Mr. Abdallah Al Khal was appointed Assistant Vice President for Alumni Relations as of September 1, 2016, following 14 years of service during which he built a strong and active worldwide alumni network through the development of chapters, events, volunteering and fundraising.

Further to strategic efforts in alumni engagement, Mr. Al Khal oversees the operations of alumni chapters and committees to ensure their alignment with LAU’s mission. He also advises LAU schools and departments on alumni matters, and connects the university leadership with prominent former students and community leaders in Lebanon and abroad.

By the time he came back to his alma mater in 2002, Mr. Al Khal had acquired more than 15 years of experience in business management in the United States, Haiti and Lebanon. He started his career in the 1980s as an assistant mall manager in Detroit, Michigan, and went on to establish and run his own business, an import/export company out of Haiti, which later moved to Miami. On his return to Lebanon in 1998, he also took on the management of his family’s printing business.

He joined LAU in 2002 as Assistant Director of Alumni and Development, and went on to become Director of Alumni Relations in 2007 and Executive Director of Alumni Relations in 2011.

Mr. Al Khal holds a BS in Business (1984) and an MBA (2009) from LAU.

Salma Abdelnour joined LAU in 2025 as Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Fund. Based at the New York campus, Salma works primarily with the LAU community in North America. She focuses on strengthening alumni connections, helping grow their professional networks, and nurturing pride in LAU’s mission. Salma coordinates the 15 alumni chapters in the U.S. and Canada, develops newsletters for North America-based alumni, creates cultural events, and works with the Alumni Relations team in Beirut to increase engagement across the university’s global diaspora.

Prior to joining LAU, Salma was Head of Alumni Affairs at City University of New York’s Graduate School of Journalism, where she developed initiatives that drove up alumni engagement, launched a mentorship program, created professional-development event series, and taught writing courses in the Journalism M.A. program.

Salma started her career as a journalist and has been a writer and editor for numerous publications. In 2012, Random House published Salma’s memoir, “Jasmine and Fire: A Bittersweet Year in Beirut, an account of her tumultuous year spent trying to move back to Lebanon and explore the meaning of home.

Born in Illinois after her parents left Beirut to attend graduate school in the U.S., Salma returned with her family to spend her childhood in Ras Beirut. After moving to the U.S. again during the Lebanese civil war, she has continued to visit Lebanon regularly, now with her husband and children.

Salma attended UC Berkeley and has a B.A. in Philosophy with a minor in English Literature.

In May 2007, Ghada Majed (BA ‘00) joined the Alumni Relations Office at LAU as Assistant Director and was promoted to Associate Director in 2012. From the outset, she has been dedicated to planning and implementing a comprehensive alumni relations program that fosters participation and support through strong communication, personal interaction, and the organization of reunions and cultural events for alumni chapters worldwide. Her responsibilities also include managing alumni publications and the website, as well as overseeing the development of special programs—such as the Alumni Mentoring Program and the Keep Learning and Stay Aware lecture series—which provide tangible benefits to both alumni and current students.

Following her graduation in 2000 with a degree in Graphic Design, Majed was recruited by LAU to manage and design all university publications across departments, schools, centers, and institutes, including LAU Magazine, Alumni Bulletin, The Faculty Gazette, and Facts & Figures, in addition to contributing to the design of the LAU website. She also designed several books, including My Life Story with the Lebanese American University by former LAU President Dr. Riyad F. Nassar (2007) and Art in Lebanon 1930-1975 by Frida Howling (2005).

In 2005-2006, Majed was among 16 designers selected to complete an online master module on art, design, and technology organized by the UNESCO DigiArts Portal. Her work was chosen for the cover of Visual Narratives from Arabia, a publication featuring selected projects from the program.

She further enhanced her skills through professional certifications, earning a Certificate of Leadership and Communications from Thomson Reuters in 2018, and becoming a Professional Certified Transcendence Coach through the Coaches Circle Academy (ICF accredited) in 2022. Continuing her academic journey, Majed completed her Executive MBA at LAU in 2021.

Manwa Ghannoum (BS ‘15) (AAS ‘96) is responsible for establishing and maintaining contact with graduates of the university and improving relations with LAU alumni constituencies. Ghannoum provides support in planning and organizing alumni and chapter functions, and coordinates with various departments to ensure that these events are properly set up and managed. She works closely with the Registrar’s Office, IT Department, Advancement Services and Placement, and Strategic Communications Department for important alumni communications such as the LAU Magazine.