Finding Family and Community at Booz Allen

“The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is one of the most diverse places on the planet,” says Ramzi Zeineddine, a senior associate at Booz Allen specializing in open source capabilities. “There’s so much cultural, religious, ethnic, historical, culinary, and social diversity in such a small geospatial area.”

In honor of MENA Heritage Month in April, Ramzi and Mayriam Robles, a medical advisor and public health manager, share their thoughts on the importance of diversity, community, and bringing unique perspectives to the workplace and beyond. 

Ramzi was a graduate school student when he first interacted with Booz Allen at a job fair event. “My interview was one of hundreds that Booz Allen conducted, in a hotel, conference style,” he remembers.

“They asked me what I would do if I were king for a day,” he says. “I told them I’d ask for the gift of understanding. When the interviewer asked me why, I said that with the gift of understanding, I would try to solve everyone’s problems in a mindful way.”

He left the interview convinced he didn’t land the job. But much to his surprise, he received a phone call two weeks later. “They asked when I could start and said they loved my response about trying to understand,” he continues.

That desire to understand and help solve problems is what led Ramzi into a career dedicated to making information accessible, innovating in the field of open source solutions. One such solution that Ramzi developed is Global4Sight. It’s a socio-cultural and language-enabled open-source intelligence (OSINT) program that empowers users with language proficiency, regional knowledge, and subject matter expertise to enable data-supported decisions.

Booz Allen feels like family to Ramzi. “I think that’s a big part of the firm’s culture, and it’s why I stay,” Ramzi says. “I'm given the space to experiment, play, and do good work. After 13 years, I think of Booz Allen as my family. My journey started at that interview table, and I felt uncomfortable until everybody welcomed me in. Since then, I’ve always felt like I belong.”

The family-like feeling also attracted Mayriam, who has an M.D., M.B.A., and M.P.H. “People make the difference,” she says. “At Booz Allen, there’s a welcoming environment everywhere you go—one of life's greatest beauties is the sense of belonging, fitting in, and feeling like we are part of a family. A lot of people start working here, thinking they’ll be here for a few years. For many, they stay a lifetime, all while growing and evolving. Sometimes they even leave and then return.” 

Booz Allen’s employee communities add to that sense of family. “Employee communities empower individuals to exchange ideas and information, listen, collaborate, and support each other, all while being your authentic self,” Mayriam says. “Everyone has a space where they belong—because they do belong.” The MENA employee community’s theme this year is centered around “Embracing Cultural Humility,” to encourage engaging with people of different backgrounds and perspectives to develop equitable, inclusive, and impactful solutions that change the world. 

“Booz Allen cares about you professionally and as a person,” she adds. “There’s a huge amount of talent from different cultures, backgrounds, and professions.”

Ramzi and Mayriam both identify as Americans with MENA heritage, but their heritage and stories aren’t identical. Their backgrounds reflect the broader diversity found across the firm.

“I have a multiethnic background, from Middle Eastern and North African, to Indigenous and American,” says Mayriam. “I was born in the U.S., but my family life journey and career have allowed me to travel to many places and experience many cultures. This has gifted me a sense of awareness and intentionality in every interaction.”

“I grew up in West Beirut, in Lebanon,” Ramzi says. “Being from MENA makes me unique, but I also recognize that I’m among many other unique individuals at Booz Allen. I feel special, but everybody is just as special as I am in their own ways.”

“What we're trying to do with the MENA employee community is to highlight the region’s unique aspects, the pretty things, and the different things about that area of the world,” he adds.

Mayriam’s background has helped spark her curiosity about the world around her while increasing her empathy. “I’m always happy to leave my comfort zone as it exposes me to learn and relate to others’ unique paths,” she explains. “I love people, and it’s really important to me to connect with others at a personal level.”

Ramzi agrees. “Booz Allen is like the perfect universe where we all exist, under one umbrella, yet we’re all independent individuals,” he says. “We practice diversity of thought, opinion, shape, size, color, gender, of everything. It’s like the Statue of Liberty—we welcome everybody.”