Dr. Habib has over 13 years of experience designing and overseeing high-quality programming in countries including Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Sudan, Turkey, and Jordan. In addition, he has written proposals resulting in over $150 million in funding for humanitarian assistance, stabilization, and development programming from donors, including USAID, BHA, PRM EU/ECHO, SIDA, SDC, DANIDA, and various UN agencies.
In his most recent position before UMR, he was a humanitarian technical advisor based in Washington-DC, responsible for supporting humanitarian programs, including the new business development process across Blumont’s Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Afghanistan, and Columbia portfolio. During his career, he has held multiple Senior Management positions and has actively led designing proposals, strategies, and annual operations plans by providing political, contextual analysis, and technical support.
Â
He has an MSc. in Project Management from the University of Salford Manchester – the UK, where he focused on lean management in a non-profit organization working in war zones, and a BSc in Medical Science from Sana’a University.Â
Dr. Saleh Elzahiri
Fundraising Manager
Saleh Elzahiri is a CFRM and philanthropist who has a track record of public work for more than fifteen years. Saleh Elzahiri completed his undergraduate study in education and has a master’s degree in education administration. Dr. Elzahiri received his Ph.D. in organizational management in 2010 and worked in different positions for different nonprofit organizations. Dr. Elzahiri has worked as a fundraising regional manager, development director, and director of planned giving and endowment, and currently works as the head of the fundraising department. Â
Kelly is a Nonprofit Finance and Accounting Professional with over 23 years of experience in
policy, finance, accounting, and management for not-for-profit organizations. Kelly earned a
bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Golden Gate University in San Francisco, CA,
and began her career working for the Quechan Tribal Housing Authority, in Winterhaven, CA.
Later, she served religious and child-focused charities in Arizona, including The Catholic
Community Foundation, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arizona, Boys & Girls Clubs of
Greater Scottsdale, and Make-a-Wish Foundation of America. Kelly devoted the last five years
of her career to the higher education industry where she served as Controller at Arizona
Christian University.
Kelly was inspired to join UMR in February 2023 as its Financial Controller because of its
humanitarian mission to provide those most in need with basic and emergency relief services,
domestically and abroad, as well as to help build capacity in developing countries. She believes
that we are all called by God to serve those less fortunate, and feels blessed to be able to invest
her expertise to support this critical mission.
Kelly currently serves on the Board of Directors of Cancer Response Team and is proud to
volunteer for this organization as its Chief Financial Officer. As a cancer survivor, she is
passionate about its mission to provide supportive care to children with cancer and their
families.
Throughout her career, Kelly has demonstrated her commitment to investing her skills and
expertise in organizations that truly make a difference in the local and global communities.
Kelly confesses, though, that her the most important title and role throughout her life, has been
Mom to her three sons: Eric, Brennan, and Hayden. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, she, and
her husband reside in Phoenix, Arizona. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her
family, hiking, cooking, gardening, traveling, and decorating.
Ammar Aqlan is a program manager with 10+ years of experience in the global education and development sector, with a focus to empower local communities through sustainable solutions. Ammar has trained over 1,000 youth from Argentina, Caribbean, Chile, Iraq, the U.S. and Yemen, on a variety of soft skills including leadership, dialogue, and entrepreneurship.
Ammar obtained a Bachelor degree in English literature and MA in International Relations and Development. He has worked with Relief International, Oxfam America, and World Learning. Throughout his years of service, Ammar has developed a comprehensive understanding of program management, M&E, translation and youth engagement.
A globally-oriented strategic thinker and planner, Radwan Chanawani organized the Syrian Turkish forum with the presence of the Turkish Prime Minister as well as coordinated the International Conference for Investment and Financial Markets in Damascus, Syria for four consecutive years ultimately resulting in the launching of the Damascus Securities Exchange.
Mr. Chanawani has also successfully launched, managed, and operated over 70 global events, executed event fulfillment for B2C events, coordinated the largest global insurance conferences (The Arab Insurance Conference, the 26th GAIF General Insurance Conference, and The Third Damascus Insurance Forum), and much more.
A graduate of University of Detroit Mercy, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, Mr. Radwan Chanawani has a Minor in Computer Information Systems from Humboldt State University, as well as a Certification in Exhibition Management.
Miss. Rania holds a Bachelor’s degree in Dentistry. She worked as an academic administrator for five years. She has been working in the humanitarian field for eight years with local and major international NGOs in Yemen.
Rania worked on various projects and grants funded by major donors, including UNICEF, ECHO, OCHA, and USAID.
She worked with communities in remote areas and local partners on peacebuilding, protection and nutrition, education, child protection, and capacity building programming. Before joining UMR, Rania was working with GC as a Program Manager for the USAID Funded Yemen development.
Mohannad Alnimer brings in a decade of with solid knowledge ,
technical expertise & background in the dynamics of
humanitarian assistance while working in UN Agencies, INGOS,
NGOS supporting their programmes and interventions in
different contexts and in multi thematic areas of : Child
protection, Education, Youth, Health, and with a significance
focus on MEAL operations , remote crisis operations in a quest
to ensuring that our support reaches all beneficiaries especially
those who are most vulnerable through maintaining and
working on further improving effective relief and sustainable
system.
