Dr. Zelalem Chala, who is the program Chair (PC) of School of Business holds a PhD in Economics from Virginia Polytechnic and State University and an MS in Agricultural Economics from Oklahoma State University. Recently earned MS degree in Data Analytics from Southern New Hampshire University.

He has 20+ years of expertise in economic policy research, project management, and business plan development. Since 2016, he held the position of Assistant Professor in the School of Business at FXUA, teaching BA and MBA courses in business analytics, business statistics, international finance, operations management, microeconomics, macroeconomics, and introductory statistics. With his PC capacity at FXUA, He has also many years of experience in teaching online courses using Moodle, Blackboard, Canvas and D2L Learning Management System & technologies

Dr. Chala is responsible for managing the teaching-learning processes, developing curriculum, recruiting, and evaluating faculty, registering students, and advising their success during their studies. As a program Chair he has developed a new Bachelor of Science program in business administration (BSBA), Management Information System (BSMIS), Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Science in Management Information Systems (MSMIS) which are currently approved by SCHEV and ACICS.

Dr. Zelalem Chala, who is the program Chair (PC) of School of Business holds a PhD in Economics from Virginia Polytechnic and State University and an MS in Agricultural Economics from Oklahoma State University. Recently earned MS degree in Data Analytics from Southern New Hampshire University.

He has 20+ years of expertise in economic policy research, project management, and business plan development. Since 2016, he held the position of Assistant Professor in the School of Business at FXUA, teaching BA and MBA courses in business analytics, business statistics, international finance, operations management, microeconomics, macroeconomics, and introductory statistics. With his PC capacity at FXUA, He has also many years of experience in teaching online courses using Moodle, Blackboard, Canvas and D2L Learning Management System & technologies

Dr. Chala is responsible for managing the teaching-learning processes, developing curriculum, recruiting, and evaluating faculty, registering students, and advising their success during their studies. As a program Chair he has developed a new Bachelor of Science program in business administration (BSBA), Management Information System (BSMIS), Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Science in Management Information Systems (MSMIS) which are currently approved by SCHEV and ACICS.

Dr.Halil Atabay received his PhD in the area of microbiology from the University of Bristol (UK) in 1998 and his DVM degree from Istanbul University in Turkey in 1992. After completion of his PhD, he has worked as professor at several universities, including departments related to the field of microbiology. His tasks involved teaching, research, and administrative activities, which also covered curriculum development for undergraduate and graduate studies and oversight of academic policies and procedures. He is a dedicated academician in his commitment to student success, institutional effectiveness, and academic excellence. He has extensive experience in grant writing and project management. He led and successfully completed many research projects either as PI or researcher, and supervised and/or mentored many postgraduate and undergraduate students.

In addition to his work as a professor, Dr. Atabay served as the director for a graduate school at a health sciences institution where he was actively involved in developing and opening numerous graduate-level programs and respective courses. He taught a wide variety of courses in the field of microbiology, including general microbiology, immunology, food microbiology, medical microbiology, and project techniques both at undergraduate and graduate levels. He has served as an expert evaluator for the European Union’s HORIZON 2020 Projects since 2009 and for several national-level project funding bodies. Throughout his career, he also worked in research and project coordination and international relations.

Dr. Atabay completed his postdoctoral studies in Denmark in 2001. He has over 34 research papers published in high-ranked journals, has written two book chapters, and has received over 1805 citations to his publications with an h-index of 22.

Mayyada Al Hammoshi is working as a Computer Science program chair and associate professor at Fairfax University of America since 2016. Prior working at Fairfax University of America, Mayyada worked (2008-2015) as assistant professor and chair at University of Technology and Applied Computer Science in Sultanate of Oman.  During that period, she served as the chair of Computer Science department and supervised 37 full- time faculties. She also served as the chair of Scientific Research department to handle all the Scientific Research activities in the University.

Mayyada served as the Principal Investigator (2010-2015) for the Omani Research Council Grant’s research and supervised PhD and Master thesis nationally and globally.

Prior working in Oman, Mayyada worked (1995-2008) as a lecturer and assistant professor at the university of Mosul in Iraq.

In her more than 20 years of experience, Mayyada taught many Computer Science, Information Technology, Information Systems, and Computer Engineering courses. She also published more than 25 papers in international peer reviewed journals and conferences. Finally, she volunteered as technical program committee, reviewer, and editorial board in many international journals and conferences.

NS Hasan, J.D. , executive dean of academic programs and administration oversees all of FXUA’s academic schools, programs, and other academic and administrative support functions. NS is a graduate of Virginia Tech (as a Commonwealth Scholar) and holds a Juris Doctor in Law from University of Maryland. Prior to joining FXUA, he served as vice dean, director of the English Legal Studies Program, and international projects manager at Al-Quds University Faculty of Law in Jerusalem. He was responsible for the main campus and 3 satellite campuses including supervision of 20 full-time professors and 9-part-time professors. Concurrently, for the past 10 years, NS has taught with America-Mideast Educational and Training Services (AMIDEAST), a leading American nonprofit organization engaged in international education, training, and development activities in the Middle East and North Africa. His areas of expertise are in international higher education (serving underprivileged students who are non-native English speakers), capacity building, program development, educational and administrative reform and accountability, graduate access to higher education and market employability.

Seheno was born and raised in Madagascar. She has lived in N’Djamena, Chad & traveled to several countries in Europe including France & Belgium. She speaks English, French, and Malagasy (the native language of Madagascar). Working with International Students is her passion. She has had the honor and privilege of serving the International student community for more than fifteen years in the roles of Primary/Designated School Official, International Student Advisor, and Senior/Admissions Officer, and she is looking forward to serving for many years to come.

As an International Student Advisor and Designated School Official (DSO) at FXUA, Seheno advises International Students on how to maintain their Visa/Status and educate them on their rights and responsibilities as non-immigrants students. As a DSO, She also helps the school to comply with the school’s reporting requirements and maintain the SEVIS System database. She also guides students on available resources and services available to International Students on and off-campus such as On-Campus Employment, getting a driver’s license, applying for Social Security, and other helpful resources and services.

She loves supporting International students adjusting to a new life in the U.S. and being an advocate for them. She loves to be part of an inclusive environment where she has the opportunity to learn, appreciate, and understand diverse and new cultures. She also enjoys cooking and tasting new food from different countries. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family. She loves hiking and swimming, and also loves traveling, and experiencing new things. She loves traveling to Paris, visiting the Eiffel Tower, and enjoying French cuisine.

Namuuntuya worked at IIIT as an International Budget Analyst. Before that, she worked at Ernst and Young Mongolia, one of “The Big Four” Accounting Firms, as an Assurance Service Senior. At Energy Resources Rail LLC she was a Financial Analyst and had the chance to build financial models for many infrastructure projects. Namuuntuya holds a master’s degree in Accounting and Financial Management from Keller Graduate School of DeVry University and a bachelor’s degree in Finance from Virginia International University. She is married with children.

Kamrul Hasan received his MS in Computer Science from Maharishi International University (formally Maharishi University of Management). With 15 years of extensive experience in development, Kamrul had the opportunity to lead a number of Windows, Web, and Mobile device-based application projects. Over 6 years of teaching experience, he taught so many programming courses. He is a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist in .NET Framework, Web Applications. He is also a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist in SQL Server, Implementation and Maintenance. He has been published twice in international conferences and has also been published once in a journal. Kamrul enjoys programming and R&D with new technologies. He loves to solve complex problems using modern technologies and create innovative solutions.

Area of Expertise

Java Programming, C# programming, .Net core, ASP.Net MVC, Web API, REST API, Web service, SOAP, TDD, TFS, SQL server, SSRS, AWS Lambda, DMS, Azure DevOps

Leigh Ann Gaskins, a native to Northern Virginia, is excited to be working at FXUA. She has worked extensively with non-profit businesses, schools and organizations in the areas of accounting and payroll for over 20 years. Leigh Ann is married with two children.