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April Book Club Discussion (Conditional Citizens) in honor of Arab-American Heritage Month

  • 28 Apr 2021
  • 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
  • Zoom Webinar


April 28 @ 4:00 p.m.

Join us on at the end of the month with Nadia Mavrakis, Lilly Guindy, and Moderator, Sherry Dowlatshahi, as they discuss the main points of Conditional Citizens and add their own perspective and experiences. 

Bring your questions, Q&A to follow. 

A Book Club for those who want to keep learning and discussing the world around them. Read along or join at the end of the month for an in-depth discussion of the book. Join at your leisure. All are welcome! 

This April will focus on the Arab-American Experience and will feature the book Conditional Citizens by Laila Lalami, an experienced Moroccan-American author. This book explores the question of what it means to be American from a first person perspective with an exploration of history, politics, and literature of the American experience. 

Panelists

Nadia Mavrakis

Chief Executive Officer, Culturingua

As a native Texan and Libyan-American with extensive global experience, Nadia Mavrakis brings the perspective of these worldviews to her various roles in the Bexar County community. As Chief Executive Officer of Culturingua, a nonprofit that celebrates the people and heritage of the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia (MENASA), she leads efforts to build bridges between San Antonio and the MENASA world through education, community development, and arts & culture.

Formerly a Senior Manager for Accenture Strategy, she led projects and teams for up to $600 million in organic investment and up to $35 billion in mergers & acquisitions transactions to design and implement strategic transformation programs in the energy sector. She worked in the US, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and Singapore.

Nadia is Treasurer of the Board of Directors of Muslim Children Education and Civic Center, which serves 7,000 San Antonio residents through civic, social, and religious services. She co-founded and co-chaired Islamic Art Revival Series, a nonprofit program in Dallas that promotes cross-cultural dialogue, where she led a team to host multiple educational events at the Dallas Museum of Art and other premier arts venues attended by more than 2,250 people.

Nadia graduated magna cum laude from The University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Business Strategy and Finance as well as a minor in French. She studied in France and Morocco. She is a HOLT Values-Based Leadership Fellow with the San Antonio Area Foundation. She completed business leadership courses at Harvard Business School, Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, HEC Paris, and INSEAD. She is fluent in English and speaks French and Arabic. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in economics and finance.


Lilly Guindy

Program Manager, Dreamvoice

Egyptian born and raised, Lilly is currently known throughout the San Antonio area for her role in DreamVoice as the Program Manager and the President of the Lilly Agency with a passion of positively, culturally and economically impact the city and neighboring counties through ongoing efforts to increase exchange of ideas and resources. She also serves as a board member in the Global Chamber San Antonio and as a member of the San Antonio Council for International Visitors & the San Antonio Women’s Chamber of Commerce. 

During a recent 2-year stint in Oklahoma, Lilly served as a key Spouse Mentor for a military unit, planned/coordinated operations as the Manager of the Air Force Base recreational community center, and volunteered to teach Arabic as a second language to Military Active Duty Members. While a member of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, Egypt, Lilly had over eight-years experience with the State Department as the Cultural Affairs Advisor managing Citizen Diplomacy programs through media, cultural and educational exchange. Finally, Lilly is a proud dog parent of two German shepherds, A’ntar & Lila and she enjoys a walk at the River walk where she can breathe nature and be filled with peace. 


Moderator

Sherry Dowlatshahi

Chief Diplomacy and Protocol Officer, City of San Antonio

Ms. Dowlatshahi is Chief Diplomacy & Protocol Officer heading the City of San Antonio’s International Relations Office, a division of the Economic Development Department.  She advises, assists and supports San Antonio elected officials and executives on matters of international affairs, public diplomacy and diplomatic procedure and protocol; is responsible for coordinating official foreign travel of Mayor and Council as well as planning the program of visits for high-level foreign dignitaries, consular & diplomatic corps members working closely with Mayor and City Council.  Another important part of her work is public engagement with local community business, cultural, civic and higher education, diaspora and ethnic groups.  She manages the San Antonio Sister Cities Program and works closely with Sister Cities International as well as community stakeholders on fostering and maintaining San Antonio’s official relationships.



Our Mission

The mission of the World Affairs Council of San Antonio is to promote public understanding of world affairs and United States foreign policy, and to enhance the ability of its citizens and future leaders to participate in a global community. We accomplish our mission by presenting a lecture series, holding receptions, organizing discussion groups, sponsoring educational outreach programs, and hosting deliberative sessions for young professionals.

Call or Fax Us

Phone: 210.308.9494
Fax: 210.308.9497

World Affairs Council of San Antonio 84 NE Loop 410, Suite 119

San Antonio, TX 78216



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