Ahmed Abukhater

Ahmed Abukhater (Arabic: أحمد أبو خاطر‎) is an architect, environmental scientist, and an urban and regional planner by trade. He is an author, powerlifter, and the first athlete to represent Palestine at the World Association of Bench Pressers and Dead lifters (WABDL) World Powerlifting Championships in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2006.

In November, 2007, Abukhater represented Palestine again in the WABDL World Championship, in Anaheim, California, where he won his division and set a new Palestinian world record. He set a new record for the state of Illinois in 2004, and holds many national and international records in powerlifting.

The 10-year-old WABDL, one of a handful of international lifting organizations, recognized his lift as a national record for Palestine. "I think it was a groundbreaking experience," said Gus Rethwisch, the founder and president of the 4,200-member group. "He's not an activist. He's not political. He's just passionate," Rethwisch said.

International/World records

Open and elite men's division -198 lbs weight class

• Squat: 630 lbs
• Bench Press: 610 lbs
• Deadlift: 705 lbs

Professional career

Abukhater is currently working for Boeing in Digital Aviation. Previously, he served as senior director of GIS at Trimble Navigation Ltd, global director of product management at Pitney Bowes Software, Esri’s global industry manager for planning and community development and director of PLACES in California and a GIS manager and instructor at the University of Texas at Austin.

He is keynote speaker in a number of areas including GIS solutions and strategic marketing in Planning and Community Development, Urban and Regional Planning, environmental science and sustainable development, and trans-boundary water resources management and Conflict Resolution. His expertise is focused on the geopolitical and hydropolitical aspects of water resources in the context of the Arab-Israeli conflict, the transboundary management of water resources, and multinational environmental policies in the Middle East.

Early life

Born in the Palestinian city of Rafah, Ahmed Abukhater grew up in a world of environmental inequity. Being a native Palestinian from the Gaza Strip and raised during the Palestinian Intifada (uprising), he recognized the value of water as the sustainer of life and peace.

Abukhater holds a Ph.D. in community and regional planning from the University of Texas at Austin with a focus on water resources management and conflict resolution and mediation (alternative dispute resolution) and a master's degree in urban and regional planning from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a bachelor's degree in architectural engineering.

Specialization

Through education and professional experience, he developed specialization in fields ranging from Planning Analysis and Geographic Information System (Esri), Geospatial analysis and multi-criteria evaluation (MCE), groundwater modeling, Environmental Science and Sustainable Development, to Conflict Resolution and Mediation. Abukhater has authored numerous publications, served on governing and advisory boards, and received over 20 awards for his work. His recent book entitled Water as a Catalyst for Peace - Transboundary Water Management and Conflict Resolution is a book that describes a water negotiation framework and provides an exposé of how equity can be linked into the process of international treaty negotiation and governance.

Publications

• Palestine - Peace by Piece: Transformative Conflict Resolution for Land and Trans-boundary Water Resources [book], Springer International Publishing.
• TEDx Talk: Water for Peace: extinguishing the fire of war and conflict| TEDxBoulder.
• Water as a Catalyst for Peace: Transboundary Water Management and Conflict Resolution [book], Taylor & Francis Group (Routledge).
• Interview: Operational Location Intelligence is critical, Geospatial World Magazine.
• Interview: Pitney Bowes, Autodesk, TomTom Team on GIS, Infrastructure and BIM Projects, Directions Magazine.
• Interview: Pitney Bowes Refocuses on the Operational Intelligence of Location, Informed Infrastructure Magazine - Vector1 Media.
• Interview: Autodesk and Pitney Bowes Partnership – Bridging the Gap…Meeting the Challenge, Geoinformatics Magazine.
• On the Cusp of Water War: a diagnostic account of the volatile geopolitics of the Middle East, Peace and Conflict Studies Journal, 17(2).
• Equity in the Context of Bilateral, International Water Allocation Treaties in Arid Regions - A Transformative and Interdisciplinary Approach to Conflict Resolution, University of Texas at Austin, (Publication Number: 3417449).
• Through the Eyes of the Indigenous Population: Innovative and Comprehensive Approaches to Mediation and ADR in the Middle East, Peace Conflict & Development Journal, June, issue 14.
• Rethinking planning theory and practice: a glimmer of light for prospects of integrated planning to combat complex urban realities, Journal of Theoretical and Empirical Researches in Urban Management, 2(11), pp. 64–79.
• Book Review: A Post-capitalist Politics, by: J.K. Gibson-Graham, Journal of Urban Studies, 46(2).
• Just add data: how software interoperability could expedite development, Engage Gov Today.
• Smarter Planning with Location Intelligence, Engage Gov Today.
• Location-enabled Smart Planning and Community Development, Informed infrastructure (Vector1 Media).
• Creating and Enabling a Smarter Enterprise with Location Intelligence, Informed infrastructure (Vector1 Media).
• Derecho storms raise important questions about emergency preparedness and response, Engage Gov Today.
• Economic Gardening: The Future of Economic Development Through GIS, Engage Today.
• Using Location Intelligence to Create and Enable a Smarter Enterprise, Engage Today.
• Harnessing the Power of Your Data Through Enterprise Location Intelligence, Engage Today.
• GIS-Based Community Risk Assessment- Tools for wildfire prediction and mitigation, ArcUser, Esri, Spring 2011.
• Planning 2.0: A Collaborative Platform for Actionable Intelligence, Next City Magazine.
• GIS for Planning and Community Development: Solving Global Challenges, Directions Magazine.
• Making Smart Growth Smarter with GeoDesign, Directions Magazine.
• Fostering citizen participation, GIS Development, Neogeography & Participatory GIS: Power to people, Vol.14 Issue 2.
• Effective Growth Management - Demonstrating the MCE capabilities of GIS, ArcUser, Esri, Spring 2008.
• Equity of Water Resources Allocation in the International Law, AMIN.
• De-mystifying the Conflict: Equity to Deter Hydro-hostility in the Middle East, AMIN.
• Water for Peace, Media Monitors Network.
• Story of Champaign’s Downtown: Planning for a Return to a Glorious Past, UpWords, Fall, Vol.7.