Najwa Massad
{{Short description|Mayor of the city of Mankato, Minnesota}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Najwa Massad
| image = File:Najwa Massad flood damage (cropped).jpeg
| caption = Massad in 2024
| office = Mayor of Mankato, Minnesota
| term_start = November 6, 2018
| term_end =
| predecessor = Eric Anderson
| successor =
| birth_name = Najwa Melhem Chalhoub
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1955|09|20}}
| birth_place = Ferzol, Lebanon
| death_date =
| death_place =
| party = Democratic
| education = Good Counsel Academy
}}
Najwa Melhem Massad, née Chalhoub (born September 20, 1955) is a Lebanese-American business woman and politician serving as the 46th mayor of the city of Mankato, Minnesota, since 2018. Massad has been a restaurateur and caterer since the late 1970s in both Lebanon and the United States. She is the first female mayor of Mankato, its first first-generation American mayor as well as its second mayor of Lebanese origin, after Herb Mocol (1975-1986).
Early life
Massad was born in the Beqaa Valley, Lebanon, in September 1955.U.S., Public Records Index, 1950-1993, Volume 1. Her father, Melhem Tom Chalhoub of FerzolMinnesota Department of Health. St. Paul, Minnesota, USA. Minnesota, Death Index, 1908-2017. and her mother Elaine Chalhoub, née Bouich, of ZahleU.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007. immigrated to the United States in 1960, to reunite with Massad’s grandmother. They settled in the city of Mankato, Minnesota where Massad attended St. John’s Catholic school and then Our Lady of Good Counsel Academy for Girls high school until the age of 15.Murray, Rob. “Madame Mayor: Najwa Massad’s journey to the gravel was long done”, Mankato Magazine. The Free Press Media. vol. 15, no. 1 (January 2020), p. 16.
Career
Locally, Massad is best known for her involvement in the food industry, along with her husband, John Massad, which started in 1984.Brandt, Grace. ”Mankato Staple – Najwa Massad & Najwa’s Catering”, Mankato Life. March 2, 2020. Fleeing the Lebanese Civil War in 1982, they settled back to Mankato. They opened their first restaurant called Meray’s shortly after. The business specialized in Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and French cookery. They introduced Mankato to the world-famous shawarma. The sit-down restaurant closed in 1995.Bhakta, Monali. [https://www.rndc.org/a-candid-conversation-with-mayor-najwa-massad/ “A candid conversation with mayor Najwa Massad”], Region 9 Development Commission News, December 30, 2020. Their company, Massad Group, included as of 2022, Massad’s Mediterranean Grille (a shawarma stand at the RIver Hills Mall), Najwa’s Catering (specialized in Lebanese and French cuisines located at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center) and Olives (a Mediterranean family-style restaurant in the lobby of the downtown Mankato Hilton Garden Inn hotel). Massad Group also mass produces and distributes the brand’s signature toum sauce which they call “Schwarma Sauce”.
Early political career
Besides the food industry, Massad has been involved in the Mankato community for some time. She spent 15 years serving on the city’s Planning and Zoning Committee, both as a member and chair, and also spent over five years on the Multi-Modal Transportation Committee.Reinan, John. “Mankato elects longtime restaurateur Najwa Massad as its first female mayor”, [https://www.startribune.com/mankato-elects-longtime-restaurateur-najwa-massad-as-its-first-woman-mayor/500207962/?refresh=true Star Tribune], November 10, 2018
She is also an active member of her church, St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, for which she helped raise funds for the building’s renovations in 2012.loc. cit.
Mayor of Mankato
Massad was elected mayor of the city of Mankato on November 6, 2018.Fischenich, Mark, “Massad elected Mankato mayor”, Mankato Free Press, November 7, 2018 She ran again, successfully, for a second term at the subsequent election on November 8, 2022.[https://www.southernminnesotanews.com/mayor-najwa-massad-elected-to-2nd-term/ “Mayor Najwa Massad elected to 2nd term”], Southern Minnesota News, November 9, 2022. During her time in office, her main focus areas have been affordable housing and retention of talent and youth.Dean, Jared. [https://www.keyc.com/2022/10/07/mayor-najwa-massad-prepares-midterm-elections/ “Mayor Najwa Massad prepares for midterm elections”], KEYC New Now, October 7, 2022.
Personal life
References
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Category:21st-century mayors of places in Minnesota
Category:American mayors of Middle Eastern descent
Category:American politicians of Lebanese descent
Category:Asian-American people in Minnesota politics
Category:Lebanese businesspeople
Category:Lebanese emigrants to the United States
Category:Politicians from Mankato, Minnesota
Category:Women mayors of places in Minnesota
Category:21st-century Minnesota politicians
Category:21st-century American women politicians
Category:21st-century Lebanese politicians