The Honor is Ours
As a team we are sincerely ecstatic about this project. Not only does this project allow us to further our own aspirations for a better world, it also allows us to solidify a meaningful and well thought out approach to furthering the legacies of Deah Barakat, Yusor Abu-Salha, and Razan Abu-Salha:
their legacy lives on…

Ibraheem Khalifa, Board Chairman
Yezen Hamad, Vice Chairman
Yezen grew up in Rocky Mount, NC. His father is originally from Palestine and mother is from Nash County, NC. Yezen earned a degree in Economics from Sydney College in VA and went on to work as a mutual fund accountant. Yezen’s true passion was to pursue Commercial Real Estate, which has been doing for over 20 years. Yezen is happily married with three children.


Farris Barakat, Founding Board Member
Farris Barakat was born and raised in Raleigh, NC to Syrian immigrants. He graduated from North Carolina State University with concentration in Entrepreneurship. Since then, he has continued to work internationally in bringing relief to Syrian refugees. Farris founded the Light House Project in hopes of reclaiming the Muslim American narrative in honor of his brother Deah Barakat. He has committed his career to bridging the gap of ignorance to further understanding.
Rida Fatima, Advisory Board Member


Nadia Khan, Executive Director
Nadia has been working in the nonprofit sector for over a decade and is passionate about serving the Muslim community. She earned a graduate degree in Nonprofit Management from the University of Georgia. Nadia has been involved in various Muslim organizations since moving to the Triangle in 2008 and had perviously served on the Light House Project board since 2018. She took on the role of Executive Director in October 2021.