Nationality American Palestinian Role Architect Name Ahmed Abukhater | Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) Employer Boeing | |
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Born Rafah, Gaza Strip, Palestine Alma mater University of Texas at Austin (Ph.D. in Community and Regional Planning) University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Urban and Regional Planning) Occupation Global Director, Professor, powerlifting, businessman, author, Environmental Scientist, Urban and Regional Planner, Architect Known for The first athlete to represent Palestine at the World Powerlifting Championships and world record for bench press Education University of Texas at Austin Books Water As a Catalyst for Peace: Transboundary Water Management and Conflict Resolution | ||
Residence New York, United States | ||
Water for Peace: extinguishing the fire of war and conflict | Ahmed Abukhater | TEDxBoulder
Ahmed Abukhater (Arabic: أحمد أبو خاطر) is an architect, environmental scientist, and an urban and regional planner by trade. He is the first athlete to represent Palestine at the World Association of Bench Pressers and Dead lifters (WABDL) World Powerlifting Championships in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2006.
Contents
- Water for Peace extinguishing the fire of war and conflict Ahmed Abukhater TEDxBoulder
- International records
- Professional career
- Early life
- Specialization
- Publications
- References
In November, 2007, Abukhater represented Palestine again in the WABDL World Championship, in Anaheim, California, where he won his division and set a new Palestinian world record. He set a new record for the state of Illinois in 2004, and holds many national and international records in powerlifting.
The 10-year-old WABDL, one of a handful of international lifting organizations, recognized his lift as a national record for Palestine. "I think it was a groundbreaking experience," said Gus Rethwisch, the founder and president of the 4,200-member group. "He's not an activist. He's not political. He's just passionate," Rethwisch said.
International records
Open and elite men's division -198 lbs weight class
Professional career
Abukhater is currently working for Boeing in Digital Aviation. Previously, he served as senior director of GIS at Trimble Navigation Ltd, global director of product management at Pitney Bowes Software, Esri’s global industry manager for planning and community development and director of PLACES in California and a GIS manager and instructor at the University of Texas at Austin.
He is keynote speaker in a number of areas including GIS solutions and strategic marketing in Planning and Community Development, Urban and Regional Planning, environmental science and sustainable development, and trans-boundary water resources management and Conflict Resolution. His expertise is focused on the geopolitical and hydropolitical aspects of water resources in the context of the Arab-Israeli conflict, the transboundary management of water resources, and multinational environmental policies in the Middle East.
Early life
Born in the Palestinian city of Rafah, Ahmed Abukhater grew up in a world of environmental inequity. Being a native Palestinian from the Gaza Strip and raised during the Palestinian Intifada (uprising), he recognized the value of water as the sustainer of life and peace.
Abukhater holds a Ph.D. in community and regional planning from the University of Texas at Austin with a focus on water resources management and conflict resolution and mediation (alternative dispute resolution) and a master's degree in urban and regional planning from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a bachelor's degree in architectural engineering.
Specialization
Through education and professional experience, he developed specialization in fields ranging from Planning Analysis and Geographic Information System (Esri), Geospatial analysis and multi-criteria evaluation (MCE), groundwater modeling, Environmental Science and Sustainable Development, to Conflict Resolution and Mediation. Abukhater has authored numerous publications, served on governing and advisory boards, and received over 20 awards for his work. His recent book entitled Water as a Catalyst for Peace - Transboundary Water Management and Conflict Resolution is a book that describes a water negotiation framework and provides an exposé of how equity can be linked into the process of international treaty negotiation and governance.