Insights on the Insiders
Meet our Leadership Team
Within the various layers of leadership and governance at ABTS, the leadership team lies at the core. This team is entrusted with leading ABTS by planning strategically with the board of trustees, working functionally with faculty, staff, and students, and engaging relationally with various stakeholders and partners. They are responsible for stewarding the mission and resources of ABTS, providing organizational, academic, operational, and spiritual leadership.
As a Christian organization, the leadership team's primary role is to lead in collective spiritual discernment, seeking to understand God's real-time calling for ABTS. Their task is to define organizational faithfulness and cultivate a culture that empowers the community to undertake its work faithfully.
Elie Haddad
PresidentAfter a long career in the corporate world, Elie was called by God into the realm of theological education. For the past nineteen years, he has served at ABTS, supported by Canadian Baptist Ministries. He completed a PhD in missional ecclesiology because of his passion for the Church.
Elie oversees and moderates the leadership team, viewing his primary role as empowering and supporting others, beginning with the leadership team. While ABTS is known for its creativity and innovation, people often think of Elie as the innovator. However, he describes himself as the enabler who fosters a culture where innovators can thrive.
Elie acts as the glue that brings coherence to the leadership team. He finds working with this group of driven, passionate, highly qualified, and strong leaders both challenging and immensely fulfilling.
Walid Zailaa
Academic DeanWalid’s journey at ABTS began as a theology student in 2007, and his academic pursuit continues to this day. He completed his DMin and is now pursuing a PhD in Old Testament. His professional journey has also progressed significantly. While studying at ABTS, he was appointed assistant librarian, then faculty member and head librarian, and later academic dean. Alongside his multiple roles at ABTS, he also pastors Faith Baptist Church, which meets on campus.
As the academic dean, Walid leads the faculty and oversees all academic programs. He was the principal architect behind the transition of our core program from traditional residential format to online and hybrid delivery methods, significantly enhancing accessibility to our programs across the Arab world. Walid possesses a unique blend of skills, combining conceptual and creative thinking with the ability to implement ideas effectively, paying close attention to the intricate details of program design.
Discussing leadership, Walid observes that juggling pastoral and academic responsibilities has shown him that true leadership promotes personal and organizational growth rather than merely exerting authority.
Walid's contributions to the leadership team include instilling structure, ensuring timeliness, and upholding a commitment to excellence in all aspects of the team's activities.
Bassem Melki
Director of Peacemaking and Non-formal TrainingBassem joined ABTS in 2008 as the dean of students. With seventeen years as a pastor of a local congregation, Bassem used his pastoral insights to support ABTS’s residential students throughout their academic journeys. During his tenure at ABTS, he completed his PhD in peace studies, which equipped him for his current role.
Leveraging his expertise in peacemaking and his strong connections with local pastors and ABTS graduates, Bassem has been instrumental in initiating and expanding the non-formal training programs at ABTS. Initially focused on peacemaking, these programs now encompass all the material taught by our faculty, adapted for use at the congregational level. Bassem continues to work with ABTS faculty to bring theological training to the masses, in Lebanon and across the Arab world.
Bassem’s contributions to the leadership team are marked by his extensive networks and relationships, while his pastoral heart ensures that the team considers the human implications of all its decisions.
Elie, Walid, and Bassem
Rana Wazir Zailaa
Registrar and Director of Quality AssuranceRana joined ABTS in 2008 as an academic assistant and quickly advanced in her career, becoming the Registrar in 2012. While serving at ABTS, she completed her MA in educational administration and emerged as the institution's expert on accreditation and quality assurance. She has successfully ensured that ABTS and all its programs maintain full accreditation and actively contributes to quality assurance at a global level. Rana serves on the accreditation commission of the European Council for Theological Education (ECTE) and chairs the accreditation commission of the Middle East and North Africa Association for Theological Education (MENATE).
Her team oversees the entire student journey, from admission to alumni relations. With her exceptional management skills, Rana also oversees ABTS's conference center and guesthouse.
Speaking about the leadership team's efforts, Rana noted: “As a team guided by God, we navigate challenges through prayer and discernment. Our aim is to ensure that our successes glorify His name across the Arab world, reflecting His grace and wisdom.”
Rana brings a wealth of both academic and non-academic administrative expertise to the leadership team, coupled with an extraordinary capacity to retain and recall knowledge vital to the ABTS operation. Additionally, her pastoral sensitivity greatly enriches her interactions with both students and staff.
Loulwa El Maalouf
Director of Partnerships and Organizational DevelopmentLoulwa joined ABTS in 2017, equipped with a Master's degree in pure mathematics and extensive experience in teaching and operations. She is currently pursuing a PhD in organizational leadership, with a focus on steward leaders within Christian organizations in Lebanon. Loulwa initially took on the role of leading partnership development at ABTS, where her team manages partner relations and communications. Her exceptional systems thinking skills led to her appointment as the head of administration and finance as well.
Loulwa travels extensively to foster connections with ABTS partners and share about what God is doing in the region. She also serves on the European Baptist Federation’s Theology and Education Commission and on the board of IBTS in the Netherlands. Reflecting on her role, Loulwa remarked: “I’m grateful to God who led me to ABTS where I can serve Him through the gifts and skills that He gave me.”
Loulwa adds a high level of spiritual sensitivity and a touch of light-heartedness to the leadership team's discussions. She advocates for high standards in all ABTS’s operations and, with her dedication to truth and accuracy, serves as the team's resident fact-checker.
Wissam Nasrallah
Chief Operations Officer at ThimarWissam joined Thimar, the owner of ABTS, in 2017 and leads all shared services. He holds a master’s degree in finance and strategy and has gained considerable experience in competitive analytical thinking through his previous work in France. His role on the ABTS leadership team facilitates enhanced communication and alignment with Thimar operations, fostering numerous opportunities for collaboration and leveraging the strengths of all Thimar ministries.
For Wissam, serving the King is a dual blessing—both a privilege and an enrichment, never a sacrifice. His life’s work is dedicated to advancing His Kingdom and benefiting others, a commitment clearly reflected in his personal and professional life.
Wissam brings numerous valuable attributes to the leadership team, including deep expertise in the context in which ABTS operates. He serves as the team's socio-political analyst. Wissam also has a unique talent for finding diplomatic solutions to relational challenges.
Rana, Loulwa, and Wissam
What makes the ABTS leadership team exceptionally effective, beyond their passion for God's work and commitment to high-quality service, is the composition of the team itself. The members complement each other beautifully, creating a synergy where their collective capabilities exceed the sum of their individual contributions. This synergy not only exemplifies how collective wisdom can be attained but also underpins their unified approach to leadership.
We praise God for this leadership team and for the life and testimony of each of its members. We pray for their unity and for God to keep them grounded in Him in all that they do.
We praise God for this leadership team and for the life and testimony of each of its members. We pray for their unity and for God to keep them grounded in Him in all that they do.