ABOUT WCCT

Our VISION is to enhance international trade, by fostering businesses, educational, cultural & humanitarian exchanges to build prosperous and stronger communities around the world.

Our MISSION is to provide local, state, & international opportunities to connect, educate & network among various local/bi-lateral chambers, trade organizations, government entities, educational establishments, humanitarian associations, businesses, & individuals.

What Differs WCCT from other likewise organizations?

➢ WCCT is a new 501C3 nonprofit organization
➢ Mission: To foster international trade, cultural exchanges, humanitarian efforts, and government relations hopes to develop economic opportunity worldwide.
➢ WCCT’s main objective is to expand opportunities for leaders and members of WCCT and existing chambers of commerce.
➢ WCCT seeks to create opportunities within and across regions, which will benefit all chambers representing a single country, or a region.
➢ WCCT works to collaborate with organizations outside of the US in the areas of education, humanitarian, business and government.
➢ WCCT is building relationships with local/bilateral chambers of commerce as well as with chambers of commerce worldwide.
➢ WCCT welcomes and encourages leaders of each existing organization to join and serve on the advisory board of WCCT.
➢ WCCT seeks to bring opportunities for organizations in Texas – outward crossing all boarders and regions, with a focus on G-20 countries, small to medium size businesses
➢ There are pan regional and regional organizations in Houston. But they do not cover the globe and do not provide opportunities cross regional or into regions. WCCT seeks to build those bridges that can expand opportunities for all existing members, local chambers and organizations.

2023 - 2024 TERM EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBERS

  • Willy Verbrugghe
    Willy Verbrugghe
    Chairman
  • Rick Celik
    Rick Celik
    Co-Chair
  • Maryum Khan
    Maryum Khan
    President
  • IVAN SANCHEZ
    IVAN SANCHEZ
    Director of Government Relations
  • SAMI KHALEEQ
    SAMI KHALEEQ
    Director of Government Relations
  • David Godwin
    David Godwin
    VP in Operations
  • Allison Konitzer
    Allison Konitzer
    VP in Public Relations
  • BLANCA ARBOUR
    BLANCA ARBOUR
    Director of Legal Affairs
  • CHRISTINA ZHOU
    CHRISTINA ZHOU
    VP in Fundraising
  • CLAUDIA ROJAS
    CLAUDIA ROJAS
    Director of MOUs and Partnership Agreements
  • Abier Alkhouri
    Abier Alkhouri
    VP in Public Relations
  • Abbey Grachanen
    Abbey Grachanen
    Secretary and Director of Membership
  • Kham Vargas
    Kham Vargas
    Director of Membership
  • Rima Adil
    Rima Adil
    Director of Internships and Externship
  • EDDIE ZUNIGA
    EDDIE ZUNIGA
    Director of Entrepreneurship

2023 - 2024 TERM BOARD MEMBERS AT LARGE

2023 - 2024 ADVISORY BOARD

Willy Verbrugghe
Chairman
Rick Celik
Co-Chair

Rick Celik became the President of Celik Enterprises LLC since February 2017, managing partner of Honey Bear online stores since September of 2020 and managing partner of Tutor Specialists since August of 2022. These companies focus on involvement in the areas of education, clothing, jewelry and wholesale car businesses.

He became the President/CEO of Star Learning in August 2013 after serving 6 years as President of Turkish-American Chambers of Commerce in Houston, TX and Atlanta, GA.  He has spent 25+ years in education within three different countries: Turkey, UK and the USA. He has worked as a teacher at private schools and tutoring centers between 1983 to 1991. Later, he took on different administrative level positions (assistant principal, principal and Executive Director) at various middle and high school institutions and colleges in Turkey, UK and the USA. Additionally, he worked as Dean of a private college for 6 years in Virginia before he moved to Atlanta, GA as the President of the Southeast Turkish-American Chamber of Commerce in charge of five states.

He organized the largest Art and Essay contest in the southeast region within 5 states with more than 10,000 participants. Each year, the 30 finalists of this competition were awarded to a cultural Europe tour.

He created one of the biggest Science and Art fair organizations in the state of Wisconsin, while working as a principal in a public middle and high school for three years. He focused on serving economically disadvantaged inner-city students.

He served as a member of the Houston Mayor’s Economic Development Council of Europe for three years, whilst he was the president of the Turkish-American chamber of commerce within 8 different states. He also chaired the Educational Pillar program primarily aiming to connect local universities in Houston with the universities in Europe. During his service as the president of Turkish Chambers, he organized 50+ culture and trade missions to Europe and Turkey.

He also served at Houston International Trade Development Council as an advisory board member. He served as a board member at the American Health Tourism Association. Additionally, he served as a consultant for a few companies in different fields.

Currently, he continues to serve as the Chairman of Turkey at World Chamber of Commerce Organization headquarters in Atlanta, GA.

He later founded the World Chamber of Commerce of Texas under the World Chamber of Commerce branch based in Atlanta, GA in 2014. Since 2014, he has served in various positions at this chamber including: Founding Chair, President and Co-Chair positions. He currently serves as a lifetime board member and co-chair of this organization.

He is a graduate of one of the top prestigious schools, Bogazici (aka Robert College established by Americans in 1863) University in Istanbul, Turkey in the field of Chemistry before he earned an MBA in the USA. He is a graduate of the FBI Citizen Academy of Atlanta in 2008 and finished various leadership programs. 

Rick Celik is originally from Istanbul, Turkey. He has been an educator more than 25 years as well as an entrepreneur in different industries. He has worked in three different countries including Turkey, UK and USA. He moved to the USA in 1997 and worked in four different states including Virginia, Wisconsin, Georgia and Texas. He currently has a Turkish and American dual citizenship.

Maryum Khan
President

Maryum Khan is a transplant from the Northeast and lives with her son, and her four adopted furbabies in Houston. She studied International Relations at York University and served in multiple leadership roles including the elected position of VP for the student body of over 45,000 students. She started her career in Houston, as a Market Manager for the Southwest district areas and currently she is working as Vice President in Commercial banking with Capital One Bank. She claims her success in banking was by building tenacious teams and continously providing above par customer service experience. She works as a consultant and advisor to the business owners to help them make growth and development decisions; that lead to maximizing their cash flow and improving business efficiencies. She been recognized by Capital One and Wells Fargo on numerous occasions for being a top producer with accolades in the areas of Client Service, Sales Performance and Leadership throughout the years.

She is an active member of the Advisory board for “Score Houston” to mentor small business communities to achieve their goals.
Founder of a community service organization that serves the Greater Houston and Fort Bend communities through several volunteer projects,under the flagship name of “Starring Humanity”. A Pakistani women organization that volunteer on different Federal holidays to serve the homeless and the U S veterans in the Houston metropolitan area. She founded the “Red Bowl Project” to help the businesses and students work alongside each other to build entrepreneurial and leadership skills while learning and raising awareness around compassion for animals.
Currently, she is serving as a Special Commissioner for the County Courts, Community engagement committees of the District Attorney’s office and Fort Bend County Judge’s office, working on youth engagement and small business programs.
She, also is the presiding chair for Mental health wellness initiatives working with over 200 community leaders to build structured programs for communities.
She is truly humbled to be currently serving as the 2023 elected President for the World Chamber of Commerce Texas to enhance international trade, by fostering businesses, educational, humanitarian exchanges to build prosperous and stronger communities around the world.

IVAN SANCHEZ
Director of Government Relations
SAMI KHALEEQ
Director of Government Relations
David Godwin
VP in Operations
Allison Konitzer
VP in Public Relations
Allison Konitzer is the founder and CEO of Awaken, the Director of Global Connections for the World Air League, board member of The World Chamber of Commerce and certified John Maxwell leadership expert. 
Specializing in connecting individuals, businesses, and aspiring entrepreneurs globally. Allison has proven success with companies/individuals by providing knowledge, connections, & the tools needed to succeed on their own. Taking the stress off the individual or business owner by managing, connecting, building teams and refining marketing strategies, thus allowing the entrepreneur to focus on their dream and purpose. Allison intuitively sees the threads of opportunity that weave through an organization or individual.
Her goal when helping every client is for them to have self-sustaining and successful enterprise. She helps others extend their thinking, provides fresh perspectives and drives material business advantage. Allison is an inspirational leader who tells stories that inspire action while also stressing the importance of remaining grounded in knowledge that leverages the business. Respected as a credible voice in decision making and finding strategic partners, she can help in many industries. Financial advisors, Commerical Real Estate, Youtubers, Fitness industry leaders, Criminal Defense Attorneys while running campaigns, are just a few of many growing businesses and individuals who have utilized and succeeded using Awaken.
Allison is passionate about supporting, coaching, educating and empowering women which has been displayed in her previous Executive Director role and now partnership with Ravens Hope International. Having rescued 500+ women out of sex trafficking and then guided them to go through a program that offers spiritual growth, life skills, leadership development, internships, and mission opportunities. While working in Cambodia, Allison also became affiliated with CEO Master Club that allowed the opportunity to become a highly known global public speaker, leadership coach, & work alongside with international business leaders.
Allison’s mission is to awaken the dreamer within by making an impact while making a living. Soon to be published author, Allison finds creativity through art, travel, music, and writing. Allison has been honored with several awards and certificates for her contributions to both rescuing women and being a noteworthy leader and influencer across the globe. When Allison is not busy with connecting, promoting, and managing businesses, you can find her spending time with family, traveling, networking, and eating some of the best food Texas has to offer.
Allison Konitzer
Director of Global Connections & Founder of AWAKEN
BLANCA ARBOUR
Director of Legal Affairs
CHRISTINA ZHOU
VP in Fundraising
CLAUDIA ROJAS
Director of MOUs and Partnership Agreements
Abier Alkhouri
VP in Public Relations
Abbey Grachanen
Secretary and Director of Membership
Kham Vargas
Director of Membership

Hello, my name is Kham Vargas and I am a Assistant Vice President and branch manager for East West Bank. Born in Laos, my family and I came to the United States in 1981 as refugees. I met my husband of 29 years here and we have 3 wonderful children.

I believe in volunteering and being a part of non-profit organizations because this has always been a passion of mine to give back to the community and make a difference in people’s lives.

Volunteering has the power to change lives by unleashing a side of you that you might not have otherwise known. My passion for volunteering has helped shape who I am. No longer do I have to question my purpose. Serving others to the greatest of my abilities is a privilege that I am grateful to have. Knowing that I can make a difference in someone else’s life, is the greatest feeling ever.

I am an active member of the Women’s Resource Center of Greater Houston. It was there that I was honored to teach inmates financial literacy classes at the Harris County Women’s Detention Center and Carl Vance Prison as a part of the Re-entry Program. I also on the Board with Sister Cities Of Houston for last 5 years.

I enthusiastically volunteer at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo annually, which raises money for student scholarships. I also volunteer helping families at the Ronald McDonald House at the Texas Children’s Hospital.

To translate this into my future, it is about continuing the things that I enjoy and maintaining my values. It is about bringing out my best and encouraging others to live out their lives in a similar fashion.

Volunteering makes me confident knowing that I can make a difference in the world, and I think it can have a very similar effect on others. I believe that everyone has the opportunity to go out and do something good for someone daily, it becomes a chain effect. You’ll feel good about yourself, others around will follow!

 

Rima Adil
Director of Internships and Externship

Dr. Rima Adil is a visionary leader and an advocate for student success who currently serves as the Dean of Student Success at Houston Community College. Her unwavering commitment to empowering students through engagement, leadership, and mentorship opportunities has earned her recognition as a trailblazer in the field of higher education.

Dr. Adil’s passion for community engagement is evident through her active involvement in various organizations and initiatives that aim to promote dialogue on civic issues and foster collaboration to improve the quality of life. She is a staunch believer in the power of diversity and has been a driving force behind several Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, programs, and training programs.

Dr. Adil’s achievements have been widely acknowledged, including being the recipient of the Chancellor Eagle Award at HCC, Women of Excellence Award from the Federation of Houston Professional Women, Terry O’Banion Award from the National Council of Student Development, and several others. Her contributions to the field have also been recognized with awards such as the Virtual Innovation Award, NASPA, League of Innovation Award, and the Patrice Johnson Award.

In addition to her professional accomplishments, Dr. Adil serves on the board of several organizations, including the United Nations Association, the National Council of Student Development (NCSD), and the Greater Women’s Houston Chamber of Commerce. She is a recent graduate of Leadership Houston, Class XL, where she served as a project leader for the class and remains actively involved in alumni engagement activities.

Through her dynamic leadership and unwavering commitment to student success and community engagement, Dr. Adil continues to inspire and empower individuals to achieve their full potential.

EDDIE ZUNIGA
Director of Entrepreneurship

Eddie is the Director of Entrepreneurship for the World Chamber of Commerce – Texas. He is a Wealth Manager in the Houston area where he and his Senior Administrator, Valorie utilize their 35 years of combined industry experience to serve businesses & families attain, grow, pass on financial independence and generational wealth. His investment journey began when he purchased his first multi-unit apartment building at 23. As the son of a business owner, he had a first-row seat to hard work, investing and planning for financial independence. As a financial advisor, he strives to provide solutions for the businesses & families he serves in Houston and virtually across the country to do the same.

He served 21 years in the U.S. Navy and Navy Reserves with 10 years overseas in Italy, Bahrain, Dubai and Afghanistan where he earned the Bronze Star and retired as a Senior Chief in 2021.

He and his wife, Thu, have been married for over 10 years and have two daughters, Penelope and Paloma, who love acting, bike riding and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. When not working, he enjoys high-intensity interval training, boxing and traveling with his family. He firmly believes that there is no better teacher than life experience and global travel. As the Director of Entrepreneurship for the World Chamber of Commerce – Texas & Certified Exit Planning Advisor® (CEPA®,), Eddie helps business owners with business succession planning. He and his team assess business readiness and personal financial preparedness, effectively engaging with the clients team of CPAs, attorneys and other professionals, integrating strategies into professional, personal, and financial goals to build and preserve family wealth for future generations. Attended the University of Houston as a major in Finance with minor in Organizational leadership and earned the AAMS® designation from the College of Financial Planning.

He also serves as: Engagement Committee Chairman for Fort Bend County & Client Solutions Leader for his firm.

MARANNE MALDONADO
Director, World Affairs Council
Sunny Zhang
Founding Partner Born Global Ventures
DR. IRFAN AMIN
Ibni Sina Foundation
FARIDA ABJANI
CEO, of Health Institution
ROOPA GIR
Founder, IEDUCATE
DR. NOEMI FRIAS
President, Filipino Chamber of Commerc
ELLEN GOLDBERG
President Emeritus and board member at Sister Cities Association

Ellen Israel Goldberg has a broad background in business, healthcare, education, photojournalism, and creative endeavors—a good foundation for global projects in both professional and volunteer capacities. She is passionate about connecting multi-ethnic groups for mutual understanding.

Her articles as a writer are varied and far reaching.

She was the Founding President of the Houston-Abu Dhabi Sister City Association before serving eight years as the President of Sister Cities of Houston, the umbrella organization for 19 associations partnered with municipalities around the world. In addition, she has chaired and/or been a director on boards for non-profits, with specialties in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia.

Goldberg’s love of cinema led to her serving as an advisor to one festival, then becoming a founding board member of the Indian Film Festival of Houston. In addition, she is on the Houston Community College Filmmaking School Advisory Committee.

Finding a Bride and Other Adventures of a Jewish Mother In India, the author’s first book, is published by Pathika Press, a company she established. She is currently working on another writing project.

Ellen is married, has two married children and three grandchildren.

POSSO GANAME
President, West Africa Chamber of Commerce
PETE GARCIA
President, US Mexico Chamber of Commerce
JANIS BURKE
CEO, Houston Sports Authority
NEETA SANE
INGRID ROBINSON
President, HMSDC
JILL YAZIJI
President, Yaziji Law Group
LOLOY REYES
VP for International trade of Flippion Chamber of commerce
DR. BEVERLY BARRETT
Professor at UH International relations
PERCY PELAEZ – CONTTI
President, Camara de Comercio Centroamericana
ZAKI MIRZA
Pakistan Chamber of Commerce
NIKE LOKMAN
Consular Affairs and international partnership manager, City of Houston
SIJIOLLIE BRAHAM
President, Caribbean Chamber of Commerce
DR. MUDASSIR SIDDIQI
HCC Downtown President