Adel is a 35-year-old software developer, a husband, father of two boys, a proud homeowner at the City of Dearborn, and a product of Dearborn Public Schools. Adel is also the product of Fordson’s bilingual program, which he was enrolled in September 2000. After swiftly picking up the English language within his first two years of enrollment, he applied to the Academy of Engineering and Technology (merged now with DCMST). During his time at Fordson, he took the initiative to start the Arabic Cultural Club and was involved with National Honor Society, Key Club, and the FHS Robotics team.

Adel graduated from Fordson in 2004 with Honors; and was awarded the Bilingual Department medallion.  He went on to study Computer Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. There, he exemplified his leadership skills in becoming an advocate for the student body.  He was elected to become a Student Government Senator and chaired the Student Academic Affairs Committee. As a chair of an important Senate committee, he chose a  collaborative approach rather than the common adversarial approach with University Administration to solve many student issues. During his term in office, the student government reached a major milestone in extending library hours during final exams (24-hour zones for students to study) as well as extended computer lab hours. Adel graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Science (2008) degree in Computer Engineering and a minor in Computer Science.

In mid-2008, during his last year as an undergraduate at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, he co-founded the Michigan Chapter of the American Association of Yemeni Scientists (now Students) and Professionals (AAYSP). The mission of the organization is to promote innovation in advancing the educational success of Yemeni-Americans by fostering research, networking, mentoring, academic support, community-based initiatives, and elimination of barriers to education. AAYSP was created to make awareness about the importance of higher education and clear the misconceptions the older generation had about universities. After opening the Michigan chapter a plethora of activities was held throughout the year to encourage students to apply and attend college. Adel served as the president of the chapter from 2010 to 2011. Within these two years, AAYSP Michigan successfully held more than 15 workshops in metro Detroit high schools on the importance of higher education- giving students an insight into the application process for college, scholarships, and financial aid. In addition to the aforementioned work, a parallel pilot project was launched to educate parents on the importance of higher education. AAYSP Michigan held the two national conferences in 2010 and 2011 to discuss obstacles Yemeni-American students face and ways to resolve them. AAYSP Michigan continues to flourish as a community-based organization and as a founder of the chapter Adel feels honored to have been apart of the journey and proud of the obstacles the organization has overcome. Though Adel does not currently serve on the board, he has been an active member since the foundation of the Michigan chapter.

AAYSP partnered with Big Brother Big Sisters of Metropolitan Detroit to bring the program to Salina Intermediate School in 2013. Adel served as a Big Brother to several students and learned a lot from them. Since 2012, He has also been an active contributor to the Salina/Edsel Community Partnership. Mr. Brian Whiston (Former Superintendent) agreed to meet on a monthly basis to discuss student issues and areas of improvement in both schools. Many initiatives came out of this partnership. One fruit of this partnership was the establishment of the AAYSP Mentoring program at Edsel Ford High School. In this program, professionals like Adel would visit EFHS for an hour a month and sit one-on-one with students to discuss their progress, aspirations, and career choices. Adel’s biggest motivation for this program is the students’ academic improvement after participating in this program. Adel is also a technical consultant for US Arab Radio, a media outlet in the U.S. dedicated to bridging the Middle East and American cultures. 

After graduation from UM-Dearborn in 2008, Adel accepted a full-time position at Compuware Corporation, a company where he interned for four summers since 2005. In 2011, Adel accepted a full-time position at Urban Science, a software company based in Downtown Detroit. Adel also designed the Yemeni American News in which he along with the editor focused heavily on publishing Dearborn Public Schools and Henry Ford College stories highlighting the success of students, staff, and programs.

Adel is also the COO of SpanHead LLC, a software startup based in Detroit, MI. In addition, he earned his Master’s from the Mike Ilitch School of Business at Wayne State University in Business Administration (MBA).

In November 2015, Adel was appointed by Governor Snyder to the Commission on Middle Eastern American Affairs (CMEAA). Established by Executive Order 2015-6, the 15-member commission was created to act in an advisory capacity to the Governor and the director of the Department of Civil Rights. “Adel is an experienced and talented professional and I look forward to the contributions he will make to the board,” Snyder said. Adel was re-appointed in 2017 to serve until 2021.

Adel’s passion has been always to teach and inspire others. He was the lead instructor of the Digital Connectors program from September 2013 to May 2016; teaching students about technology, leadership, and community service. This program which spans from September to May is sponsored by Comcast and hosted by the Arab Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS). Over the course of the past two years, 67 students have graduated from the program. Another initiative that Adel is currently involved in is improving air quality in Wayne County. 

With all the activities that Adel is happily involved in outside his work hours, he is also happily married and has two sons; one of which spent pre-school at Whitmore-Bolls Elementary and currently attends Geer Park Elementary. He is also a proud brother of an outstanding student at Edsel Ford High School. In addition, he has nephews and nieces enrolled at Geer Park Elementary, Stout Middle School, and Edsel Ford High School. Adel’s heart is in this district and he is looking forward to continuing representing all Dearborn families in the Board of Education to take Dearborn Public Schools to the next higher level.

Adel was appointed to the DPS Board in April 2019.  In the last year and a half, Adel has advocated for more support to our district and Henry Ford College from our legislators. He continues to be vocal about the importance of social and emotional learning; leading the passing of the anti-bullying resolution by our board and recognizing the month of October as National Bullying Prevention Month. Fiscal responsibility isn’t just a slogan; It’s a major trust Adel holds dear to the taxpayers of Dearborn Schools district. Adel recognizes and appreciates our heroes (our teachers, professors, and supporting staff) in their exceptional roles.  To continue building on the successes, please consider Adel as one of your votes this Fall for the Dearborn Board of Education. To request an absentee ballot, please click here.