I grew up in Davis, California, and after attending Willamette University to earn my Bachelor’s in English with an Art History minor, I fell in love with Oregon. I’ve been passionate about education for as long as I can remember. Growing up on the University of California Davis campus where my mom worked means that college feels like home. With the goal of teaching and advising college students, I earned my Master’s in Counseling at St. Mary’s College of California where I specialized in college student services and career counseling. After graduating I was ecstatic to begin my career in my dream job teaching and advising exploratory college students at Central Washington University. I finally made it back to my forever home in Oregon where I continue doing the same kind of work at Oregon State University; a school just like UC Davis but in my favorite rain and forest filled environment! I have a vivid imagination and a voracious appetite for stories whether they are from people, podcasts, books, or TV. As a dreamer, I love to imagine better versions of the future which means that I particularly enjoy topics related to fantasy, magic, and social justice. I use these traits as a leader to listen to the unique stories of our members, support them toward achieving their dreams, and build a strong community working toward our common goals.  

I have worked in higher education for the past 22 years. During this time, I have co-chaired the President’s Commission on the Status of Women (PCOSW), chaired the Faculty Senate Promotion and Tenure Committee, co-chaired the Awareness and Action Committee for the Oregon State University (OSU) ADVANCE grant, and co-organized a College and University Work Family Association (CUWFA) conference.  Currently, I am OSU Search Advocate and an ADVANCE Fellow for the College of Agricultural Sciences. In addition, in June 2019 I will be finishing an MBA in Organizational Leadership. I am looking forward to using my leadership and business management skills as well as the connections I have developed over the years to increase awareness and sustainability of OWHE.

I was born and raised in Iraq, and have been living in Portland, OR for the past 10 years! I did my undergraduate degree at Portland State University, where I initially thought I was going to pursue pre-medicine and attend medical school. After being involved in multiple student groups and employment opportunities on campus in orientation, student activities, and admissions, I discovered the world of student affairs. Mentorship has been a great part of my life, and I'll always be thankful for the mentors who guided me through discovering my strengths and how to navigate my career as a future student affairs professional. After graduating with a B.S. in Management and Leadership and HR Management, I decided to pursue an Ed.M. in College Student Services Administration at Oregon State University with a focus on social justice education in higher ed. As a graduate student, I was introduced to OWHE where I found a community of supportive professionals who have been supportive and encouraging. Although I don't have much time outside of work and school, I enjoy going on road trips with friends, listening to podcasts and audiobooks, and enjoying a good cup of coffee! 

As an undergraduate at Oregon State, I started off studying biology with the singular goal of getting into medical school and becoming a surgeon. However, through my student positions at the Writing Center, as a calculus tutor, writing for the honors college newspaper, and as a cadet in Army ROTC, I fell in love with higher education. It is such an incredibly powerful space for student development and determining their own values. After graduation, I went on to work in Human Resources and as program administrator and teacher for an ELL program, before finally making it back to Oregon State University as faculty support for Ecampus. This is where I was introduced to OWHE. After three years, I took a new position as academic programs manager with Ecampus, where I support departments that would like to offer for-credit programs online and track all programs. My role is to provide information, streamline and rethink old processes, and bring the right people together. After three long years, in June 2018, I am finishing an MBA in Business Analytics, where I have found a passion for programming and exploring datasets. Over the last five years, I also have dedicated time to mentoring student workers into thoughtful, empowering leaders who desire equity and inclusivity in the world, as my mentors did when I was an undergrad. I am excited by the opportunity to leverage my skill set and experiences to provide opportunities to build more women and allies into strong leaders.