Yousif Boutrous Ghafari (sometimes Youssef B. Ghafari, born September 27, 1952) is an American businessman of Lebanese birth, owner of architectural firm Ghafari Associates LLC, former

United States Ambassador to Slovenia The diplomatic post of United States Ambassador to Slovenia was created after the disbanding of Yugoslavia and the United States recognizing the new nation of Slovenia on April 7, 1992. In August of that year, the American Embassy in Ljubljana o ...

. During the Senate confirmation hearings, then-Senator

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

called Ghafari "an immigrant who has truly lived the American dream." Born in Alma El-Chaab, Lebanon, "in a home with no electricity, phone or running water," Ghafari moved to the United States in 1972. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics in 1974, a Master of Arts in Applied Mathematics and Computer Applications in 1975, and a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering in 1977, from

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It is Michigan's third-largest university. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 350 programs to nearly 25,000 ...

. In 2004 and 2005, Ghafari was a public delegate to the United Nations General Assembly. His alma mater named one of its residence halls in his honor after he donated $9 million to the school. The school gave him an honorary Doctor of Laws degree on May 3, 2008. He was notified of the degree the same week the Senate confirmed his ambassadorship. A significant donor to the

Republican party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa * Republican Party (Liberia) *Republican Party ...

, Ghafari is considered one of "the active, vocal and successful Republican leaders of the Michigan Arab-American community." On May 25, 2008, Ghafari presented his diplomatic credentials to Dimitrij Rupel in

Ljubljana Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the ar ...

. He was received by Slovenian President Danilo Türk on May 29. He climbed

Mount Triglav Triglav (; german: Terglau; it, Tricorno), with an elevation of , is the highest mountain in Slovenia and the highest peak of the Julian Alps. The mountain is the pre-eminent symbol of the Slovene nation. It is the centrepiece of Triglav Natio ...

, making him "an honorary Slovenian."Sydney Redigan, "Ghafari returns after 9 months as ambassador" ''Exemplar'' (Detroit, Michigan) April 2009, p. 68 On January 20, 2009, when Barack Obama was sworn in as U. S. President, Ghafari's term ended.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ghafari, Yousif 1952 births Living people Wayne State University alumni Ambassadors of the United States to Slovenia Architects from Michigan