Ahmed Yanouri

Based in Arlington, Texas just outside of Dallas, Ahmed is the visionary and founder behind American Moroccan Alliance, a US nonprofit organization focused on education and fostering intercultural understanding between the US and Morocco. As a world traveler with a lifetime of international experience and service, Ahmed envisioned study programs allowing collaboration and exchange between teachers in the U.S. and Morocco, as well as joint projects with leading academic institutions and Moroccan civil society.

Ahmed was born in Berkane, Morocco and after completing his undergraduate studies at Mohammed V University in Rabat, he earned his Ph.D. in molecular biology in the USA. He settled in Arlington, Texas where he has remained active in the local community for the past 25 years. Ahmed was among the few Muslim leaders to be invited by President George Bush to the 2008 Iftar dinner at the White House. He was also a guest of the State Department to President Obama’s inauguration ceremony and a guest of President and Mrs. Obama to a reception at the White House in 2009. Local recognition includes the DFW International Community Alliance Award for “African Businessman of the Year” for North Texas.

As a past board member of DFW World Affairs Council, Ahmed actively promotes economic and social development while "wearing two hats" - one American and one Moroccan. Currently, he has several entrepreneurial ventures in Morocco and the USA including a carob processing factory in Morocco that is generating jobs and opening international markets within the Moroccan agrobusiness field. Texas is home to his two hotels including the Hampton Inn at Cowboy Stadium in Arlington, TX. Always on the go, whether the hospitality sector, international business development, or as a community volunteer, Ahmed has a passion for humanity and is an activist working for peace and awareness in the global world we live in.