Ahmed Abukhater
<BR> <BR> Ahmed Abukhater () is an architect, environmental scientist, and an urban and regional planner by trade. He is an author, powerlifter, and the first athlete to represent Palestine at the World Association of Bench Pressers and Dead lifters (WABDL) World Powerlifting Championships in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2006. In November, 2007, Abukhater represented Palestine again in the WABDL World Championship, in Anaheim, California, where he won his division and set a new Palestinian world record. He set a new record for the state of Illinois in 2004, and holds many national and international  records in powerlifting. The 10-year-old WABDL, one of a handful of international lifting organizations, recognized his lift as a national record for Palestine. "I think it was a groundbreaking experience," said Gus Rethwisch, the founder and president of the 4,200-member group. "He's not an activist. He's not political. He's just passionate," Rethwisch said. International/World Records. Open and elite men's division -198 lbs weight class Personal Records. Powerlifting Gym Records: He also bench pressed 413.3 lbs for 10 repetitions, touch and go in the gym. Professional Career. Abukhater is currently working for Boeing  in Digital Aviation. Previously, he served as senior director of GIS at Trimble Navigation Ltd, global director of product management at Pitney Bowes Software, Esri’s global industry manager for planning and community development and director of PLACES in California and a GIS manager and instructor at the University of Texas at Austin. He is keynote speaker in a number of areas including GIS solutions and strategic marketing in Planning and Community Development, Urban and Regional Planning, environmental science and sustainable development, and trans-boundary water resources management and Conflict Resolution. His expertise is focused on the geopolitical and hydropolitical  aspects of water resources in the context of the Arab-Israeli conflict, the transboundary management of water resources, and multinational environmental policies in the Middle East. Early Life. Born in the Palestinian city of Rafah, Ahmed Abukhater grew up in a world of environmental inequity. Being a native Palestinian from the Gaza Strip and raised during the Palestinian Intifada (uprising), he recognized the value of water as the sustainer of life and peace. Abukhater holds a Ph.D. in community and regional planning from the University of Texas at Austin with a focus on water resources management and conflict resolution and  mediation (alternative dispute resolution) and a master's degree in urban and regional planning from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a bachelor's degree in architectural engineering. Specialization. Through education and professional experience, he developed specialization in fields ranging from Planning Analysis and Geographic Information System (Esri), Geospatial analysis and multi-criteria evaluation (MCE), groundwater modeling, Environmental Science and Sustainable Development, to Conflict Resolution and Mediation. Abukhater has authored numerous publications, served on governing and advisory boards, and received over 20 awards for his work. His recent book entitled "Water as a Catalyst for Peace - Transboundary Water  Management and Conflict Resolution" is a book that describes a water negotiation framework and provides an exposé of how equity can be linked into the process of international treaty negotiation and governance.