Shireen Zaman - Executive Director

Shireen Zaman is the Executive Director at ISPU, where she is focused on expanding the organization’s impact and visibility in the policy community and on the development of new partnerships. Ms. Zaman comes to ISPU from Vital Voices Global Partnership, a leading women’s leadership organization, where she was the Director for the Middle East and North Africa. She has worked with the Office of Iraq Political Affairs at the U.S. Department of State where she focused on political and civil society development. Ms. Zaman completed her M.A. at the School of International Service at American University, where she focused on public diplomacy and U.S. relations with the Muslim world.

Farid Senzai - Director of Research

Farid Senzai is Director of Research at ISPU and Assistant Professor of Political Science at Santa Clara University. Dr. Senzai was previously a research associate at the Brookings Institution, where he studied U.S. foreign policy toward the Middle East, and a research analyst at the Council on Foreign Relations, where he worked on the Muslim Politics project. He served as a consultant for Oxford Analytica and the World Bank. Dr. Senzai is currently on the advisory board of The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life where he has contributed to several national and global surveys on Muslim attitudes. His recent co-authored book is Educating the Muslims of America (Oxford University Press, 2009). Dr. Senzai received a M.A. in international affairs from Columbia University and a Ph.D. in politics and international relations from Oxford University.

Zareena Grewal - Director of the Center for Study of American Muslims

Zareena Grewal is Director of CSAM and Assistant Professor in the departments of American Studies and Religious Studies and the Program in Ethnicity, Race and Migration at Yale University. Before coming to Yale, she was a visiting lecturer at Vassar College in the department of anthropology. Dr. Grewal is the author of numerous articles and chapters on the intersections of race and religion in American Muslim communities and her book Destination Tradition: American Islam and the Crisis of Authority (forthcoming, New York University Press) explores the global religious networks that connect U.S. mosques to the intellectual centers of the Middle East. Dr.Grewal was awarded the Fulbright Fellowship in Egypt (2002-3) and received the Fulbright's prestigious Islamic Civilization Grant. She is also a documentary filmmaker, a regular contributor to the Huffington Post, and she was featured in the 2010 biographical collection Who's Who in America. Dr. Grewal received her doctorate from the interdisciplinary Program in Anthropology and History at the University of Michigan.

Farhan Latif - Chief Operating Officer and Director of Policy Impact

Farhan Latif is serving as Chief Operating Officer and Director of Policy Impact at ISPU, providing focus to the Institute’s strategy, further strengthening its impact in policy circles, and expanding support and awareness of its research. Mr. Latif previously served as a director in the Office of Institutional Advancement at the University of Michigan - Dearborn, where he led efforts to build a culture of philanthropy and engagement. As a social entrepreneur and non-profit strategist, he founded Strategic Inspirations, a consulting firm focused on building the capacity of non-profit organizations and scaling for greater social impact.
Mr. Latif holds a BBA in Business Management and Marketing, and has completed graduate work in non-profit management at the University of Michigan Dearborn. He received an M.A. from Harvard University, having completed a specialized interdisciplinary program with graduate coursework at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard Business School and Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Hamada Hamid - Director of the Center for Global Health

Hamada Hamid is the Director for the Center for Global Health at ISPU. He is also a Clinical Instructor in the Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry at Yale University. Dr. Hamid completed a dual residency in neurology and psychiatry and a Masters in Global Public Health at New York University, followed by a clinical research fellowship in epilepsy at Yale University. Dr. Hamid has published several articles and book chapters on neuropsychiatric illness, mental health policy in the Middle East, and the role of culture in mental illness across a diverse spectrum of Muslim populations. He is also the founding and current managing editor of the Journal of Muslim Mental Health. Dr. Hamid has served on the boards of Tamkeen, an Arab American social service agency, Muslim Mental Health, Inc., Muslim Family Services, and he is an affiliated faculty member for the Council of Middle East Studies at Yale University. Dr. Hamid was a Fulbright Fellow in Jordan (2002-3) and his essay "Developing Iraq's National Mental Health Policy" was awarded NYU's Outstanding Paper in Global Public Health Award. Dr Hamid received his medical degree from the School of Medicine at Michigan State University.

Zahra Jamal - Assistant Director, Center for the Study of American Muslims

Shabnam Khan - Development Manager

Shabnam Khan is the Program Manager for the Development Unit at ISPU. She is also the founder and President of FocalPointe Solutions, a Michigan-based company that specializes in business development and process improvement for non-profit organizations. Ms. Khan was previously a project manager for ABN AMRO Bank. Ms. Khan is a founding member of IMPACT: Muslims Making a Difference, SEED Foundation, and is the Social Networking Chairperson for the Young Professionals of Rochester. Ms. Khan received a M. A. in English from Middle Tennessee State University.

Aamina Ahmed - Administrative Assistant

Aamina Ahmed provides administrative support to ISPU and is also involved with various non profits in the metro Detroit area. She is currently on the Board of Plymouth Canton Citizens for Diversity and Inclusion and a member of the Canton Response to Hate Crime Coalition. Ms. Ahmed was the recipient of a prestigious Poynter Institute Fellowship as part of a model national project on multicultural communication. She has completed graduate work in Molecular Evolution and Genetics.

Siwar Bizri - Research Manager

Siwar Bizri is Research Manager at ISPU where she oversees the research process, tracks emerging issues and ensures the timely publication of research products. She has several years experience in policy research and analysis on topics including international media, social media, and Middle Eastern societies and cultures. Her interdisciplinary background and passion for writing also contribute to her personal blog and freelance writing projects. She holds a Masters degree in Political Science from Virginia Tech.

Nadia Ahmed - Finance Director

Nadia Ahmed is the Finance Director at ISPU. She had previously served as the Business Manager, Board Treasurer, and Finance Committee Chair for Friends School in Detroit, a nonprofit private elementary school. Before that, Mrs. Ahmed had worked for over 11 years in the public accounting field as an international tax consultant for Ernst & Young in Detroit and Arthur Anderson in Chicago and New York. She has a Bachelors degree in Accounting from DePaul University and just recently completed a Masters degree in Non-Profit Management.

Jonathan Hayden – Communications Manager

Jonathan Hayden is Communications Manager at ISPU. Jonathan spent nearly 7 years running the office of Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies Ambassador Akbar Ahmed at American University's School of International Service. In his time with American University he oversaw several major research projects including one of the most comprehensive research projects on Islam in America, Journey into America: The Challenge of Islam. He handled all media and online communications for the office including a popular blog.  He has published articles in newspapers and journals such as The Omaha World Herald, The Tennessean and Islam and Modern Societies: A Social Science Journal. He holds a degree in Political Science and History from the University of Alabama.

Development and Events Assistant

Kristin Braun is the Development and Events assistant at ISPU where she seeks to provide assistance in database and event management.  A graduate of the University of Michigan-Dearborn, Ms. Braun has spent her time studying Arabic and examining religious and political issues pertaining minorities in the US and abroad. Ms. Braun is also an active runner and enjoys raising money for charity by training and running races in the community.