We are individuals passionate about helping others and dedicated to the safety and security of Syrian refugees and others affected by conflict.  

Our female-led Jordan team is made up of members living in the South Azraq community. Our international team supports the program through fundraising and operational activities.

LEADERSHIP

PROGRAM TEAM

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Azraq Education and Community Fund has a Board of Directors that work to drive the organization into the future.  All members are passionate about the mission and bring specific skills to the organization.

Lexi Shereshewsky: FOUNDER & Executive Director

Lexi Shereshewsky is the Founder and Executive Director of The Azraq Education and Community Fund (AECF). Lexi was inspired to start AECF after spending time living and studying in Damascus, Syria throughout 2009 and 2010. In addition to her leadership role, Lexi leads partnerships and communications with AECF’s team in Jordan and with organizations and foundations around the world. Since its founding in 2015, AECF today serves nearly 400 children ages 3-18, employs 23 full time local staff (95% women) and supports hundreds more via food distributions and outreach programs. In addition to her work with AECF, Lexi is the Vice President of Marketing for DailyMail.com, a digital publisher that reaches 60M monthly readers in the US and 140M+ globally. Lexi uses her extensive experience in branding and marketing to craft AECF’s story and bring it to life for donors and partners around the world.

DEMETRI BLAISDELL: CO-FOUNDER & CHIEF OF BUSINESS AFFAIRS 

Demetri lived in Damascus, Syria from 2009-2010 studying Arabic and teaching English before moving to New York to attend Columbia Law School. In addition to co-founding and serving as Chief of Business Affairs of The Azraq Education and Community Fund, Demetri Blaisdell is an associate at the New York office of the law firm Boies Schiller Flexner LLP, where he specializes in complex commercial litigation.

Dr. Martine Stilwell - Board Member

Martine Stilwell is a retired psychiatrist and physician based in Vancouver, Canada. Born in The Hague, Holland, Martine lived in Australia, Tasmania, Indonesia, and Ecuador before finally settling in Canada with her husband and children. In 2014, after coming into substantial inheritance, Martine went to Jordan and founded The Azraq Center with the help of Catherine Ashcroft of HRJ. Martine plays an integral role in the management of the Azraq program and travels to Jordan multiple times per year to help out.

JOE MOOSA - BOARD MEMBER

Joe is a business leader having founded and grown several companies in various fields. With a background in engineering he started and managed several software companies one of which was purchased by GE. After 20 years in the engineering and software arenas he turned his attention to growing a nascent seniors housing business operated by his family. Over 15 years this business grew to become the largest privately owned seniors housing operation in BC and was subsequently acquired. In parallel, Joe co-founded a family based real-estate development and operations company comprising over 40 hotels, multi-family and commercial properties in the US and Canada. Over more than 10 years these companies continue to employ over 4000 employees each year.

Joe’s family were welcomed into Canada as economic refugees and arrived with little more than nothing. Canada’s willingness to accept them with kindness and respect, and provide the foundation and tools to enable a new start were fundamental to his success.

Joe believes that people who are down-trodden and in dire circumstances due to events beyond their control, when assisted especially with the provision of education better themselves and their families and succeed over time. They are also inherently driven to become positive influences on society and proportionally give more back then they receive.

KEN BERNHARD - board MEMBER

Ken Bernhard is a principal in Cohen and Wolf's Municipal, Business & Corporate, Real Estate, and Family Law Groups, representing municipalities and a wide range of businesses, as well as individuals, in litigation, real estate, matrimonial and commercial matters. Ken is a passionate philanthropist and has volunteered around the world to support impactful projects and promote education and prosperity to those in need.  

JERRY SHERESHEWSKY - board MEMBEr

Jerry Shereshewsky brings over 45 years of experience in marketing and branding and a passion for philanthropy to The Azraq Education and Community Fund. Jerry is the co-founder and Chief Grownup at Grownup Marketing and the recipient of dozens of awards in his field. He uses his extensive experience to help engage a wide network to support the organization's mission. Having spent time traveling in Syria in 2010, Jerry is committed to helping those affected by the conflict.

MARY MURANO - BOARD MEMBER

Mary Murano is a successful media executive with over 25 years experience in television content distribution, contract negotiations and client relations.  She has held leadership positions in several media companies including NBCUniversal, Oxygen Media, Rainbow Media (now AMC Networks) and most recently Al Jazeera America. Throughout her media career, Mary has supported socially relevant industry organizations especially Women in Cable Telecommunications where she served on both the national Board of Directors and local chapter Board for many years.  Mary is excited to use her business experience and media industry contacts to help expand funding for The Azraq Education and Community Fund.

SARAH SHALASH - BOARD MEMBER

Sarah has more than 10 years of experience working in global education and institutional advancement, with a focus on programs in the Middle East. Her expertise includes student recruitment; alumni, prospect, and donor engagement; grant-writing; and curriculum development. Sarah currently serves as the US-based manager of student recruitment for The American University in Cairo and advisory board member for the Fund for Education Abroad, which supports students who are underrepresented among the US study abroad population. Sarah began her career as a middle and high school social studies teacher at an international school in Cairo, Egypt, and transitioned to a career in advancement at secondary and higher education institutions in the region. Before joining AUC in a recruitment role, she served as development manager for Global Nomads Group (GNG), a New York-based nonprofit that facilitates virtual exchange for middle- and high school-age youth in the US and MENA region, in collaboration with their Jordan office. At GNG, Sarah led fundraising efforts with individuals, foundations, and government agencies, and developed strategies to engage the Board of Directors.

If you are interested in finding ways to get involved, please reach out to us at contact@theazraqcenter.org. We are excited to meet other passionate people who share our desire to make a difference!