Generation Iraq - About Us - Board of Directors

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Tamara Quinn - Chairman of the Board

Generation Iraq was conceived and founded by Tamara Quinn. Tamara is an American-Iraqi dedicated to a vision of Iraq as it can and should be. This vision is tempered by the realization that the country is far from ideal at this time and there is much work and sacrifice requSired to realize the vision.

After the war in 2003, Tamara felt the need to be involved with helping the country rebuild and reshape itself. She was a co-founder of WAFDI, Women's Alliance for a Democratic Iraq, which promoted women's rights and issues after the war. This work brought her notice from the Department of Defense and she was asked to join the Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad. After thirty years in the US, Tamara returned to her native home as a part of the Iraq Reconstruction and Development Council (IRDC), and spent several months in Baghdad working to help provide a better future for Iraq. In her time there she developed a special interest in assisting young people in addition to women's issues. After returning to the United States in 2004, Tamara devoted herself full-time to the future of Iraq. She joined the NGO Spirit of America as Director of School Partners. Here she established herself as an energetic and creative force able to get things done and get programs in place.

In 2006, Tamara left Spirit of America to found Generation Iraq, an NGO dedicated to the education and uplifting of Iraqi youth.

Cassie Alexander - Vice Chairman of the Board

Cassie Alexander is the Deputy Executive Director for Generation Iraq. Her work involves overseeing program implementation, ensuring good stewardship of donations, and promoting and gathering support for the youth served through Generation Iraq.

Ms. Alexander was raised in the suburbs of Chicago, IL. She received both a Bachelor's Degree in English, and a Master's in Public Service Administration from DePaul University.

She has nearly ten years' experience working in the non-profit field, and an additional eight years of volunteer experience.

Gary Quinn

Gary Quinn is a Registered Professional Engineer with thirty years experience in the energy industry. Mr. Quinn currently serves as Vice President for Southern Coal Handling Co., a consulting and operations company providing engineering expertise to utilities and also building, owning, and operating coal terminals in several states. Mr. Quinn has a strong business background in both the public and private sector, having also spent 8 years with the public utility giant, TVA. At TVA, Mr. Quinn saved millions of dollars in delivered fuel costs for the utility by reducing transportation costs for coal to TVA power plants.

Since 2005, Mr. Quinn has been involved as part owner for the start-up and operation of several successful small businesses, including Eastern Energy Management Partners, AIX Global, and PetroFuel Energy. These companies deal with energy and medical supplies both in the US and internationally.

Genine Shafer

Genine Shafer is currently employed at AIX Global as Vice President of Business Development, and has seven years of experience in business management. AIX Global is a distributor of medical appliances and heavy industrial equipment to Iraq with annual sales exceeding $20 million.

Mrs. Shafer joined AIX Global in March 2007 and has been an integral part of building its business operations, customer service and marketing, as well as finance. Her expertise has led to AIX Global's quick success.

Prior to joining AIX Global, Mrs. Shafer worked as an Energy Trader for Bell Trading Inc. from 2005 to 2007. She was also employed at PSEG Energy Resources & Trade from 2002 to 2005, at Dynegy Marketing & Trade from 2001 to 2002, and finally at the Tennessee Valley Authority where she began her trading career. As a trader, she used fundamental and technical analysis to assist her when executing trades, and also managed physical assets (power plants).

In addition to her job, Mrs. Shafer is a board member for Generation Iraq and is also a member of the Kirkuk Women's Center in Iraq. She assists in grant proposals, marketing, and project finance.

Mrs. Shafer graduated from a Vanderbilt University in 2000 with a B.A. in Economics, English, and Environmental Studies.

Jessica Dumitru

Originally from Chattanooga, Tennessee, Mrs. Dumitru graduated from Sewanee: University of the South in 2003 with double bachelor degrees in European History and International Political Science. She also received a master's degree in Global Affairs focusing on International Law and Human Rights from New York University in 2006. She will graduate in May 2009 from Texas Wesleyan University School of Law with a Juris Doctor.

A member of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyer's Association and the current Director of Operations for the Wesleyan Innocence Project in Fort Worth, Texas, Mrs. Dumitru devotes her free time and experience in criminal law and human rights to helping inmates who have been wrongfully convicted of a crime to prove their innocence.

Jessica is a vital part of Generation Iraq's board of directors.

Since the first day she joined the organization she has consistently asked what she can do to help us most. This has immediately translated into providing many orphans with school supplies and she continues to pursue donations from the public at large.

With her knowledge of law, she has agreed to consult Generation Iraq with any legal situations that could possibly arise in the future.

Raz Rasool

Raz Rasool, a Kurdish-American, has Degrees in Electrical Engineering, Electronics, and Communications from the Sallahadin University in Erbil, Iraq, and is presently completing her Masters of Business Administration through the Keller Graduate School of Management. Raz worked in the resistance against Saddam, and then escaped from Iraq and came to the U.S. in 1998, after Saddam’s troops attacked Kurdistan. She settled in Virginia, found
work as an Electrical Engineer, and earned her U.S. citizenship.

While Raz loved her more peaceful life in the United States for her family, her desire to help bring peace opportunity to her native country burned on. Raz has seen Saddam’s atrocities first-hand, and social activism has become a way of life for her. In 2003, following the regime change in Iraq, Raz met with a group of like-minded women and co-founded the Women’s Alliance for a Democratic Iraq (WAFDI), an NGO dedicated to freedom and equal rights
in Iraq. Later in 2003, Ms. Rasool went to Baghdad to work with the Coalition Provisional Authority, as a member of the Iraqi Reconstruction and Development Council. Upon her return to the States, she continued to tour and speak out for human rights in Iraq. In 2005, Raz followed her heart, took her children out of school, and she and her husband and family returned to Kurdistan to continue the struggle for prosperity and equality in Iraq. That year, Raz joined with Generation Iraq and is the Director of that organization for Kurdistan. The mission of Generation Iraq is to improve the lives and
outlook of individuals and communities in Iraq through hope and opportunity. She is also the Director for the Kurdistan region for AIX Global. AIX Global is a U.S. based company supplying quality medical equipment and supplies to Iraq.

Raz is married to Shwan Zring, a fellow activist and social reform advocate working for a brighter future in Iraq. They have two children, Lana and Aran, and reside in Sulaymanaiah.