The Arab America Foundation announced yesterday the awardees of their 40 Under 40 initiative–Class of 2024. Forty Arab Americans from a variety of fields and disciplines were announced. Among the awardees is GW Middle East Studies alum Maro Youssef, who is also a Non-Resident Fellow at GW’s Institute for Middle East Studies.

About Dr. Youssef:

Dr. Maro Youssef is an Arab-American feminist, immigrant, academic, and public sociologist focusing on women’s empowerment in the Middle East. She received her Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Texas at Austin. Her research is on the MENA region, US foreign policy, gender, and broad feminist coalitions. She has briefed her research at the United Nations, the US Department of State, and the Canadian Foreign Ministry. She consulted for the World Bank, the US Department of State, and the Solidarity Center. Previously, she worked at the State Department for eight years on various thematic topics and countries in the Middle East. She was born in Egypt, raised in California, and lived in Turkey and Tunisia.

About the Award:

40 Under 40 is a celebration of accomplished young Arab Americans. The program spotlights Arab American professionals in all fields, including education, law, public service/politics, non-profit, business leaders, entrepreneurs, engineers, medical professionals, artists, entertainers, writers, and media representatives. These young professionals have great achievements both in the workplace and in their communities.

All awardees are under the age of 40, excel in their industry, and are engaged in promoting their heritage and culture to empower their communities and make a difference. The competition is open annually to all professionals who live and/or work in the United States and are of Arab descent.