ACCESS Celebrates Historic Milestone with Emmy Award Winner and Arab American Hero

ACCESS Press Release

ACCESS will bring the community together alongside a diverse group of leaders and dignitaries on Saturday, April 9, 2011 to celebrate 40 years of service and to honor two outstanding recipients of the Arab American of the Year Award. This year’s recipients are Emmy Award Winner Tony Shalhoub and United States Army General George Joulwan. This prestigious award is presented annually to individuals or organizations for their commitment and contribution to the development of their community on a local and national level. 

Known for his roles in the hit TV shows Monk and Wings, Tony Shalhoub is a three-time Emmy Award winner. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in drama from the University of Southern Maine before progressing to the Yale School of Drama, where he earned a Masters degree in 1980.

After a time in the American Repertory Theatre, he moved to Broadway and continued on to Los Angeles. Shalhoub’s first audition after arriving in Los Angeles was for Italian cabdriver Antonio Scarpacci in the long-running sitcom Wings (1990-97). Next, he had roles in Men in Black (1997), Men in Black II (2002), and Thir13teen Ghosts (2001). His biggest break came, however, playing the obsessive-compulsive detective Adrian Monk in Monk (2002-09). The series made him a star and earned him four straight Emmy Award nominations and three trophy wins.

General George Joulwan is a distinguished soldier whose extraordinary achievements as Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, were instrumental in building a new post-Cold War security structure. He is a Commander-in-Chief of Southern Command who made a significant contribution to bringing peace to El Salvador and democracy to Panama and a Commander-in-Chief, Europe. Joulwan has served his country with distinction in a military career of over 36 years. In every assignment, from platoon leader to four-star general, he has lived by the motto of the United States Military Academy: Duty, Honor, Country.

General George Joulwan also sits on the Global Impact Board of Directors which is an organization that aligns charitable programs with the diverse giving interests of corporations and their employees. As the gateway to 58 respected and carefully vetted U.S.-based international charities, Global Impact has raised more than $1.3 billion for relief and development programs since its founding in 1956.

This year’s dinner will be held on Saturday, April 9, 2011, at the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center with doors opening at 5 p.m. and the program beginning at 6 p.m. Sponsored by Comerica, the dinner is the second-largest dinner in Michigan and the largest Arab American event in the country, with more than 2,500 people in attendance.

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