HALA OSMAN ABDELGHAFFAR

***** ****** ******, **********, ** 22193

Phone: Cell 703-***-**** Home 703-***-**** Email: acczat@r.postjobfree.com

US Citizen

SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS:

Current DHS/ICE Public Trust Clearance

Native speaker of Arabic (Sudanese dialect); proficiency in Egyptian, Levantine, Yemeni, and Gulf

dialects.

Level 3 proficiency in English (ILR scale)

Seven years of interpretation and translation experience

Five years practicing law in Sudan

Four years of management and supervisory experience

Knowledge of international law, specific legal systems, and cultures of foreign countries

Keen interest in foreign affairs, particularly issues relevant to the Middle East and Africa

Deep understanding of socio-cultural factors influencing human behavior throughout the

Arab countries

Solid research, analytical, oral, and written communication skills

Ability to work both independently and as a team member

Exceptional organizational skills, detail oriented

Ability to multi-task and adapt work habits/schedule to meet mission requirements

NSEP award recipients, as part of a program requiring government service in exchange for educational and financial

assistance, may be appointed to Federal Government positions under the Schedule A Excepted Service Appointing

Authority and are eligible for non-competitive conversion to career status under NDAA FY 2013.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

PROSOL ASSOCIATES LLC, TRIANGLE, VIRGINIA 05/13-12/14

Subject Matter Expert (SME) for North Africa and the Sahel Regions

Served on a team supporting the Marine Corps Center for Advanced Operational Culture Learning (CAOCL)

Provided regional cultural expertise, research, and analysis about North Africa and the Sahel regions in order to

support the content development and sustainment of the Regional, Cultural and Language Familiarization

Program

Completed regional analysis on North Africa and the Sahel regions through specialized knowledge,

occupational experience, education, and research. Applied multi-dimensional approach assessing geography,

economy, politics, and social systems

Produced well-written, technically accurate, and academically robust reports and case studies including an

analysis of regional security issues, and Cross Cultural Competence (3Cs) lessons

Sourced and identified a wide range of research material to provide holistic discussion of issues and dissect key

debates

Liaised with Instructional Systems Designer (ISD) to produce training modules that will equip Marines with

in-depth knowledge of the population and cultures of the Sahel and North Africa

Identified and incorporated operationally relevant knowledge into training and education programs for

Marines at different levels of grade and military occupational specialty

GEOGRAPHIC SERVICES INC., MCLEAN VIRGINIA 09/12-01/2013

Arabic Socio-Cultural Research Analyst/ Linguist

Conducted research projects focused on the human terrain in Syria and Iraq

Utilized cultural, technical, and linguistic expertise to assist in creating a multi -million dollar database

Discovered, retrieved, and analyzed open source data and compiled useful information while applying my

expertise in evaluating sources of data

Continued

Researched and collected human geography data to identify religious affiliations, tribal locations, hierarchies and

leadership, and analyzed the data to reveal human patterns of behavior that help operators on the ground make

better, more informed decisions

Utilized data base query techniques in order to extract relevant information and expedite the research

Conducted quality control of completed work to ensure compliance with research standards

Conducted geographic and name analysis, translation, and transliteration, with proper application of native names

and Romanization review of Geo-names databases using Roman scribe software program BGN/PCGN 1956 system

FREELANCE ARABIC TRANSLATOR 06/04 – 12/11

Conducted accurate translations of materials and documents in hard copy and electronic formats in a manner that

preserved the integrity and meaning of the original material

Translated different types of documents, including medical and legal documents

LANGUAGE LINE SERVICES, MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA

Interpreter, English-Arabic-English 10/05 - 12/11

Interpreted for different clients including hospitals, courts, insurance companies, and government agencies

Interpreted for border protection and USCIS in asylum cases

Awarded certification in Medical Interpretation from Language Line University

GLOBAL OPTIONS INC., WOODBRIDGE, VIRGINIA

Office Manager 06/03 - 08/06

Handled requests for quotes and government contracts for military bases overseas

Contacted hundreds of vendors to negotiate prices and establish accounts for the company

Placed purchase orders by phone or online and followed up until orders were shipped to the customers and

contract files were closed

Handled secretarial and office management tasks

Updated and maintained paper and electronic files

Developed processes that monitored progress and performance of the company

Managed, organized, scheduled and maintained information for the company’s owner

Developed and prioritized workflow, frequently under demanding time constraints

MCI WORLDCOM, ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA

Sales Supervisor 05/01 - 08/02

Supervised a team of 12-14 Telemarketing Sales representatives

Analyzed data and created plans of action to increase productivity

Handled administrative duties including: payroll, maintaining current employee files, reporting, performance

reviews, and disciplinary actions

Developed and coached telemarketing sales representatives including: monitoring, one-on-one meetings,

performance management, setting and measuring objectives, as well as communicating expectations

Awarded Top Team Award for the 4th quarter 2001 for meeting and exceeding sales goals

Bilingual Sales and Customer Service Representative 05/00 - 04/01

Provided MCI customers with quality service resolving their issues and concerns

Maintained quality customer service with a perfect rating at all times

Sold MCI products and services while consistently meeting and exceeding sales goals

Served as a lead representative on the team and was promoted to LDR (Leader Development Representative) six

months from my date of hire

Assisted in the development of new members of sales team

Performed as one of top sales and customer service representatives; awarded three times Club MCI prize

ELTAYEB HAROUN LAW FIRM, KHARTOUM, SUDAN

Attorney 12/92 - 06/97

Appeared in court for civil, criminal, corporate, and domestic lawsuits

Participated in legal consultations and arbitration

Trained new graduates on the art of litigation

Developed a large base of local and international clients, including Lufthansa, as a result of my successful

handling of their legal cases

EDUCATION

English for Heritage Language Speakers (EHLS) Certificate Program, Georgetown University,

01/2012 8/2012. Full-time, intensive program in English for the professional workplace. Attended on full

scholarship from the National Security Education Program (NSEP)

Northern Virginia Community College,

Associate in Applied Science,

Major: Legal Assisting, GPA 4.0 May 2004

Dean’s List 2003, President’s List 2003

University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan

Master of Laws Degree, GPA 3.5, November 1998

Thesis title: “The Rights of the Child to Special Protection Measures under the Convention on the Rights of the

Child 1989 and Sudanese Laws” I was the first to write about this subject and my thesis is now used as a

reference for this area of law at the library of the Faculty of Law

University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan

Bachelor of Law Degree, Honors, Second Class Division II, May 1992.

Translation Certificate (English-Arabic-English), SELTI Institute, Khartoum, Sudan, December 1992.

PUBLICATIONS:

Author of Open Source Analysis Project ( OSAP) research paper for the Defense Intelligence Agency

Transportation Command (DIA TRANSCOM) entitled Sudan, South Sudan Border Demarcation. My

paper examined the conflict dynamics on the border, identified the contested geographic areas, and

explored the possibility that this conflict might lead to an all-out war between the two countries. The

research was conducted individually under the mentorship of an analyst from DIA TRANSCOM.

A summary of findings was presented at the EHLS OSAP Symposium, Georgetown University, June 18-19,

2012.

SKILLS

Microsoft Office suite to include Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Outlook and Internet Explorer

PROFESSIONAL TRAINING

“Open Source Fundamentals,” Course offered by the Open Source Academy August 2012

“Social Media for Intelligence Professionals,” Course offered by the Open Source Academy August 2012

“Paralegal/Legal Assist,” course of study offered by WESTLAW, July 2003.

“MCI WorldCom Management Orientation,” Training January 2001-March 2001

“Facilitating and Delivery Skills (FADS),” Training, January 2001

“Techniques of Negotiations and International Contracts,” Training, University of Khartoum, 1997

AFFILIATIONS AND MEMBERSHIPS

Licensed Attorney with the Sudan Bar Association

Boren Forum - Member

National Language Service Corps - Member

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