Fayrouz Saad
{{Short description|American government official}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Fayrouz Saad
| image = Fayrouz Saad, Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security.jpg
| office = Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Partnership and Engagement
| president = Joe Biden
| term_start = February 2024
| term_end = January 2025
| predecessor = Brenda Abdelall
| education = University of Michigan (BA)
Harvard University (MPP)
}}
Fayrouz Saad is an American public official and politician. She was the Executive Director of the Office of Global Michigan,{{Cite news|url=https://www.michiganadvance.com/blog/whitmer-appoints-fayrouz-saad-to-head-states-immigration-office/|title=Whitmer appoints Fayrouz Saad to head state's immigration office|work=State of Michigan|access-date=2020-10-24}} and was the first Director of Detroit's Office of Immigrant affairs under Mayor Mike Duggan.{{Cite news|url=http://www.detroitmi.gov/News/ArticleID/502/Mayor-Duggan-Appoints-Fayrouz-Saad-to-Head-Immigrant-Affairs-for-City-of-Detroit|title=Mayor Duggan Appoints Fayrouz Saad to Head Immigrant Affairs for City of Detroit|work=City of Detroit|access-date=2018-08-15}}
Before serving in that position, Saad was an Obama appointee to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), where she worked on immigration reform, security issues and economic development programs in the Middle East.{{Cite news|url=https://www.welcomingamerica.org/content/fayrouz-saad-0|title=Fayrouz Saad|date=2017-01-19|work=Welcoming America|access-date=2018-08-15}}
Before her appointment at DHS, Saad worked as a Civic Engagement Coordinator for Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services' National Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC). She worked for both the Kerry and Clinton campaigns in the 11th congressional district, as well as that of state representative Gino Polidori.{{Cite news|url=https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2017/07/13/fayrouz-saad/103660360|title=Former Duggan official plans run against Rep. Trott|work=Detroit News|access-date=2018-08-08}}
Saad ran as a Democratic candidate for Michigan's 11th congressional district in the 2018 midterm elections, where she came in fourth place with 19.4 per cent of the votes, losing to former Obama administration chief of staff for the Auto Task Force of the U.S. Treasury Department, Haley Stevens, who obtained 27 per cent of the votes.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/elections/results/michigan-house-district-11-primary-election|title=Michigan Primary Election Results: 11th House District|access-date=2018-08-25}}
Personal life
Saad was born and brought up in the Arab-majority community of Dearborn, Michigan, as the daughter of Lebanese immigrants who still run a small meat wholesale business in Detroit.[https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/first-muslim-women-congress-candidates_us_5b57675ee4b0b15aba92ebf2 These Candidates Could Be America’s First Muslim Women In Congress], Sarah Ruiz-Grossman, Huffington Post, 07/25/2018{{cite news |author=Emily Shugerman |date=2 October 2017 |title=Fayrouz Saad could be America's first Muslim woman in Congress - Exclusive: This progressive millennial wants to replace a two-term Republican |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/fayrouz-saad-muslim-woman-house-congress-campaign-interview-obama-a7974431.html |access-date=16 August 2018 |work=The Independent}} In his first Eid-al-Fitr celebration in 2016, US President Barack Obama singled out Saad's parents Aref and Aida Saad for praise citing their successful retail business in Michigan "for paying it forward" by having their daughter Fayrouz Saad work as director for the Office of Immigrant Affairs of Detroit.{{Cite news|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2016/07/21/remarks-president-eid-reception|title=Remarks by the President at Eid Reception|date=2016-07-21|work=whitehouse.gov|access-date=2018-08-15|language=en}} She graduated from the University of Michigan with a double major in Political Science and Psychology, and in 2014 received a master's from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government where she studied urban policy and economic development.{{cite news |last1=Nann Burke |first1=Melissa |title=Former Duggan official plans run against Rep. Trott |url=https://eu.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2017/07/13/fayrouz-saad/103660360/ |accessdate=16 August 2018 |work=Detroit News |date=13 July 2017 |language=en}} Saad is currently married to Chris DeRusha who serves as the Federal Chief Information Security Officer of the United States at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
Career
Saad's career spans campaign staffing, community organizing and immigration issues at the local, state and national levels. Between 2004-2008, Saad worked as a field organizer for John Kerry's and Gino Polidori's campaigns.{{cite news |author=National Center for Institutional Diversity |title=Fayrouz Saad |url=https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/m-visible-voices/fayrouz-saad/ |work=University of Michigan |access-date=April 12, 2021}}
Her organizing work targeted Arab American community relations,{{Cite web|url=http://www.aaiusa.org/fayrouz_saad_pours_her_passion_into_serving_community|title=Fayrouz Saad Pours Her Passion Into Serving Community - Arab American Institute|website=www.aaiusa.org|access-date=2018-08-15}} voter registration, civic engagement and advocacy strategies through the National Network for Arab American Communities and the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services.{{Cite news|url=https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2017/07/13/fayrouz-saad/103660360/|title=Former Duggan official plans run against Rep. Trott|work=Detroit News|access-date=2018-06-27|language=en}} Saad was Vice President of Chicago-based political advocacy firm Cambridge Global Advisors{{Cite news|url=https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/wayne-county/2015/10/12/duggan-names-fayrouz-head-immigrant-affairs/73835228/|title=Duggan announces immigrant affairs dept., names head|work=Detroit News|access-date=2018-08-15|language=en}} where she worked with the federal government on the implementation of CVE in the Dearborn community.{{citation needed|date=August 2018}}
During her tenure at DHS, in addition to serving as a liaison between governors, mayors and other local elected officials in the office of Intergovernmental Affairs (IGA),{{Cite news|url=https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/wayne-county/2015/10/12/duggan-names-fayrouz-head-immigrant-affairs/73835228/|title=Duggan announces immigrant affairs dept., names head|work=Detroit News|access-date=2018-08-15|language=en}} she assisted the department in coordinating community relations between Arab, Muslim, Sikh, South Asian and Somali communities and their law enforcement partners on CVE initiatives.{{Cite news|url=https://www.welcomingamerica.org/content/fayrouz-saad-0|title=Fayrouz Saad|date=2017-01-19|work=Welcoming America|access-date=2018-08-15|language=en}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.fayrouzsaad.com/ Official website]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saad, Fayrouz}}
Category:University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts alumni
Category:Harvard Kennedy School alumni
Category:Women in Michigan politics
Category:American people of Lebanese descent
Category:Candidates in the 2018 United States House of Representatives elections