Our People

As the Executive Director of UNRWA USA, Mara Kronenfeld leads the strategic vision, operations, and fundraising efforts of the nonprofit organization that supports the humanitarian and human development work of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the Middle East. With over 20 years of experience in international development, Mara is a Fulbright Scholar and an expert in designing, implementing, and leading public private partnerships supporting youth development programming in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

Mara's core competencies include program design and development, organizational capacity strengthening, and multi-sectoral partnership cultivation and collaboration. She has a strong focus on youth workforce development, education, employability, and empowerment. She has successfully managed a diverse portfolio of youth programs in collaboration with partners such as the World Bank, USAID, OCP Foundation, Hilton, Samsung, JP Morgan, Saudi Aramco, the King Khalid Foundation, and hundreds of local NGOs and community-based organizations across the MENA region. Mara brings Arabic language skills and a deep knowledge of the MENA region to UNRWA USA.

She is passionate about advancing the rights and dignity of, and opportunities for, Palestine refugees and promoting a peaceful and prosperous future for the MENA region.

Ask Mara about:

Being likely the only person on earth to have torn her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) both on the Nile Hilton Dance floor (1997) and while climbing the Baalbek ruins (2002). Also about how she is eager, if not yet fully equipped, to sew her own throw pillow covers. Besides breaking her knee often, trying to sew, and being a mom to twins, Mara is eager to bust media-created myths about the Middle East region and particularly about its young people.

Born in the Emirates, Hani's family fled to the Gaza Strip in the aftermath of the first Gulf War. It was tough adjusting to the harsh conditions in Gaza during the First Intifada, but his family was made whole again when his dad got a job at an UNRWA school teaching English to refugees. A child of an educator, Hani was raised with the mantra of school being the top priority, and in this pursuit, he eventually found his way to the United States, thanks to a university scholarship from the LDS Church. After earning both his Masters in Public Administration and his BA in International Studies and Latin American studies from Brigham Young University, Hani settled in Washington, DC where he fell into the world of fundraising for various causes that spoke to him, including civil rights and social justice groups for Muslim and Arab Americans and charities that serve the Palestinian people and other marginalized communities in the Middle East. Now, after more than a decade in fundraising, he's thrilled to bring this experience into his role as UNRWA USA's Director of Philanthropy.

In his free time, Hani volunteers with a number of education, health, and professional organizations. He lives in Alexandria, Virginia with his family, including his two little princesses, Zayna and Mariam.

Ask Hani about:

Ideas for fundraising events, Palestinian food and music, stand-up comedy, Arabic pop music, and his opinions on donuts and world peace.

Growing up in Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee (near Chattanooga), Jason started doing Model UN in seventh grade, so he’s been committed to conflict resolution and human rights advocacy since before he could tie a tie. A first-generation college student, Jason earned his bachelor’s degree at Guilford College and a master’s degree in international peace and conflict resolution at American University.

Jason comes to UNRWA USA after a 14-year career in international education and exchange. He was most recently at Global Ties U.S., working his way up to director of exchange programs, responsible for exchanges serving over 1,500 participants annually in-person and virtually, as well as overseeing new business development. He started his career in the CEO’s office at NAFSA: Association of International Educators, honing his nonprofit management skills along the way. In these roles, Jason nurtured a passion for helping people see beyond the world immediately around them.

Alongside his career, Jason has been a grassroots LGBTQ+ rights activist, with a particular emphasis on violence prevention and community safety. For these efforts, he was recognized by the Obama Administration as an LGBTQ+ emerging leader. A mildly unruly Quaker, lately Jason has shifted his efforts from the streets to the world of poetry, hoping to offer encouragement and empowerment to queer Appalachian youth.

Ask Jason about:

Trying to vegetarianize Southern U.S. cuisine, baking from decades-old family recipes, the healing power of hiking to waterfalls, treating pet bunnies like royalty, and boiling your poems down to their purest essence.

Kayla joined UNRWA USA while finishing her degree in political science at Missouri State University, remotely attending UNRWA USA meetings while competing at Model United Nations conferences. Since joining her debate team in high school- and later the Model UN club, Kayla has been hooked on international affairs and diplomacy. Throughout her academic career, Kayla has presented her research on neocolonialism and nationalist movements at numerous conferences, including the International Studies Association. She is published in LOGOS: A Journal of Undergraduate Research. Kayla is completing her Honors Distinction in Political Science on political philosophy and nationalism in Northeast Syria.

During her summer with the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations, Kayla became professionally involved with the Palestinian cause. Kayla's curiosity about how things work and her drive to make them better are qualities she hopes to bring to her programs and operations role at UNRWA USA.

In her free time, Kayla enjoys exploring new running spots, perfecting her sourdough recipe, and attempting to harness-train her cat.

Ask Kayla about:

Baking, art theft and forgery, her one-eyed horse, jump roping, and all things PC gaming.

Born and raised in the suburbs of Washington DC to a family active in civil and human rights, some of Laila’s earliest memories involve carrying signs at demonstrations demanding social justice.

Her family’s activism gene inspired Laila’s involvement in community organizing throughout her younger years and her desire to study the Middle East at the university. Laila went on to earn a BA in Global Affairs (concentrated in the Middle East and North Africa) and a minor in Music (piano) at George Mason University.

Today, Laila brings more than a decade of experience in public relations, creating and managing nonprofit communications, and raising funds for a variety of progressive organizations. Prior to joining UNRWA USA as its Communications Officer in 2013, she managed the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC)’s communications and outreach efforts. Her current role and that at ADC illustrate Laila’s passions: humanitarian concern for the people of Palestine and the fight for social justice.

Laila has proudly served her local Arab American community as a board member of the Network of Arab American Professionals DC Chapter (NAAP-DC), the DC Palestinian Film and Arts Festival (DCPFAF), and the ADC DC Chapter. She currently acts as the DC ambassador for afikra, and is board president of Open Roads Media Foundation, which focuses on conflict transformation, intercultural dialogue, and education through the innovative use of alternative media.

Ask Laila about:

Connecting, communications, social media, apps, technology, music/piano, her love for all things Spanish, or the law of attraction!

Lein is a Palestinian American born and raised in North Carolina to Palestinian refugee parents fleeing the Gulf War in Kuwait. She holds a Masters in Public Health with a Global Health concentration and a Bachelors in Biology with a Marine Science concentration from the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill.

Lein spent the first seven years of her career as a marine biologist, managing a sea turtle research lab at UNC after working as an ocean outdoor educator in San Diego.

Lein’s transition to global health was inspired by her experience growing up as a first-generation American in a Palestinian refugee family, ingraining a sense of global connectivity and a responsibility to advocate for her people. Lein is passionate about the connections between the environment, animals, and health and hopes to bring an environmental justice lens to her advocacy work at UNRWA USA.

Ask Lein about:

Sea turtles, cage diving with Great White Sharks, biking, Buy Nothing, and salt lamps.

Megan, a strong proponent of national service, spent more than a decade launching, managing, and jump-starting programs that engage people ages 50+ in service, including Experience Corps Marin, Coming of Age Bay Area, RSVP San Francisco, Senior Companions Program of Marin, and Foster Grandparents Program of Marin. Here she honed her interest and skills in operations, finance, and human resources. Megan most recently served as the Vice President of Finance & Operations for CoGenerate, which bridges generational divides to co-create a better future. 

Inspired by Palestinian American friends, her mother’s work in refugee resettlement, and the teachings of a college professor, Megan decided to dedicate the next phase of her career to Palestinian refugees.

Megan graduated from DePaul University with a degree in International Studies and a minor in Japanese and attended graduate school in Philosophy and Cultural Analysis in the Netherlands.  Themes of altruism, social capital, and post colonial theory dominate her work, then and now.

Megan is a Virginian living in San Francisco with her husband, teen daughter, and dog, Lava.

Ask Megan About: Historical fiction, finding the stories of women in your family tree, early American presidents, parenting a thirteen-year old, social capital, and good food. 

Born to Palestinian refugees from Gaza, politics and poetry run deep through Nahed’s bloodline. He grew up in Ottawa, Amman, then Melbourne, before going to Canberra for a Bachelor of Music (BMus) on the Margaret Schofield Composition Scholarship, and Bachelor of Politics, Philosophy and Economics (BPPE), at the Australian National University.

In 2018, Nahed went to Cairo, copy-editing for Egypt Independent while studying Arab classical music. The next year he returned to study at the University of Melbourne, where his thesis on Bourdieusian Lebanese history earned the WM Ball Prize for best graduate essay in International Relations. In the meantime, he took on digital fundraising for the Australia Youth Climate Coalition as its Content Team Coordinator, marketed and toured in the refugee-themed theatre production THEM, and composed A Lover from Palestine – a project in collaboration with dozens of Palestinians from Gaza to Istanbul. Fundraising for UNRWA USA is a joy for Nahed, being his only way to give back to the millions of Palestinians who cannot live in freedom and safety.

Nahed has two life dreams: to finish a symphony for Palestine, and to find out what Kanye meant by “I keep it 300, like the Romans”.

Ask Nahed about:

History, his Spotify playlist, Russian literature, Hadestown, yoga, and music jams.

Sharday is a Palestinian-American raised in Orlando, Florida. Her grandparents were from Gaza and Jaffa, and her father and his siblings were born in Nuseirat refugee camp. Growing up hearing stories of her family’s life and memories in Gaza gave her no choice but to proudly carry the torch for the Palestinian cause, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Florida (UF) and a Master’s degree in Public Policy from the University of Chicago.

During her time in undergrad at UF, Sharday wrote her graduating thesis on Palestinian political discourse around the 2006 election and served as president of the Arab Cultural Association. She could often be found on campus or Gainesville city corners advocating and fundraising for Palestine alongside her classmates and department faculty. After graduating, Sharday interned at the UNDP in Saudi Arabia before moving to Chicago to work for an Arab cultural organization focused on education and preservation of classical Arabic music.

After several years in internationally-focused nonprofits, Sharday spent nearly ten years in higher education advancement at the University of Chicago and Fairfield University, engaging and fundraising major gifts from top business and industry leaders across the U.S., Latin America, EMEA, and Asia. During her time in higher education, Sharday’s advancement work supported several multi-million and multi-billion dollar capital campaigns from quiet phase to completion. She has extensive experience raising support for scholarships and students, new buildings and campuses, and faculty and research support.

Sharday comes to UNRWA USA with a desire to bring her fundraising and advocacy expertise back home to the Palestinian refugee community. She splits her time between Orlando and Chicago and runs her own spiritual hypnosis and reiki practice in her free time. When she isn't working, her favorite activities are watching prank shows and going on adventures with her only child, a miniature schnauzer named Shams.

Ask Sharday about:

Establishing your philanthropic legacy, meditation, game theory, safe protesting, and where to find the best chicken taco in Chicago.

Zaina was born and raised by Palestinian refugees in Seattle, WA. She sometimes refers to herself as a “renaissance woman” having finished Pre-Medicine, Theatre, and Islamic Studies at Swarthmore College with Triple Honors. She has always been fascinated by storytelling and community building as a method for radical empathy and political change. Her major background comes from her work as a Palestinian director and producer. Her work has been in support of the de-radicalization of American thought towards Muslims and Palestinians. One of her recent and more upbeat projects included directing “R3TURN: A Palestinian Pop-Punk Musical”. Most recently, she worked as the Audience Engagement and Development Manager at Theatre Horizon in Philadelphia, PA where she worked on several fundraisers including a Third-Space Campaign which seeks to create inclusive social and artistic environments separate from the two usual social environments of home and the workplace, a cornerstone of democracy and social change.

Zaina thanks UNRWA for her existence here today as her mother—and greatest inspiration—was an alumnus of the UNRWA schools in Jordan. In her minimal free time, Zaina loves to teach herself how to embroider, plan out holiday gifts with her loved ones, and daydream about how her cats are doing back in Seattle!

Ask Zaina about:

Weightlifting, skin care, Arabi food (specifically making it!), Arthur Miller, video games.

Zeenie Malik is a first-generation Pakistani American raised in New York. A graduate of Boston University with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, she has dedicated her career to empowering underrepresented communities and driving meaningful action through her work with refugee-focused organizations.

Her expertise lies in content creation, strengthening nonprofit brand identities, and spearheading impactful six-figure fundraising campaigns. Over the years, she has been deeply moved and inspired by the stories of resilience shared by refugees worldwide, channeling these narratives to foster understanding and empathy. Growing up in a post-9/11 era, Zeenie recognized the transformative power of storytelling to challenge stereotypes and reshape perceptions of Muslims and immigrants.

In addition to her professional work, Zeenie co-founded Pals4Palestine, an organization dedicated to community building through fundraising, advocacy, and creative events for Palestine in Connecticut. Outside of her advocacy, she enjoys hosting lively game nights, perfecting her chai recipes, and creating portraits of her tuxedo cat.

Ask Zeenie about:

Islamic Art, boogie boarding, book recommendations, and ‘90s pop culture.