PRESIDENT, CHAIR

Andrew Watts recently retired after a career of nearly four decades in investment management, with the last 30 years spent as managing director at the global investment firm Oaktree Capital Management. His work in global investing led Andrew to an interest in geopolitics, particularly issues related to Palestine. In 2014, he traveled as a mentor with a group of college students to Israel and Palestine. They visited with Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb in Bethlehem and toured occupied Hebron and the bombed ruins of Bir’im. Inspired by that visit, he became more actively involved in Bright Stars and joined the board in 2016. His mission is to broaden awareness of and support for the hopeful work of Mitri Raheb, all those in the Dar al-Kalima University community, and all in Palestine who work for equality, hope, and peace.

VICE CHAIR

Linda Edens is a retired speech pathologist, having had her own private practice. She was a member a neurodevelopment diagnostic team in Chicago. In 2016, she visited Palestine with her Palestinian-born pastor, and was introduced to Mitri Raheb and the hope in action at Dar-al-Kalima University. This moved her to become involved with Bright Stars of Bethlehem, and joined the board in 2018. She holds the position of Authentic Travel Liaison for the board, committing to assisting individuals and groups interested in traveling to Palestine. Linda represents Bright Stars by speaking to groups about the current situation in Palestine. She fully commits to advocating for human rights for all, and participates in various social justice efforts in Chicago. Linda is currently working on an advanced degree in Trauma Informed Leadership to further support her work with those in Chicago, and Palestine. She lives in downtown Chicago with her husband Ed.

TREASURER

Ed Cunnington is a retired president and COO of Tescom, now a division of Emerson Electric. Ed also volunteers for Living Waters for the World, where he serves as the coordinator of a team installing clean water systems across Cuba. As an elder in the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis, Ed made his first trip to Palestine in 2010. The time in Bethlehem led to a partnership and a signed covenant with Christmas Lutheran Church, Dar al-Kalima, and Westminster. Ed worked with Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb to arrange an investment fund for Dar al-Kalima University through the Presbyterian Foundation, as well as additional funding for investments in Jericho and Ramallah. Ed serves on the advisory board for the College of Science and Engineering at the University of Minnesota. He lives in suburban Minneapolis with his wife Karayn.

SECRETARY

Mark Leinweber is the retired co-founder and co-owner of Phoenix-based Stevens Leinweber Construction. As an elder at Pinnacle Presbyterian Church in Scottsdale, Mark first traveled to Palestine in 2018, where he met Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb. This trip inspired him and his fellow travelers to create the Pinnacle Presbyterian fund, an endowed scholarship for Dar al-Kalima University. Mark has served in leadership positions with Teach for America and public school programs in Arizona and has provided consulting for Harmony Ministries’ school programs in Haiti. He has also served as board chair for Westminster Village, a nonprofit retirement community in Scottsdale.

BOARD MEMBER

Jim McDowell is the retired CEO of AAA Arizona and has held senior positions within AAA for forty years. He has also held management positions at Ford Motor Company and the National Highway Traffic Administration/USDOT. A member of the finance committee at Pinnacle Presbyterian Church in Scottsdale, Jim became involved in humanitarian aid to Palestine after a trip there with his wife in 2018. This experience led Jim and his fellow Pinnacle travelers to create a $100,000 Pinnacle Presbyterian endowed scholarship for students at Dar al-Kalima University. Jim and his wife Joanna live in Scottsdale.

BOARD MEMBER

Albert Asfour is a retired mechanical engineer. Albert’s professional life involved developing new concepts in the aerospace, construction, and automotive industries. Relating to International Business and Market Development, Albert supported start-up companies in China, India, Australia and South America. He served on the board of Americans for a Vibrant Palestinian Economy, an organization that connected Palestinian industries to U.S. industries. Upon retirement, Albert started his own engineering consulting firm serving mostly far east companies in product improvement and in developing components to meet Western automotive guidelines. An avid biker, gardener, and old car enthusiast.

BOARD MEMBER

Deacon Susan Lindberg Haley is an ELCA Minister of Word and Service, dedicated to creating inclusive spaces that empower all individuals to live freely, fully, and bravely as unique creations of God. Since 2017, she has traveled to Israel and Palestine three times, witnessing both the oppressive conditions faced by the Palestinian people and the hope offered by Dar al-Kalima University to its students.

Susan is fervently committed to advocating for peace and justice in the region by raising awareness of the realities on the ground. She also focuses on dismantling racism within the church through her involvement with the New England Synod Antiracism Advisory Board.

In addition to her advocacy work, Susan has served in various local congregations and in disability ministry. She previously held the position of board chair for ProGente Connections, an ecumenical and cross-cultural organization in Framingham, MA, that supports Brazilian immigrant families. Furthermore, she is an active member of the Human Rights Committee for the Worcester Recovery Center and Hospital.

Susan resides in Holliston, MA, with her spouse, John.

BOARD MEMBER

Rami is a Palestinian-American academic and journalist whose family resides in Beirut, Amman, and Nazareth. During his 50 years as a journalist in the Middle East, he was editor of the Jordan Times and the Daily Star (Beirut) newspapers. He contributed reporting and opinion pieces from the region to the Financial Times, NPR, BBC radio, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, and other outlets. He has published books on socio-economic development and archaeology in Jordan. He is writing an analysis of the half-century of transformation in the Middle East that he experienced and a manual on the Craft and Legacy of Anthony Shadid, the late Arab-American award-winning foreign correspondent.

He founded and directed the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs (IFI) at the American University of Beirut, where he also taught journalism for a decade and launched the Global Engagement Initiative from AUB’s New York City office. He has been a Harvard Nieman Journalism Fellow, a senior fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School, and a Fellow of the Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs in Arab East Jerusalem. He was a visiting scholar at Villanova, Oklahoma, Mt. Holyoke, Syracuse, Northeastern, and Tufts universities. Rami is currently a distinguished fellow at IFI, a senior fellow at the Arab Center in Washington, DC, and a regular contributor to Aljazeera online.

BOARD MEMBER

Joanne Held Cummings is the director of Middle East Studies and a lecturer in political science at the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core, where she specializes in Middle Eastern and international policy dynamics. After a distinguished career as a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State, she retired in 2020. During her tenure, she led a U.S. diplomatic mission and managed political and economic units, advising senior military commanders in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the broader Middle East. Additionally, she spearheaded U.S. humanitarian programs addressing displacement issues in Iraq.

Before her work with the State Department, Ms. Cummings operated an offshore company in Cyprus, where she advised various institutions across the Middle East on education and development initiatives. Her exceptional contributions have earned her numerous accolades, including the Foreign Policy Advisor (POLAD) of 2019 and the U.S. Department of the Army Superior Civilian Service Award.

Joanne's global experiences span numerous countries; she has lived in Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan, Jerusalem, Egypt, Cyprus, Ethiopia, and Micronesia. She was raised in Beirut, spent her early years in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, and completed high school in Tehran, Iran. She holds a BA cum laude in History from the American University of Beirut and an MA in Geography from the University of Texas at Austin. Additionally, she studied Theology at the Protestant Seminary in Cairo, Egypt.

In her spiritual journey, Joanne is a licensed Lay Reader in the Church of England. She has served as Interim Pastor and Lay Minister at the Church of St. John in Maadi, Egypt, and led the Episcopal congregation in the International Zone of Baghdad. Throughout her life, she has been actively involved in church councils, vestries, and synods in various U.S. and international churches. Currently, she serves as a Deacon at Lake Shore Baptist Church in Waco, TX.

BOARD MEMBER

John Lindner has been enjoying retirement for the past decade, during which he has continued his extensive travel and engagement with Palestine, a passion he has pursued for over 50 years. Prior to his retirement, he served as the Associate Dean for External Relations at Yale Divinity School for twelve years, where he led international, ecumenical, and interfaith programs. His influential career also included more than 25 years of leadership with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the National Council of Churches (NCCCUSA), as well as the World Council of Churches (WCC).

Lindner's contributions included writing for the NCCCUSA’s Middle East Policy and directing its U.S.-U.S.S.R. Church Relations program. Additionally, he served as the director of planning and development for the WCC’s Ecumenical Institute at Bossey.

One of his most significant volunteer commitments is with Bright Stars of Bethlehem, where he has co-led four Leadership Seminars in Palestine, launched a "Peace Doer's" Blog to enhance social media engagement, and played a role in coordinating the Jerusalem Conference in Houston, Texas. He has also assisted with special events, development initiatives, and the creation of the Women of Vision endowed scholarship. In 2023, he organized a special program for the Executive Director of Bright Stars of Bethlehem in Palestine.

Lindner remains active in advocating for justice and peace initiatives, including his involvement with the Palestine Museum US. He resides in a condo in Wooster Square, New Haven, CT, where he serves as the treasurer of his condo association board and chairs the landscape committee. With two grandchildren, aged 8 and 12, living nearby, he stays engaged with frequent overnights and various adventures.