Board Members

Dr. Hesham Mesbah

Current President
Dr. Hesham Mesbah’s research agenda includes comparative cognitive effects of news media, new media, and the impact of mass communication on social capital, public opinion, social openness, and perception of globalization. He has numerous peer-refereed publications and conference presentations in both English and Arabic. He taught communication at Cairo University, Kuwait University, and Northwestern State University in Louisiana. He had been actively engaged in training Arab and African journalists and providing research and public relations consultations overseas. He received several awards and honorary prizes for his teaching and academic research.

Rollins College, USA
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Dr. Mohammed el-Nawawy

Past President
Dr. Mohammed el-Nawawy is the Charles A. Dana Professor of International Communication and Middle Eastern Studies in the Department of Political Science and Sociology at Queens University of Charlotte. He teaches international communication, mass communication, media globalization and Middle Eastern media courses. His areas of expertise and research interests are focused on the new media in the Middle East, particularly satellite channels and the Internet, and their impact on the Arab public sphere. Dr. el-Nawawy is the author and co-author of six books dealing with Arab and Islamic media. Queens University, USA
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Dr. Azza A. Ahmed

Dr. Azza A. Ahmed is associate professor and coordinator of Mass Communication Program at the College of Arts and Sciences at Abu Dhabi University ADU since 2011. She created the Mass Communication Program and has written its curriculum and study plans. She is an active member in many important committees on the ADU level and the College of Arts and Sciences level. Her research interest includes: TV news objectivity, media effect on audiences, media credibility, media ethics, assessments of ethics among Arab media researchers, and new media usages among Arabs. Dr. Azza is a board member in the Arab-US Association for Communication Educators AUSACE. Also, she is the Arabic editor of the Journal of Middle East Media JMEM since 2006. She is a member of the editorial board for some international journalism such as Media and Society and conferences, such as AEJMC.Cairo University, Egypt and Abu Dhabi University, UAE
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Dr Naila Hamdy

Past President (2008-2010)
Naila Hamdy received her BA from the University of San Francisco in 1980, her MA from the American University in Cairo in 1996 and her PhD from Cairo University in 2007. Her research interests focus on various aspects of the journalism profession in Egypt, the impact of communication technologies and media development in the Arab region. Hamdy is also an expert on Arab media.

American University in Cairo, Egypt
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Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Shami

Al-Shami is Associate Professor, trainer, and Dean of the College of Mass Communication at Sana’a University in Yemen. He was a former vice-dean and head of broadcasting department. Al-shami was a Fulbright visiting Scholar at the College of Mass Communication, Boston University on 2005. His research interests are about new media and social change. His works have been published in various journals: Egyptian Journal for Mass Communication Studies, Journal of Alam AlFekr, Communication and Development Journal, Derasat; Journal of Social Sciences, Journal of Social and Humanitarian Sciences and Journal of Human Sciences Global Media Journal.

Sana’a University, Yemen
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Dr. Hussein Amin

Past President (2001-2003)
Dr. Hussein Amin is a professor of journalism and mass communication at the American University in Cairo. He is a contributor to extensive list of communication journals and a consultant to several international media organizations. Professor Amin’s research is focused on global media systems with emphases on media laws, regulations and policies in the Middle East.

American University in Cairo, Egypt
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Dr. Phil Auter

Phil Auter’s recent publications include a co-authored article examining Egyptian and American youth parasocial relationships with music video personae, in the Journal of Arab & Muslim Media Research; an historical content analysis of TV stories about the internet in the American Communication Journal; and survey of cell phone uses and gratifications published in the International Journal of Mobile Communications.

University of Louisiana-Lafayette, USA
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Dr. Douglas A. Boyd

Dr. Douglas A. Boyd holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin, an MA from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.He has held academic and administrative assignments at the University of Minnesota, the University of Delaware, the University of Maryland, and the University of Kentucky.  At Kentucky he is Professor in the Department of Communication, the School of Journalism and Telecommunications, and the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce.  Before becoming an academic he was a commercial broadcaster and was employed by the U.S. government in the construction of the first TV stations in Saudi Arabia.  He was a Fulbright Professor at Cairo University and the author of three editions of Broadcasting in the Arab World:  A Survey of Electronic Media in the Middle East.

University of Kentucky, USA
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Dr. Matt J. Duffy

Dr. Matt J. Duffy studies international global media norms. His book “Media Laws of the United Arab Emirates” was published in 2014. Duffy’s other research has appeared in the Berkley Journal of Middle Eastern and Islamic Law, the Journal of Middle East Media, the Middle East Media Educator and the Journal of Mass Media Ethics. He teaches media law and journalism at Kennesaw State University in Georgia, USA. [email protected]. Duffy owns Oxford Editing, an academic editing company, which supports the AUSACE website and other initiatives.

Dr. Ahmad Hidass

Professor of Media Law at l’Institut Supérieur d’Information et Communication, Ahmed Hidass teaches too Media and Copyright at l’Ecole des Sciences de l’Information, Rabat, and Human Rights at the Faculty of Law, University Mohamed V, Rabat, Morocco. His curricula are sponsored by MDI. Editorial Board/Reviewer member of academic journals (Communication, Canada; JMEM, USA; Communication and Development, Lebanon and Enjeux de l’Information et de la Communication, France), Ahmed Hidass has conducted consulting works for international organizations like ALECSO (Arab League), AWO (Arab League), Transparency of Media Ownership (European Union) and UNESCO. He is also an International Visiting Fellow (UNESCO chair of International Communication …) and a member of international Focus Groups and Research Groups on Arab Spring, Freedom of Speech, Media Law and Intellectual Property Rights.

Institut Superieure, Morocco
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Dr. Sahar Khamis

Dr. Sahar Khamis is the former Head of the Mass Communication and Information Science Department in Qatar University. Dr. Khamis holds a Ph.D. in Mass Media and Cultural Studies from the University of Manchester in England.She is the co-author of the book Islam Dot Com: Contemporary Islamic Discourses in Cyberspace, which was published by Palgrave Macmillan in June 2009. She authored chapters in the books: Women and Media in the Middle East: Power Through Self-Expression, edited by Naomi Sakr and published by I.B. Tauris, London in 2004, and New Media and the New Middle East, edited by Philip Seib and published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2007.

University of Maryland, USA
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Dr. Yousef Al-Failakawi

Past President (2012-2013) and current Vice President
Dr. Yousef Al-Failakawi is a professor of mass communication at Kuwait University. He earned his Ph.D. in Mass Communication in 1999 from University of South Carolina with emphasis in TV Production. He also obtained his Masters in mass communication in 1996 from Murray State University with emphasis in TV Production, and his Bachelor in TV Production in 1988 from Denver University. He was the head of the Mass Communication Department at Kuwait University. He was also a TV director, and directed more than 250 TV shows and spots. His interest areas include: TV, Social Media, and Children and Media. He teaches mass communication research, theories, TV productions, script writing and public opinion.

Kuwait University
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Dr. Issam Mousa

Past President (1995-1997)
Dr. Issam Suleiman Mousa is a Professor of Journalism at Yarmouk University. He obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Washington (Seatle) in 1981. His research areas include: The Arab Image in the West, Jordan and Arab Media, Development Communication, Arab Communication History, and Novel & short story collections. He also worked for ALECSO and UNESCO as an expert on several occasions, and is a Fulbright fellow at WSU. Dr. Issam authored and co-authored several books on media and communication. His creative work include:  The Sun Will Rise Always, Snow Remnants, Leaping in the Eyes, Loss of Balance, and Tales of A Defeated Knight.

Yarmouk University, Jordan
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Dr. Mahmoud Tarabay

Dr. Mahmoud Tarabay’s experience includes working on publishing projects for weekly bulletins and monthly magazines and research in the Gulf and the UK-based Center for Mass Communication Research. He holds an MA from the University of Bradford and a Ph.D. from the University of Leicester in the UK. He has conducted workshops for professional journalists at the Lebanese American University with the ICFJ.

Lebanese American University, Lebanon
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Dr. Karin Gwinn Wilkins

Dr. Karin Wilkins is Professor of Media Studies, Director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, and Chair of the Global Studies Bridging Disciplines Program at the University of Texas at Austin. She holds the John P. McGovern Regents Professorship in Health and Medical Science Communication, and is the Editor-in- Chief of Communication Theory. Wilkins has won numerous awards for her research, service and teaching. Her work addresses scholarship in the fields of development communication, global communication, and political engagement.

University of Texas at Austin, USA
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Dr. Leonard Ray Teel

Past President (1995-1997)
Dr. Leonard Ray Teel is the founding director of the Center for International Media Education (CIME) at GSU. He is author or co-author of four books, including a text on journalism which has been translated into Chinese, Arabic, Spanish, and Armenian. He oversees the development and conduct of media professionalism workshops notably for developing civic journalism and economic journalism.

Georgia State University, USA (retired)
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Dr. Carolyn Rose Codamo

Past President (1999-2001), Founding Board Member (1995)
Dr. Carolyn Rose Codamo, retired Associate Chair of the Department of Communication, Georgia State University, served on the AUSACE Board for the last 20 years. During that time, she was an associate of the Center for International Media Education (CIME) at GSU, and co-led instructional workshops in media professionalism throughout the Middle East, North Africa and the Arabian Gulf countries. Dr. Codamo taught graduate and undergraduate communication courses, and developed study abroad programs in Egypt.

Georgia State University, USA (retired)
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Kim Fox

Kim Fox is currently an associate professor of practice in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication (JRMC) at The American University in Cairo (AUC) in Cairo, Egypt. She primarily teaches Audio Production and Multimedia Writing. She received both her B.S. and her M.A. degrees from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio.Kim spent decades working in the U.S. radio industry in various positions at radio stations including WOUB AM/FM/TV in Athens, Ohio; WIZF in Cincinnati, Ohio; WBLK in Buffalo, New York, WAKR in Akron, Ohio and many more. As the executive producer of the award winning Ehky Ya Masr (Tell Your Story Egypt) Podcast, a narrative nonfiction podcast about life in Cairo, Egypt, she works with young freelance producers writing and editing audio content. You won’t find her ranting on Twitter, but check her out there … just in case.

The American University in Cairo (AUC)

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Founding AUSACE Members

Leonard Teel, Founding President (USA)
Nash’at Aqtash (Palestinian National Authority)
Khelifa Bouras (Algeria)
Taeb Boutbouqalt (Morocco)
Mohamed-Fehri Chelbe (Tunisia)
Carolyn Codamo (USA)
Khalid El-Ghamry (Egypt)
Hanan El-Malki (Syria)
Hammad Ibrahim Hamed (Egypt)
Al Hester (USA)
Taoufik Jdidi (Morocco)
Gregory Lisby (USA)
Issam Mousa (Jordan)
Abdelkader Rhaiem (Tunisia)
Samar Shunnar(Palestinian National Authority)