Rania Succar, Syrian-American Co-Founder and Board member of Jusoor, will be honored with the Outstanding Arab American Philanthropist of the Year Award, at the Center for Arab American Philanthropy’s (CAAP) Threads of Giving Gala in California on September 22, 2023.
The award celebrates Rania’s remarkable contributions in establishing and guiding Jusoor — which means “bridges” in Arabic — that has fostered educational and professional development opportunities for Syrian youth and refugees around the globe. In 2011, Rania brought together a community of young Syrian and Arab Diaspora, many of whom became the founders of the non-profit. Since then, Jusoor has mobilized over 23 million USD in global support to offer refugee education, international scholarships, entrepreneurial programs, and career development opportunities for over 15,000 Syrian children and vulnerable host community youth, over 2,000 entrepreneurs and, over 600 businesses and startups.
“Rania is an inspirational leader and philanthropist, and is well-deserving of recognition as CAAP’s Arab American Philanthropist of the Year,” says CAAP’s Director, Tamara El-Khoury. “Rania shows us the powerful impact philanthropy can have when done strategically and with purpose.”
CAAP is a national community foundation affiliated with ACCESS: the largest Arab American community nonprofit. CAAP aims to unite and empower the Arab American community, through dozens of philanthropic initiations in North America and the Middle East. During its annual Threads of Giving gala, CAAP celebrates community giving by recognizing an Arab American philanthropist. In 2023, they are honoring Rania.
“Through Jusoor, I have learned that it is possible to make meaningful impact on even the most entrenched challenges our society faces,” says Rania. “I am proud of the innovative approach Jusoor has taken to address these challenges, and I am truly honored to be receiving this award from CAAP, an organization I deeply admire for the positive change they are driving on behalf of the Arab American community.”
An inspiring and successful business leader and social entrepreneur, Rania has a proven record of transformative impact in both tech and philanthropy. Rania graduated from Harvard College (BA), Harvard Business School (MBA) and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government (MPA), and her career skyrocketed through experiences at Merrill Lynch, McKinsey, Google. She spent more than seven years at Quickbooks where her team launched several game-changing funding solutions for small businesses. In 2022, Rania became the CEO of Intuit Mailchimp, where she has helped small and mid-market businesses grow, prosper, and effectively engage customers. In 2001, Rania co-founded the Harvard Arab Alumni Association which has grown to become one of the most thriving alumni organizations in the world, and since 2011 Rania has been serving on the Board of Directors of Jusoor. Rania’s tireless commitment to closing the opportunity gap for Syrian youth is driven by a passion for economic development and a hopeful vision for Syria’s future.
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