The FAFS Alumni Chapter, in collaboration with FAFS, organized its third Career trends and opportunities in Agriculture, Nutrition, Food Sciences and Landscape Design conference followed by the FAFS Distinguished Alumni award ceremony and Gala Dinner on October 10, 2018. Both events celebrated FAFS Legacy Worldwide by highlighting the works of successful FAFS Alumni.
The Conference, held in the Michel and Sherine Bayoud hall at FAFS, included 7 speakers in two sessions that were moderated by Dr. Ammar Olabi and Professor Nayla Al-Akl.
The first session included Mr. Michel Bayoud, founder & CEO of Boeker, who explained the challenging working conditions of the Lebanese market for FAFS graduates and discussed the hope and faith needed for what they do. Nivine Bachir described her journey in founding Appelite, a healthy food-catering firm offering diet consultation and monthly packaged cuisine, and the creative idea of healthy vending machines. The panel concluded with Abeer Sirawan, Head of the Poultry Husbandry Department, Ministry of Agriculture; Dr. Sirawan discussed Bio-Safety and -Security in the agriculture sector and the importance of close cooperation between the public and private sectors.
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The second session had four additional speakers. Mr Faouzi Issa, co-owner of Domaine des Tourelles, stressed the importance of production and quality in Lebanese wine. Dr. Hannibal Muhtar (honoree) discussed food safety and food security in the context of networking between disciplinary fields to achieve holistic approaches to the issues at hand. Dr. Maya Nehme (honoree), founder of Lebanese Reforestation Initiative (LRI), spoke of the importance of reforestation to Lebanon and the efforts of LRI in doing so. The final panelist, an employer of more than 200 FAFS graduates, Mr. Ayad Gebran (honoree) described his extensive landscape experience in the Gulf region.
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The day concluded with an honoring ceremony and gala dinner at LeBristol Hotel during which 6 Honorees received the Distinguished FAFS Alumni Award in recognition of their achievement in their chosen professions. After the opening ceremony and remarks from Mr. Kaissi, President of the FAFS Chapter, and Dean Rabi Mohtar, the honorees were introduced by Mr. Salim Idriss and include: Mr. Maurice Saade, Mr. Ayad Karam Gebran, Dr. Hannibal Muhtar, Dr. Mamduh Sifri (represented by Dean Emeritus Nuhad Daghir), Dr. Maya Nehme Zoghby, and Mrs. Randa Saadeh Jaroudi.
Each of the honorees received their award and an “I Love FAFS” pin, presented by FAFS Dean Rabi Mohtar. The conference speakers were recognized and thanked for their contributions to the successful event; and the evening concluded with a live performance by the French band Pony Pony Run Run.