PRESS RELEASE
January 23, 2020

CONTACT:
Laila Mokhiber, Director of Communications
laila@unrwausa.org

Washington, DC — After a three-month search, the UNRWA USA board of directors has announced the appointment of Mara Kronenfeld as the organization’s new Executive Director, effective February 3, 2020. 

“The candidate pool for UNRWA USA’s new Executive Director was impressive and diverse, but given her passion for humanitarian issues and track record of executive excellence, Mara Kronenfeld was chosen to lead the organization into its next chapter,” says Ghassan Salameh, UNRWA USA board chair.

Mara joins UNRWA USA, the United States national committee of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency For Palestine Refugees in the Near East, at a time of growth and aims to guide the organization to more than double the organization’s fundraising revenue in the next 5 years. Mara, a seasoned organizational leader with more than 15 years of experience in business and partnership development is expected to facilitate strategic long-term planning to achieve that growth.

Having focused most of her career on international development, Mara has over 15 years of experience designing, implementing, and leading youth development programming in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Mara has extensive leadership experience in youth development with a strong focus on program design and development, organizational capacity strengthening, and multi-sectoral partnership cultivation and collaboration.

Mara previously served as Regional Director of MENA and Eurasia programs at the International Youth Foundation (IYF) where she worked for over a decade. She earlier held positions at AMIDEAST and the  American University in Cairo. At AMIDEAST, Mara managed corporate, foundation, and individual fundraising efforts and managed the Fulbright scholarship program for students from the MENA region. Mara was a U.S. Fulbright grantee to Syria herself between 2001 and 2003 and while in Syria, managed a U.S. State Department-funded teacher training project and UNRWA’s English Language Club for Palestinian vocational students.

Mara holds a Masters Degree in Near Eastern Studies from New York University and a Bachelors Degree in Anthropology from Stanford University. She is fluent in both English and Arabic.

Mara takes over leadership of UNRWA USA from Ambassador (ret.) Maura Connelly, who has been serving as interim executive director. 

In her new role, Mara will lead a team of 8 in the United States to educate the American public about the plight of Palestine refugees and raise funds for UNRWA’s critical programs in the Middle East.

“I am excited to welcome Mara Kronenfeld to the UNRWA community at an important time in the Agency’s history,” said Elizabeth Campbell, Director of the UNRWA Representative Office of Washington. “The UNRWA DC office works closely with UNRWA USA here in the United States to bring much-needed attention to the important work of the organization that provides life-saving assistance and protection to over 5.5 million Palestine refugees in the Middle East. I am excited to partner with her in UNRWA USA’s continued work showcasing the American people’s support for the equity and justice for Palestine refugees.”