A retired Army Lieutenant Colonel with 24 years of experience in the US Army including 5 years of combat experience in Iraq and Syria. As a military intelligence officer, Luke earned his master’s in Security Studies from Kansas State University and has published several articles on security challenges in the Middle East.
A Mechanical Engineer who graduated from the University of Baghdad and is a licensed Residential and Commercial builder in the State of Virginia since 2005. Over the last 20 years he designed, managed, and developed residential projects in Erbil, Virginia, and across the globe. During the humanitarian crisis of 1992 in Kurdistan, he worked as a dedicated refugee assistant where he was instrumental in gaining approval of grants from donors including USAID, OFDA, UN Refugee Agencies, Save the Children’s Fund and EU Agencies to provide relief to refugees during and after Operation Provide Comfort.
Ahed al-Hendi is a Syrian-American human rights activist who has lived in Washington, DC since 2009. In December of 2006 he was detained in Damascus and spent 40 days in prison for co-founding a pro-democracy group known as Syrian Youth for Justice. He subsequently fled Syria to Jordan in April 2007. When Syrian protests began in 2011, Al Hendi became one of the most outspoken Syrian activists in the US, speaking in support of democracy. He has briefed many Members of Congress, and he has met with President George W. Bush, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton , President Trump and other high-level officials. He is in daily communication with a wide network of activists and researchers in Syria. His research on the Middle East has been published in Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs, Wall Street Journal, Daily Beast, Huffington Post, Reuters, CNN, al- Hayat, and al-Mustaqbal. He has been interviewed by many International and Arabic TV networks such as CNN, Bloomberg, Al Jazeera, al-Hura, France 24, and Russia Today. He has also lectured at the US Institute for Peace, New American Foundation, Hudson Institute, and the Milton Wolf Seminar in Austria.
Richard Kheir is a technology leader with over 20 years of software engineering experience who brings critical technical expertise to The Heracles Group’s innovation and technology empowerment initiatives. Born and educated in Lebanon before pursuing graduate studies in the United States, Richard earned his Master’s degree in Computer Science from Villanova University and his Bachelor’s degree from the American University of Beirut.
Richard’s passion for using technology to serve vulnerable populations began during his graduate research, where he contributed early work in speech transcription systems designed to assist hearing-impaired students in classroom settings. His research in rehabilitative and assistive technologies, published in multiple international conferences, focused on making education more accessible through innovative technological solutions. Currently serving as Engineering Senior Director at a major satellite communication company in Washington, DC, Richard continues to leverage emerging technologies including artificial intelligence and mobile platforms to solve complex technical challenges.
Throughout his career, Richard has maintained a strong commitment to humanitarian service, volunteering with the Congregation of the Missionary Sisters of the Very Holy Sacrament in Lebanon, Missionary Sisters of the Holy Rosary in the USA and Africa, Habitat for Humanity, and various NGOs in both the United States and Lebanon.
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