Our Faculty & Staff

Noble Leadership Academy’s team of educators is made up of dedicated visionaries who proudly engage in a culture of commitment, professionalism, and integrity. We are rooted in the firm belief that hard work is central to success.

Our rigorous hiring process is designed to ensure that each person who joins our team reflects our core beliefs and, more importantly, will have the tenacity to pursue the excellence we ask of our students. Please get to know us better, and contact any one of our faculty and staff with your questions and concerns.

Administration

Send message


No contacts found.
  • Khattab Amanny
    Amanny Khattab Principal Send message »

    Sr. Amanny graduated from Rutgers University, New Brunswick, with a degree in political science and criminal justice. She originally planned to attend law school, but her plans changed when she discovered her love for education. She then graduated from the University of Phoenix with a master’s degree in teaching. After ten years of inspiring students in elementary, middle, and high school, Sr. Amanny went on to become a principal. She then completed her second master's degree in educational leadership from Columbia University. She also completed a certification in emotional intelligence at Yale University with world-renowned professor, Dr. Marc Brackett.

    In trying to satisfy her passion for teaching, Sr. Amanny has taught graduate classes at Columbia University. She has also used her years of experience in education to work as a consultant, helping other educational teams begin schools around the world. 

    In her free time, Sr. Amanny enjoys spending time with her three daughters and the rest of her family. She has a passion for traveling and exploring new cultures. In her downtime, she also loves to read. 

    As a founding member of Noble Leadership Academy, Sr. Amanny brings nearly twenty years of experience as both a teacher and a principal. Her passion is rooted in empowering students with a strong sense of Islamic identity and academic excellence. She strives to create an environment that fosters the qualities that will build the next generation of American Muslim leaders that will insha'Allah transform the future landscape of the Muslim community. With almost twenty years of experience as an educator, Sr. Amanny is committed to building Noble as one of the premier Islamic institutions in the country. 

    "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world" - Nelson Mandela


    Amanny Khattab
  • Abbassi Dunia
    Dunia Abbassi Vice Principal Send message »

    Sr. Dunia Abbassi never thought she would be an educator. Among her childhood fantasies, she saw herself instead as a marine biologist, a journalist, even an entrepreneur. But she found her calling by accident when her high school English teacher reached out to encourage her to put her BA in English to use by substituting at her alma mater. In 2005, with a nine-month-old daughter at home, Dunia began her career as a high school English teacher and loved it. Driven by her passion for education and her strongly rooted belief that a strong community and religious guidance fortify and beget a strong Muslim identity, Dunia is committed to establishing this vision not only for her own children but for the community as a whole.


    Dunia Abbassi
  • Issa Suzan
    Suzan Issa Head of Discipline Send message »

    Sr. Suzan Issa received her bachelor’s degree in journalism from Al-Yarmouk University in Jordan. She started working in the education field as an Arabic teacher ten years ago. Prior to the establishment of Noble Leadership Academy, Sr. Suzan worked at Al-Hikmah Elementary School as the Early Childhood Arabic, Quran, and Islamic Studies teacher.

    Throughout her teaching career, she has enjoyed challenging her students and motivating them to learn our precious Arabic language. She believes that students and teachers should work hand in hand to create a dynamic environment in the class. She always works to find suitable material and different methods to make the learning process an enjoyable experience for her students.

    Currently, Sr. Suzan is a member of the administration team and head of the Student Discipline Department. Prior to this, she was the head of the Arabic Department and a teacher leader for four years. Along with the Arabic/Islamic Department, Sr.Suzan is on the planning committee for Arabic Day, Islamic Day, Hajj Day, and Culture Day.  


    SuzanIssa
  • Ghalyeh Susanne
    Susanne Ghalyeh Business Manager Send message »

    As a founding member of Noble Leadership Academy, Susanne brings more than eight years of professional experience as our school business manager. She is responsible for the day-to-day operation and management at Noble Leadership Academy. 

    Susanne brings a commitment to efficiency and transparency, strong internal controls, and accurate financial reporting and clear communication of complex financial information to the school board. She brings vitality, professionalism, and warmth—and a mindset of service and advocacy—to her work with staff, students, and parents. 

    Prior to working at Noble Leadership Academy, Susanne spent three years in the administration at Al-Hikmah Elementary School in her role as the office administrator. 

    Susanne graduated from Montclair State University where she earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting. 

    In addition to her love for reading good books and her passion for drawing, Susanne enjoys spending quality time with her family.

     “Acquire knowledge, and learn tranquility and dignity.”
    -Umar Ibn Al-Khattab


    Susanne Ghalyeh

Heads of Department

Send message


No contacts found.
  • Awawdeh Rami
    Rami Awawdeh Arabic Department

    Br. Rami joined our team at Noble Leadership Academy in the school year 2010–2011. He was born in Jordan where he graduated from high school and earned his bachelor’s degree in English language and literature with a minor in French from Yarmouk University. He then taught in Jordan for three years before coming to the United State in pursuit of his higher education. 

    Br. Rami enjoys different languages and cultures. His first love is the Arabic language where he reads, writes, and enjoys its elaborate and eloquent styles and meanings in prose and poetry. He also enjoys the English language and its eloquent literature. This love of languages and cultures inspired him to earn his master’s degree in education from William Paterson University in the field of bilingual education and ESL. 

    Br. Rami started his journey in education in the United States at Al Ghazaly High school in Teaneck where he taught Arabic and Quran for three years. From there he moved to Paterson Public Schools as a substitute teacher until he earned his New Jersey standard teaching certificate. He then earned the endorsement of the American Council of Teaching Foreign Languages where he tested superior in both languages Arabic and English in the written and oral proficiency. 

    Currently, Br. Rami holds the position of the department head of Arabic and Islamic studies at Noble. He has also recently joined the Modern Languages and Literature Department/Arabic program at Montclair State University as an adjunct professor of Arabic language and culture. Br. Rami deeply believes in the excellence of Islamic character and always tries to push our students at Noble to achieve great Islamic manners and characters as the basic foundation for enlightened and powerful leadership positions in the future. 

    Br. Rami is always in search of new pedagogical and behavioral improvements that would enhance the experience of the students here at Noble. He takes pride in keeping himself informed and up-to-date with the new trends and applications in religious studies, languages, and education in general. He strongly believes that the future leadership of humanity lies in the hands of the well-educated and well-informed Muslims. Noble to him is a start in the right direction. 


    Rami Awawdeh

Elementary School

Send message


No contacts found.
  • Sarameh Meram
    Meram Sarameh Preschool Teacher

    Sr. Meram is the current lead teacher for the pre-K3 homeroom. She teaches the core classes for her homeroom class: language arts, mathematics, science, and life skills. This year marks her fourth year working at Noble Leadership Academy.

    Happenstance brought Sr. Meram to the educational field. An avid lover of math and business, she originally had no plans on becoming a teacher. However, a stint as a substitute teacher caused her to fall in love with the profession. Now she cannot see herself doing anything else. She, herself, loves to learn, be around children, and learn from others.

    Armed with the knowledge that she is often her students’ first introduction to formative education, Sr. Meram takes her role as an educator very seriously. This is evident in the setup of her classroom. When you first walk into her classroom, you notice the expert way she has divided the different learning sections that the students will be using during the day. Students use most of these sections for hands-on learning with manipulatives or group activities.

    Utilizing her strength of listening to the needs of her students, she effectively discovers their educational and emotional needs. If a discipline issue arises in her class, Sr. Meram has found “​that time out doesn't always work for students. it makes students more upset. So something that I have tried this year is that if a student is angry, I give them a couple of minutes to calm down and have a talk with them. Or, I will tell the student that they need two minutes to relax and calm down. This is something that has been very successful in my classroom this year.”

    Each year, Sr. Meram’s favorite part of her job is witnessing the growth of her students from the beginning of the year to the end. A lot of the time, the students come to the first day of class in tears, frightened, and experiencing a slew of emotions that stem from being away from their parents and families for a full eight hours for the first time in their young lives. Sr. Meram calms their nerves, wipes their tears, gives them words of encouragement, inspires them to explore and make new friends with their classmates, and reassures them that everything is going to be all right. As a former student who always tried her hardest at all she did, Sr. Meram pushes her students to never give up no matter how hard a task may seem. She “always tells them to keep on trying” because she knows that they can achieve anything they put the effort into. Over time, she watches her students open up and show/develop their personalities, the greatest of all growth happening within the first month of school. She also loves how her students learn to share and communicate effectively with each other in a positive way.


    Meram-Sarameh
  • Hassan Bibi Fazia
    Bibi Fazia Hassan Head of Early Education Department & Kindergarten Teacher

    Bibi Fazia Hassan is a 14-year veteran in the teaching profession and a founding member of Noble Leadership Academy. She has been the kindergarten teacher at NLA since its inception and has served for the past six years as the department head of early childhood education at NLA. She also served as a member of the teacher leader team for five years. She enjoys planning, coordinating, and decorating for the kindergarten graduation celebration. 

    Kindergarten is a time for new beginnings, for making friends, and for learning lots of new and exciting skills each and every day. In kindergarten, our days and weeks are filled with many wonderful experiences and opportunities for learning and growing. There is no single, correct answer for teaching because everyone has a variety of talents, capabilities, and potential. Education should be student-centered. Each child should be able to maximize his/her potential from a quality curriculum, enjoyable extra-curricular activities, and awesome teaching. 

    Sister Fazia's passion in life is not just imparting knowledge to her students, but grooming them to be the best Muslims they can be. She believes that every child is a valued and unique trust given by Allah.


    Bibi Fazia Hassan
  • Madani Manal
    Manal Madani First Grade Teacher

    Sr. Manal is the current lead teacher for the pre-K4 homeroom. She teachers the core classes for her homeroom class: language arts, mathematics, science, and life skills. This year marks her ninth year working at Noble Leadership Academy.

    Sr. Manal started out as a volunteer in her son’s pre-kindergarten class and loved being able to interact with young children so much that she decided to become a teacher herself. She believes it takes great patience to be a child educator who cares for others and aims to help students grow to their own full potential. Her favorite quote is “Whatever you want your children to be tomorrow, be that person today.” Thus, her classroom educational procedures stand on improving the students’ learning capabilities and encouraging them to engage personally on different levels of skills and activities.

    Side by side with the students’ families, Sr. Manal creates an educational partnership program that fosters courage, determination, passion for and knowledge and provides students with a nurturing and challenging educational environment that will ensure every student's academic growth to prepare him/her for kindergarten.

    When Sr. Manal runs into a difficulty with one of her students, she makes it her goal to exhaust all possible resources and techniques to resolve the issue. She talks to the student and the parents, looks for online help, reads books on issues, and if need be as a final resort, she goes to the administration.

    As a former introverted student herself, Sr. Manal does her best to help quiet and shy students become comfortable in their own skin in her classroom. By talking with these students, encouraging them to interact more with their peers, and establishing a rapport with them, she makes sure that they do not feel left out and thus boost their confidence. She realizes just how vital this is to developing minds in the early elementary setting. These years help establish the foundations for their personalities and how they will make themselves known in the world as they grow.

    One of Sr. Manal’s greatest learning moments this year occurred when one of her students asked her if she had both of her parents. “I told the student that no, I don’t have both parents. I still have my mom, but my dad passed away a while ago and that is okay.” The student that asked her was growing up in a household with one parent. Sr. Manal went on to take this opportunity to turn it into a teaching moment for her entire class and explained that there are many different family units that people grow up in. By the end of the lesson, the student who asked the initial question didn’t feel as alone as they did initially.

    Sr. Manal believes the best teachers are capable and dedicated with great interest in making substantial difference in the future of children. The activities in Sr. Manal’s classroom are geared to be hands-on, educational, and fun. In her class, you can expect the students to dissect pumpkins, grow flowers, paint, create letter-of-the-week projects, go on field trips, meet community partners (police officers, firefighters, lunch aides, etc.), and much more! The fun never ends in the pre-K4!


    Manal Madani
  • Battal Maha
    Maha Battal First Grade Teacher's Aide

    Sr. Maha is the teacher's aide for the first grade. She aides the teachers from her homeroom class through all of their core classes: language arts, mathematics, science, life skills, Arabic, Islamic studies, Quran, and physical education. ​This year marks her eleventh year working at ​Noble Leadership Academy.

    After moving to the United States from Syria, Sr. Maha began her career in education by volunteering at her son’s preschool, ​Head Start​ in Wayne, New Jersey. The staff at Head Start​ noticed her skills, and when a position as a teacher's aide opened up, they encouraged her to apply for it. She quickly fell in love with helping out the little people in the classrooms. Although a career in education was not her first choice, Sr. Maha cannot fathom doing anything else, especially with students in the early education age range, her favorites.

    If you walk into the first grade, your eyes are bound to be caught on the dynamic Arabic language bulletin board that Sr. Maha takes pride in updating all year round. “I love making it look amazing.” Her passion for the Arabic language and nurturing the love and learning of it with her students is the source of her favorite teaching moments each year.

    Each year, the majority of Sr. Maha’s students come to her class from homes where the Arabic language is not spoken. She makes it her duty to insert Arabic language lessons into her day with the students outside of their assigned class time. When she interacts with them during snack time, physical education, or lunchtime, she weaves Arabic words into their conversations. By the end of the year, she always feels happy when these students know how to say so many Arabic vocabulary words and greetings, and possess the ability to communicate verbally. Sr. Maha takes great pride in each year’s achievement when the students understand her statements in Arabic enough that they can comprehend what she is saying to them. Although they may not have achieved or can remember the correct response in Arabic, they respond to her in English.

    What Sr. Maha loves the most about her job is how she can teach kids the importance of Islam and the language of the Quran from such a young age, which allows her to set the path for the children and lead them in the best direction possible. As the Prophet Mohammed (S) said, "Attainment of knowledge is a must for every Muslim." The Prophet Mohammed (S) also said, "Seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave."

    Sr. Maha is a founding member and has been a part of Noble since 2009. She has this to say: "Just being able to work with my brothers and sisters of Islam in such a pleasant environment—there is nothing better I could ask for."


    Maha Battal
  • Mohamed Saudia
    Saudia Mohamed Third Grade Teacher

    Sr. Saudia is the current lead teacher for the 3rd grade. She teaches their core classes: language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. This year marks her eleventh year working at Noble Leadership Academy.

    Sr. Saudia started her educational career at Noble by volunteering when her own children were young. When a position for a teachers aide in the pre-K class opened up she applied for the position and got it. Since then, she has been a teacher's aide in all grade levels pre-K through 3rd grade.

    Becoming a full-time teacher is something that Sr. Saudia believes Allah (swt) was planning for her all along. After several stints as a long-term substitute teacher when other lead teachers went out on medical or maternity leave, a full-time teaching position in the 3rd grade opened up that Sr. Saudia applied for and received. She was able to cultivate the great experiences she had from working with different types of seasoned educators with her own knowledge as a former teacher's aide and a mother of five children (soon to be six) to define her own personal teaching style.

    Her experience in education means that Sr. Saudia is no stranger to dealing with discipline issues in her classroom when they arise. Drawing from her knowledge, Sr. Saudia practices a belief that a student should never be disciplined in front of his or her peers. She believes that “just because you can get the feedback from the student right away, it doesn’t mean that it is always the best course of action.” By giving her student who is having an issue time to properly decompress and reflect on his or her actions, she finds it easier to have a meaningful conversation and discuss what brought on the issue and why the student felt the way to deal with his or her feelings in such a manner. Once they have gotten through the issue together, appropriate, age-level consequences are followed. For example, she had a student who was having a difficult time concentrating and constantly fidgeting in her class during lessons, which was distracting the other students in the class. Instead of calling attention to the student in front of the class, Sr. Saudia spoke to the student outside of class and learned that this student had a penchant for drawing. She then provided the student with extra scrap paper to doodle on during class, which cut down on the student’s fidgeting. And when she would call on the student during lessons to ask questions about what they as a class were discussing, the student was still focused on what she was teaching.

    Sr. Saudia loves seeing her students grow during the school year; they often begin the year lacking confidence but end the year loving to learn and playing with their peers. “I love that they are so funny, independent, not that moody, and find joy in sharing their milestones with me. It fills my heart. I recently had a student who learned how to make eggs on his own and related the whole tale to me with pride.”

    Furthermore, her time teaching has taught her to always be on her toes. When she taught her students a lesson on the use of the encyclopedia, she reflected to her students that they had it much easier in this age of technology. She informed them that students used to have to do long, arduous research at the library, poring over encyclopedias for information, and now they can just ‘Google’ whatever information they need. After hearing this, one of her students raised their hand to say “Uh-uh, Sr. Saudia. We have ‘Alexa’ now, she tells us everything!”

    Utilizing her professional and personal experience Sr. Saudia, makes sure all of her students from the shyest to the most outgoing are equipped with the tools to succeed in 4th grade by the end of the school year. From the start of the school year, she gives her students clear expectations of what is required of them for the school year as learners and as citizens of her classroom. She treats each of her students with respect and helps them understand that people of all ages make mistakes and are human. Instead of letting her students retreat inside of themselves when they make a mistake, she aids them in learning from those mistakes with her classroom mantra,“ You gotta be positive!”


    Saudia Mohamed
  • Alawi Shofa
    Shofa Alawi KG–5th Grade Quran Teacher

    Sr. Shofa has worked as the Arabic teacher at Noble Leadership Academy since the doors first opened in 2009. As well as being one of our founding leaders, she is also head of the Arabic department for pre-K3 to 2nd grade. In addition to being a founding member, she is also the staff coordinator for Islamic Day and Hajj Day.  

    Sr. Shofa’s teaching career began in Jordan where she taught students Arabic. She taught overseas for 10 years. When she came to America, she worked at Al-Hikmah school for 10 consecutive years.  

    Sr. Shofa’s teaching philosophy centers around the belief that teaching isn’t just done in one direction. It isn’t only about the teacher instructing the students, but it's about observing the learning styles of each student and creating a connection with them based upon that learning style. This practice better facilitates the learning process for both the teacher and the student.  

    She is thankful to Allah (swt) for the opportunities she's been given and understands the responsibilities that come with each opportunity.  


    Shofa Alawi
  • Sery Asmaa
    Asmaa Sery Head of Physical Eduaction Department & PreK–5th Grade Gym Teacher

    Sr. Asmaa Sery is the Physical Education Department head at Noble Leadership Academy. She is one of the founding teachers that helped start up our precious school. Certified as a physical education instructor, she uses the Exemplary Physical Education Curriculum (EPEC) that abides with New Jersey state standards for all classroom activities. Several times a year she administers physical fitness tests for both the middle and high school students.

    Since she started at Noble, her goal has been to provide her students with the information necessary to make wise fitness-related choices as well as teach them the value of good health. When they enter her class, she motivates the students to adopt a lifestyle that includes fitness and sports-related activities. She accomplishes this by teaching a variety of sports such as volleyball, basketball, soccer, softball, track and field, and various other fun-related games. 

    After school, her dedication continues in her leadership of all afterschool-related sports activities. Through her instruction and guidance, she helps our school compete in leagues and programs that include basketball, soccer, gymnastics, and volleyball. Furthermore, she stresses participation in all activities because it is only through participation that we may teach our children to be confident. Physical education is her passion and she enjoys sharing this excitement with all our wonderful kids!


    Asmaa Sery

Middle School

Send message


No contacts found.
  • Alqudah Assma
    Assma Alqudah 7th–8th Grade Arabic Teacher (Level A)

    Sr. Assma has been at Noble Leadership Academy since 2012. She has been an excellent addition to our staff. MashAllah she is a hard-working, determined teacher and a true asset to NLA. 

    Sr. Assma graduated in 2006 from Jordan with a BA in computer science. In 2010, she moved to the U.S. with her family. She started her career in education as a teacher's aide at Head Start. In 2012, she joined NLA as a part-time Arabic teacher. 

    She now teaches Arabic from third to 12th grades and Quran from pre-K3 to pre-K4. Her interaction with her students is positive, and she is always working to support them and help them grow. Sr. Assma brings her personal knowledge and educational background from graduating at a college level, using the Arabic language. 

    Her favorite quote is a verse from the Quran that she lives by, “ Quran quote “ 


    Assma Alqudah
  • Sery Asmaa
    Asmaa Sery Head of Physical Education Department & Girls Gym Teacher

    Sr. Asmaa Sery is the Physical Education Department head at Noble Leadership Academy. She is one of the founding teachers that helped start up our precious school. Certified as a physical education instructor, she uses the Exemplary Physical Education Curriculum (EPEC) that abides with New Jersey state standards for all classroom activities. Several times a year she administers physical fitness tests for both the middle and high school students.

    Since she started at Noble, her goal has been to provide her students with the information necessary to make wise fitness-related choices as well as teach them the value of good health. When they enter her class, she motivates the students to adopt a lifestyle that includes fitness and sports-related activities. She accomplishes this by teaching a variety of sports such as volleyball, basketball, soccer, softball, track and field, and various other fun-related games. 

    After school, her dedication continues in her leadership of all afterschool-related sports activities. Through her instruction and guidance, she helps our school compete in leagues and programs that include basketball, soccer, gymnastics, and volleyball. Furthermore, she stresses participation in all activities because it is only through participation that we may teach our children to be confident. Physical education is her passion and she enjoys sharing this excitement with all our wonderful kids!


    Asmaa Sery

High School

Send message


No contacts found.
  • Alawi Shofa
    Shofa Alawi Arabic Teacher (Level B)

    Sr. Shofa has worked as the Arabic teacher at Noble Leadership Academy since the doors first opened in 2009. As well as being one of our founding leaders, she is also head of the Arabic department for pre-K3 to 2nd grade. In addition to being a founding member, she is also the staff coordinator for Islamic Day and Hajj Day.  

    Sr. Shofa’s teaching career began in Jordan where she taught students Arabic. She taught overseas for 10 years. When she came to America, she worked at Al-Hikmah school for 10 consecutive years.  

    Sr. Shofa’s teaching philosophy centers around the belief that teaching isn’t just done in one direction. It isn’t only about the teacher instructing the students, but it's about observing the learning styles of each student and creating a connection with them based upon that learning style. This practice better facilitates the learning process for both the teacher and the student.  

    She is thankful to Allah (swt) for the opportunities she's been given and understands the responsibilities that come with each opportunity.  


    Shofa Alawi
  • Issa Sarah
    Sarah Issa International Relations Teacher

    Sr. Suzan Issa received her bachelor’s degree in journalism from Al-Yarmouk University in Jordan. She started working in the education field as an Arabic teacher ten years ago. Prior to the establishment of Noble Leadership Academy, Sr. Suzan worked at Al-Hikmah Elementary School as the Early Childhood Arabic, Quran, and Islamic Studies teacher.

    Throughout her teaching career, she has enjoyed challenging her students and motivating them to learn our precious Arabic language. She believes that student and teacher should work hand in hand to create a dynamic environment in the class. She always works to find suitable material and different methods to make learning process an enjoyable experience for her students.

    Currently, Sr. Suzan is a member of the administration team and head of the Student Discipline Department. Prior to this, she was the head of the Arabic Department and a teacher leader for four years. Along with the Arabic/Islamic Department, Sr.Suzan is on the planning committee for Arabic Day, Islamic Day, Hajj Day, and Culture Day.  


    Sarah Issa
  • Sery Asmaa
    Asmaa Sery Lead Gym Teacher

    Sr. Asmaa Sery is the Physical Education Department head at Noble Leadership Academy. She is one of the founding teachers that helped start up our precious school. Certified as a physical education instructor, she uses the Exemplary Physical Education Curriculum (EPEC) that abides with New Jersey state standards for all classroom activities. Several times a year she administers physical fitness tests for both the middle and high school students.

    Since she started at Noble, her goal has been to provide her students with the information necessary to make wise fitness-related choices as well as teach them the value of good health. When they enter her class, she motivates the students to adopt a lifestyle that includes fitness and sports-related activities. She accomplishes this by teaching a variety of sports such as volleyball, basketball, soccer, softball, track and field, and various other fun-related games. 

    After school, her dedication continues in her leadership of all afterschool-related sports activities. Through her instruction and guidance, she helps our school compete in leagues and programs that include basketball, soccer, gymnastics, and volleyball. Furthermore, she stresses participation in all activities because it is only through participation that we may teach our children to be confident. Physical education is her passion and she enjoys sharing this excitement with all our wonderful kids!


    Asmaa Sery

Support Staff

Send message


No contacts found.