Lina Hourani Harajli new ACCESS Chief Operating Officer

posted on: Mar 24, 2014

ACCESS, the largest Arab American human services nonprofit in the United States, announced Lina Hourani Harajli as its Chief Operating Officer (COO) this week.

Harajli joined ACCESS in 2000 as a member of the finance department. She was promoted to director of business operations in 2010. Prior to that, she worked in the private sector for more than 12 years.

Harajli received her bachelor’s degree in business administration, with a concentration in accounting, from the University of Michigan-Dearborn and is active in various community and cultural/educational organizations. She is a graduate of Leadership Detroit XXXV and serves on the Middle Eastern Advisory Board Committee of the Girl Scouts of Southeastern Michigan.

Harajli’s accomplishments with ACCESS include leading the migration of the entire organization to a cloud-based IT infrastructure; spearheading the implementation of an integrated Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA), and leading several facility renovations, including the current Arab American National Museum (AANM) expansion. Significant savings resulted from her contract analysis and negotiation efforts during her time with ACCESS.

“I am confident that Lina’s passion for the mission of ACCESS and her unique approach to team-building and system implementation, with a distinct focus on operational excellence, will allow us to make an even greater impact on the communities that we serve,” said Hassan Jaber, ACCESS executive director.

“I have full confidence in Lina’s leadership abilities and believe that she will work tirelessly to lead the ACCESS team to new heights,” said Maha Freij, ACCESS deputy executive director and CFO.

As COO, Harajli will oversee all ACCESS program areas, along with Communications and Marketing, Human Resources, Facilities, and Information Technology.

“I am honored and thrilled to be chosen to support the efforts of such a dedicated and passionate team that works diligently to assist, improve and empower those in need each and every day. Together, we will focus on strategic and integrated approaches that will increase our effectiveness and efficiency as an agency, while continuing to serve our expanding communities in an innovative manner,” Harajli said.

###

Grounded in the Arab American tradition of hospitality, ACCESS has a 43-year history of providing health, education, employment and social services in greater Detroit to empower people to lead healthy, informed, productive lives. Today, ACCESS extends that mission to a national platform through advocacy, arts, culture and philanthropy. Visit us online at www.accesscommunity.org.