
Maysa is a recognized leader in international development and philanthropy. She is deeply committed to supporting the most vulnerable people in the world through her expertise in education, jobs and technology. A true industry veteran, Maysa has over 25 years of experience in building effective organizations, initiatives and innovative partnerships in Canada, the Middle East and in developing nations.
As a visiting scholar at Arizona State University and MIT Open Learning, she is exploring how two of the world’s most committed academic institutions could revolutionize education to better serve the most vulnerable people around the world. She is co-founder and host of the Impact Room, a podcast with an aim to inspire, educate and connect people striving to solve some of the world’s greatest sustainable development challenges.
Maysa is the host of the Impact Room, a podcast she produces in partnership with Philanthropy Age. The Impact Room features the people and ideas that are tackling some of the biggest challenges the world is facing by innovating, addressing system level change and designing for scale. Our aim is to educate, empower and connect people and organizations that can contribute.
Stay tuned for Season 1 of
The Impact Room
Latest Publications
Giving teachers the right tools and knowledge are crucial, say the experts in our discussion following a new early childhood education report from Theirworld. As 90% of brain development ha[...]

The refugee crisis in the Greek Aegean islands has reached an untenable situation which requires urgent action by the Greek authorities and the international community. This report shows a way[...]
The Arab world has long suffered from a wide spectrum of socio-economic challenges and conflicts. Three statistics demonstrate these acute challenges beyond doubt: 1) two-thirds of the region[...]
Four years ago, we set out to establish the Arab world’s largest privately funded education foundation. The mandate that its founder Abdulla Al Ghurair laid out was focused and ambitious: to[...]
Public Speaking
Follow Maysa on Twitter
I just read Refugee High by @Elly33 about #refugee kids in public #schools in the US. Inspiring, heartbreaking and many lessons. It left me wondering how the global #education community could learn/support schools and teachers hosting refugee kids in richer countries https://t.co/KpqoRX2DoT
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RT @WilmshurstEuan: “A refugee child is 5 times as likely to be excluded from school as a non refugee child” @SchleicherOECD #EWF2022
Read More30,000 #scholarships over 10 years is a phenomenal philanthropic commitment!! #Philanthropy will never replace the need for free and more affordable #highereducation but this is amazing!
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Looking outside my window at a much milder version of the #sandstorm in #Iraq and thinking of displaced people in the region (and beyond) and how they could possibly cope. Refugees need much greater support to prepare for the #ClimateCrisis
Read MoreRT @MarkCutts: #Syria: Najlaa, a kindergarten teacher in Idlib, is committed to giving children a brighter future. Yet, like more than 5,00…
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Beautiful.
Read More@jwestanderson Ghost Forest & Island of Missing Trees
Read MoreEid Mubarak from my family to yours! #EidMubarak #EidAlFitr2022
Read More@mearajack Hope your crew is taking good care of you!
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