About

Equal parts curious and stubborn, I have always fixated on things that weren’t “right” – in both senses of being “correct” and “fair.” Trying to make sense of inaccuracies and injustice, especially around the Middle East and racism writ large, I have dedicated my life to Yale’s motto of Lux et Veritas – Light and Truth – to playing some small part in making the world a better place. As a historian, I know we can only find a more just way forward by fully understanding the past. As an activist and educator, I know that knowledge and nuance are critical to better understanding the world, and in turn, each other. 

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I hold degrees from Yale, NYU, and George Washington, and in addition to wide-ranging lectures and publications, I have taught at George Washington, the American University in Cairo, and Emory. I have also consulted and developed K-12 curriculum for national textbooks, as well as Georgia and New York City. Multiple national and international funds have supported my scholarship, including the Fulbright Program, Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Loeb Institute for Religious Freedom, Institute for Middle East Studies, and Bentley Historical Library.

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Finally, knowledge and service are core commitments, and I currently serve on several boards: the Yale Arab Alumni Association, MENA Cultural Community, Yale GALA (LGBTQ+Alumni Association), Yale Whiffenpoof Alumni, and SAG-AFTRA National MENA Committee. I recently completed a three-year term on the Yale Alumni Association Board of Governors, for whom I helped created an Equity and Inclusion Standing Committee, as well as Alumni Task Force on Disability. For several years, I served as the Executive Director of Y-Apply, a nonprofit devoted to college access for public school students of color.

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When not working, I make as much time as I can for great food and booze, boutique fitness, hiking, art, and quality connections.   

 

Please find my CV here. Contact me here, and if so inclined, buy me a coffee!