Board of Directors

Dr. Safa Rifka

National Chairman

The Chair of ADC's Board, Safa Rifka, MD, FACOG, is an OB/GYN and endocrinology and infertility specialist widely recognized for helping with the most complex of infertility cases. He also served on the President's Commission on White House Fellowships from 2006 to 2009. Rifka was born in Lebanon and earned his medical degree from the faculty of medicine at the American University of Beirut, where he completed his internship and residency at the American University Hospital in Lebanon before relocating to the United States. Rifka trained in reproductive endocrinology and infertility through the National Institutes of Health and received board certifications in obstetrics and gynecology and in reproductive endocrinology through the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He is also a fellow of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. As a trusted leader in reproductive health, Rifka has published numerous peer-reviewed studies on the effects of hormones on the male and female reproductive systems.

Abed Awad

Board Member

Bio to come.

Tawfiq Barqawi

Board Member

Mr. Barqawi was born in Palestine, raised in Jordan, and earned his law degree from the Arab University of Lebanon. In 1989, he moved to the United States, where he went on to establish and successfully operate several businesses. A longtime advocate for civil rights, human rights, and diversity, Mr. Barqawi has held numerous prominent leadership positions in public service. He served as a member of the New Jersey Attorney General's Advisory Board and as Vice Chairman of the New Jersey State Human Relations Council. He also served as a board member of the Gloucester County Human Relations Commission and the Asian Federation of Pennsylvania, as well as Treasurer of the NAACP Gloucester County Chapter. In recognition of his longstanding commitment to public service and community relations, Mr. Barqawi received the "Unsung Hero of Human Relations" Award and the "South Jersey Champion of Diversity" Award. Mr. Barqawi is also a frequent political and legal commentator for major media outlets, including ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS, Al Mayadeen, and Al Jazeera, and has been featured in numerous newspapers and other publications. Prior to his election to the ADC National Board of Directors, Mr. Barqawi served as President of the ADC Philadelphia Chapter and as a member of the ADC National Advisory Board.

Cheryl Faris

Board Member

Cheryl Faris earned a BA degree from Bridgewater State University in Massachusetts and a Master's degree from New York University. She moved to Los Angeles and obtained a JD degree from Loyola Law School and practiced law for 25 years at an international telecommunications company. She later taught Law and Psychology at a college prep high school in West Los Angeles. Cheryl was the first woman president of the Arab-American Lawyers' Association of Southern California. Her involvement with ADC reaches back to 1982 when she met Alex Odeh, and in 1983 she joined the local ADC Board. Alex Odeh and Jim Abourezk nominated her for the ADC National Board, to which she was elected in 1984. After serving on the ADC National Board, Cheryl worked with the local Southern California Board until re-appointed to the National Board. Her commitment to ADC and its principles is unwavering.

Issam Hawatmeh

Board Member

Bio to come.

George Majeed Khoury

Board Member

George Majeed Khoury, P.E., was born in Jerusalem, Palestine, and has been an ADC member since 1987 — serving on the board of the San Diego chapter, then as chapter president, and now as a member of the National Board of Directors. His civil rights service in Southern California spans decades. He has sat on the City of San Diego Human Relations Commission and presently sits on the board of the ACLU affiliate for San Diego and Imperial Counties, on the County of San Diego's Leon Williams Human Relations Commission, and on the County of San Diego's Hate Crimes Coalition. He founded the Arab-American Chief of Police Advisory Board of the City of San Diego. A civil and environmental engineer by profession, he holds degrees from the American University of Beirut and the University of California, Berkeley.

Hani Khoury

Board Member

Hani Khoury is a veteran attorney with over three decades of legal experience and one of the Founding Partners of Awad & Khoury, LLP where he practices in Immigration, Estates, and Real Estate Law. He also provides pro bono legal counsel to domestic violence survivors, and has previously conducted diversity training for law enforcement and educational institutions. Mr. Khoury currently serves on the New Jersey Supreme Court Committee on Character and previously spent a decade serving on the New Jersey Supreme Court Committee on the Unauthorized Practice of Law. A fierce champion for civil rights, he serves on the National Board of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) after having spent a decade serving in various leadership positions of the ADC NJ Chapter. He also formerly served on the Governor's Arab & Muslim Advisory Committee to the NJ Attorney General. Locally, he serves as a Trustee for the Hackensack Housing Authority. Mr. Khoury holds a Juris Doctor from New York Law School, a Bachelor's Degree from Colgate University and is admitted to practice in New Jersey and New York.