Dr. Sami Hourani is a medical doctor and social entrepreneur, known for founding “for9a.com,” a popular educational platform, and “Souq Fann” (souqfann.com), the MENA region’s leading e-commerce portal for handicrafts and local art products. He is also the founder and executive director of the organization Leaders of Tomorrow and created FADFED, an innovative qualitative research methodology.

 As the force behind “Diwanieh Debates,” Jordan’s largest public political debates, Hourani promotes social accountability, freedom of expression, and youth engagement. An Ashoka fellow and recipient of the EUROMED Youth Award (2013) and King Abdullah II Demoqrati Award (2014), he was named Jordan’s “Role Model” in 2011 and “Knight of Change” in 2008.

Hourani serves on the boards of the Jordanian National Commission for Women, the Arab Regional Initiative advisory board, the King Hussein Foundation advisory committee, and the steering committee for Amman’s 100 Resilient Cities initiative. He is also the national coordinator for Jordan Youth Strategy 2017-2025 and consults on Middle Eastern politics, electoral laws, and creative development solutions for various organizations. Dr. Hourani holds an M.D. from the University of Jordan, a Master’s in social innovation and technology from Lund University, and certificates in community organizing from Harvard and persuasive communication from Delaware University.