We got in touch with experienced alumni that generously agreed to provide our Seniors with Master Class sessions in entrepreneurship and cooking, skills that would help them as they transition to college. Not only were our seniors enriched with amazing knowledge and experience by our alum Hassan Abdou’87 and Chase Waites’86; they had the chance to engage, ask questions, share CAC memories, network, and make new alumni friends as they join their fellow CAC alumni after graduation that were in their shoes before. We thank Hassan and Chaise for taking the time to give back to our Seniors and inspire them as they embark on their new journey.
About Hassan Abdou’87:
Hassan Abdou '87 has been part of the CAC community since 1982: first as a student, then an alumnus, a parent, a volunteer and now a Trustee. His mother was a teacher at CAC in the 1980s and he and his family have been very actively involved in academics, athletics, and extracurricular programs at CAC ever since.
After graduating from CAC, Hassan earned his Bachelor of Science degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Finance from the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton School respectively. Post graduation, he worked at Exxon Engineering both in the USA and in the Netherlands. He then received his MBA from Harvard Business School and went on to work at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in New York, consulting for Fortune 500 companies in the USA and Europe focusing on telecommunications, media and technology.
Hassan returned to Egypt in 1998 to run a private equity fund, helping businesses grow and become more productive and profitable, one of which became a multi-billion dollar organization and one of the biggest telecom communication companies in the world.
In 2010, he started his own business and founded & co-founded five companies of his own in the areas of online education, retail technology, renewable energy. His vast experience has enabled him to identify risk, look at industry trends, try and position companies for the future, and set real objectives and be able to monitor these objectives through KPI’s that can be measured to then help employees & management execute their strategies.
Hassan has served on the board of dozens of companies in his career; small and multi-billion dollar American, European, and Egyptian private and stock market listed companies. He was also on the board of trustees at The American University in Cairo (AUC) for four years, serving on the Dean’s Strategic Advisory Board, helping the direction of AUC’s business school and most recently was elected as a Trustee of CAC.
In 2017/2018 he was the CAC Director for the Injaz Student run business entrepreneurship competition where the team not only won Best Company in Egypt, but won Best Product in a Regional Competition with 7 other countries. Moreover, he has enjoyed being a volunteer football coach for 15 years inspiring kids of all ages.
About Chase Waites’86:
Our CAC alum Chase Waites'86, is a Theatre Educator, Director, and “Dad Does Dinner” Cooking YouTube Channel Founder.
Chase is from Ft. Worth, Texas, and has been acting, directing, and teaching since the seventh grade. With over 20 years of experience, he has taught from third grade to the college level. After graduating from CAC, he later earned his BA in Theatre and Teacher Certification from Centenary College of Louisiana and his MFA in Directing from the University of New Orleans. He was the recipient of the Kennedy Center Medallion in 2018 (which is considered one of the greatest honors in theatre education) for his extraordinary contributions to the teaching and producing of theatre, and commitment to excellence in educational theatre.
His teaching philosophy is "No Risk, No Reward: Failing Gloriously"
Chase is not only an amazing educator and director, he is also a passionate cook! Inspired by his mom, Chase developed a passion over the years for cooking and later on even created his Youtube channel called “Dad Does Dinner” - “There was a time in my life when it was just me and my mom for a few years. She would call me her shadow, because I was literally right behind her and she would trip over me if she backed up too quickly. Mom was half Italian and did a lot of cooking and I was always there “helping” and asking questions. That’s where my interest in cooking began. As I grew up I always dabbled in it, and am an adventurous eater. I would try to make things on my own that I had tried elsewhere. As I got older, and with the internet and Food Network, I was really able to expand my knowledge of how things cooked. All throughout my marriage my wife would say, “Dad Does Dinner” whenever I would cook. And then started saying I was as good or better than some of the guys on TV. I’m a do-er and don’t do well with lots of down time, so when the coronavirus hit, it seemed like a good way to fill some time and have some fun. And maybe get people to stop and find some gratitude for a few minutes of their day. Feedback has been great and as long as I have the time, I’ll keep having fun with it.”
