A record of the civic work, public speaking, media appearances, and writing that have shaped, and been shaped by, thirty years of operating across three countries.
Within a year of arriving in Canada, I was already sitting on boards, chairing committees, and contributing to national research. Not a list of affiliations, a record of actual work done.
Joined the CultureLink Board of Directors within one year of arriving in Canada and served as Chair from 2017 to 2020. CultureLink supports newcomers settling and integrating into Toronto, work I understood firsthand as a newcomer myself.
View on Facebook ↗Participated as a panelist alongside Senator Ratna Omidvar on inclusive workforce policy and the economic integration of newcomers and refugees in Canada.
View on LinkedIn ↗Chaired the partnership research committee for the Private Refugee Sponsor Network of Ontario, leading a research initiative on building stronger relationships between private sponsor groups and settlement agencies around post-arrival challenges.
Visit PRSN ↗Success story featured by Jumpstart Refugee Talent, sharing my journey and professional contributions to the Canadian community. Jumpstart connects refugee talent with Canadian employers.
View feature ↗Managed two community projects focused on newcomer women, providing grassroots programming that addressed gaps in education, social, and emotional settlement needs, grounded in what newcomer women actually need, not what institutions assume.
View on Facebook ↗Publicly advocated for equitable workforce practices and the advancement of refugee talent in Canadian organizations, speaking on how businesses move from intention to actual inclusive hiring.
View on LinkedIn ↗From national conventions to community panels, speaking on refugee integration, workforce inclusion, community building, and building a life and business across three countries.
Speech delivered at the convention organized by the Arab Community Centre of Toronto and the United Church of Canada.
Panelist on inclusive workforce policy alongside Senator Ratna Omidvar, a national voice on refugee and newcomer policy in Canada.
Spoke publicly on creating a more equitable workforce and how organizations can advance inclusive hiring by bringing refugee talent into the fold.
Hosted and produced a flagship Silaa conference in Toronto challenging health stigma in Arab professional communities. KitchenAid sponsored. Sold-out event.
Topics: community building, diaspora entrepreneurship, AI in organizations, change management, real estate in Ontario, building from nothing.
Interview links, podcast episodes, and press features, added here as they are published.
The University of Toronto Anthropology department's SAWA team collaborated with Silaa on a community event, bringing academic research into direct conversation with the Arabic-speaking professional community.
Watch the video ↗A conversation on community building, displacement, and building a professional life across borders.
Watch on YouTube ↗Featured in Global News coverage revisiting the Syrian refugee crisis.
Read the story ↗Featured in the Toronto Observer on newcomer integration.
Read the story ↗Pieces written from personal experience, on human rights, community, health, and the complexity of building a life across borders.
An introduction to this space and what it means to show up authentically as a professional, a newcomer, and a community builder in Canada.
Read article ↗What it meant to be a human rights activist in Syria, the realities, the cost, and what that experience built in me as a professional and as a person.
Read article ↗A frank examination of systemic oppression within Syrian society, the structures that persist, and why naming them matters for anyone working on genuine change.
Read article ↗On living and working with fibromyalgia, and what a Queen's University neuroscience research study taught me about resilience, advocacy, and the body's own intelligence.
Read article ↗Whether it's a consulting engagement, an event, or a speaking invitation, reach out and let's figure out if there's a fit.