Joseph T. Kassab Executive Director, Chaldean Federation of America History and Education   Joseph T. Kassab was born in Telkaif, Iraq in 1952 and immigrated to the United States in 1980. Before doing so, in 1979, Joseph earned a Master of Science degree in Medical Microbiology and Immunology, awarded by the College of Medicine at the University of Baghdad (under the auspices of the Royal College of Medicine UK and School of Medicine, Wayne State University). He also acquired a Graduate Certificate (GC) in Community Education Leadership from Wayne State University, under the auspices of the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL) in Washington D.C. He worked as bio-researcher and instructor at Wayne State University’s School of Medicine for 25 years. He is also the Chief Science Officer of Nano Engineering and Consulting Co. (www.nano-consultant.com)   Advocacy and Commitment to Humanitarian Efforts   Joseph is recognized for his unwavering and passionate commitment, long-time advocacy, and international proficiency on human and religious rights of the Aramaic speaking Christians, Chaldean Assyrian Syriacs of Iraq. Joseph has participated in numerous Chaldean American humanitarian need-assessment missions relating to displaced Christians and refugees in and outside of Iraq, to evaluate relief efforts and to address the plight with world leaders, including a meeting with Pope John Paul II in 1994. On several occasions, Joseph has served as consultant to the offices of Department of State, Department of Homeland Security, U.S Senate Sub-Committee on Immigration and Refugees Resettlement, US House of Representatives, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva-Switzerland, Think Tank Institutions, and additional faith-based and humanitarian Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). In 2003, Joseph was instrumental in introducing “the Art of Governance (AOG)” initiative by serving as advisor to the Policy Institute for Religion and State in Washington D.C. The program served to raise awareness among Iraqi nationals and the Diaspora on the benefits of democracy and election procedures; to empower Iraqi citizens; and to encourage Iraqi nationals to become stakeholders in the governmental process. During the three National Iraqi elections, Joseph worked tirelessly to promote this democratic process and to ensure its proper application. In May 2003, Joseph traveled across Iraq, consulting with Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) Administrator Paul Bremer, numerous Iraqi religious and ethnic leaders, and technocrats. In April 2008, Joseph testified at the first briefing of the Congressional Caucus for Middle Eastern Religious Minorities held on Capitol Hill. In June 2008, Joseph presented details on the plight of Iraqi Christians during the Vienna Forum 2008, and has been invited to return to deliver a speech at Vienna Forum 2010 in June. At the 2009 Rimini Meeting in Italy, Joseph participated in a panel discussion to present and address the plight of Christians in the Middle East, specifically in Iraq. Among the panelists were Mario Mauro, VP of the EU and Stephan De Mistora, UN envoy to Iraq and the Middle East. At the 5th Annual National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. in April 2008, Joseph recited an Aramaic prayer on behalf of the Iraqi Christians and Church immediately following President George W. Bush’s speech to over 3,500 prominent Catholic guests. As Executive Director of the Chaldean Federation of America (www.chaldeanfederation.org), Joseph spearheaded a Chaldean American refugee resettlement initiative in 2005 entitled Operation-R4 (Research, Relief, Resettlement, and Re-empowerment). The program was designed to advocate for the resettlement of Iraqi Christians, and to provide them with the resources and services necessary to integrate into American society and culture. In March 2008, Joseph joined the Chaldean Assyrian Syriac Council of America (CASCA) and its fact-finding taskforce by traveling to Iraq to assess and gather data relating to the social, religious and political needs of Iraq’s religious and ethnic minorities and the Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in Northern Iraq. Publications and Accolades   Over the years, Joseph has been asked to appear as a guest on local and national media outlets, including ABC, CBS, WXYZ, NPR WJBK, WWJ, WDET, WJR, EWTN, and PBS, among others. He has appeared in the pages of the Detroit Free Press, Detroit News, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, NY Times, Boston Globe, LA Times, AP, Catholic News Agency, Catholic International Radio, and more. On an international scale, Joseph has been interviewed for reports delivered by Hokkaido Shimbun Press, Finish TV, ANSA Italian New Agency, BBC, ZENIT, and major Arabic TV and news networks. America’s Table, a Thanksgiving Reader published by the American Jewish Committee and New York Times, profiled Joseph in its 2005 edition as one of nine men and women whose distinct backgrounds, struggles and triumphs link them as. Also, Joseph is the recipient of three humanitarian awards, the 2008 Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce humanitarian award, the Community Education Leadership Program award, and the appreciation award for the Year’s Best Ethnic Group Participation in the U.S Census 1990 and 2000. In 2006, Joseph was appointed to a three year term as Commissioner of Citizens Corps Council for Emergency Preparedness (CCCEP) in Farmington Hills, Michigan. During his 30 years of academic and humanitarian work, Joseph has published 12 biomedical articles, 30 abstracts, and several community related articles   E-mail: jkassab@chaldeanfederation.org