Our Team

Get to know the hearts and minds driving our initiatives, and discover the expertise and personal stories that fuel our commitment to Iraqi women and children.

Iraq

Our Volunteer Team

Our Board of Directors

Click on each profile to learn more about each person.

Qassim Alowaid

President & Founder

Qassim Alowaid

President & Founder

Qassim Alowaid is an Iraqi-American living in Northern Virginia with his wife and two daughters. He is the founder and president of the Iraqi Children’s Hope organization and serves on its Board of Directors.

Qassim holds a master’s degree in Information Systems and Cybersecurity from Strayer University. While working full-time, he is also pursuing a Ph.D. in Big Data Analytics.

“Decades of political oppression, war, and deadly terrorist attacks have left thousands of Iraqi children orphaned. Without parental support, many struggle in school, fall behind, and eventually drop out, continuing a cycle of hardship through no fault of their own. These children need our help. Together, through I.C.Hope, we can transform the lives of children in poverty.”

Roz Fuller

Vice-President

Roz Fuller

Vice-President

Roz Fuller is a retired educator and mental health professional with over 45 years of experience dedicated to uplifting at-risk, low-income, and homeless youth and families.

She earned a B.A. in English from Fort Hays State University and an M.Ed. in Counseling from the University of Maryland Asian Division. Her career has taken her from a small school in Kansas to 17 years in Japan, working across diverse educational settings—from international universities to charter schools in Washington, D.C.

More than just a teacher or counselor, Roz has been a mentor and advocate, believing deeply in the power of education and compassionate support to change lives. Her passion for helping others continues through her work with Iraqi Children’s Hope, where she is honored to help provide hope and opportunity to Iraqi children in need.

Farah Sami

Secretary and Legal Counsel

Farah Sami

Secretary and Legal Counsel

Farah is a commercial and corporate attorney. She received a B.A. from Al-Turath University - College of Law and contributes to several trade unions and institutions, including the Iraqi Bar Association, Businesswomen Association, and the Iraqi Jurists Union.

Farah currently lives in Virginia and serves on the Board of Directors of Iraqi Children’s Hope. She is passionate about helping others, especially needy families and children. She dedicates her time and effort to supporting orphans and children registered with I.C. Hope and is deeply committed to improving the lives of disadvantaged families through the organization’s programs.

Our Board of Advisory

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Dr. Ryadh Al-Hilfi

General Director of Public Health at the Iraqi Ministry of Health

Dr. Ryadh Al-Hilfi

General Director of Public Health at the Iraqi Ministry of Health

Dr. Riyadh Alhilfi is M.B.Ch.B. MSc Pharmacology Ph.D. public health. He was born in Basra-Iraq.

Dr. Alhilfi's posts held since graduation in 1988:

Manager of Primary Health Centers from December 1997 to June 2001.

Manager of Technical Department in Basra Health Directorate from March 2005-November 2005.

Deputy of Director General in Basra Health Directorate from November 2005 to September 2007.

Director-General of Basra Health Directorate from September 2007 to October 2018.

Director-General of Public Health Directorate in the Ministry of Health and Environment from October 2018-Present.

Member of the High National Advisory Committee for the prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Jawad Al-Khafaji

MD, MSHA. Assistant Professor of Medicine University of Michigan

Dr. Jawad Al-Khafaji

MD, MSHA. Assistant Professor of Medicine University of Michigan

Dr. Jawad Al-Khafaji is an Internal Medicine physician and Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Michigan Health System.

He received his medical degree from Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar and completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University Health System, where he remained as faculty for four years before relocating to Michigan and joining the University of Michigan.

He also earned a Master of Science in Health Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2018.

Dr. Al-Khafaji’s areas of interest include healthcare disparities, patient safety, quality improvement, and medical education.

He is grateful for the opportunity to work with Iraqi Children’s Hope to build a better future for our beloved Iraqi children.

Steve Lutes

Vice President, Middle East Affairs U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Steve Lutes

Vice President, Middle East Affairs U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Steve Lutes is Vice President of Middle East Affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, overseeing the U.S.-Egypt Business Council, U.S.-Iraq Business Initiative, and U.S.-GCC Business Initiative. He works closely with business and government leaders to promote U.S. investment and trade across the region.

Previously, Lutes served as a senior legislative affairs specialist at the U.S. Department of Commerce, advocating for trade policy on Capitol Hill. He also played a key role in the Bush-Cheney reelection effort in Ohio. Earlier in his career, he held various positions on Capitol Hill, including chief of staff.

Lutes holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business and serves on the Board of Directors of the American University in Iraq – Sulaimani Foundation. He and his wife live in Alexandria, Virginia.

Aminah Al-Saeedi

Primary/Dermatology/Occupational Pain Management

Aminah Al-Saeedi

Primary/Dermatology/Occupational Pain Management

Aminah Al-Saeedi is a Board-Certified Adult Nurse Practitioner (ANP-C) through the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP).

She earned her Master of Science in Nursing with Distinction from Wayne State University, receiving the Continuing Quality Improvement Award for Pain Management in 2012. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing with High Honors from Webster University.

Since 2013, Aminah has practiced in Primary Care, Pain Management, and Dermatology across family clinics, jail health services, and urgent care. She is committed to evidence-based care and collaborates with healthcare teams to optimize patient outcomes.

With eight years as an ANP-C and 22 years as an RN, she has honed her skills in assessment, critical thinking, and patient management.

Beyond her profession, Aminah is passionate about philanthropy and giving back to the community.

Our Volunteers

Click on each profile to learn more about each person.

Maya Vega

Business Development

United States

Medeeha Hussain

Family Consultant

Iraq

Ahmad Sadeq

Web Developer

United States

Mohamed Al-Ebadi

Medical Advisor

Iraq

Emad Alemary

Administrator Manager

Iraq

Ali Abid

Volunteer Coordinator

United States

Ahmed Al-jomilani

Executive Director

Iraq

Emad Alemary

Public Relations Manager

Iraq

Nedal Bader

Mental Health Specialist

Iraq

Salam Basri

Project Manager

Iraq

Danielle McCarthy

Autism Specialist

United States

Faten Fawaz

Business Consultant

United States

Amena

Social Media Manager

Iraq

Want to help out? We could always use more help! Visit our volunteer page or send an email to info@ichope.org.

Volunteer Form

Our Team

Get to know the hearts and minds driving our initiatives, and discover the expertise and personal stories that fuel our commitment to Iraqi women and children.

Iraq

Our Volunteer Team

Our Board of Directors

Click on each profile to learn more about each person.

Qassim Alowaid

Roz Fuller

Farah Sami

Our Board of Advisory

Click on each profile to learn more about each person.

Dr. Ryadh Al-Hilfi

Dr. Jawad Al-Khafaji

Steve Lutes

Aminah Al-Saeedi

Our Volunteers

Click on each profile to learn more about each person.

Maya Vega

Medeeha Hussain

Ahmad Sadeq

Mohamed Al-Ebadi

Emad Alemary

Ali Abid

Ahmed Al-jomilani

Emad Alemary

Nedal Bader

Salam Basri

Danielle McCarthy

Faten Fawaz

Amena

Want to help out? We could always use more help! Visit our volunteer page or send an email to info@ichope.org.

Are you ready? Sponsor Zainab today.

Together, we can change the lives of thousands of children.