As Executive Director of UPA since 2011, Saleem leads a diverse staff across five areas of operation (Gaza, West Bank, Lebanon, Jordan and Washington, DC). During this period, he has provided strategic leadership in the expansion of UPA’s capacity to meet the growing relief and development needs of the most vulnerable Palestinian communities in the MENA region.

Saleem brings 35 years of executive experience in both the non-profit and private sectors. Prior to joining UPA, Saleem was a practicing architect, city planner and university professor who co-founded the first homebuilding and mortgage financing company in Palestine. He has managed large-scale land acquisition and development projects both in the Middle East and the United States. With extensive, first-hand knowledge of the social and political environment in the Middle East and as a certified non-profit coach, Saleem frequently offers his broad range of expertise and industry knowledge to numerous local advocacy and international development efforts.

Saleem grew up in Ramallah, Palestine. He attended Ramallah Friends School, the American University of Beirut, Earlham College, and Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. He currently resides in Maryland while maintaining close ties to his community in Palestine.

Jackie joined UPA as a grants manager in 2016 and today leads the organization’s institutional fundraising efforts. She has over a decade of leadership, program development, proposal writing, and project management experience in international and domestic settings. Prior to joining UPA, Jackie served as assistant director of economic development at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, where she worked to establish a supercomputer center and to further several state-level economic development initiatives. She is a graduate of Loyola University Maryland and holds master’s degrees in public policy and environmental management from Duke University. Jackie enjoys music, traveling, and seizing the day.

Jennifer has more than two decades of experience dedicated to advancing humanitarian efforts for marginalized communities, particularly the Palestinian people. As the Director of Humanitarian Support at UPA, Jennifer focuses on securing and mobilizing vital monetary and gifts-in-kind resources, building partnerships, and driving impactful programs. Her drive stems from deep empathy and compassion for the Palestinian people, rooted in her personal experiences as a high school volunteer in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps in Lebanon. Witnessing the inhumane conditions and struggles faced by refugees there—combined with firsthand experience in Gaza and the West Bank in later years— fueled her unwavering commitment to advocate for their rights and dignity. She earned her bachelor’s degree in international affairs and Middle East studies from George Washington University and her master’s degree in peace and justice from the University of San Diego’s Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies. Through her work at UPA, Jennifer is committed to leveraging her expertise to create lasting change, raise awareness, and uplift the voices of the Palestinian people, ensuring they receive the support and recognition they deserve.

Maryam joins UPA as the Regional Director of Programs overseeing projects in Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon. She brings a wealth of leadership experience, with over a decade of broad technical expertise in education, mental health and psychosocial support, and community engagement and development, especially in youth programming. She has both designed and managed multidisciplinary and complex humanitarian and development programs, particularly in crises and emergencies, all designed to improve the lived experiences of affected populations through purposeful, meaningful, and impactful programming. Maryam is an expert in advancing the delivery of services and strengthening the quality of crises-responses through developing resilient, holistic, and multifaceted approaches that promote empowerment and accountability. She has effectively managed large teams, with a proven track record of capacity-building and supporting organizations to meet their strategic priorities. A central pillar of her work has involved facilitating collaboration across multi-sectoral and multi-functional teams to achieve common goals.

She is passionate about advancing the agenda of young people and designing programs that remedy the impediments children and youth face, while supporting them to reach their greatest potential and simultaneously address the root causes affecting their realities. Maryam is an enthusiastic proponent of social justice and has worked closely with refugee communities across the Middle East, particularly in Lebanon. Maryam earned her Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University’s Columbia College, double majoring in Political Science and Human Rights. She went on to obtain her Master of International Affairs from Columbia University’s School of International Public Affairs (SIPA) with a focus on humanitarian and refugee affairs in the Middle East.

Ian Smith is an grants and research professional with extensive experience in nonprofit administration in the Washington, DC area. Ian holds an M.A. in Conflict Resolution from Georgetown University and a B.A. in Globalization Studies with a concentration in Middle East Studies from Gettysburg College. He is committed to promoting development and justice in Palestine, and enjoys studying piano in his spare time.

Monica has a Masters in Cost Accounting from Bombay University, India and a Bachelors in Financial Accounting from Bombay University, India. She also has a Certificate in Accounting from College of San Mateo, CA. She has several years of experience working as an Accountant with small businesses, where she also assisted in many other roles, like HR, admin, and marketing. She enjoys walking, yoga, reading, travelling, various arts and crafts, and cooking for her family and friends.

Daniah is originally from Jerusalem, Palestine and has an educational background in Interior Design. She has worked on major construction projects in the Middle East and Africa, including the Boulevard Abdali in Amman, Jordan, the Kempinski Hotel, and private villas. She has earned a Positive Psychology certificate from the University of Pennsylvania and has worked closely with children suffering from post-COVID-19 ailments. As a multicultural woman, she has invested her free time in helping and coaching others in need.

Tabitha is a Palestinian-American who recently graduated magna cum laude from McDaniel College with a B.A. in Sociology. She is dedicated to furthering UPA’s mission by using creative and informative ways to raise awareness regarding the historical and current events in Palestine, connecting with impassioned people and organizations, and serving her community both as an Arab and a citizen of the world. In her free time Tabitha likes to read, spend time with her family and friends, and listen to music.

Badre holds a Master of Arts in Arab Studies from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs from the University of Cincinnati. He has a strong background in research, policy analysis, and nonprofit engagement, supporting grant compliance and partnership-building across academic, policy, and grassroots settings. With several years of experience in education and civil society, he has led NGO partnerships and coordinated projects to deliver programs in marginalized areas. In his free time, Badre enjoys playing the piano and walking along the Potomac River.