Hourie Tafech is a third-generation Palestinian refugee from Lebanon. She earned her Ph.D. in global affairs from Rutgers University, New Jersey. Her research focuses on refugee economic integration and entrepreneurial activities.
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She is currently a program manager for the University Alliance for Refugee and at-Risk Migrants and a postdoctoral fellow and adjunct professor at Guilford College, North Carolina. In 2020, Hourie was one of six women from the U.S. and Canada awarded a prestigious Margaret McNamara Education Grant (MMEG). In 2021, she was also awarded an international fellowship from AAUW. She has recently been selected as an advisor for the United States Refugee Advisory Board (USRAB). Before arriving in the U.S., she lived in Malta for a few years, where she co-founded Spark15, the first refugee-led organization recognized by the United Nations Higher Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Spark15 aims to advocate for the rights of refugees to access higher education and the job market. As a president of Spark15, she advocated for refugee-inclusive policies in Malta before the Office of the President of Malta, The Minister for European Affairs and Inclusion, The Ministry of Education, and UNHCR-Malta.