The purpose of the 100 Books Project is to facilitate the exchange of high-quality literature and film between the United States, Egypt, and other countries worldwide.
It was founded in April 2008 by Sharon Otterman, a former Fulbright scholar in Egypt from 2005-07 who is currently a freelance journalist for The New York Times based in New York. Sharon is a former associate director at the Council on Foreign Relations, where she edited and wrote for its website, www.cfr.org. She holds a bachelor’s in philosophy from Yale University and a Master’s in International Affairs from Columbia University.
The Board of Directors is still growing. Our current members:
Jud Nirenberg has over ten years’ experience in the management of international non-profit organizations. While serving as CEO of the European Roma and Travelers Forum, Europe’s largest coalition of Romani political and cultural organizations, he helped hundreds of non-profits develop links and collaboration across borders. He has contributed to drafting national and European policies on education/protection of culture, language rights and equal opportunities. Jud has worked as director of development for the University of the Middle East Project, an initiative bringing people of various faiths and ethnicities from across the Middle East together to study and engage in dialogue.
Lauren Lovelace, a U.S. Foreign Service Officer in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, is currently based in New York. She previously served as Press Attaché at U.S. Embassy Cairo; Vice Consul in Mumbai; Political Officer in New Delhi; Special Assistant at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations; and as a speechwriter for Secretary of State Albright. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, Lauren was an advisor to the NYC Board of Education and The Learning Project, an educational NGO that launches and manages high performing schools in under-served communities.
Dr. Mounir Neamatalla is the president of Environmental Quality International, an environmental consulting firm based in Cairo. He is also the creator of the Adrere Amallal, an internationally acclaimed eco-lodge in the oasis of Siwa, Egypt, and two other lodges in Siwa. He is also the founder of the Friends of Siwa, a nonprofit organization dedicated to sustainable development in the oasis. He holds a PhD in Environmental Health and Quality Management from Columbia University in New York.
Our American University in Cairo student representative is Isaac Regenbogen.
