Meet Ralph Nahra
Board Director
Ralph Nahra
Board Director
Ralph Nahra was born in Lebanon and grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Case Western Reserve and Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University. He has been employed at Autonetics, Division of North American Aviation (1963-1966) and U.S. Guided Missiles School (1966- 1968) as an Inertial Navigation Systems analyst and as an Adjunct Professor in Mathematics at Old Dominion University.
Mr. Nahra joined the staff of the Supreme Allied Commander, Atlantic (SCALANT) in 1968 and held various positions. He retired in May 2003 as the Director of Programs and Research and was responsible or the management of strategic studies. He also coordinated the programs of executive-level symposiums and provided briefings to political and governmental authorities. He was an advisor to fourteen Supreme Allied Commanders, Atlantic and was awarded the NATO Meritorious Service Medal. Mr. Nahra is the President Emeritus of the World Affairs Council of Greater Hampton Roads and has served as president for eleven years. He is a former member of both the Board of Directors of the Economics Club and the Board of the Virginia Modeling and Simulation enter. He is a lifetime member of Eta Kapa Nu, the Electrical Engineering Honor Society.
In January 2006 he was elected President of the Norfolk Sister City Association and in July 2008 became President of Town-N-Gown at Old Dominion University. Mr. Nahar has delivered over one hundred speeches on world issues to military Reserve Units, Rotary, Lions, and Optimist Clubs, Leadership Seminars; and to several colleges and universities. He has also presented lectures on public radio and television and has made contributions to several books and periodicals. In 1997, Mr. Nahra was presented the Community Service Award by Town-N-Gown and Old Dominion University and was honored by the Mayor of Norfolk who proclaimed June 8, 2008, as “Ralph Nahra Day.”