The Provo native says best weapon against terrorism is democracy.

By cathy mckitrick

| The Salt Lake Tribune

Utah Valley University has selected Omar Kader as its 2012 recipient of the Kirk Englehardt Excellence in Business Ethics Award.

The Provo native is noted for work related to civil rights and democracy in the Middle East, according to a statement from UVU, which will present the honor at an event beginning at 1 p.m. Feb. 14 in Room 120 of the UVU Library.

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Kader, who resides in northern Virginia, attended UVU when it functioned as a trade school, then went on to graduate from Brigham Young University. He also spent two years at the University of Utah’s Middle East Center and earned master’s and doctorate degrees in international relations from the University of Southern California.

Kader went on to work in Washington, D.C., where he focused on Arab-American civil rights and Middle East development before forming a government contracting firm, Paltech Inc. The enterprise focuses on training and technical assistance, and employs more than 240 people who develop Web-based learning solutions in use by the State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Army and Coast Guard.

"Dr. Kader is one of the foremost authorities in international development in the world today," said David Keller, director of UVU’s Center for the Study of Ethics. He praised Kader for "strengthening business ethics through fiscal responsibility, leadership, civic activity and personal example."

In 1993, Kader founded an internship program at Weber State University for students interested in government service and the law.

As a member of the U.S. delegation, Kader has monitored democratic elections in Afghanistan, Indonesia, Morocco, Pakistan, Palestine and Yemen.

"He advocates democracy promotion as the best weapon in the long war on terrorism," said J. Bonner Ritchie, a visiting business professor at UVU. "Reducing political violence will require more nations to embrace democracy and free markets."

In its eighth year, the Kirk Englehardt Award is named for a Utah businessman who died of cancer in 2003. Englehardt was president of the securities and retirement-investment firm Businessman Planning and Investment Research Inc. for 24 years. During that time, he also worked as a lobbyist and testified before Congress about the investment industry.

At the award ceremony, Kader will speak on "Three Principles of Good Business: Customer Service, Customer Satisfaction and Ethical Behavior."

cmckitrick@sltrib.com

twitter: @catmck