There are so many creative ways to give back and make an impact. Hear from innovative and impactful organizations and philanthropists who are making the most out of their giving. This panel will highlight unique approaches and tools such as giving circles, donor-advised and impact area funds and other non-traditional forms of philanthropy.
Wadad K. Abed has more than 30 years of experience in strategic and operational marketing, including planning and managing international conferences. In addition to her professional work, Abed is active in issues dealing with peace and social justice, both within the U.S. and around the world, with a special focus on the Middle East. She has also been involved with promoting dialogue and mediation as effective approaches to address and resolve conflict. Empowering communities to affect their destinies is a passion of Abed’s and she has chosen to do this through organizing groups around the arts and philanthropic endeavors. She is a founding member of Zeitouna, an Ann Arbor-based group of Jewish and Palestinian women working toward peace and justice. Abed was born in Nablus, Palestine and immigrated to the U.S. in 1968.
Mohamed Sohoubah, R.Ph., is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of BioMed Specialty Pharmacy and PharMor Pharmacy, a chain of independently operated pharmacies currently operating twenty-five locations. He emigrated to the United States from Yemen and went on to attend Wayne State University. Sohoubah is well-versed in many areas of business management, business growth and development, as well as health care law, and has expanded both pharmacy chains to multistate operations that continue to grow. He has been recognized by several organizations and publications for his achievements and his leadership, including the Crain’s Detroit Business “American Dreamer” award in 2014, which recognizes immigrants who have had business success.
Hoda Succar was born in Damascus, Syria and raised in Beirut, Lebanon. In 1973 she immigrated to the United States with her husband and received a degree in computer and information science from the University of Michigan-Dearborn. She went on to establish Crystal Lace & Company, a full-service special event and planning firm. In addition to overseeing her business, Succar has a strong commitment to community volunteerism. Her involvement includes Wayne State University, St. Joseph Mercy Oakland Hospital, Detroit Public Television (DPTV), and American Syrian Arab Cultural Association (ASACA). She lives in Bloomfield Hills with her husband and has four children and three grandchildren.
Hiba Yazbeck is a Certified Public Accountant and an accomplished executive leader, an international C-Suite strategist in M&A and corporate restructuring expert. She has over 20 years of progressive experience in finance, operations management and change management within multi-billion-dollar global automotive manufacturing organizations in the U.S. and Germany. Her experience is backed by a postgraduate education from well-respected universities in Lebanon, the U.S. and the United Kingdom, holding an MBA and bachelor’s degree in Business Accounting. As a stage II breast cancer survivor, Yazbeck is dedicated to raising breast cancer awareness in metro Detroit where she resides and everywhere life takes her. In her native homeland Lebanon, she is an agent of change, addressing the challenges faced by Lebanese women in a country where breast cancer early detection lags international standards. In 2016, Yazbeck created and funded “Courage to Fight Breast Cancer” in collaboration with Lebanese American University (LAU) to assist in educating women in rural areas about the importance of detecting breast cancer at an early stage. She also serves on the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Detroit Committee (since 2012), co-chairing the committee in 2018 and 2019. Yazbeck is also the co-chair of the LAU Alumni Society and President of the Detroit Chapter of Academics and Professional Designations. Lastly, she is the recipient of the “Woman of Outstanding Leadership” award from the International Women’s Leadership Association and recipient of the “Top Volunteer, Fundraiser and Lifesaver” Award from the St. Jude Great Lakes Region.
Katy Hayek Asuncion (Moderator) is the Donor Services and Program Officer at the Center for Arab American Philanthropy (CAAP), the only Arab American community foundation in the country and a national institution of ACCESS. In her current role, Asuncion specializes in donor relations and charitable services such as expendable and endowed donor-advised funds, helping individuals to strategically carry out their charitable giving. She also manages CAAP’s board-directed grantmaking portfolio and impact area funds. Asuncion graduated with honors from the University of Michigan with a dual degree in English Literature and Arabic and Islamic Studies.
Session tags: art, philanthropy, capacity building
Location: The Gallery