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Fun Fact

I believe communication skills should be taught in school K-12

Favorite Learning Resource

TED talk podcasts

Areas of Expertise

Executive presence, Elevator pitch

Fluent Languages

English & Arabic

Meet Rana Shanawani

Based in New York, United States

Rana’s favorite aspect of coaching with LifeHikes® is watching even the grumpiest skeptic transform into an engaged participant, learning life-changing skills within a matter of minutes and having fun while doing it. Her own experience as a speaker has taken her across the world, from Hong Kong to England, Argentina, and Lebanon.

Rana spent 12 years in Syria as a micro-entrepreneurship expert. After working with several United Nations programs (including UNICEF and UNDP), she was selected to become CEO of Syria’s chapter of Youth Business International (YBI), the global micro-entrepreneurship foundation headed by Prince Charles. Her work with YBI led her to meet with global leaders, from the Prince of Wales to Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. More recently, she has provided management consulting to major U.S. nonprofits such as the Global Health Equity Foundation and the Syrian American Medical Society. Currently, she serves as the Executive Director of the Women’s Center for Entrepreneurship.

Rana holds a Master’s from Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health and a Bachelor’s from Cornell University. She ran the New York City Marathon in 2013. She is fluent in Arabic.

"Rana was great with our group and presented the “Own The Room” modules in a professional, yet fun manner. She managed to lessen everyone’s fear of public speaking and gave us all great tips to use in our everyday lives, whether we are giving a presentation or presiding over a meeting. We are confident that we will all be able to “Own The Room” now with a little practice!"
William Salcedo
Executive Director, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Monmouth & Middlesex Counties

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