We are very pleased to have hosted Mr. Farooq Kathwari as the Keynote Speaker at our Fifth Annual Fund Raising Dinner on March 13, 2004. Mr. Farooq Kathwari is the Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ethan Allen Inc., a Fortune 500 international home furnishings manufacturer and retailer.

Originally from Kashmir, he was educated in Literature and Political Science at Kashmir University and received his M.B.A. in International Marketing from New York University.

Farooq Kathwari is also Chairman of the Kashmir Study Group, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a Trustee of the World Conference on Religion and Peace, a Director of the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University, and a Director of Refugees International.

As chairman of the Kashmir Study Group, Farooq Kathwari works toward peace in the region through the development of practical means for addressing the economic problems of Kashmir.

He has been an activist and advocate of religious tolerance all of his life. After Sept.11th, Mr. Kathwari took out full-page notices in the New York Times and the Washington Post calling on America’s leaders to continue fostering unity among people of all faiths.