Having served as NAMES Secretary since the Network’s inception in January 2006, Ms. Maissa Azab has been named NAMES Executive Director by NAMES Board of Directors effective 1 March 2017.

For more than ten years, Ms. Azab has been in charge of all administrative aspects relating to the establishment, sustainability, and promotion of NAMES. As Head of the Secretariat Office, she has been responsible for the organization of NAMES five biennial conferences thus far, the latest of which witnessed the celebration of the Network’s 10 Years Anniversary.

In the next phase, Ms. Azab will continue to work closely and more deeply with NAMES elected President and Board of Directors on consolidating the Network’s achievements thus far, expanding its reach through more members and more collaborative activities, and enhancing the Network’s impact throughout the region.

Ms. Azab has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from University of Alexandria, Egypt; she joined the Bibliotheca Alexandria Planetarium Science Center (PSC) in 2004 as Conference Coordinator. In addition to being named NAMES Secretary, in 2006, Ms. Azab became the PSC’s Publications Coordinator. Through her efforts, a Publications Team was formed and the Publications Unit was established in 2010; the Team’s most prominent program is SCIplanet, the first Egyptian popular science printed and online magazine.