Party Support Committee
Party Support Committee
o Ahrar: Milad Zohrob
o Independence Movement/ Harakat Al-Istiqlal: Joseph Moura
o Kataeb: Joe Rached
o Lebanese Forces: Gustave Cordahi
o Liban Message: Gen. Khalil Helou
o Marada: William Franjieh
o Ramgavar Party (Armenian Democratic Liberal Party): Raffi Balian, M.D.
o Tashnak (Armenian Revolutionary Federation): Vahe Bozoyan, Ph.D.
o
Tayyar: Joseph Khalil, D.D.S.
Ahrar: Milad Zohrob
President of the American Lebanese Coalition, a lobbying group
consisting of 4 major American Lebanese grass roots organizations.
President of the Assembly for Lebanon, a grass roots organization in Michigan.
President of Ahrar North America.
Publisher of Voice of Freedom newspaper in Michigan.
Background: Grew up in Lebanon. Immigrated to the United States in 1977 during the Lebanese war with the PLO. Immediately got involved in community activities and was a founding member of the American Lebanese League, an umbrella organization that represented the majority of Lebanese Americans. Was on the executive committee for several years.
Education: Bachelors of Business
Administration, the American University of Beirut; Masters of Business
Administration, University of Detroit.
Independence Movement/ Harakat
Al-Istiqlal: Joseph Moura
Joseph Moura is American Lebanese; he has been in the United States
for the last 14 years. He came from Zgharta, North Lebanon, and is a member of
the Rene Moawad Foundation in the USA. He represents the Independence Movement
(Harakat el Esteklal). The movement started registering the Lebanese in 2009.
So far, they have registered over 600 in the USA and in Australia, and are
still working on more.
Kataeb: Joe Rached
Founder, president and CEO of Mobility Express dealer division.
Coordinator of Lebanese Kataeb party, USA.
President of the Church pastoral council of Saint Peter and Paul, Tampa, FL since 2003.
Joe grew up in Lebanon, spent his early years at College Saint Joseph Antoura.
Taught for 3 years in Beirut before he emigrated to the United States of America, where he was the regional manager of AFLAC insurance company for many years before he founded MOBILITY EXPRESS in 1992.
In the last 10 years, he donated
more than 60 scooters, power chairs and wheel chairs for many foundations
related to handicaps in Lebanon.
Lebanese Forces: Gustave Alain
Cordahi
Gustave Alain Cordahi is an expert in Transportation Engineering
and Planning who currently works as a Senior Consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton
in Washington D.C. with clients that include various national and Federal
agencies within the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT). He holds a
Master of Science in Transportation Engineering from the University of
California at Berkeley (2008) on top of his Bachelor's degree in Civil and
Environmental Engineering with distinction from AUB (2007) and his Research Experience
at MIT in 2006. Additionally, Gustave is a co-founder and the current Executive
Director of the "Back to Roots" Summer Academy program in North
America, an Assistant Director at the Lebanese Information Center (LIC) in the
US Capital as well as the Secretary of the Greater Washington D.C. AUB Alumni
(WAAAUB) Chapter. He also was the Vice President of the Lebanese Student
Association at Berkeley as a Graduate Student. Gustave received a Research
Fellowship form U.C. Berkeley in 2008, and two awards from AUB in 2007: The
Penrose Award for the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture (FEA), and The
Distinguished Graduate Award for the Civil and Environmental Engineering
Department. Besides being placed on the Dean's Honor List during all his
semesters at AUB, Gustave maintained an on-campus activism as the President of
the AUB Social Club; and as a Member-at-Large of Outlook's Editorial Board as
well as Co-Editor of Outlook's Arabic Supplement. Moreover, Gustave was awarded
the Special Recognition Award at the 5th FEA Student Conference for his paper
titled "Ethics and FEA". Gustave spent his early years at College
Saint Joseph, Antoura where he earned both the Lebanese and the French
Baccalaureates with distinction in 2003.
Liban Message: Gen. Khalil Helou
Marada: William Franjieh
William Franjieh was born in Lebanon and stayed in Lebanon during
most of the war. He got married and eventually moved to Athens, Greece, where
he worked at CCC in the computer department. He later immigrated to the Unites
States of America. In the mid 90's, William returned to Lebanon. He was blessed
with three children who are now all attending University. Currently, William
and his family live in Massachusetts. He is working as a Real Estate Agent and
in the Trucking business.
Ramgavar Party (Armenian Democratic
Liberal Party): Raffi Balian, M.D.
Harout Raffi Balian was born in Beirut, Lebanon. He attended New High School and AGBU
Hovagimian- Manoogian Boys School. He
went to medical school in Yerevan, Armenia and completed his residency at the
University of Ottawa in Ontario, Canada, specializing in Physical Medicine and
Rehabilitation.
Following the devastating earthquake in Armenia in 1988, he became Medical Director for the Pediatric Rehabilitation Program in Yerevan established by Project Hope in 1989.
In 1993 Dr. Balian and his family moved to the USA to join the vibrant Armenian community of California. He established a private practice in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in Pasadena in 1996 and continues to this day. He has also undertaken the Medical Directorship of the Acute Rehabilitation Unit at the Glendale Memorial Hospital in Glendale California since 2011.
Dr. Balian has been an active member of the Armenian Democratic Liberal Party, (Ramgavar), since 1973 and has served in different administrative positions throughout the past forty years.
He is presently a member of the Central Committee and Vice Chairman of the ADLP, Western District. Dr Balian is Chairman of the Armenian Rights Council of America, Western USA. He is also the administrative director of the Nor Or Weekly newspaper, established in Fresno, California in 1922.
Tashnag (Armenian Revolutionary Federation): Vahe Bozoyan, Ph.D.
Tayyar: Joseph Adib Khalil, D.D.S.
Joseph Khalil moved to the Washington DC area in 2003 where he is a practicing dentist in Arlington and Oakton in Virginia. He moved to the US at the age of 18 in pursuit of education and political freedom. As a child and teenager he was an active member of the Scouts Du Liban organization and a volunteer at the Lebanese Red Cross, both of which had major impact on his upbringing and deepened his love for a free and prosperous Lebanon. His dream of joining the military academy was shattered when he had to leave Lebanon due to political persecution, as was the case of many young Lebanese college students in the early nineties. An activist at heart, he never missed an opportunity to work and lobby for a democratic and free Lebanon. He was a member of the Lebanese American Council for Democracy, a lobbying group for an independent and free Lebanon. Among his interest is learning more about the Maronite history and heritage, hence his support for Project Roots and the CLFW. He is married to Jennifer and has two sons Christopher and Michael. When he is not seeing patients, he enjoys reading, traveling, photography and cycling.