Board of Directors

Julianna Starr is a proud Syrian-American living in Dayton, Ohio. She was born in Damascus, Syria to Syrian parents. Her family immigrated to Columbus, Ohio when she was 5 years old, but her Arab culture remained a big part of her life. After graduating high school in 2004, Julianna and her family decided to move back to Damascus, Syria to be around family where she eventually married her Irish husband just before the Syrian War. After traveling and living abroad for a few years, she and her husband decided to call Dayton, Ohio home and raise their two young children. Julianna is a licensed Realtor with Keller Williams Advisors Realty and enjoys helping new Americans become homeowners.

Ramadan Alhaddad, Born in Benghazi, Libya. He had lived in many countries before he moved and settled down in Dayton, Ohio. He is a linguistic expert with an in-depth understanding and appreciation for other cultures, a senior Arabic Interpreter / Translator with more than 16 years of experience in the Legal and Medical interpreting and Translation . He has attended extensive training in the field of Legal Interpreting with The Supreme Court of Ohio. He has a comprehensive knowledge and experience in Interpreting for Trials, Depositions, Conferences and meetings. He is the top choice professional translator and writer for global news, blogs and magazines.

Anthony G. Massoud is the Past Secretary, Dayton Arab American Forum and married to Lelia Massoud. Tony  is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and retired in 2002 from the Reynolds & Reynolds Company after 30 years. He now is owner of Massoud Associates, Inc., a sales consulting company with organizations to help others reduce their costs especially with non profits. He is a United Rehabilitation Services Board Member, URS; Board Member, Gorman Hewitt Ayars Foundation;  Past President, ADA Dayton Leadership Council of the American Diabetes Association; Past Immediate Chair Prevent Blindness Ohio, Past President and current VP, Presidents Club of Dayton; Past President, Dayton Civitan Club, Founder and Past President Cincinnati-Columbus-Dayton Pitt Club, CCD Pitt Club, Board Member Justice and Peace in The Holy Land Forum.

Jad Mubaslat is an entrepreneur and software developer who has been passionate about Bitcoin and blockchain technologies for several years. He founded BitQuick.co, the first Ohio-based cryptocurrency company, while attending The Ohio State University during 2013. The Bitcoin trading platform was accepted into leading Bitcoin accelerator, Boost.VC in 2014, and simultaneously received investment from Tim Draper. BitQuick.co was later acquired by Athena Bitcoin Inc, a Chicago Bitcoin ATM company, in 2016 after growing to transact over $1.6M in trades each month.

He is also a Dayton-native, born and raised in Miamisburg, Ohio. He is also a recipient of Dayton Biz Journal’s 2018 40 under 40 award. Jad received his BS in Biomedical Engineering in May, 2015. He completed his masters dissertation in Industrial and Human Factors Engineering in 2018 at Wright State studying blockchain applications.

Lamees Mubaslat is an Architect and Sustainability Director for Montgomery County Planning and Construction department.  Designed, directed, and administered over 100 capital improvement projects ranging from large multiple use projects to small tenant improvements.  Currently works with the Dayton Regional Green 3 task force to promote greener government, businesses, and personal practices throughout Montgomery County and the Dayton region. Palestinian; born in Kuwait and raised in Jordan. Graduated from the University of Jordan with B.S in Architecture and moved to Dayton Ohio in 1989 to join husband Saed Mubaslat.  They have two boys: Jad, a biomedical engineering (pre-med) student at OSU, and Rahmey, a student in Miamisburg high school.

Bassam Nakfour. Born in Lebanon, he graduated in 1972 from the American University of Beirut Medical School. Upon completion of his residency training in Obstetrics – Gynecology at Case Western Reserve in 1976, he moved to Dayton, Ohio, where he established a private practice. He retired in 2003.  He is board certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology. For six years, he was chairman of the OB-GYN department at St. Elizabeth Medical Center. He is past president of Montgomery County’s OB-GYN society. He is married to Randa Slim and has one daughter, Aleese. He is co-founder of DAAF, was its second board president and is now a board member.

Youssef Elzein is a Lebanese American who led the campaign to successfully establish a Sister City relationship between his city of Dayton, Ohio and the Palestinian city of Salfit in the West Bank. Elzein has worked as a Civil Engineer for 35 years and has served his community in extraordinary and diverse ways: in the Dayton Department of Aviation, in the City of Dayton Police Reform Working Group and Implementation Team, in the Parents Leadership Council at the University of Dayton, on the board of the Dayton Arab American Forum, and in the Dayton Christian Connections Interfaith Trialogue.
He has also served as: a volunteer and current board member of Dayton’s American Red Cross Chapter, a mentor with the Montgomery County Ohio College Promise, a Catholic Social Services volunteer working on Refugee Resettlement, and a Habitat for Humanity volunteer working on three home builds. Not surprisingly, he is a recipient of the Outstanding Volunteer of the Year Award from the Dayton Presidents’ Club.

Josephine Fletcher is a proud Lebanese-American, born and raised in Dayton, Ohio. Her family immigrated to the area in the 1980s, bringing with them the rich culture and traditions of Lebanon that continue to shape her life today. Josephine is a devoted wife and mother of four beautiful children. She is a licensed insurance agent with the Steve Miller Allstate Agency and is passionate about helping individuals and families protect what matters most. As a bilingual agent fluent in both English and Arabic, Josephine takes pride in supporting and guiding the Arab community, ensuring they feel understood, informed, and confident in their coverage decisions.

Joanne Wazni is a Physical Therapist from Ohio University’s class of 2024. After graduating, she moved to Dayton to work for Kettering Health. She is of Lebanese descent; however she grew up in Guinea and completed high school in Gabon. After graduating high school, she moved to the US to complete her college education. Throughout her college education, Joanne was involved in various clubs and organizations. She was a volunteer at multiple International Student Orientations and volunteered at University Hospitals’ Rainbow Babies and Children’s department in Cleveland, Ohio. She additionally became an International Student Peer Educator and co-founded Valiant Vikes, a service-based student organization at Cleveland State University.

At Ohio University, she served as the Marketing-Promotion Co-Lead for a Red Cross blood drive, the Fundraising Co-Chair for the yearly Quad Rugby tournament, and one of four graduation Chairs for the DPT class of 2025. Joanne understands the importance of a strong and connected community, especially in smaller cities where people may not have as many opportunities or shared spaces to connect, maintain, or grow their shared identities. She is passionate about creating more opportunities for new and well-seasoned Daytonians to connect with each other and build a stronger Arab community.