Yousif Ghafari - Hall of Fame 1990

Ambassador Yousif B. Ghafari is founder and chairman of Ghafari Associates, LLC, a full-service organization of architects, engineers, and consultants. Under his direction, Ghafari became a leading global resource for the automotive, aviation, manufacturing, government, and commercial sectors. He is also founder and chairman of G-TECH Services, Inc. a nationwide firm that recruits and places contract and direct hire personnel to a diverse client base. Both are headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan.

Born in southern Lebanon on September 27, 1952, Ambassador Ghafari immigrated to the United States in the early 1970s and became an American citizen on September 6, 1978. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics in 1974, a Master of Arts in Applied Mathematics and Computer Applications in 1975, and a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering in 1977 - all from Wayne State University. He became a licensed Professional Engineer in 1984, and in 1992, Ambassador Ghafari received his Master of Business Administration from the Michigan State University Advanced Management Program. Ambassador Ghafari was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Engineering from Lawrence Technological University in 1998 and an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Wayne State University in 2008.

In 2004, Ambassador Ghafari was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as Public Delegate Designate at the US Mission to the United Nations for the 59th UN General Assembly, followed by an appointment to the William J. Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board in 2005. In 2008, he was again appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as US Ambassador to Slovenia. In October 2012, Ambassador Ghafari was named an Honorary Consul for Slovenia.

Ambassador Ghafari is one of the Detroit area's leading businessmen and most generous philanthropists. However, his most valuable and transformative contribution is his commitment - to the community, to higher education and, ultimately, to the world.