Board of Directors

Dr. Laila Al-Marayati has been an activist in the American Muslim community for many years, and she cofounded the Muslim Women’s League (MWL), an organization dedicated to strengthening the role of Muslim women in society. Al-Marayati also spearheaded the MWL’s efforts on behalf of rape survivors from the war in Bosnia, and was a member of the official U.S. Delegation to the 1995 U.N. Conference on Women in Beijing. She has also served as a Presidential Appointee to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. Al-Marayati’s activism centers around women’s rights in Islam, reproductive health and sexuality, and violence against women. As the chairperson of KinderUSA, Dr. Al-Marayati helps provide humanitarian assistance to Palestinian children in the West Bank, Gaza, and Lebanon. Currently, she is the Medical Director of Women’s Health at a Los Angeles community clinic and is an Assistant Clinical Professor at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California.

Dr. Basil Abdelkarim is a Board-certified physician in internal medicine practicing in Southern California for the last 25 years. Born in the US to Palestinian immigrants, Dr. Abdelkarim has continually sought relief for Palestinians through charitable work, culminating in the co-founding of KinderUSA in 2002 with several other physicians.

Dr. Abdelkarim has been active in the rights of children through numerous publications and speaking engagements throughout the US. As a California-based physician, he is also a prolific writer on politics and human rights. Drawing on firsthand clinical experience and a deep commitment to social justice, Dr Abdelkarim's work explores the intersection of health, policy, and human dignity. His writing has informed public discourse, challenged systemic inequities, and amplified marginalized voices, reflecting a career devoted not only to healing patients, but also advocating for ethical responsibility and human rights at both national and global levels.

Dr. Jess Ghannam is a clinical professor and the Chief of Medical Psychology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). He is currently Board Treasurer, and has been on the board for a total of nine years. Ghannam earned his Masters and Doctorate in Psychology at University of California-Berkeley in 1981 and 1984, (respectively), and a Masters in Medical Sciences at UC-Berkeley in 1983. He also practices at the UCSF Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Ghannam applies his knowledge not only in the scholastic arena, but also in the humanitarian realm, publishing about—and taking speaking engagements that focus on—children suffering from PTSD.

Dr. Kublaoui is currently an attending physician at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Formerly, he held an Assistant Professorship of Pediatrics and Internal Medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Dr. Kublaoui did his post-doctoral training and residency in the Harvard Internal Medicine/Pediatrics program. His specialty is Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes. He has been a KinderUSA board member since 2008.

Margaret S. King has held various educational positions in her lifetime. She has a B.A. in sociology from American University of Beirut, Lebanon, and a M.A. in Anthropology from New York University. In 1978, King and her husband were transferred to Saudi Arabia, where they lived for nine years in both Jeddah and Dhahran. King has been a community activist in charities and a public speaker on subjects that include politics, religion, and social studies. In 2000, she retired to concentrate on her independent scholarly research and writing. King has used her training as an anthropologist to study Middle Eastern cultures from ancient history to the modern era, incorporating all the latest discoveries in archaeology, anthropology, linguistic studies, and biblical scholarship. She is also a collector of antiquities.

Lena Alfi is currently the CEO of Malala Fund. She has over 15 years of international development experience with a focus on casting strategic vision and building transformative partnerships in the education space. In Lena’s role as CEO, she leads a global team of experts and advocates who are working to ensure that all girls have access to 12 years of free, safe, quality education. Prior to serving as CEO, she worked as the Chief Development Officer for the organization. Lena earned a bachelor’s of arts history and international relations from the University of Southern California and a master’s degree in global human development from Georgetown University. She worked in various roles at like-minded organizations such as Project Concern International, Mercy Corps and the Middle East Children’s Institute (MECI). Lena is originally Syrian and Egyptian, a mother of two, and deeply passionate about women and children’s causes.