John Gérard Akouri
NEWS | COMMENTARY | SPEECHES | ANALYSIS | LETTERS | STATEMENTS | PHOTOS
About Me
- Name: John Akouri Newsblog
- Location: Birmingham, MI, United States
Councilman John Akouri, former Washington, DC Press Secretary & Capitol Hill Advisor, is President & CEO of the Lebanese American Chamber of Commerce.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
Lebanese American Community in Boston Holds Fundraising Dinner to Rebuild St. Elias Church in Btaarboura, Lebanon
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Washington, DC-based Lebanese-American Groups Ask Members of Congress to Press Syria on Lebanon
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Tuesday, February 17, 2009
IN PICTURES: Lebanese American Chamber of Commerce February Power Lunch
(TROY, MI)...The Lebanese American Chamber of Commerce (LACC) held its monthly President’s ‘Power Lunch’ today at Maggiano's Ristorante, gathering some of the region’s top business and civic leaders including: captains of industry, chief executives, financial gurus, medical & legal experts, academic heads, successful entrepreneurs, and fast-growing young professionals. This highly anticipated series is an extension of the Leadership Luncheon program, which was spearheaded in 2006 by LACC President & CEO John Akouri, and features prominent elected officials and decision-makers from throughout the country. At today's event, Akouri announced the inaugural 'Stars in the Skies' Concert to benefit the Lebanese Chamber which will debut April 3, 2009 at the Town Center's Skyline Club.
In addition to Akouri, luncheon guests included: Andary Real Estate Chairman Fred Andary, Ansara Restaurant Group (Big Boy/Red Robin) Vice President & LACC Chairman of the Board Lew Ansara, Advanced Strategies Group Senior Vice President Rick Appel, Atrient, Inc., Founder & CEO Sam Attisha, C Energy North America Partner Tony Cappussi, St. John Hospital & Medical Center Internal Medicine Specialist Dr. Richard Cross (Saliba), Consulate of Macedonia Consul General & Chief Diplomat Hon. Igor Dukoski, Michigan Mortgage Brokers Association Past President Steve Hagar, Galaxy Homes Builder & Developer Aziz Haridy, NAI Farbman/The Farbman Group Chief Operating Officer Michael Kalil, Former Detroit FBI Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge & Kerby, Bailey & Associates Vice-President Bill Kowalski, J-Mack Investigative & Security Solutions & Former Mount Clemens Police Chief Joe Macksoud, MCI Construction President & CEO Ibrahim Marji, The Community Guide Publisher Nizar Matta, the LACC General Counsel, Automotive Executive Elie Naim, CMPS Institute Chairman & CEO Gibran Nicholas, Madonna University Vice President for Academic Administration Dr. Ernest Nolan, Paramount Bank Executive Vice-President Louis J. Peters, Jr., Peninsula Wealth Management Group/UBS First Vice-President Ron Pruette, Consulate of Mexico Consul General & Chief Diplomat Vicente M. Sanchez-Ventura, ACN, Inc. Vice President of Customer Operations Claude Semaan, IPS Technology Services President Pradip Sengupta, and Chrysler NVH Development Laboratory Manager Elie Tohme. Participants in the past have included ABC -TV Channel 7 Action News Financial Survival Team Advisor Jack K. Riashi, Jr., and Michigan Bailiff's Association President Gregory Saffady.
The President’s Power Lunch series is an exclusive meeting designed to create new rules and new avenues for powerful impact in the region and business world. It is about bringing business leaders together to discuss current and future goals while forging tangible relationships that turn networking into substantial gains for Chamber members, associates and the business community. The goals and objectives of the Chamber’s new luncheon series are focused at achieving business objectives well beyond foremost organizations and prime individuals across the nation. These structured business goals are aggressive and participants are part of the power of working together to further deliver the mission and contribute to the overall growth and advancement of the national Lebanese American Chamber of Commerce.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Lebanese American Community Mourns Loss of George Abu Karam, Victim of Continental Commuter Plane Crash Near Buffalo, New York
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Sunday, February 15, 2009
Lebanese American Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives Jimmy Naifeh's Political Maneuver Caps Career of Power
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Naifeh's legacy is a long one, of more than 30 years in the General Assembly, 18 of them as speaker. During that time, he created legions of fierce supporters and seeded an army of equally fierce critics, but even Republicans express admiration for his ability to lead the state's scrappy, sometimes quarrelsome House. Former Republican Gov. Winfield Dunn, one of the six governors during Naifeh's decades in the House, described Naifeh as a "partisan Democrat to the core." While he would have preferred that the GOP been in charge of the House, he said Naifeh has "earned the right to be appreciated by the people of the state. He's been devoted to his responsibilities and has managed the House very well," Dunn said. Naifeh's done so through a blend of reward and intimidation. Both parties say he is true to his word, quick to praise and quick to punish. At all times, he was in the eye of House politics, whether huddling with lobbyists in front of his office, whispering one-on-one in the warren of hallways behind the hearing rooms, back-slapping over drinks at Morton's steakhouse or at the family's famed Coon Supper in Covington. Former Nashville Mayor Bill Purcell, who was House majority leader under Naifeh, said that he was driven with constant attention to his legislative work and expected the same of his leadership team. Those who couldn't keep up, he said, didn't make it. "If he was awake, he was speaker, and I'm guessing that applied to the rest of the day, too. In many ways, that was who he was; that's how he saw himself," Purcell said. Set his sights on the top
To outside eyes, Naifeh might appear indiscernible from other Tennessee politicians. In reality, he came from a very different background. His parents were Lebanese immigrants, and his father "didn't speak a word of English" when he arrived in the United States, Naifeh said. In 1994, James Zogby, now the president of the Arab American Institute, listed Naifeh among prominent Arab-American elected officials around the country. In addition to the family store, Naifeh's father was deeply involved in the community and a member of the town board. He also founded a community institution that continues today: the Coon Supper, a seen-and-be-seen event for politicians who flock to Covington for a meal of raccoon or, for the faint of heart, chicken. After attending the University of Tennessee and finishing a stint in the U.S. Army, Naifeh returned to Covington and decided to run for the House. He failed in his first try, in 1972, by only about a dozen votes. After that loss, he pledged to take nothing for granted again, and won in 1974 by about 1,500 votes. From the beginning, Naifeh knew he didn't want to be just another lawmaker, and set his sights on the House leadership. "I made a decision then that I was either going to get involved or I was going to get out," he said. "I wasn't going to be someone who was just up here." He had a quick rise. In 1977, he became the Democrats' floor leader, then majority leader in 1985, and finally speaker in 1991, after Ned McWherter was elected governor. McWherter, whom Naifeh considers his mentor, said that he and Naifeh worked well together, when both were in the legislature and after McWherter moved to the governor's office. Sometimes, McWherter would help Naifeh corral votes when needed. "When he felt he needed to be strong, and couldn't get a majority or consensus, he tried to put one together," McWherter said, "and most of the time was very successful in making things happen, in his own way and his own style." Naifeh made ethics and House decorum a priority when he came in, but Lt. Gov. John Wilder in the Senate stymied Naifeh's ethics overhaul, ending a session without a vote on reforms that had been passed in the House. That strained the two men's relationship, but they eventually repaired it. There was the success of education reform passed under McWherter, but then the famous, multi-year battle over tax reform in Gov. Don Sundquist's administration, which culminated when Naifeh famously held open voting in a vain hope to land crucial votes on the income tax. One of the major criticisms of Naifeh through his term was his marriage to lobbyist Betty Anderson, whom he married in 1995. Critics said that the relationship was improper for the top official in the House. That complaint continued as recently as 2008, when Anderson represented AT&T — though not as an active lobbyist — during heated talks over cable TV deregulation. The two divorced last year after several years of separation. Both have said that their marriage never swayed Naifeh's votes, and in fact may have worked against Anderson, with Naifeh casting votes against the interests of her clients. "A lot of people don't believe that, but that's just the way it was. There was some folks that thought she had an advantage being married to me. The fact is, she was probably at a disadvantage," Naifeh said. Anderson echoed that, saying that "Jimmy and I did our best to separate our political lives from our private lives." "I do not feel that I or my issues got special attention from him," she said. His role is uncertain
Naifeh held sway with a powerful hand. In 2002, when House Democrats revolted against Naifeh and tried to elect Rep. Frank Buck in his place, he came down hard on the insurgents. One of them was Rep. Mike Turner, who lost his committee assignments. Naifeh later returned to him and restored his assignments, and Turner now considers him a good friend, Turner said. "It's not for the faint of heart to be somebody who is in legislative leadership positions. You've got to make tough decisions, and you're going to make people mad occasionally. You can't make everybody happy," Turner said. Mumpower, who had the speaker's gavel snatched from his hand by the machinations of Jan. 13, said that he admires how Naifeh led the House, and would likely have emulated some of the former speaker's tactics, had he been elected last month, and which he hopes will happen in 2010. "I know that Speaker Naifeh has a lot of critics on the right, and we don't necessarily agree on policy issues, but his style was —sometimes it was a little too hard charging — but overall I think he operated things the way he had to make progress," he said. Today, Naifeh's role is uncertain. Minority Leader Gary Odom is widely credited with persuading Williams to seek the speakership with Democrats' support, a plan cemented less than 24 hours before the speaker's vote. Naifeh has a newly created title of speaker emeritus, which he says gives him no special rights or privileges. He has pledged to be nothing more than an adviser to Williams, the man he urged Democrats to support. And, he said, he will help Democrats regain their majority. If they did, he's interested in seeking the speakership yet again, even with the start of his eighth decade on the horizon. "That's just numbers," he scoffed.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
Statement by the President on the Anniversary of the Assassination of Rafiq Hariri
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As Lebanon prepares for parliamentary elections, the United States will continue to support Lebanon’s sovereignty and independence, the legitimate institutions of the Lebanese state, and the Lebanese people. The United States remains committed to the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolutions 1701 and 1559. We also will continue to support the voices of peace and moderation in Lebanon, and hope that Lebanon continues down the path of national reconciliation, peace, and prosperity that its citizens so strongly deserve.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Safadi Foundation USA Announces Launch of New Washington, DC Based Office & Website to Support Lebanon's Human Development Objectives
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Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Akouri Extends Congratulations to Cousin: His Grace Simon Atallah, Maronite Bishop of Baalbek-Deir El Ahmar, Lebanon on 3rd Anniversary of Ordination
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"Today, my family and I are proud to commemorate this joyous day in which one of our own was ordained a Bishop, continuing his journey in the service of the Lord and his people," said Akouri, of the former Superior General of the Antonine Maronite Order. "We congratulate Bishop Atallah for his decades of service to the Lord and promise him our prayers for his continued well-being and service to the Maronite Church. We ask God to grant Sayedna a long life filled with purity, goodness and heavenly grace as he continues his bountiful service in the vineyard of the Lord. He is truly an inspiration, and a guiding star to Maronites around the world, and our family shares in an abundance of joy on this special day."
The Akouri family has a long and active history in the Maronite Church with their ancestors originally hailing from the northern port city of Tripoli, Lebanon, where Akouri's paternal grandfather was caretaker of St. Michael Maronite Cathedral. The dedication and leadership of his maternal grandmother led to the raising of funds and development of a new Maronite church in Detroit a half century ago. Akouri's father Fouad has served as a cantor in Maronite churches across Lebanon, Canada and the United States, and continues to do so still today. Akouri was baptized in the Maronite Church by Msgr. Michael Abdoo and served as an Altar Server for many priests including, H.E. Archbishop Francis M. Zayek and the late Chor-Bishop Joseph Feghali. At the bequest of and under the leadership and guidance of Msgr. Kenneth Michael, Akouri served on the James & Kathleen Tamer Gathering Place Board of Directors, following the construction of the facility on the campus of St. Sharbel Church in suburban Detroit, Michigan. Akouri also served on the Cathedral of St. Maron Maronite Church Parish Council during the notable administration of beloved priest and pastor Father Ghattas Khoury, currently of Phoenix, Arizona.
Akouri has met with His Beatitude Cardinal Mar Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir, Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, during both his visits to Capitol Hill and the Lebanese Embassy in 2001 & 2005. During the 2006 visit of the Patriarch to Detroit, Akouri presented the leader of the Maronite church with a specially engraved plaque commemorating the 40th anniversary of the forming of the Maronite Eparchy of St. Maron at the site of the first Maronite Cathedral in the United States. And in Washington, DC, at the invitation of Chorbishop Seeley Beggiani, Akouri attended the groundbreaking of the new wing at the Maronite Seminary.
For over a decade, Akouri hosted the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Princess Madiha Benefit Gala. An event that started with a modest dozen or so patrons – today numbers annually over 500 guests and has raised in excess of a quarter million dollars for the facility founded by the late Lebanese Maronite Christian Danny Thomas in Memphis, Tennessee. He began serving as master of ceremonies for the annual benefit in 1994 and continued to do so during his appointment on Capitol Hill as Washington Press Secretary and Senior Advisor to former US Rep. Joe Knollenberg (R-MI).
The news of then-Abbott Atallah's elevation was announced from the Vatican, on Dec. 28 2005, just months after the election of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as Pope Benedict XVI. At that time, the Holy Father approved the canonical election Fr. Abbott Simon Atallah, O.A.M., Superior of the Convent of Saint John in Ajaltoun, Lebanon, as Bishop of Baalbek - Deir El-Ahmar of the Maronites. The area consists of 30,000 Catholics, 14 priests, 20 religious, and 2 permanent deacons. Bishop Atallah was born in 1937 in Hemayri, Lebanon, took his vows in 1959 and was ordained a priest in 1963.
In a recent news article, Bishop Atallah discussed the situation in Lebanon, noting that reading the Bible and listening to the word of God are the surest ways to find hope in difficult situations and to foster unity among Christians -- and even among members of different religions. Bishop Atallah said the forces that are trying to destabilize Lebanon" are trying to silence the word of God" among both Christians and Muslims. "Both Muslims and Christians have seen that it is not weapons and war that give hope for the future, but God," he said Feb. 27, 2008 during the annual conference of bishop-friends of the Focolare Movement, a worldwide Catholic lay movement. The 2008 conference focused on the Scriptures in preparation for the October world Synod of Bishops on the Bible. Cardinal Miloslav Vlk of Prague, Czech Republic, told reporters that when the communists controlled every aspect of organized religion in his country people were left only with their Bibles.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Detroit Mayor Ken Cockrel Speaks at LACC Winter Leadership Luncheon; Chamber President John Akouri Requests Minority Status for Lebanese Americans
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Sunday, February 08, 2009
Lebanese American Chamber of Commerce 2006 Honoree George Selim to Discuss Federal Jobs Opportunities at Southern Illinois University
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