William Yontz Named Chairman of Board, George Ghattas Elected Vice President
New members with experience in business, diplomacy, law, academia and health have joined the Board of Directors of the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation, according to a statement issued by HCEF President Rateb Rabie in mid-December. The HCEF Board now has twelve members from a broad range of backgrounds.
"The role of HCEF’s Board of Directors is four-fold," President Rabie said. "The Board establishes the foundation’s policies, guides its management, raises funds to support it, and participates in its programs."
In all of these areas, the expertise of the new members of the Board "will enrich the thinking and strengthen the work of HCEF in support of the Christians of the Holy Land," Mr. Rabie added.
Mr. Rabie also announced that the HCEF Board of Directors has promoted Mr. George Ghattas, electing him Vice President of the foundation. The Board praised Mr. Ghattas for "his passionate dedication, and his significant achievements, in carrying out HCEF’s mission." Mr. Ghattas has served the foundation since its establishment; he will continue as the HCEF representative in the Holy Land.
Below are thumbnail sketches of the directors of the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation.
Mr. WILLIAM YONTZ, the new Chairman of HCEF’s Board of Directors, recently retired as Vice President of Bank One. He has had extensive experience in the field of corporate real estate.
Mr. RATEB RABIE is the President and Chief Executive Officer of HCEF. Mr. Rabie has been associated with several successful business ventures in the United States and the Middle East. He is now a consultant in the field of international business development.
Dr. SALIBA SARSAR is the Secretary of the HCEF Board of Directors. He was born in Jerusalem and is currently a professor of international relations, and an Assistant Vice President, at Monmouth University. Dr. Sarsar has written many books and articles about the Middle East.
Ms. MARILYN DORIA-Shaw, an attorney, is HCEF’s Treasurer. She has had extensive experience in the areas of housing policy and energy law, and has been a partner at the Washington law firm of Aiken, Gump, Straus, Hauer and Feld.
Mr. PHILIP DAVIES has long been associated with non- governmental organizations serving the Middle East. He currently teaches courses on the Middle East at Howard County Community College in Maryland. He has held leadership positions in the organizations known as Save the Children and Feed the Children, and he is currently Vice President of the American Near East Refugee Aid organization.
Mr. GABRIEL HABIB was born in Lebanon and has long been involved in service projects in the Middle East. He served as General Secretary of the Middle East Council of Churches from 1977 to 1994.
Dr. HANNA HANANIA is a family dentist in Virginia. He has spent many weeks providing free dental service in New Mexico and in Jerusalem. Dr. Hanania is the founder of the Network of Arab-American Professionals, and he has served as Chairman of the Arab-American Leadership Council in Virginia.
Mr. KENNETH INSLEY is the Director of Public Diplomacy at Capital Communications Group, an international consulting firm. He has helped produce Arabic- language television programs and a website for Pakistani arts and culture. He has served as Senior Program Officer for the American Council of Young Political Leaders (ACYPL), an international exchange program.
Monsignor W. RONALD JAMESON is the Rector of St. Matthew’s Roman Catholic Cathedral in Washington, D.C. He has served on the Boards of Directors for Catholic Charities and the United States Council of Catholic Bishops.
Mr. DONALD A. KRUSE, a member of the HCEF Board of Directors, is also Vice President Emeritus of HCEF. A retired career diplomat, Mr. Kruse served in seven United Sates Foreign Service posts, including the Sinai and Jerusalem. He has led many pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and has written and lectured extensively on the Palestinian people and on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Mr. FRANÇOIS QUINSON, a business consultant, was educated in France and the United States. He specializes in the areas of performance management, organization design, and compensation, and has conducted seminars on these topics on all five continents.
Mr. THOMAS F. O’HERRON, a retired United States diplomat, served in American Foreign Service posts in Africa and Europe. A specialist in international trade and finance, he is the author of Terms of Trade, the Language of International Trade Policy, Law and Diplomacy. Mr. O’Herron is an attorney and a former President of Maryland Right to Life.
