Born into a distinguished Arab-American family, Lisa Najeeb Halaby attended schools in Los Angeles, Washington D.C., New York City, and Massachusetts. After receiving a B.A. in Architecture and Urban Planning from Princeton University, She joined international urban planning projects in Australia, Iran, the United States, and Jordan. In 1976, she researched aviation-training facilities throughout the Arab world in preparation of a plan for to establish Arab Air University in Jordan. Subsequently, she joined Royal Jordanian Airline as Director of Planning and Design Projects.

Their Majesties King Hussein and Queen Noor were married June 15, 1978. The King and Queen have two sons, HRH Prince Hamzah and HRH Prince Hashim, and two daughters, HRH Princess Iman and HRH Princess Raiyah. The family also includes the children of His Majesty’s previous marriage, HRH Prince Ali, HRH Princess Haya, and Ms. Abir Muheisen.

In Jordan, Queen Noor initiates, directs, and sponsors projects that address specific national needs in education, women and children’s welfare, integrated community development, human rights, environmental and architectural conservation, culture, and public architectural and planning projects. In the United States, Queen Noor is an active patron of institutions working in women’s welfare, child development, health, humanitarian relief work, environmental and archaeological conservation and protection, the arts, aviation, and athletics.

In 1985 the Noor Al Hussein Foundation (NHF) was created to administer the Queen’s diverse and expanding development initiatives. The Foundation initiates and supports national, regional, and international projects in the fields of integrated community development, women, gender equality, children’s welfare, family health, enterprise development, education, and heritage. NHF programs successfully modernized thinking in Jordan by moving beyond traditional charity-oriented social welfare practices. The Foundation’s projects help integrate social development strategies more closely with national priorities, especially empowerment of women.

NHF projects promote individual and community self-reliance, grass-roots participation in decision making and project implementation, equality, and intersectoral cooperation. The NHF designs innovative, sustainable and replicable projects throughout Jordan and the Middle East-North Africa region. The Quality of Life Project, Women-in-Development Project, Institute for Child Health and Development, the Jubilee School, National Handicrafts Development Project, and the National Music Conservatory, have been recognized by the United Nations, and international organizations as models for the Middle East and developing world.

Internationally, Queen Noor is Patron of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Reference Desk (IUCN), and Honorary President of BirdLife International. She also serves as President of the United World Colleges (UWC), a network of international equal-opportunity colleges that foster cross-cultural understanding and global peace. She Chairs the advisory board of the Center of the Global South at American University, which examines issues affecting poor developing countries, She also serves as Chair of the advisory committee for the United Nations University International Leadership Academy, in Amman, the first global leadership training facility and the first UN institution to be established in the Middle East. Working to present substance abuse, The Queen is a Trustee of the Mentor Foundation, which works with organizations fighting substance abuse at the grass-roots level.

In recognition of her efforts to advance development, democracy, and peace, The Queen has been awarded honorary doctorates in international relations, law, and humane letters, and and is the recipient of several international awards. On June 5, 1995, she received the United Nations Environment Program Global 500 Award for her activism in environmental protection, by promoting awareness and community action for the preservation of Jordan’s natural heritage.