QAIC Welcomes Three New Hires

QAIC made multiple hires in the past three months to expand our team; we welcome these three experienced, driven, and passionate members to our organization:

Nada Darwish is our newest Programs Officer at QAIC. She supports the development and implementation of overall programmatic goals. Before assuming her current position, Nada has worn several hats working with non-profits and NGOs globally, including the International Center for Sport Security as a Project Officer. Having served in multiple roles in both countries, she is passionate about morphing her multicultural experiences, ideas, and background to exchange cultural awareness and education in the US, Qatar, and beyond. Her interest in joining QAIC is rooted in her appreciation between her childhood birthplace, Qatar, and her home in the United States.

With an interdisciplinary background, Nada holds a B.A. in International Relations from the American University of Sharjah, UAE, and an M.A. in Political Science from the University of Colorado, Denver. She is fluent in English and Arabic and conversational in Spanish. Nada enjoys all the beautiful things nature offers in her free time, such as hiking and skiing in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.

Andrew Abell is an experienced writer and researcher with several years of background working for non-profits in D.C. Before joining QAIC as a Communications Officer, he lived and worked in China, teaching and designing his English coursework for surrounding schools. He was previously the lead communications manager for the Arab Youth Venture Foundation, a non-profit based in D.C., promoting their projects and writing press releases and news articles.

Andrew holds a B.A. in English from the University of Maryland and served as president of multiple interdisciplinary organizations promoting discourse on socioeconomic and educational issues. His interest in joining QAIC comes from his curiosity about Arab art and culture and his passion for intercultural relations.

Laila Abdul-Hadi Jadallah is a seasoned arts administrator, researcher, and curator with more than 15 years of experience. Before joining QAIC as Director of Programs, she was the inaugural Managing Director of Washington Studio School. In this nonprofit arts organization, she was responsible for strategies, communication, fundraising, partnerships, and community outreach in collaboration with the Artistic Director. She has previously held senior-level positions at the Fabric Workshop and Museum, Art Fraud Insights, and International Arts and Artists. She worked with numerous arts and cultural partners to lead communications and program development and manage more than 20 major exhibitions.

Her interest in joining QAIC stems from her research and interest in cultural production from the MENA region and its diaspora and cultural diplomacy. She most recently curated an exhibition, More Than Your Eyes Can See: Contemporary Photography from the Arab World (Middle East Institute Arts & Culture Center, 2022), and contributed a chapter about the history of Arab artists in Washington, DC, from the 1940s to the present for a forthcoming publication about the history and contributions of Arab artists to the American art historical canon.