also works as a trainer as part of Anera’s early childhood development program.
Christine Zahm
Lebanon Youth Program Manager
ENVIRONMENT
Lama Ghaddar
Lebanon Program Manager
Lama is Project Manager with Anera’s Lebanon office, and has led the management of our highly successful Community-Based Solid Waste Management (SWM) Program since June 2017. She has over six years of development experience, with expertise in the areas of community resilience, SWM, community mobilization, and youth mobilization. She holds a master’s degree in Environmental Science and Management from Saint Joseph University.
Naser Qadous
Palestine Agricultural Programs Manager
During Naser’s 20-year tenure with Anera he has overseen a diverse range of projects, including agricultural land reclamation, construction and rehabilitation of greenhouses, farmer training, and capacity-building of cooperatives. In recent years, he has managed two important water reuse projects, one in the farming communities outside of Jenin and the other in the city of Ramallah. These projects make cleaned wastewater available for agricultural and municipal needs, preserving scarce potable water for household consumption.
HEALTH
Lana Al-Qedwa
Gaza Public Health Officer, WASH
Lana manages Anera's public health programs in Gaza. She has been a lecturer on public health at Al Quds Open University and Al Azhar University.
Carina Aoun
Jordan New Business Development Consultant
Carina is managing Anera’s recent return to Jordan. She has extensive experience with health programs. Until recently she worked as a field officer on Anera’s water, sanitation and hygiene programs in Lebanon. She conducted research and planning for project operations in Beirut, and North and South Lebanon. She has also helped implement two of Anera’s solid waste management projects in North Lebanon.
Lina Atat
Lebanon In-Kind Program Coordinator and Pharmacist
Lina brings over 15 years of experience in the health and humanitarian fields, including in pharmaceutical production, pharmacy management and pharmacy supply chains. Lina oversees the emergency medical aid in-kind donation program at Anera Lebanon. In the last year, the program has delivered over $9.8 million in medicine and medical supplies to vulnerable communities and over $1.1 million of relief items including hygiene and school kits, educational laptops and disability aid. Lina holds a pharmacy degree from Lebanese American University and a US university degree equivalency with FPGEC from National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. Lina also holds master’s degree in business administration and has recently completed a second masters. She has worked as a production manager of para-pharmaceuticals, a pharmacy owner, and pharmacist at Save the Children.
Mohammad Atieh
West Bank In-Kind Field Assistant
Mohammed manages Anera’s relationships with local implementing health partners and oversee the donor-to-clinic supply chain that delivers medicine and supplies to communities across the West Bank. With more than ten years experience working for Anera, he has first-hand knowledge of the health needs and issues facing disadvantaged communities. He came to Anera with a background in pharmacology. In 2019 alone, Anera delivered $90 million in donated medicine.
Mostafa Elghosain
Gaza In-Kind Program Manager
Mostafa joined Anera in 2002 as Anera’s warehouse manager and currently oversees the in-kind medical program in Gaza. He manages the arrival and distribution of donated medicines and other supplies in Gaza. He earned his B.Sc in Pharmacy from Adamson College, Philippines and his MA in Public Health at Al Quds University, Gaza. Mostafa coordinates and facilitates the safe passage and reception of all shipments sent to Anera’s Gaza warehouse and works with local partners to assess the humanitarian and emergency relief needs of poor and vulnerable communities in Gaza.
Hani Khleif
In-Kind Director, West Bank and Gaza
Hani joined Anera in 2006, directing Anera’s in-kind program in the West Bank and Gaza. He supervises deliveries from the West Bank town of Beitin, where Anera’s in-kind warehouse is located. He has helped to grow the program from $10 million to $30 million. He has extensive experience working with pharmaceuticals in the West Bank, Jordan, and Canada. Hani holds Palestinian, Israeli, and Jordanian pharmacy licenses and has demonstrated the ability to effectively handle communications with the Palestinian Ministry of Health, Israeli Ministry of Health, and Israeli Customs Officials related to incoming donations. Hani earned his B.Sc in Pharmacy from the University of Amman and a diploma in pharmaceutical regulatory affairs from Seneca College in Toronto, Canada.
Ahmad Najjar
Gaza In-Kind Program Coordinator
Ahmad manages Anera’s relationships with local implementing health partners and oversees the donor-to-clinic supply chain that delivers medicine and supplies across Gaza. With nine years experience working for Anera, Ahmad has first-hand knowledge of the immense health needs and issues facing Gaza communities. He came to Anera with a background in pharmacology and uses his knowledge to assess the quality and types of medicines Anera disperses. Anera’s inkind program delivers donated medicine, health supplies and equipment to refugee and vulnerable communities in Palestine and Lebanon. To date, in 2019, Anera has delivered $90 million in donated medicine.
Dima Zatat
Lebanon Deputy Country Director
Dima oversees all of Anera’s program operations in Lebanon, including nonformal basic education, vocational skills training, solid waste management, sports for development and health. In fiscal year 2019, Anera delivered $9.9 million in programming in vulnerable communities throughout Lebanon. Dima began her tenure at Anera in 2010 as a health program manager responsible for all health-related projects in Lebanon, including the medical in-kind program and health education activities as well as emergency and aid distributions. In light of the massive displacement of refugees from Syria, Dima co-led the first nationwide situational assessment of Palestinian Refugees from Syria. Before joining Anera, Dima worked as a Registered Nurse and Public Health Worker for 9 years. In recognition of her contribution to the field of community health in Lebanon, Dima was inducted into the Gamma Delta Chapter of the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health in 2017. Dima holds a BS in Nursing and a Master in Public Health from the American University of Beirut.
Reem Aziz
Lebanon Public Health Officer
Reem has worked on a range of community-based health promotion interventions related to personal hygiene and oral health, menstrual hygiene management and environmental health. She holds a master’s degree in Public Health from the American University of Beirut.
REFUGEES
Mahmoud Abdullah
Lebanon Bekaa Area Manager
Mahmoud is a passionate humanitarian with diverse experience with refugees all over the region and Eastern Europe. With a background in communications and protection, he also works on Anera's program development and implementation, including basic literacy and numeracy education and vocational training, as well as solid waste management projects implemented in the Bekaa area.
Rakan Diab
Lebanon South Area Manager
Rakan has been working in the humanitarian field for eight years. At Anera he manages our program work in the South, including education and WASH sector projects, as well as youth sports. He has overseen a number of youth initiatives including the rehabilitation of football fields, stairways, and kindergartens, and the improvement of access to clean water. He has a bachelor's degree in law and has worked at a number of NGOs before joining Anera, including Amnesty International, OHCHR, Save the Children, and NRC.
Ahlam Chalabi
Lebanon North Area Manager
Ahlam is a dynamic humanitarian worker. Since 2017, she has been managing Anera’s projects in the North Area, including programs development and implementation. She is committed to serving the community and has an interest in culture, and self-improvement. Ahlam has been successfully involved in diverse community-led projects under international funds. She has previously worked for the Council for Development and Reconstruction and the Ministry of Finance Head Quarter in Beirut. She studied accounting and finance at the Lebanese University (B.B.A,and D.E.S.S).
WATER
Nahed Al-Wehaidi
Gaza Director
Nahed joined Anera in 2001 as an engineer and has led a large number of infrastructure, water and sanitation projects in Gaza. In January 2012, he was promoted to director of the Gaza office in January 2012 and has guided Anera’s presence there through the course of heightening difficulties in Gaza, including two major bombardments of the territory. He is a graduate of Northeastern University in Boston and has over 30 years of experience in engineering and and project management, with particular expertise in WASH infrastructure projects.
Sami Matar
Gaza Project Coordinator
Sami has been part of the Anera team in the Gaza office as a project coordinator since 2010. He has over 18 years of technical and project management experience, including in WASH programs, water well construction, water desalination unit installations, and preschool and medical center construction and rehabilitation. Sami frequently contributes to the design of Anera's projects and works closely with our donors throughout project implementation.
During emergencies, he helps formulate Anera's safe response plans. He also supports local partners to ensure smooth implementation of Anera's interventions and to respond to the urgent needs of the most vulnerable communities.
Naser Qadous
Palestine Agricultural Programs Manager
During Naser’s 20-year tenure with Anera he has overseen a diverse range of projects, including agricultural land reclamation, construction and rehabilitation of greenhouses, farmer training, and capacity-building of cooperatives. In recent years, he has managed two important water reuse projects, one in the farming communities outside of Jenin and the other in the city of Ramallah. These projects make cleaned wastewater available for agricultural and municipal needs, preserving scarce potable water for household consumption.
LIVELIHOODS
Mazen Dabbagh
Palestine Program Manager
Mazen manages Anera's software coding boot camp partnership with RBK. He is a development professional with over 25 years of experience managing development and finance programs throughout the West Bank and Gaza. From 1991-2011, he designed and managed Anera's multi-million dollar Rehabilitation and Development Program funded by IFAD. He has also overseen the building and renovating of preschools and community parks throughout the West Bank. In 1986, Mazen launched and served as the first managing director for the Arab Development and Credit Company.
Ziad Kaawache
Lebanon Livelihood Project Manager
Ziad has years of experience as a TVET and community based education project manager and public health instructor and trainer on remedial and supportive education and community participation working for the UN and international NGOs.
Nariman Othman Deik
West Bank Education Program Coordinator
Nariman manages Anera’s Women Can program, which provides material assistance, training and mentoring to women launching small enterprises in the West Bank. In this role Nariman conducts surveys of women considered for the program and facilitates the delivery of equipment and materials for the women’s initiatives. Her extensive experience working with women and village councils from all over Palestine gives her a unique and first-hand assessment of the economic and social challenges Palestinian women face.
Nariman also works as a trainer as part of Anera’s early childhood development program.