Yousif B. Ghafari is founder and chairman of GHAFARI, a full-service organization of architects, engineers, consultants, and staffing specialists serving a global client base that includes the aviation, manufacturing, government, and commercial sectors.

Born in southern Lebanon on September 27, 1952, Mr. Ghafari emigrated to the United States in the early 1970's and became an American citizen on September 6, 1978. 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 - all from Wayne State University. In 1992, Mr. Ghafari received his Master of Business Administration from the Michigan State University Advanced Management Program (AMP). He became a licensed Professional Engineer in 1984.

Mr. Ghafari established his company in 1982 based on a foundation of responsive client service and the use of the latest technology to improve quality. The success of the GHAFARI organization has been consistently acknowledged by such national publications as INC. magazine and Engineering News Record, as well as the other national print and broadcast media. GHAFARI projects have won numerous awards from associations such as the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Construction Association of Michigan, and the Engineering Society of Detroit.

Yousif Ghafari is considered one of the Detroit area's leading philanthropists. In 1995 he was named one of the Top 100 "Executive Heroes" in southeastern Michigan. He is a member of the International Institute of Metropolitan Detroit's "Hall of Fame"; his portrait is on permanent display in downtown Detroit's Cobo Hall Convention Center. In 2005, Wayne State University acknowledged his longtime support by renaming one of its residence buildings Yousif B. Ghafari Hall.

He is an active member in numerous business and sports clubs, including the Bloomfield Hills Country Club, Oakland Hills Country Club, and Tournament Players Club. An active athlete, he has run the Boston Marathon and Detroit Free Press International Marathon.

Mr. Ghafari is on the Board of Trustees of the College for Creative Studies and Oakwood Healthcare, Inc. He is on the Board of Directors for Automobile Club of Michigan, Dura Automotive Systems, Inc., the Economic Club of Detroit, and the Wayne State University Foundation. In 2004 and 2005, he served as Public Delegate Designate at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations for the 59th United Nations General Assembly.

He was appointed by President George W. Bush to the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board in 2005.

Mr. Ghafari is married to Mara Kalnins-Ghafari, J.D., and has three children.