Hisham Jabi
Founder & CEO
Hisham Jabi is a seasoned entrepreneur, international development leader, and thought partner on the future of work for youth in the Middle East, with a current focus on harnessing artificial intelligence and digital transformation to scale opportunity at a regional level.
He is the Founder and CEO of Jabi Consulting, a Washington, D.C.–based, minority-owned firm with operations across the MENA region, advising governments, multilateral institutions, and the private sector on Positive Youth Development, workforce and entrepreneurship, digital transformation, and monitoring, evaluation and learning.
He is also the Founder of the Palestine Economic Forum (PEF), a global, non-political network of senior Palestinian professionals and supporters of Palestine convened to strengthen the Palestinian economy through knowledge exchange and diaspora engagement. In Washington, he serves as a Board Member of the Small Business Association for International Companies (SBAIC), advancing the role of U.S. small businesses in delivering foreign assistance.
Hisham’s career spans more than three decades and over a dozen countries across the MENA region. He founded MABCO, one of the largest IT firms in the region, and PITA, Palestine’s leading IT industry association. He launched Juzoor, a U.S.-based NGO providing capital and entrepreneurship training to young people in the Middle East, and designed and directed Ruwwad, one of the largest USAID-funded youth employability and entrepreneurship programs in the region. As a senior advisor, he has supported the World Bank, ILO, UNOPS, and USAID on large-scale, complex programs reaching hundreds of thousands of young people.
Today, his work increasingly centers on the intersection of AI, youth, and economic mobility. In recent thought leadership, he has argued that the Gulf’s AI moment — anchored by tens of billions in Saudi and Emirati AI infrastructure investment — represents a generational opportunity to train tens of thousands of Arab youth in applied AI and digital skills through pay-as-you-earn models, and to position them for high-value roles across the GCC and globally. Through Jabi Consulting and PEF, he is working with partners in the Gulf, North America, and Palestine to translate this vision into deployable programs at scale.
Hisham holds an MBA and a master’s degree in Information Technology, bringing a strong analytical foundation to his operational experience. He is widely regarded as a builder — of companies, institutions, and pathways for young people — and as a bridge between Palestinian-American communities, the GCC, and the international development ecosystem
Larry Cooley
Senior Technical Advisor
Larry is the founder and President Emeritus of Management Systems International. He boasts over four decades of strategic management, public sector reform, and international development experience, with roots in UNDP, World Bank, and Peace Corps. His expertise has guided numerous global public management initiatives and advised leaders of governments and international agencies.
Jerry M. Striplin
Senior Middle East Advisor
Jerry is a Senior business leader, program manager and industry consultant enabled by over 35 years of experience across 64 countries and experience in over 40 business sectors. His work includes multiple programs in Afghanistan, Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East, over 20 years as a private consultant prior to serving as Vice President for AT&T and FISERV, Director for The Palladium Group Saudi Arabia, and various senior management positions with The Coca-Cola Company, ORC, Telcordia, Bell Labs and the Digital Equipment Corporation.
Marina Fanning
Corporate Oversight Advisor
Marina has advised Jabi Consulting on its strategies, economic development tools, and projects since its inception. She served for almost four decades as Executive Vice President for Management Strategies International (MSI), an international development consulting firm she helped establish. For MSI, she also directed their highly regarded Career Management for Women program for seven years. Marina holds an MS in Organizational Development from American University, and is fluent in Spanish, French, and Portuguese.
Larry Garber
Senior Advisor
Larry Garber is an international development expert, who served as a senior official at USAID for more than 15 years, including five as mission director for USAID/West Bank-Gaza, one of the agency’s most politically sensitive posts. During the Arab Spring period, he led USAID’s strategic planning response. Separate from his work as USAID, Larry has extensive experience in election monitoring and democratization, working with organizations like the United Nations and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. He holds degrees from Queens College in political science and from Columbia University in law and international affairs.
Dr. Amna-Noor Al-Gallas-Streeter
Global Health & Development Senior Advisor
Dr. Amna-Noor Al-Gallas-Streeter is a medical doctor and global health expert with over 20 years of experience designing and leading global health programs in low-resourced countries around the world. She has served as a senior technical advisor at USAID’s Global Health Bureau, focusing on infectious diseases, health systems strengthening, monitoring and evaluation, and data-driven policy. Fluent in English, Arabic, and French, she has worked across 20+ countries and with global partners such as WHO and the Global Fund. Dr. Al-Gallas-Streeter holds an MD from Jordan University and an MA in International Relations from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.
Hisham Kassab, PhD
Technology Advisor
Dr. Kassab received his PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT. He previously worked for Booz-Allen & Hamilton and has extensive IT experience. He is passionate about developing innovative solutions to the world’s toughest development problems by utilizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) and information technology.
Karla Yoder
Senior Workforce Expert
Karla is a workforce and economic development specialist with over 20 years of experience designing and advising programs that expand economic opportunity across the U.S., Middle East, and Africa. She has led workforce strategy, research, and systems design for organizations including World Learning, Global Communities, and the D.C. Workforce Investment Council. Her expertise spans youth employment, labor market systems, and partnership development, with a focus on translating evidence into practice for sustainable economic inclusion.
Emily Kenward
Project Associate
Emily joined Jabi Consulting in 2024. She is passionate about the climate-conflict-gender nexus and expanding leadership opportunities for women in peacebuilding. She has contributed to water diplomacy efforts between Israel, the Palestinian Territories and Jordan, as well as led dialogue initiatives for Israeli and Palestinian youth for over two years. Emily holds a BS in Environmental Biology and a BA in International Relations from Tulane University. She also holds an MA in Conflict Resolution and Mediation from Tel Aviv University and an MA in Environment, Development and Peace from UN-mandated University for Peace.
Sophie Arbaugh
Operations & Business Development Manager
Sophie first joined Jabi Consulting in 2023 as a research consultant. She previously worked at the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), supporting USAID programming in Libya and Sudan. Sophie received an MSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics, where she concentrated her studies in Middle Eastern politics, international law, and humanitarian intervention.
