Museum Director Named

posted on: Nov 9, 2011

Dearborn, Mich. (November 9, 2011) – Dr. Anan Ameri, the founding director of the Arab American National Museum (AANM) in Dearborn, will be honored with the Arab American Businesswoman of the Year Award from the Arab American Women’s Business Council (AAWBC) at a Dearborn breakfast Thursday, Nov. 10.

The award recognizes Dr. Ameri for significant contributions to her business, profession and community. Ameri oversaw the creation of the AANM, the only museum of its type in the U.S., which opened in Dearborn in 2005. Under her leadership, the AANM has attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors and significant ongoing support from the philanthropic community. It is widely respected in the museum industry for innovative practices and has earned numerous awards, including the 2008 Coming Up Taller Award from the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities for exemplary youth after-school programs.

“Arab American women do so much for our economy and the society that goes unnoticed,” says Renee Ahee, executive director of the National Arab American Medical Association and head of the award selection committee. “We’re delighted to recognize and celebrate Dr. Ameri for her successes, not only for what she has accomplished individually but because she serves as a role model for others.”

A Palestinian American who immigrated to the U.S. from Amman, Jordan, Dr. Ameri is a widely respected sociologist, scholar and author. In addition to her Museum duties, she lectures and conducts cultural competency training in the U.S. and abroad on the topic of Arab and Muslim Americans, the Arab World and Islam.

In 1997, Dr. Ameri became director of the Cultural Arts program at ACCESS, the Museum’s parent organization. There, she planned and promoted a variety of educational, cultural and arts programs, launched critical local, national and international collaborations and secured major funding to establish the AANM, which opened in May 2005.

Prior to joining ACCESS, Ameri served as acting director of the Institute for Jerusalem Studies in Jerusalem; visiting scholar at Harvard University’s Center for Middle Eastern Studies; and executive director and national president of the Palestine Aid Society of America. She earned her PhD in sociology at Wayne State University.

For further information about the Nov. 10 event at Byblos Banquet Center in Dearborn, visit www.aawbc.org or call 313-770-7676.

Founded in 2007, AAWBC represents a cross-section of Arab American women in many professions and businesses, including nursing, marketing and public relations, public affairs, engineering, law, academia, sales and financial planning. The organization is recruiting members as well as sponsoring companies who see opportunities in the Arab American women’s market.

The Arab American National Museum documents, preserves and presents Arab American history, culture and contributions. It is a project of ACCESS, a Dearborn, Michigan-based nonprofit human services and cultural organization. Learn more at www.arabamericanmuseum.org and www.accesscommunity.org.

The Arab American National Museum is a proud Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Read about the Affiliations program at http://affiliations.si.edu.

The Museum is located at 13624 Michigan Avenue, Dearborn, MI, 48126. Museum hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday; noon-5 p.m. Sunday. Closed Monday, Tuesday; Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Admission is $6 for adults; $3 for students, seniors and children 6-12; ages 5 and under, free. Call 313.582.2266 for further information.