Rasha Demashkieh received her formal education in Damascus, Syria. She moved to Detroit with her husband Walid in 1975 and attended Wayne State University. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy in 1979. She continues to work for CVS Health in Michigan and Florida.
She became involved with the Arab American National Museum at its inception and joined the Friends of the Museum committee. She then joined the board of ACCESS in 2010 and served as chair from 2016 through 2019.
She now serves as the chair of the Center for Arab American Philanthropy advisory board.
Rasha has always been involved in her adopted community of Port Huron, Michigan where she was elected to the board of education of the Port Huron Area School district in 2003 and served for 13 years.
Rasha served two terms on the Civil Rights Commission from 2011-2019. She participated in several hearings that resulted in significant reports namely- The Flint Water Crisis: Systemic Racism Through the Lens of Flint and a later report on Equity in Education in Michigan.
She and her husband Walid now reside between Michigan and Florida and have three daughters and five grandchildren.