When it comes to the make-up of boards, commissions and coalitions, Arab Americans are greatly underrepresented, yet serving on a board or coalition is one of the easiest ways to network, get to know your community, and make a significant impact. This session will break down the responsibilities of board service, the barriers and challenges that may come up, and where to begin when it comes to getting involved with a board or commission.
Zeinab Alghanem is a Muslim born and raised in Detroit to Iraqi refugees. She is currently in her junior year at Fordson High School in Dearborn. Alghanem serves as treasurer on the board of ACCESS ACTS, a high school youth program dedicated to building leadership skills through civic engagement. She is also on her district’s Superintendent Student Advisory Council and serves as the student liaison at board meetings. Alghanem’s activism is driven by her conviction that all people deserve to breathe free. She plans on going into public health, carrying her work into the future.
Jeff Antaya is Partner and Chief Marketing Officer at Plante Moran. His focus is on growing the firm, which he achieves through his development of social media, brand development, marketing technology, communications and business development. Antaya is an alumnus of the University of Detroit Mercy, where he received his B.S. degree in accounting and his MBA. He began his career as an accountant with PWC and eventually moved into the phone industry, working at both Verizon and Nextel Communications. At Nextel, Antaya played a significant role in the company’s growth into a Fortune 100 company. His past experiences have allowed him to merge his skills in accounting, sales and marketing to help Michigan’s preeminent firm advance. Antaya is also a founding member of the firm’s PRIDE affinity group which focuses on their LGBTQ staff, and actively serves on various art and social service groups for Detroit.
Rashal G. Baz is an attorney and civic activist in Chicago. She specializes in corporate and labor and employment work. Her practice focuses on the representation of management in a range of employment law matters and includes a variety of single plaintiff, class action and wage and hour work. Baz represents and counsels clients in employment law matters in numerous industries ranging from industrial and general contracting to technology, staffing and retail. Her experiences also include drafting employee policies, master service agreements, pyrotechnic compliance regulations and advising clients regarding such policies and practices. Baz maintains an active pro bono practice by partnering with organizations such as Chicago Volunteer Legal Services, Cabrini Green Legal Aid, CARPLS and the National Immigrant Justice Center. Above all, she serves as the President and Chair of St. Jude Children Research Hospital’s Young Professionals of Chicago.
Ghida Dagher (moderator) is the Director of Appointments for Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the State of Michigan. As a member of Governor Whitmer’s executive team, Dagher oversees the appointment of people to Michigan’s 300 boards and commissions, as well as judicial appointments and administrative appointments to the Governor’s cabinet and state departments. Prior to her current role, Dagher served as the Director of Government Partnerships & Community Affairs at United Way for Southeastern Michigan (UWSEM). In this capacity, she led in the design and implementation of strategies that drive impact, promote awareness and visibility and enhance programs and resources in the Greater Detroit community. Before joining UWSEM, she led a variety of local and national policy initiatives pertaining to immigrant rights, civil liberties and civic engagement at the National Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC)/ACCESS. The daughter of Asylum seekers, her background informs her career and leadership and makes her an individual deeply dedicated to the engagement and empowerment of all communities. Dagher received her bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Middle Eastern North African Studies from the University of Michigan.
Session tags: capacity building, civic engagement, philanthropy
Location: The Gallery