Nawar Shora has spent his two-decade plus career at the intersection of civil rights/DEIA and national security/counterterrorism with expertise and accolades across the spectrum. 

The positive impact of his groundbreaking outreach efforts in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks remain through today. He is a nationally recognized authority and subject matter expert on community outreach and stakeholder engagement as well as cultural demystification and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Access (DEIA) efforts.

Nawar has delivered in-person trainings to more than 100,000 professionals, including intelligence analysts, law enforcement officers, university professors and students, houses of worship, and corporate security and executive groups. He approaches intimidating and difficult topics with humor, diplomacy and charm.  He has been called the “Arab Robin Williams” by members of the NYPD and is often compared to the late comedian for his high energy, wit, and occasional Freudian joke. 

Nawar’s experience ranges between intimate one-on-one advisory sessions with the upper echelon of the US government to public keynotes before 14,000 individuals. In 2018, he testified as a witness to the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. That year, he was also invited back to his Alma Matter, Marshall University, to keynote the commencement ceremony with a theme of “Conquer your reality”.  He has served as a guest lecturer at varied academic institutions, UPS’s Security Information Group, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC), the FBI Academy, National Counterterrorism Center, Terrorist Screening Center, and countless other private and public institutions. He has provided insights to the most inner depths of the US Government and has worked with most of the three letter agencies except the NSA, but figured they must be listening in anyway!

Nawar’s efforts have been recognized by the FBI with the Director’s Community Leadership Award, the DHS Outstanding American by Choice Award, the FBI Exceptional Service in the Public Interest Award, the Department of Homeland Security’s Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Leadership Award, the Washington, DC Metro Police Department’s Outstanding and Dedicated Service Award, FBI Community Outreach Training Award, among many more. 

Nawar is a highly sought-after public speaker, connector, and bridge-builder. He discusses the history, norms, mores, culture, and current events of the Arab and Muslim worlds with an eye towards amplifying our humanity and the fabric of our American values. His stories on failure, grace, and inspiration make him a unique motivational presence. 

Ali Ferzat was born in 1951 in the central Syrian city of Hama. He is a Syrian political cartoonist and has published more than 15,000 caricatures in Syrian, Arab and international newspapers. He serves as the head of the Arab Cartoonists Association. In 2011, he received Sakharov Prize for peace and was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2012. Ferzat has a collection of his political cartoons, A Pen of Damascus Steel: The Political Cartoons of an Arab Master, also published by Cune Press.