Jihane Mrad

With over 20 years of experience in journalism and communications, Jihane (pronounced Jee-hahn) seeks in her role as Director of Thought Leadership to increase the impact and visibility of Trust for Learning’s work. Jihane is mom to three Montessori children and has experienced firsthand the beauty and many benefits of a child-centered education, prompting her to become a passionate advocate of public Montessori. As such, she has spearheaded with a group of like-minded advocates a campaign for expanding public Montessori in the state of Virginia, specifically in Fairfax County where she resides with her family. Jihane is the Vice-President and Communications Chair of the Virginia Montessori Association, an active volunteer-run non-profit that has made strides in getting Montessori recognized in the early childhood education policy space.

Jihane is also a certified healthcare and community interpreter and has spent years working to eliminate language barriers for immigrant families who have just moved to the U.S. In 2023, she completed a graduate certificate program in Education Policy at George Mason University. She holds an MA in Journalism from American University in Washington D.C., and a BA in Translation and Languages from Université St. Esprit Kaslik in Lebanon. She is fluent in Arabic, her native language, and French, and has limited working proficiency in Spanish. Born and raised during the Lebanese Civil War, her hope is that by giving all children the opportunity to access an education that respects them for who they are and educates them for peace, equality, and co-existence, we will be creating a more peaceful world.   

When not reading the news or advocating for child-centered education, Jihane loves traveling with her family, exercising, and reading suspense novels.