Board of Trustees

Matt Ayoub

Matt grew up in Abu Dhabi, arriving in 1979 and graduating from ACS in 1994 as part of our second graduating class. He returned to Abu Dhabi in 2010 and currently has three children at ACS, providing the Board with a unique perspective as an ACS alumnus, parent and long-time community member.

Matt is employed by Mubadala and currently serves as a member of the organization’s Human Capital leadership team with a specific focus on the intersection of people and business, as well as company culture and longer-term organization development. Prior to joining Mubadala, Matt worked in a range of roles in the life sciences and semiconductor industries, spending time in Europe, Asia, and North America, including San Diego, which his family considers home when not in Abu Dhabi.

Matt holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Boston University and an MBA from the University of San Diego, where he served as the President of the Graduate Business Students Association. When not working, Matt enjoys taking his family to remote parts of the world to explore unique cultures and ecosystems.

Julie Thurston

Julie Thurston and her family joined ACS when they moved to Abu Dhabi in 2017.  She and her husband Michael have two children, Wesley, who graduated ACS is 2023, and a daughter, who is in High School. They first moved overseas in 2014 from Durham, North Carolina.

Julie has more than 20 years of experience in Higher Education Facilities Administration, spanning a broad range of responsibilities from Facilities Engineering, Capital Planning and Project Management. She is currently employed by New York University of Abu Dhabi as the Director of Planning and Projects where she is responsible for all campus Space Planning and Management, Project Design and Construction.   

Julie holds a B.Sc degree in Civil Engineering from the University of California, Davis, and a M.S. degree from Duke University. She is a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of California and is certified as a LEED AP.

Bassam Moubarak

Bassam and his wife Mady have been proud residents of Abu Dhabi since his appointment at New York University Abu Dhabi in 2010. They have three children, all attending the American Community School (ACS). Bassam serves as the Executive Director for Finance and Budget at New York University Abu Dhabi, where he has played a key role since the university's inception.  His career in finance began at KPMG, followed by roles at Nestlé Middle East and Istithmar World in the UAE. He holds a BA in Accounting from Notre Dame University Lebanon and is currently pursuing a Global Executive MBA at Manchester University. With extensive experience in finance and a commitment to continuous professional development, Bassam is dedicated to driving excellence in finance and administrative leadership.

Gaby Manzano-Fadel

Gaby has been a member of the ACS community since 2010. Prior to living in Abu Dhabi, she worked in the finance and mortgage industry for ten years with Wells Fargo, based in San Jose, California. Gaby is a graduate of the University of Kentucky with a degree in Economics and attended the American School of Quito in her native country of Ecuador.

Gaby worked part-time in the ACS Business Office, supporting Admissions and Human Resources for six years, before running for the Board. Prior to that, she spent her time volunteering for school activities and being part of the PTA.

She has three children, all of whom have attended ACS since KG1.

Omar Asfour

Omar is a senior vice president of Project Management at ALDAR Properties. Prior to joining Aldar in 2008, Omar worked at Turner Construction in Boston. Throughout his career he has worked on construction projects in healthcare, education, residential communities and radio-TV stations. Omar is a graduate of Tufts University’s School of Engineering. He attended ACS Tunisia, ACS Athens and graduated from ACS Abu Dhabi. He has 3 children at ACS.

Nadia Bardawil

Nadia is an English-qualified lawyer with more than fifteen years’ experience working on the financing and construction of energy assets. Nadia and her husband, Dan, have one son, who is in the Elementary School.

Nadia spent twelve years at global law firm Shearman & Sterling LLP in its London and Abu Dhabi offices before joining Mubadala. For four years, Nadia was general counsel to Masdar (Mubadala’s renewable energy asset), and she recently returned to Mubadala as a senior legal advisor to its UAE Investments division. 

Nadia is passionate about diversity and inclusion and developed a bespoke program for Masdar during her time as general counsel. She has been a mentor for junior members of the businesses in which she has worked for many years. Nadia also is interested in health and fitness and established Capital Fitness, a personal training studio in Abu Dhabi designed to encourage women to take up strength and conditioning training, in 2018. 

Jonathan Bosch

Jonathan was born in Saudi Arabia, where he spent his formative years before relocating to the U.S. with his family. After more than a decade away, he returned to the Middle East in 2008, where he took on leadership roles in healthcare, finance, and higher education. In 2016, Jonathan chose Abu Dhabi as the new home for his young family, moving from Doha and joining Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.

Currently, Jonathan directs Strategic Planning and Organizational Development at Mubadala Investment Company. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Vanderbilt University.

Jonathan, now firmly rooted in Abu Dhabi with his family, is the proud father of two elementary school students. Outside work, he cherishes spending time outdoors with his family, whether it's camping in the desert or enjoying our beautiful beaches. For Jonathan, Abu Dhabi isn't just where he works—it's home, with a close 2^nd place going to Croatia where his lovely wife Kat is from.

Serena Carnavale

Serena has been an active member of the ACS community since 2017 and has one child in the Middle School. She served as a member of the Institutional Advancement Committee and as Chair of the Board Nominating Committee. 

Serena worked in Investment Banking at Goldman Sachs London for 12 years. Her last position was in the Financial Sponsor Coverage Group, where her role was to advise private equity clients on M&A, financing and equity transactions. As an investment banker, Serena had extensive business and management experience securing and executing a variety of large transactions and working directly with the leadership team on risk management, HR and communication strategy.

While living in Brazil, Serena co-founded a children's organic and sustainable clothing company, which started as a hobby and developed into a small business. 

Prior to their move to Abu Dhabi, Serena and her family lived in Italy, UK and Brazil.

Serena holds a Master's Degree in Economics from Bocconi University, Milan. 

Brad Heming

Brad and his wife Caroline have lived in Abu Dhabi since 2018.  They have a son who is in High School at ACS.

Brad has more than 30 years of commercial real estate experience and is currently employed by ADIA and leads the team that is responsible for overseeing ADIA’s real estate investments throughout North and South America.  Prior to moving to the UAE, Brad worked for several other institutional real estate companies in both Washington, DC and Chicago, Illinois, where he and Caroline raised their three children.

Brad holds a B.A. in Economics from DePauw University and a MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management.

Adib Mattar

Adib is the Head of Private Equity for Mubadala Capital. Prior to joining Mubadala in 2008, Adib was an investment banker at Credit Suisse in New York. Adib graduated cum laude from the College of William & Mary in Virginia with a BA in International Relations and he received an MBA and Masters of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He is an ACS Abu Dhabi Alumni Class of 1995. Adib is also an Aspen Institute Fellow. He has 4 children at ACS. 

Ron Packowitz

The U.S. Embassy’s representative to the board, Ron has been a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State for more than 20 years. He has served overseas as a diplomat in Ecuador, Colombia, Germany, the UK, Afghanistan, Iraq, and since 2023 in the UAE.  Previously, Ron was a public defender in his hometown of Chicago. Ron’s law degree is from DePaul University in Chicago, and he has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Ron and his wife Liv have a son currently at ACS, and two older children.