Community Empowerment Luncheon with Arab-American Congressional Candidates

Born in East San Diego County, Ammar is a small business owner, former Obama White House intern & Administration official, writer and activist. At the U.S. Department of Labor, Ammar led the national Office of Public Affairs for the Employment and Training Administration. In this role, Ammar was instrumental in leading a nationwide effort to double and diversify the number of Registered Apprenticeships in America. Ammar served as Deputy Regional Field Director for the Obama campaign, where he helped oversee Southern California’s grassroots operations.Following the election, Ammar served at the White House in the Executive Office of the President, handling President Obama’s official correspondence sent by American citizens, veterans, world leaders, and CEOs of Fortune 500s. Ammar is a staunch advocate for minority, women, immigrant and veteran-owned small businesses. While serving at the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC), Ammar helped small businesses secure federal contracts as well as procurement opportunities with larger companies. Ammar owns a small business called ACN Strategies, helping small businesses and non-profits. He graduated from San Diego State University, with two Bachelor of Arts degrees in Psychology and Philosophy.

Fayrouz has worked at every level of government to keep communities safe and expand opportunities for families in Michigan. Her parents, who immigrated to Michigan over 40 years ago and started a business in Detroit’s Eastern Market, taught her that through hard work and determination anyone can achieve the American Dream. Fayrouz is running for Congress to ensure that promise is kept alive for all Michigan families. In 2008, Fayrouz joined a non-profit organization to encourage civic engagement and voter participation. Fayrouz then accepted an appointment in President Obama’s Administration at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), working to strengthen community policing efforts in the fight against terrorism, protect state and local critical infrastructure, and strengthen our nation’s cybersecurity. In 2015, Fayrouz became the first Director of Detroit’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, where she helped immigrants integrate into the city, find jobs and start businesses. Fayrouz also served as Board Chair for Emgage-USA MI – an organization she helped launch that fosters civic and electoral participation within the Muslim-American community.

Sam Jammal grew up in the 39th District, raised by proud Latino and Arab immigrant parents. Recognizing law as a key lever for pursuing justice, equality and change, Sam studied at The George Washington Law School, focusing on civil rights. Rather than taking a typical high-paying law firm job, Sam worked for Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF) advocating for the rights of Latino and immigrant students to receive a quality education. During the 2008 presidential election, Sam served as Chair of the Democratic National Committee’s Latino Voter Protection Task Force. After the campaign, Sam served as Legislative Counsel in the United States Senate where he focused on civil rights, labor and national security issues. Sam was later appointed by President Barack Obama to serve at the United States Department of Commerce where he worked to expand export opportunities for American companies. Following his work at the Commerce Department, Sam served as Chief of Staff to a Southern California Member of Congress. Sam was one of the youngest in history to serve in this role, in addition to being one of only a handful of Arab or Latino Americans ever to serve as a Chief of Staff to a Member of Congress. In 2015, Sam returned home to La Mirada to work for SolarCity and later Tesla to expand renewable energy and lower consumers’ energy bills throughout Southern California. Sam currently lives in Fullerton and continues to advocate for renewable energy development and job creation in the clean energy and technology sectors.