Lena Alhusseini

Lena Alhusseini serves as the Country Director for Peace Corps Morocco, where responsible for leading initiatives that promote youth development and cross-cultural exchange. Lena is also a PhD candidate at the California Institute of Integral Studies. Previously, Lena held key positions such as Head of the Middle East & North Africa Program at the International Commission on Missing Persons, overseeing regional strategies and partnerships, and Executive Director at LifeWorks of Sonoma County, providing mental health services. Additional roles include Director of Child Welfare for the State of Oregon, Chief Executive Officer of the Arab American Family Support Center, and International Outreach Program Manager at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Lena's educational qualifications span multiple degrees, including a PhD in Transformation Studies and an MPA in International Nonprofit Management.

Before coming to the U.S., Alhusseini served with a number of international organizations around the world on issues pertaining to child protection and human trafficking, including USAID and UNICEF. Most notably, she established the Jordan River Foundation’s child protection unit under the direction of HM Queen Rania Al Abdullah. That organization was the first in Jordan to address the issue of child abuse and protection. Alhusseini leads AAFSC as the co-founder and lead partner of the Khalil Gibran International Academy in Brooklyn, the first Arabic dual language public school in the USA.

Alhusseini is a recipient of the Auburn Seminary Women of Commitment Award 2007 and twice a recipient of a Certificate of Appreciation by the National center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Alhusseini is a committee member with the Human Rights Watch-NY, Community Partner with CURE, the Dialogue project and the Arab American Institute in addition to many other community partnerships on a national and International level. Born in Jerusalem and raised in Saudi Arabia and the UK, Alhusseini is of Palestinian origin.