SGAC held elections in January to elect the next Regional Coordinator (RC) in the Middle East Region. We are happy to announce the selection of Rawan Alshammari (Kuwait) as the new Regional Coordinator for the Middle East.
Detailed election results and the profile of the applicants follows. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the former Regional Coordinator, Ghanim Alotaibi (Kuwait), for his contributions during his two-year term.
Election Report
The election received five applications for one regional coordinator position.
14 NPoCs out of 14 took part in the election, with the following result:
- Beste Ilke Sahin (Turkey) – 21%
- Mohaddese Daryabari (Iran) – 21%
- Rawan Alshammari (Kuwait)- 21%
- Shabnam Yazdani (Iran) – 21%
- Moataz Abdelazim (Egypt) – 14%
The turnout of the election was 100%. As four candidates got the same amount of votes, the Chairs together with the existing Regional Coordinator had to decide by consensus the candidate to be elected as the new Regional Coordinator for the Middle East. Please find below the relevant Bylaw 5.3.4.:
Bylaw 5.3.4. In case of a stalemate after the vote of the National Points of Contact, the Chairs together with the existing RC shall decide by consensus.
After a thorough and balanced analysis, it was decided by consensus that Rawan Alshammari be elected as RC of the Middle East.
About Rawan Alshammari
Rawan Alshammari is a medical doctor currently working at Albahar Hospital. She has a background serving in the Regional Partnerships Manager position for the ME actively cultivating and maintaining relationships among business partners while also developing strategies to increase revenue. Dr. Rawan learned the skills in leadership, teamwork and organization unique to the medical world and brings them to bear in her new position. Leveraging the wisdom of her knowledge and experience, Dr. Rawan strives to improve diversity in STEM, hence her commitment to mentoring young girls and women at Women in Aerospace Medicine (WAM).
A member of Outer Space Team (OST) – Kuwait, Dr. Rawan has participated in the development of the first Kuwaiti Cubesat project. She also maintains memberships with the Moon Village Association (MVA) and has been working on space-related projects and workshops targeted at developing the space market in Kuwait. She is a humanitarian to the core and is a renowned activist with AMNESTY International Organization and a Health Guide at KAFO Governmental Organization affiliated to the Amiri Diwan.
Passionate about space medicine, Dr. Rawan is part of the space medicine and life sciences project group at SGAC. She is motivated by the desire to become a global expert in her field and has been in several Mars analog missions at MDRS and Habitat Marte – Brazil. Dr. Rawan’s ultimate goal is to improve the R&D sector in the ME and encourage younger generations who are passionate about space to be more involved with the current space activities to broaden the space community in the ME, and hence, open further future collaboration in this field.
This is what Rawan had to say about her election
I feel honored for having been considered for the Middle East regional coordinator position at SGAC. Indeed this is a dream come true, and a chance to contribute to the good work that has already been started here. I look forward to being a value addition to the people who have been working here either actively or passively. I am also very positive about fostering unity in the Middle East by bringing young people together for the gratification of the space industry.
