Board of Directors

Erik Gustafson

President
A veteran of the 1991 Gulf War, Gustafson spent eight months in Saudi Arabia with the 864th Engineer Battalion, building hospitals, roads and POW camps. In the mid-1990s, news of Iraq's humanitarian crisis under UN trade sanctions and the repressive regime of Saddam Hussein began to reach mainstream America. To better understand the ongoing legacy of the 1991 Gulf War, Gustafson traveled to Iraq with a humanitarian delegation in July 1997. Troubled by the intolerable suffering he witnessed, he moved to Washington in 1998 and founded the Education for Peace in Iraq Center, now the Enabling Peace in Iraq Center, to improve humanitarian conditions and human rights in Iraq. Today Gustafson is a respected authority on Iraq and U.S. policy. He has testified at congressional briefings and delivered numerous lectures across North America. He is a frequent guest on the BBC World News, and has appeared on NBC Nightly News, the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, FoxNews, CNN, and other mainstream media outlets. His letters and opinion pieces have appeared in a dozen newspapers, including the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and USA Today.

Sara Sema Gupta

Treasurer
Ms. Gupta is currently working as an RN at New York Presbyterian Hospital and previously volunteered with an NGO in Kolkata, India. In Kolkata, she worked to empower and improve the lives of children in red light districts and survivors of human trafficking. In November 2007, Gupta visited Iraqi refugees in Syria and Jordan and met with UN officials and aid agencies in the region.

John Reinke

Secretary, non-voting
Mr. Reinke graduated from Brooklyn College with a degree in mathematics and did post graduate work in international relations at San Francisco State University. He served in the Peace Corps in the Philippines and Nigeria and also worked for several years at the International Labor Organization, a UN agency in Geneva, Switzerland. John has participated in and led field research teams to study humpback whales in Alaska. He also organized and co-led a mangrove replanting team to coastal Ecuador. In 1996, John visited Israel-Palestine with a group of concerned Americans. In 2008, he was a member of a delegation of Americans who went to Jordan and Syria to learn firsthand about the status of Iraqi refugees. John's professional life has been primarily in the software industry, most recently as a software test engineer. He previously served as an EPIC director from 2003-2007, in the capacities of secretary, treasurer and president.

Mais Abousy

Ms. Abousy received her law degree from American University, Washington College of Law and is a graduate of George Mason University. Ms. Abousy coordinated with the U. S. government and other entities on Iraqi elections in 2005 while working with an international governmental organization. She has studied in Argentina and Chile, focusing on regional capital markets. She has published in the The American Jurist, regarding legal issues in Iraq, and interned at the Department of Energy and in Congress. Ms. Abousy is admitted to practice in Virginia.

Tim Lash

Tim Lash is a writer in New York City. He grew up in Virginia and graduated in classical studies from George Mason University. Prior to joining EPIC, he launched online campaigns for various nonprofits including the International Rescue Committee (IRC), where he worked to raise money and public awareness on behalf of refugees from Iraq, Sudan and other countries. His essays have appeared in several publications. He lives in Brooklyn.

Andrew Morton

An 18-year veteran, Andrew Morton has been an Army officer most of his adult life. During that time he has served in peace keeping, humanitarian and combat operations throughout the world, including a year in Iraq. Andrew, who now serves as a public affairs officer, worked closely with the Iraqis and the State Department during his tenure in Iraq, has seen the amazing power of the Iraqi spirit. Andrew worked with international and Pan-Arabic media facilitating over 500 TV and radio interviews during his time in Iraq. Like so many veterans his life was changed through his incredible experience with Iraqis he now calls family. Andrew, and his physician wife, now have dedicated themselves to promoting the cause in Iraq through various channels, and Andrew proudly serves as a member of EPIC's board of directors as of the summer of 2009. Passionate about the power of communications, Andrew knows how important it is to keep focus on Iraq's plight so that the international community will remain engaged at this critical juncture.