LebNet Launches Its Houston Community!
LebNet is proud to announce the launch of its Houston community, bringing together Lebanese professionals, entrepreneurs, innovators, and students across technology, science, and engineering throughout Greater Houston.
Rooted in LebNet’s mission of connecting and empowering Lebanese talent worldwide, the Houston community will create a vibrant and supportive network where members can exchange knowledge, build meaningful professional relationships, discover opportunities, and give back.
As a global center for energy, healthcare and life sciences, aerospace, advanced manufacturing, logistics, and international trade, Houston offers tremendous opportunities for innovation and cross-industry collaboration. Through networking events, industry panels, mentorship initiatives, founder conversations, and community gatherings, LebNet Houston will support local talent while connecting members to LebNet’s broader global network.
The founding leadership team brings together an accomplished group of professionals with expertise spanning energy, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, healthcare, entrepreneurship, investment, engineering, and commodity trading. The community is led by Nancy Zakhour, an energy executive, board director, founder, and advisor with experience across oil and gas, renewable energy, infrastructure, investment banking, and strategic growth. She is Co-Founder of MorpheusOS, serves on the Board of Directors of Perma-Pipe International Holdings, and is a Venture Partner at Ascent Energy Ventures. She also teaches MBA courses at Rice University and the University of Houston–Downtown.
Joining her on the leadership team are:
Elias Haddad is an AI Solutions Architect at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, where he leads enterprise AI strategy and engineering. Over his eight years at UTHealth Houston, he has helped build the institution’s AI foundation, including secure AI systems, clinical tools, and health records solutions used by UTHealth and Memorial Hermann Hospital. He is also the founder of CivicCent, a stock market intelligence platform, and previously spent eight years at Aramco modernizing and automating business-critical operations.
Hussein Shel, Director at Google Cloud, leads the company’s global Oil & Gas strategy, helping energy organizations apply artificial intelligence, advanced data platforms, high-performance computing, and cloud technologies to complex industry challenges. His career includes leadership roles at Amazon Web Services and Microsoft, as well as nearly a decade at Chevron. A recognized industry speaker and technology thought leader, he specializes in connecting emerging technologies with practical, enterprise-scale transformation across the energy value chain.
Mouhamad Obeid, the community’s Youth Focal Point, is a Junior Commodity Trader at BASF specializing in oil and natural gas liquids derivatives. He applies his backgrounds in data science, chemical engineering, and industrial engineering to quantitative trading and market analysis.
We look forward to seeing the LebNet Houston community grow and become a dynamic platform for connection, collaboration, professional development, and impact throughout Greater Houston and beyond.
Professionals, students, founders, researchers, and innovators in Houston and surrounding areas are invited to join the growing community and become part of this journey.