Ambassador of Kingdom
of Bahrain to Visit CMC

Her Excellency Ambassador Houda Nonoo, the Ambassador of Bahrain to the United States and Canada, will speak at CMC's Pickford Auditorium at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 18. Nonoo's address, "Bahrain: The Pearl of the Gulf," is open to the public.
Ambassador Nonoo's two-day visit to Claremont McKenna College, sponsored by the Arabic program, will include meeting and conversing in Arabic with the more than 100 students studying Arabic at CMC. The Embassy's Cultural Attache, Aysha Murad, will accompany the Ambassador on her visit, and will also speak on Wednesday evening. Her remarks will focus on the history and culture of Bahrain.
"I am really looking forward to the visit of the Bahraini Ambassador, especially having spent a great deal of time in Bahrain," said Bassam Frangieh, professor of Arabic at CMC. "I have many friends and colleagues in the Gulf, and would like my students to have a greater understanding of the region's rich history and culture. Ambassador Nonoo's visit will further strengthen the Arabic program's outreach to distinguished diplomats, writers, intellectuals, and educators from the Middle East.
"Students in the Arabic program benefit greatly from these opportunities," he added, "but it is also important for leading figures from the Arab World, such as Ambassador Nonoo, to learn about our Arabic program."
Nonoo was appointed Ambassador to the United States and Canada in July 2008 by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the King of Bahrain. She is on the Board of Directors of the U.S.-Bahrain Business Council.
Before her appointment as Ambassador to the United States, Ambassador Nonoo served in Bahrain's Shura Council, the Upper House of the National Assembly. In the Shura Council, she was appointed to the Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs. Prior to her government service, Ambassador Nonoo was very active in civil society, and was a founding member of Bahrain's Human Rights Watch Society. She was elected as the organization's General Secretary in 2005.
She has 20 years of experience managing private sector firms in Bahrain and the United Kingdom, where she earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees.
Ms. Murad's career has been in education policy. Prior to her assignment in Washington, she worked in the Ministry of Education. She has also taught at the University of Bahrain.
Ms. Murad serves on the Board of Trustees of two private, K-12 schools in Bahrain, and earned her master's in education from the University of Oregon. She currently is a doctoral student at the University of London.