Meet the Founders

Leadership & Vision

Meet the
Founders

Scholars · Advocates · Champions of Democracy

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Dr. Charles Jacobs
CJ

Dr. Charles Jacobs

President & Co-Founder

01 / Co-Founder

Dr. Charles
Jacobs

President · Activist · Author · Abolitionist

"A Harvard-educated abolitionist from Newark who risked his life to free enslaved Africans — and never stopped fighting for truth, justice, and human dignity."

A native of Newark, New Jersey, Dr. Charles Jacobs has spent more than three decades pursuing justice on a global scale. He holds a Doctor of Education from Harvard University (1988) and has channeled that foundation into a life of extraordinary moral courage and civic leadership.

In 1993, Dr. Jacobs co-founded the American Anti-Slavery Group alongside Muslim and Christian Africans, shining an international spotlight on the enslavement of thousands of black African Christians in Sudan. He personally flew into Sudan on clandestine rescue missions, helping to liberate enslaved men, women, and children. For this work, he was presented with the inaugural Boston Freedom Award by Coretta Scott King and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino in 2000. He has testified before Congress multiple times and was personally invited to the White House for the signing of the Sudan Peace Act in 2002.

Named by The Forward as one of America's top 50 Jewish leaders, Dr. Jacobs has founded or co-founded multiple impactful organizations dedicated to combating antisemitism, radical extremism, and the erosion of democratic values.

Education

Ed.D., Harvard University, 1988 · Social Policy

Award

Boston Freedom Award, presented by Coretta Scott King (2000)

Media

CNN, CBS, Fox News, NPR, PBS; published in The New York Times & The Boston Globe

Recognition

Named one of America's Top 50 Jewish Leaders by The Forward

Organizations Founded

  • CAMERA Boston (1988, co-founder) — accuracy in Middle East media reporting
  • American Anti-Slavery Group (1993, co-founded with Mohamed Athie) — liberated thousands of enslaved Africans in Sudan
  • The David Project (2002, co-founder) — pro-Israel education and campus advocacy
  • Americans for Peace and Tolerance (2008, co-founder) — combating radical extremism, supporting Muslim reformers
  • Testified before Congress; present at the signing of the Sudan Peace Act (2002)
  • Credited with influencing U.S. policy that led to the creation of South Sudan
Dr. Walid Phares
Photo of Dr. Walid Phares will appear here
WP

Dr. Walid Phares

Vice-President & Co-Founder

02 / Co-Founder

Dr. Walid
Phares

Vice-President · Professor · Policy Advisor · Author

Video — coming soon

"A native of Beirut who became one of America's foremost voices on terrorism, the Middle East, and the struggle for democracy across the Arab world."

Born in Lebanon in 1957, Dr. Walid Phares immigrated to the United States in 1990, bringing with him a lifetime of lived experience and academic rigor. A dual Lebanese-American citizen, he earned degrees in Law and Political Science in Beirut, a Master's in International Law from the Université de Lyon in France, and a Ph.D. in International Relations and Strategic Studies from the University of Miami.

For over three decades, Dr. Phares has been at the forefront of counterterrorism analysis and Middle East scholarship. He has advised the U.S. Congress, the European Parliament, the United Nations Security Council, and served as Foreign Policy Advisor to presidential campaigns of both Mitt Romney (2012) and Donald Trump (2016). He is widely recognized as the only analyst who publicly predicted the Arab Spring — a full year before it occurred — in his 2010 book The Coming Revolution: Struggle for Freedom in the Middle East.

Education

Ph.D., International Relations & Strategic Studies, University of Miami

Media

Fox News Terrorism Expert since 2007; NBC/MSNBC Analyst 2003–2006; Newsmax 2022–present

Academic Posts

National Defense University, Florida Atlantic University, Intelligence University (DIA)

Languages

English · Arabic · French

Notable Contributions

  • Advisor to the U.S. House Anti-Terrorism Caucus since 2007
  • Co-Secretary General, Trans-Atlantic Legislative Group on Counter Terrorism
  • Author of 13+ books on the Middle East, Jihadism, and global conflicts
  • Testified before Congress, the EU Parliament, and the UN Security Council
  • Briefed the Pentagon, CENTCOM, AFRICOM, NSA, FBI, and DHS
  • Advisory Board, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Task Force on Terrorism (2005–2007)

"The defense of freedom requires both the scholar who understands history and the activist who refuses to accept injustice — together, they make change possible."

The Founding Vision

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