M. Joseph Sirgy is a management psychologist (Ph.D., U. Massachusetts, 1979) and Virginia Tech Real Estate Professor at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech). He has published extensively in the area of well-being and quality of life (QOL). He is the author/editor of many books related to quality of life. He co-founded the International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies (ISQOLS) in 1995, served as its Executive Director/Treasurer from 1995 to 2011 and as Development Director (2011-17). In 1998, he received the Distinguished Fellow Award from ISQOLS. In 2003, ISQOLS honored him as the Distinguished QOL Researcher for research excellence and a record of lifetime achievement in QOL research. In 2010, ISQOLS honored him for excellence and lifetime service to the society. In 2012 he was awarded the EuroMed Management Research Award for outstanding achievements and groundbreaking contributions to well-being and quality-of-life research.
Richard J. Estes, Professor of Social Work and Social Policy, University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice, Philadelphia, A.B., La Salle University (Philadelphia); Master of Social Work, University of Pennsylvania; Doctor of Social Welfare, University of California at Berkeley; and post-master's Certificate in Psychiatric Social Work, the Menninger Foundation, Topeka, Kansas. Dr. Estes specializes in international and comparative social welfare, social policy, and social development. His books include The Social Progress of Nations, 1984; Trends in World Social Development, 1988; Health Care and the Social Services,1984; Towards a Social Development Strategy for the Asia and Pacific Region (with Edward Van Roy), 1992; Social Development in Hong Kong: The Unfinished Agenda, 2005; The Medical, Legal and Social Science Aspects of Child Sexual Exploitation (with Sharon Cooper and others), 2005, 2007; Advancing Quality of Life in a Turbulent World, 2007; and, Islamic Social Progress: Social, Political, Economic, and Ideological Challenges (with Habib Tiliouine, University of Oran, Algeria), Dordrecht NL: Springer, in preparation 2015; The Pursuit of Human Well-Being: The Untold Global History (with M. Joseph Sirgy, Virginia Tech), Dordrecht NL: Springer(2015); and Advances in Well-Being: Towards a Better World (London: Rowman & Littlefield International (with M. Joseph Sirgy)).
Don R. Rahtz (Ph.D., Virginia Tech 1984) is the J. S. Professor of Marketing, Raymond A. Mason School of Business, William and Mary (USA). His expertise is in integrated marketing communication programs, marketing research, survey methodology, analysis, and market assessment. He has had a particular interest in environmental issues, economic sustainable development, transitional economies, business/community interface evaluation, and health systems. He has traveled and worked extensively in the South Asia and Southeast Asian areas with a particular focus on Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam. Professor Rahtz has conducted a variety of workshops and seminars, and acted as a consultant to businesses in both the public and private sectors concerning the above topics, both in the United States and abroad. In addition, he has produced a number of publications regarding these topics that have appeared books, academic journals, and the popular press. He has been active in promoting the Quality of Life (QOL) field of study in a variety of disciplines and is a founding member of the International Society for Quality of Life Studies (ISQOLS).
El-Sayed El-Aswad is currently professor of anthropology at United Arab Emirates University (UAEU). He served as Chairperson of Sociology Department (2012-2014) at the UAEU. He received his doctorate degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Research interest: Cultural and Social Anthropology, Muslim Thought & Worldview, Religion & Cosmology, Sufisim, Symbolism, Social & cultural Change, Social Policy, Globalism, Identity/Personality, Arab Gulf region, Middle East countries, Arab society in transition, Arab Americans, Media, Cyber-Communication, Gender, Folklore, Heritage and national Identity. Prof. el-Aswad is known as a pioneer in the study of "cosmology" or "ethno- cosmology" and "worldviews" in Muslim/Arab societies. His ethnographic fieldwork has focused on Egypt, Emirates, Bahrain and the USA. He taught at Wayne State University (USA), Tanta University, Bahrain University, and UAEU. He taught undergrad students and supervised graduate students including Master's and PhD students. Prof. el-Aswad has published widely in both Arabic and English. He published 8 books and over 90 papers in peer-reviewed and indexed journals and over 30 book reviews. He achieved the CHSS-UAEU Award for "excellence in scientific research publication in the academic year 2013-2014". Professor el-Aswad has been awarded fellowships from various institutes including the Fulbright Program, Ford Foundation, Egyptian government, and United Arab Emirates. He is the Editor-in Chief of the Journal of Horizons in Humanities and Social Sciences: An International Refereed Journal. He is a member of Editorial Advisory Boards of Digest of Middle East Studies (DOMES), Muslims in Global Societies Series, Tabsir: Insight on Islam and the Middle East and CyberOrient (Online Journal of the Middle). He is a member of the American Anthropological Association (AAA), American Academy of Religion (AAR), Middle Eastern Studies of North America (MESA) and the International Advisory Council of the World Congress for Middle Eastern Studies (WOCMES).
Prof. el-Aswad is the author of The Quality of Life and Policy Issues among the Middle East and African Countries (Springer 2019), Muslim Worldviews and Everyday Lives. Lanham, MD:AltaMira Press (2012), and Religion and Folk Cosmology: Scenarios of the Visible and Invisible in Rural Egypt. Westport, CT: Praeger Press (2002) [translated into Arabic 2005].
Professor el-Aswad is active in participating in and organizing panels/sessions for international conferences. He provides consultation and service to academic institutions and international press houses. He serves as a peer-reviewer of international refereed journals.
