Djamel has spent most of his career as an educator, teaching Arabic and French language, culture and literature and developing instructional materials at Boston University, Tulane University and Dillard University. He has also worked as a journalist and a translator. He now works for an international NGO that seeks to increase democratic processes both institutionally and at the grass roots.

While he loves the classroom, he finds great inspiration and satisfaction in developing programs to take students into the community. He sees this work as building cultural understanding in ways that prepare students to be effective in their professional lives and contribute to society.

He joined the board of Parents Forum in 2017 because he believes that expressing emotions honestly is essential to creating the strong relationships everyone wants to have with those they love. He sees strong families as the foundation of a healthy society and effective parenting as its cornerstone.

Kevin Brathwaite has spent over 25 years designing and delivering process improvement solutions for clients in the public sector. He has applied his background in industrial engineering to lead projects that focus on the efficient and effective use of resources.

In joining the Parents Forum board, he hopes to apply his consulting background and project management experience to support the organization as it continues to translate its strategy into actionable plans. A father himself, he appreciates the challenges that parents face and recognizes the positive impact that peer and community support have on the lives of both parents and children. A resident of Virginia, he has held various positions in working parents groups at his workplace.

He believes effective parenting is an integral part of a child’s educational journey and is vital to young people achieving their full potential in life and work.

Joining the Parents Forum board in 2024 as treasurer, Taka looks forward to contributing the financial expertise he has gained through 25-plus years of experience in both private and not-for-profit sectors. Specializing in accounting, finance, and strategic planning, with a track record of implementing robust financial systems and driving organizational growth, he appreciates the challenges the organization faces.

He also looks forward to sharing his experiences as a parent. Taka has three teenage boys and knows the importance of good communication in families.

Eve, the mother of three grown sons and four grandchildren, lives in Cambridge, Mass., and retired from MIT in 2012 after many years as a senior editorial assistant. Trained as a language teacher, she founded Parents Forum in 1991 as a way to pay forward the help she received in raising her own children. She is active on behalf of Parents Forum with other organizations, including having served on the board of the International Federation for Parent Education based in Paris.

Eve is the author of the program handbook Where the Heart Listens. Her vision of a community of parents and others who care about children and support families created Parents Forum.

As participant coordinator for a health research project in Boston and formerly a social worker working as a therapeutic mentor with families and children in Malden and Everett, I know the power of peer support and mentorship to improve the lives of parents, children and families. I appreciate how the conversational formula Parents Forum teaches helps people manage the tensions that we all experience in everyday life. I am excited about the opportunities and challenges involved in becoming a Parents Forum volunteer and board member.

Patricia Lowther, born and raised in South Carolina, now lives in Virginia. She is married and has two adult daughters. Retired from teaching English as a Second Language, she started her career with the Peace Corps over 50 years ago in Turkey and later lived and taught in Zambia.

Patricia is committed to facilitating dialogue across personal, racial, ethnic, religious or other differences. She has volunteered with organizations working in Africa (Zambia Orphans of AIDS) and Turkey (HasNa). As a hobby, Patricia is deeply involved in tracing family genealogy.

Patricia is especially drawn to Parents Forum because its “Tools of the Trade” help individuals learn to express feelings, even ‘bad’ feelings, in a positive way. These practices can be carried into larger homogeneous or cross-cultural groups and communities. She especially appreciates the ‘I feel- about- because-’ formula that Parents Forum teaches, as it provokes thoughtful reflection when feelings run high.

Adriana Sensenbrenner is a senior consultant at Guidehouse, based in Washington, D.C. She is passionate about supporting her clients’ mission-critical work, leveraging her background in strategic communications, customer experience and strategy design to bring insight and innovation to solve problems. Adriana received her bachelor’s degree from Johns Hopkins University and master’s from Georgetown University. She joined Parents Forum in 2023 to accelerate the organization’s mission, providing operational and strategic support to strengthen its program support for parents and children globally.

Ankitt Agarwal is an educator with extensive experience working with high school students in developing countries, where he has created skill development programs and promoted parenting education. His passion lies in empowering parents to become active partners in their children’s education, equipping them with the knowledge and strategies needed to support both academic success and personal growth.

As a dedicated advocate for holistic development, Ankitt’s work focuses on the intersection of academic achievement, social-emotional learning and identity development. In his role with Parents Forum, he aims to foster enriching learning environments and promote initiatives that strengthen the parent-child relationship. Through his involvement, Ankitt hopes to advocate for policies that empower parents and create lasting positive impacts on family dynamics and children’s educational and life journeys.

Inas Alawam was born in Syria and spent ten years in Saudi Arabia among expatriates from many Arab countries. She works in the banking and finance industry and has been involved with Parents Forum since 2018.

Her experience in Saudi Arabia, along with having a Lebanese grandmother, helped her understand other Arab countries and respect all Arab cultures. Inas came to the US in 2006 to further her education; she received an undergraduate degree in Marketing and Decision Science from Salem State University and a master’s degree in International Economics and Finance from Brandeis University. Her charity work has included helping Iraqi refugees get medical care and adapt to American culture. She has studied, worked and volunteered, doing so while a single mother raising her daughter, with the encouragement and support of her own mother.

With a focus on building awareness and educating women to realize their potential, Inas entered the Miss Arab USA competition and was awarded the 2018 title. During her reign she served as an ambassador of humanity and goodwill.

Andi Edson, director of Lesley University’s New Teacher Community, teaches courses on Family Engagement in Lesley’s Early Childhood Department. Andi has been a teacher trainer at the Fujian Institute for Teaching (Fuzhou, China) and for three recent summers was the Head Teacher Director there. Her work there involved training Chinese English teachers in best strategies and practices for teaching and learning.

Andi retired after a 40-year career in the Newton, MA

Nirmal is a real estate development professional with over twelve years of experience in the private and not-for-profit sectors. After completing a mid-career MBA at MIT’s Sloan School of Management, he joined Walmart Corporation in Bentonville, Arkansas, where he and his wife now live. Prior to taking the MBA, Nirmal worked for Lendlease, an international property and infrastructure group, managing multiple real estate development projects in Sydney, Australia. Nirmal’s qualifications beyond property development include urban planning, sustainable design and architecture.

While serving on the Parents Forum board, mid-pandemic, he took the lead in a consulting project with Empower Success Corps that clarified the program’s mission statement and key messaging. As an advisor he wants to continue to use his personal experience and professional perspectives to help the organization achieve its potential.