About Us

Cherif had a tenured career with 43 years of service at Southern California Gas, where he held various positions in marketing, research, and development. He was employed as a Technical Energy Consultant for the Natural Gas Industry. Cherif earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Cairo University and West Coast University and a master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California. In 2002, with his brother Nabih, they founded the Coptic Educational Foundation (CEF), a non-profit organization. They had one goal in mind, to support and sustain students in obtaining a higher education by offering them the tools, guidance, and resources to realize their full academic potential. The brothers thrived to aid students to gain college acceptance, reinforce their efforts and commitment to higher education, acknowledge students who have achieved academic excellence and community activism and reward them with annual scholarships. Cherif had always been a firm believer in the call to re-energize and re-invent. He lived by the motto “strive to leave every place better than you found it,” and the way he achieved this was to assemble an efficient team who shared the same vision. Therefore, as the Chief Operating Officer of CEF, Cherif worked tirelessly to make sure that CEF volunteers and employees supported CEF’s mission to the fullest.