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…
Light House Board

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


Maha Ali, Board Member
Maha Ali was born and raised in the Triangle. She is mother to three children and loves her community. Maha has been a Registered Nurse for 12 years and enjoys volunteering in healthcare and other local Muslim organizations. Maha strongly believes that the biggest assett to any community is its youth. This is what led her to the Light House Project. She hopes to uplift the youth by providing the support and programs necessary for success through the LHP.
Staff

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.
Kassidy DeMaio, Operations Manager
Kassidy DeMaio serves as our Operations Manager. She recently graduated from NC State University with a Bachelor’s in Political Science and a Bachelor’s in Arabic Language and Culture, and a minor in Nonprofit Studies. She served as NCSU Arabic Club President, received the Boren Scholarship to study Arabic in Jordan, and worked in Morocco as a teacher and nonprofit manager. Kassidy aims to help realize the LHP vision of empowering youth and building community through community outreach programs and building interpersonal relationships.


Mohsen Zakaib, Programs Manager
Meet our new Program Manager, Mohsen Zakaib. Mohsen has a degree in Nuclear Engineering and Islamic Studies and is currently working towards med school. He has a strong passion for working in the Muslim community and it shows in his involvement– he previously served as MSA President at NCSU, Youth Specialist at the IAR, and co-founded the Muslim Compass. Mohsen aims to help realize the LHP vision of empowering the youth and young professionals through beneficial programming.