New Champions for Youth Employment in the Middle East and North Africa

Blackstone’s John Studzinski and University of Miami’s Donna Shalala among New Leadership on EFE Boards

Recognizing the critical importance of work-relevant education and economic opportunity for young people in the Middle East and North Africa, nine leaders in the private, public and education sectors have joined EFE boards.

New EFE Global Board Member Donna Shalala has served as President of University of Miami since 2001, after serving eight years as Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Bill Clinton. A winner of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Shalala has more than 30 years of experience as an accomplished scholar, teacher, and administrator.

John Studzinski, who runs Blackstone Advisory Partners, has also joined the EFE Global Board. Studzinski serves as a Senior Managing Director of the Blackstone Group, is a member of the Executive Committee of the firm, and serves on a numerous boards of arts and human rights organizations. In 2008 he was named as a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) for his service to the arts and charity.

EFE affiliate boards in Europe, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia have also attracted high-level leaders. EFE-Egypt welcomed four new board members: Dr. Mona Zaki, Founder of Global Strategic Consultants, Shahira Zeid, Vice Chairman and CEO of MZ Investments, Walid Bakr, Principal of Abraaj Capital and Wael Fakharany, Regional Manager of Google Egypt and North Africa. Adel Goucha and Anas Guennoun, both Principals of Abraaj Capital, joined the EFE-Tunisie and EFE-Maroc Boards, respectively. In Spain, Trinidad Jiménez García-Herrera, former Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Health and Social Policy, has joined the EuropEFE Board.

John Studzinski, Senior Managing Director,
Blackstone Group

Donna Shalala, President,
University of Miami