Dr. Claudia Youakim serves as the Deputy Director of Knowledge Management and Research in the Center for Inclusive Business and Leadership (CIBL) for women at the American University of Beirut. In her current role, she leads research efforts that focus on creating gender-inclusive policies, initiatives, and tools to promote women’s economic empowerment in the MENA region.

Dr. Youakim previously worked as an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Finlandia University in Michigan, where she taught courses on race, ethnicity, gender, and immigration. Her recent co-edited book, Arab Worlds Beyond the Middle East and North Africa (2021), explores various emigration and acculturation patterns of Arabs from the MENA to several countries, including the U.S., Singapore, Brazil, Chile, Canada, and Germany, to name a few. Additionally, she’s led several talks and guest lectures on the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace.

Dr. Youakim holds a Ph.D. in Sociology with a concentration in Gender and Women’s Studies from the University of Florida, Masters in Sociology from DePaul University, and BA in Sociology and Women’s Studies from Loyola University-Chicago.