Abed (Class of 1962) was the first international student to serve as president of ASOSU. After graduating from OSU, he received a Ph.D. in economics from the University of California, Berkeley. He was a longtime official with the International Monetary Fund, and served as director of its Middle Eastern Department from July 2002 to December 2003. He later served as the chairman of the Palestine Monetary Authority and most recently as the Institute of International Finance as a senior counselor and director for Africa and the Middle East.