May Albert Rihani has 35 years’ experience in international human development.

• Served as the Director of the Gibran Khalil Gibran endowed Chair at the University of Maryland from 2016 to 2020.
• Was invited to serve as Co-Chair of the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative from 2008 to 2010 (UNGEI)
• She managed numerous programs as Senior Vice President for: FHI-360, the Academy for Educational Development, and Creative Associates International, and as Vice President at TransCentury between 1980 to 2014.

In these organizations, May Rihani was responsible for ensuring the planning and implementation of educational reform projects as well as the integration of these programs in education, with economic productivity. She designed, planned, and managed numerous cross-cutting educational projects in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa.

Ms. Rihani worked in more than 40 countries and traveled to 71 countries. Her in-depth knowledge in educational reform has attracted the attention of many donors including the World Bank, USAID, and several UN agencies.

In addition to her work in international development, May Rihani is an activist and a leader within the Lebanese American Community. She is the Director of the Bureau of the World Lebanese Cultural Union in Washington, DC, a Member of the Steering committee of the Lebanese American Coordinating Committee (LACC), a member of the Board of the Ameen Rihani Organization, a founder of “Min Ajl Loubnan” as well as a Board Member of four other Lebanese or Lebanese American Organizations.

She has written and published eleven books, eight in English and three books in Arabic. One of her books: Learning for the 21st Century, has been translated into three languages. Her latest book, a memoir, is titled, Cultures Without Borders a summary of her experience in this line of work.