Advisory Board

The CMEPP advisory board provides critical strategic guidance and generous philanthropic support for RAND's Middle East research. The board is composed of public policy, nonprofit, and private sector leaders with active interests, knowledge, and experience in the Middle East.

List updated June 2017

• Ryan Crocker (Chair)

  Former Ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, Kuwait and Lebanon

• Howard L. Berman (Vice Chair)

  Former U.S. Congressman

  Senior Advisor

  Covington & Burling LLP

• Robert C. Adler

  Health Policy Analyst – Middle East

  Middle East Policy Analysis Group

• Goli Ameri

• Nancy A. Aossey

  President and Chief Executive Officer

  International Medical Corps

• William F. Benter

  Chairman and International Chief Executive Officer

  Acusis

• Alexander L. Cappello

  Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

  Cappello Group Inc.

• George N. Chammas

  Cofounder, Vice Chairman, and Director

  NavLink Inc.

• Tarek Dajani

  Chairman

  DNY Group

• Diane and Guilford Glazer Philanthropies

• Howard Gordon

  Executive Producer

  Teakwood Lane Productions

• Michal Grayevsky

  Vice Chairman

  Media RSL Management

  President

  JCS International LLC

  The Ronald S. Lauder Foundation

• Stephen Hadley

  Former U.S. National Security Advisor

  Principal

  RiceHadleyGates LLC

• Ray R. Irani

  Former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

  Occidental Petroleum Corporation

  Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

  Ray Investments, LLC

• Ann Kerr-Adams

  Fulbright Coordinator

  UCLA International Institute

• Zalmay Khalilzad

  Former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq, and the United Nations

  President and Chief Executive Officer

  Gryphon Partners

• Sharon S. Nazarian

  President

  Y&S Nazarian Family Foundation

• Younes Nazarian

  Founder and Chairman

  Y&S Nazarian Family Foundation

• John C. Novogrod

  Partner

  Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP

• Christopher J. ("C.J.") Oates

  Managing Director

  RimLight, LLC

• Christopher Petitt

  Founder

  Blue Haystack Inc.

• Hussain Qaragholi

  Senior Originator, CEEMEA

  Capital Markets and Treasury Solutions, Deutsche Bank

• William Recker

  Founder and Chairman

  IronBridge Partners 

• Hasan Shirazi

  Managing Director

  Citi Private Bank

• Donald Ellis Simon

  President

  The Lucille Ellis Simon Foundation

• Todd M. Wilcox

  Chief Executive Officer

  Patriot Capital, LLC