ISPU’s 2020 board of directors shares what serving on the ISPU board means to them. Learn more about our board and their accomplishments on our board award and leadership resources page.
Marwa Zohdy
Board Chair
Marwa Joy Zohdy is a consultant with Egon Zehnder, the leading global leadership advisory firm. As a core member of the firm’s Health Practice, she draws on her executive leadership experience and deep strategic expertise to advise clients across the healthcare continuum, from scientific and technological discovery to the delivery of patient care. Marwa is passionate about helping the healthcare industry benefit from diversity in terms of ideas, experiences, expertise, and backgrounds.
Before joining Egon Zehnder, Marwa she served as the Vice President of Global Consulting Services at Joint Commission Resources and Joint Commission International. In that role, Marwa led a global team of 150 expert consultants to help healthcare providers around the world achieve excellence in quality and patient safety. Previously, Dr. Zohdy worked at McKinsey & Company, where she helped to address strategic challenges in healthcare, advising top leaders in hospitals, academic medical centers, and national and regional ministries of health across the U.S., U.K., Middle East, and North Africa. She also served as a Knowledge Expert with McKinsey’s Health Systems Institute and actively participated in recruiting, training, and professional development of consultants worldwide.
Dr. Zohdy holds a PhD and MS in Biomedical Engineering and a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan.
Colleen Ezzeddine
Vice Chair
Colleen M. Ezzeddine, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at Wayne State University and provides speech writing and communication consulting through her private practice, specializing in helping non-native English speakers with public speaking. She was elected twice to the Board of Directors of Health Alliance Plan (HAP) and served two terms. She has served on HAP’s Wise Woman Advisory Council and has appeared on Detroit radio and television programs to promote HAP’s Cook eKitchen™ web-based recipe and cooking video program. Dr. Ezzeddine is a board member of Zaman International, a nonprofit organization that assists marginalized women and children. She is a graduate of Mercy High School in Farmington Hills, Michigan, and is a past president of its alumnae board. She earned a doctorate in organizational communication from Wayne State University, a master’s degree from the University of Detroit Mercy, and a bachelor’s degree from Marquette University.
Mohammad Khalil
Treasurer & Finance Committee Chair
Mohammad Khalil grew up in Dayton, Ohio where he was committed to helping the community in any capacity that he could. He served as treasurer of a local mosque, taught at a Sunday school and regularly volunteered at local food banks. Professionally, Mohammad is a Controller at Gould Property Company, with over eight years of experience in public accounting with a primary focus on the renewable energy industry. He currently leads a small accounting group for a real estate developer in Washington D.C. Mohammad received his Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Finance from Wright State University.
Luna Banuri
Luna Banuri is a seasoned consultant in the nonprofit and for-profit sectors with a background in legal education and 25 years of experience in strategy, community, and organizational development. Some of her former clients include UNDP, UNICEF, ADB, and the World Bank. She is the founder and director of TeleTaleem, a nonprofit that leverages the power of technology, innovative approaches, and partnerships to solve the toughest global development challenges in education in her native country of Pakistan. Since relocating to Salt Lake City from Chicago in 2014, Luna has been deeply involved with her local community. She is currently a founding board member and executive director for the Utah Muslim Civic League, where she has established a network to amplify Muslim voices across the state. She was appointed to the Mayor of Salt Lake City’s Human Rights Commission in 2018 and to the Governor of Utah’s MLK Commission in 2019. Luna is also a board member at the Utah Council for Citizen Diplomacy and Spy Hop, among others.
Rachel Branaman
Rachel is the founder and principal consultant of Talem Consulting, a national, full-service diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ), woman-owned firm which provides nonprofits the tools they need to build capacity, fundraise, and dismantle systems of inequity. Rachel is currently expanding Talem’s 12-month leadership program for BIPOC women to ensure they have a supportive space to build their nonprofit management toolkit and leadership skills for long-term transformation.
Rachel has 20 years of nonprofit expertise as an executive director of Alley’s House and in fundraising/development roles at Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Jewish Community Center of Dallas, Dallas Heritage Village, and Dallas Children’s Museum. She graduated from Austin College with a BA in French and from Regis University with a Master’s in Nonprofit Management with a capstone project in Cape Town, South Africa. She is an alumnus of Leadership Texas, a returned U.S. Peace Corps volunteer to Namibia (2009-2011), and serves as an executive board member of Association of Philanthropic Counsel (APC). Rachel lives in Richmond, Virginia. This land was originally home to the Algonquian-speaking tribes, Youghtanund, Powhatan, and Chickahominy which were part of the Powhatan Confederacy. They are also known as Algonquian because of their language and common culture.
Reem El Shafaki
Reem El Shafaki is senior associate at DinarStandard, a growth strategy research and advisory firm empowering organizations for profitable and responsible global impact. DinarStandard specializes in halal/tayyab food, the Muslim-friendly and sustainable travel market, and Islamic/ethical finance. Reem leads DinarStandard’s travel sector practice. Her recent projects include developing the halal travel marketing campaign strategy for Indonesia, leading the team that implemented a Halal Travel Benefits Program in South East Asia for a global technology and payment processing firm, delivering a Muslim travel market opportunity workshop, developing a travel portal marketing plan and campaign, and authoring the Muslim travel section of the State of the Global Islamic Economy Report 2013–2019. Reem has worked with clients such as Thomson Reuters, MasterCard, and the Marriott. Reem frequently speaks at industry events, including ITB Berlin, the world’s largest tourism trade fair, and the Global Islamic Economy Summit. Before joining DinarStandard, Reem provided marketing consulting to small businesses in the U.S. and held marketing and managerial positions within both the banking and cosmetics industries. Reem holds a BA in English from Ain Shams University in Cairo, as well as the CIM Advanced Marketing Certificate from the Chartered Institute of Marketing in the UK.
Sadaf Hossain
Sadaf Hossain has a career background in business strategy, B2B and B2C enterprise software, healthcare, and entrepreneurship. He is currently a global business strategist at SAP and has founded/co-founded three brands in natural food and healthcare. He is also an active angel investor for early-stage start-ups, including currently serving as a managing director at Golden Seeds, an early-stage investment firm. Sadaf enjoys supporting nonprofits as well; he has served as a co-founder and former board member of Mariam Clinic in Raleigh, North Carolina, and as a strategy consultant with Compass DC.
Sadaf holds an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, as well as master’s and bachelor’s degrees from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is currently based in the New York City metro area.
Yvonne Maffei
Yvonne Maffei is a self-taught chef, food researcher & travel writer, cookbook author, e-commerce entrepreneur, public speaker, food industry consultant, niche consumer marketer, expert in halal cooking, and the founder of the first blog on halal food & cooking, MyHalalKitchen.com. She gives cooking classes, presentations on the meaning of Halal and educates about conscious cooking and healthy eating. She consults food brands, schools, and hospitals on how to understand and source for halal ingredients and methods in cooking for food and cosmetic products. Her book titles include Clean Your Kitchen Green (2010), Summer Ramadan Cooking (2013) and My Halal Kitchen: Global Recipes, Cooking Tips, Lifestyle Inspiration (2016).
She has been an invited guest at the White House under the Obama Administration, a special counselor to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, a guest speaker at such prestigious events as the recent World Halal Summit in Istanbul, Turkey (2018), and a consultant to Aramark Corporation for the first ever all-halal university dining facility at New York University in Manhattan. She is currently working on a holistic cooking and lifestyle book, as well as conducting research on the superfoods of the Turkish Aegean & Mediterranean region. She lives in San Diego, California.
Oussama Mezoui
Oussama Mezoui is a passionate nonprofit executive working in the field of international relief and development. His focus this past decade has been on organizational development, operational competence, and program management. Oussama is the founder of Penny Appeal USA, a 501(c)(3) humanitarian relief and development organization working to alleviate poverty both domestically and overseas. Since launching in July 2016, the organization has successfully raised over five million dollars in support of their programs. He also serves as the board secretary of Our Three Winners Foundation, an organization focused on tackling implicit biases as a means to prevent prejudice against minorities. The foundation was established after the tragic murder of three young American Muslims in North Carolina in 2015.
Oussama has a BA in history from Queen Mary University of London and an LLB from the University of Oxford, where he attended Somerville College. He also holds a graduate certificate in Non-Profit Executive Management from the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University.
Nahela Morales
Nahela Morales is a dedicated, passionate Mexican Muslim convert, humanitarian, award-winning activist, international public speaker, community organizer, and a single mother of one. She is the co-founder of Embrace, an initiative created for Reverts by Reverts. Their mission is to empower, integrate, and serve our Muslim convert community by providing social and educational space in which to encourage growth, shape Islamic identity, and equip with the knowledge needed for their lifetime journey. She currently serves as the Marketing Director and Brand Ambassador.
She has had the opportunity to speak in countries like Sweden, Columbia, Brazil, and her native Mexico. She has represented a variety of oppressed demographics through her years as an activist and humanitarian. Since 2019 she has served on the board of CAIR-Central North, whose mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims. Her dedication and discipline enable her to also mentor and serve on other boards throughout the country.
Faye Nemer
Faye Nemer is a proven finance leader with global expertise developed through multiple roles in Fortune 20 companies at Ford Motor Company and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Most recently, she served as the CFO of a supply chain software startup. She is adept in strategic planning and long-term decision making with specific focus in treasury, FP&A, M&A, foreign currency exchange, managerial accounting, and end-to-end ERP system implementation. She is known to build and develop world-class teams and establish strong cross-functional relationships that deliver results while earning trust and credibility.
Afshan Paarlberg
Afshan Paarlberg serves as the senior attorney for the Muslim Philanthropy Initiative at Indiana University leading the Muslim nonprofit governance, risk, and compliance project. She has a JD from the University of Houston Law Center as well as a BBA and BA from the University of Texas at Austin. She is a doctoral student at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and completing a fellowship at IU in Muslim philanthropic and humanitarian studies. Afshan’s research, publications, and public speaking engagements are focused on nonprofits, philanthropy, and forced migration. She also enjoys service as the president of the board of Exodus Refugee Immigration—an Indiana based refugee resettlement agency, advisory board member to the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, member of the Muslim Women Giving 100 Giving Circle, and member of the American Muslim Women’s Giving Circle. Previously, Afshan has developed and executed nonprofit access to justice initiatives, represented clients in affirmative and defensive immigration proceedings, and supported nonprofits with governance, risk, and compliance.
Kashif Poshni
Dr. Kashif Poshni received his Doctorate of Dental Surgery from Columbia University School of Dental and Oral Surgery. He completed his surgical residency program as Chief Resident of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Washington Hospital Center. Dr. Poshni is currently in private practice and an active educator in Maxillofacial trauma at the surgical resident level. He has received numerous awards for his dedication and work, such as the Washington Hospital Center’s Chairman’s Award (2000). Dr. Poshni has performed several medical research studies and has been published in various journals, including the Journal of Eastern Psychological Association. Also, he was a former president of the Maryland Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons and the American Dental Society of Anesthesiology.
Monem Salam
Monem Salam is executive vice president and a director of Saturna Capital. He received his degrees from the University of Texas: BA (Austin) and MBA (Dallas).
He worked as the Chief Investment Officer for ITG & Associates (Dallas) until 1999, then as a representative with Morgan Stanley (suburban Dallas) until joining Saturna Capital in June 2003. He served as the Director of Islamic investing and a Deputy Portfolio Manager to the Amana Mutual Funds Trust until moving to Kuala Lumpur in 2012 to oversee Saturna Sdn. Bhd. In 2018, he returned to the United States and resumed his role as Deputy Portfolio Manager of the Amana Income, Amana Growth, and Amana Developing World Funds.
Monem is adjunct professor at IE Business School and speaks at Islamic finance/investment conferences worldwide. He is co-author of A Muslim’s Guide to Investing and Personal Finance. Monem has authored chapters on Islamic Investing in both Contemporary Islamic Finance and Islamic Capital Markets, and he contributes articles to leading Islamic financial magazines. As a mark of recognition of his achievements in Islamic economy, Monem was ranked among 500 of the Islamic world’s most prominent and influential leaders by ISLAMICA 500 in 2015.
Ahsan Shaikh
Ahsan Shaikh is a partner in the international law firm of McDermott Will & Emery, one of the world’s largest law firms, where he is worldwide Head of Patent Prosecution. His legal practice focuses on counseling Fortune 50 companies through startup companies on patent strategies for computer-related patents. Within the broader legal industry, he speaks on issues relating to improving the diversity of inventors and patent professionals in the United States, arguing that more inclusive technology-based innovation will be a key driver for both economic competitiveness and national security. His pro bono work at McDermott has included representing organizations dealing with Islamophobia, Muslim civil rights in the United States, and the Uyghur crisis in China.
Before his career as a lawyer, Ahsan was a software developer at Cisco Systems. Mr. Shaikh holds a JD from the University of Chicago and a BA in Computer Science from the University of California at Berkeley.
Shariq Siddiqui
Dr. Shariq Siddiqui serves as the assistant professor of philanthropic studies and director of the Muslim Philanthropy Initiative at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. Shariq has a PhD and MA in philanthropic studies from the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. He also has a JD from the McKinney School of Law at Indiana University and holds a BA in history from the University of Indianapolis.
Shariq authors research on Muslim philanthropy and the Muslim nonprofit sector. Most recently, he conducted a national survey of full-time Islamic schools in the United States. This project resulted in the book (which he co-authored) Islamic Education in the United States and the Evolution of Muslim Nonprofit Institutions that will be published in November 2017. Shariq also serves as the co-editor of the new Journal of Muslim Philanthropy and Civil Society and Journal of Education in Muslim Societies, and as the series editor of the Muslim Philanthropy and Civil Society book series. All three of these are published by Indiana University Press. He has served as a nonprofit practitioner for over 20 years for international, national, regional, and local nonprofit organizations.
Previously, Shariq served as the executive director of the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA). ARNOVA is a leading international association that connects scholars, teachers, and practice leaders in research on nonprofit organizations, voluntary action, philanthropy, and civil society.
Mohamed Smaidi
Mohamed Smaidi is a seasoned finance executive with a track record of success at driving strategy, growth, and profitability with Fortune 500 companies, technology startups, and private equity across a broad range of industries. Serving as VP of Finance at Thomson Reuters, Mohamed started his career in management consulting working for PricewaterhouseCoopers before moving on to work for Fortune 500 company Owens Corning, leading solar technology firm First Solar, and a tier one automotive supplier in the EV/mobility space, Dana. He has significant experience doing business internationally across the globe, including in Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Bahrain, and India, to name a few places. He also co-founded an early stage SaaS technology startup company in the employee shift scheduling industry.
Mohamed holds an MBA in Finance and Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems from Bowling Green State University. He currently resides in Toledo, OH with his wife and two children.
Iltefat Hamzavi
Founding Chair Emeritus
Iltefat Hamzavi is one of the founders of ISPU. Dr. Hamzavi is the vice president of Hamzavi Dermatology and its affiliate Dermatology Specialists. He also is on the faculty at Henry Ford Hospital’s department of dermatology and an assistant professor at Wayne State University, both in Detroit, Michigan. Dr. Hamzavi has been selected as one of America’s Best Doctors and is considered an international expert in several skin diseases. He serves on the boards of Crescent Academy International and the School of Arts and Sciences at Wayne State University. Dr. Hamzavi received his BA and MD from the University of Michigan. In May 2017, Dr. Hamzavi was awarded the title of Founding Chair Emeritus in recognition of his 15 years of service as board chair.
Marwa Zohdy
Board Chair
Marwa Joy Zohdy is a consultant with Egon Zehnder, the leading global leadership advisory firm. As a core member of the firm’s Health Practice, she draws on her executive leadership experience and deep strategic expertise to advise clients across the healthcare continuum, from scientific and technological discovery to the delivery of patient care. Marwa is passionate about helping the healthcare industry benefit from diversity in terms of ideas, experiences, expertise, and backgrounds.
Before joining Egon Zehnder, Marwa she served as the Vice President of Global Consulting Services at Joint Commission Resources and Joint Commission International. In that role, Marwa led a global team of 150 expert consultants to help healthcare providers around the world achieve excellence in quality and patient safety. Previously, Dr. Zohdy worked at McKinsey & Company, where she helped to address strategic challenges in healthcare, advising top leaders in hospitals, academic medical centers, and national and regional ministries of health across the U.S., U.K., Middle East, and North Africa. She also served as a Knowledge Expert with McKinsey’s Health Systems Institute and actively participated in recruiting, training, and professional development of consultants worldwide.
Dr. Zohdy holds a PhD and MS in Biomedical Engineering and a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan.
Colleen Ezzeddine
Vice Chair
Colleen M. Ezzeddine, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at Wayne State University and provides speech writing and communication consulting through her private practice, specializing in helping non-native English speakers with public speaking. She was elected twice to the Board of Directors of Health Alliance Plan (HAP) and served two terms. She has served on HAP’s Wise Woman Advisory Council and has appeared on Detroit radio and television programs to promote HAP’s Cook eKitchen™ web-based recipe and cooking video program. Dr. Ezzeddine is a board member of Zaman International, a nonprofit organization that assists marginalized women and children. She is a graduate of Mercy High School in Farmington Hills, Michigan, and is a past president of its alumnae board. She earned a doctorate in organizational communication from Wayne State University, a master’s degree from the University of Detroit Mercy, and a bachelor’s degree from Marquette University.
Mohammad Khalil
Treasurer & Finance Committee Chair
Mohammad Khalil grew up in Dayton, Ohio where he was committed to helping the community in any capacity that he could. He served as treasurer of a local mosque, taught at a Sunday school and regularly volunteered at local food banks. Professionally, Mohammad is a Controller at Gould Property Company with over eight years of experience in public accounting with a primary focus on the renewable energy industry. He currently leads a small accounting group for a real estate developer in Washington D.C. Mohammad received his Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Finance from Wright State University.
Luna Banuri
Luna Banuri is a seasoned consultant in the nonprofit and for-profit sectors with a background in legal education and 25 years of experience in strategy, community, and organizational development. Some of her former clients include UNDP, UNICEF, ADB, and the World Bank. She is the founder and director of TeleTaleem, a nonprofit that leverages the power of technology, innovative approaches, and partnerships to solve the toughest global development challenges in education in her native country of Pakistan. Since relocating to Salt Lake City from Chicago in 2014, Luna has been deeply involved with her local community. She is currently a founding board member and executive director for the Utah Muslim Civic League, where she has established a network to amplify Muslim voices across the state. She was appointed to the Mayor of Salt Lake City’s Human Rights Commission in 2018 and to the Governor of Utah’s MLK Commission in 2019. Luna is also a board member at the Utah Council for Citizen Diplomacy and Spy Hop, among others.
Rachel Brananam
Rachel is the founder and principal consultant of Talem Consulting, a national, full-service diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ), woman-owned firm which provides nonprofits the tools they need to build capacity, fundraise, and dismantle systems of inequity. Rachel is currently expanding Talem’s 12-month leadership program for BIPOC women to ensure they have a supportive space to build their nonprofit management toolkit and leadership skills for long-term transformation.
Rachel has 20 years of nonprofit expertise as an executive director of Alley’s House and in fundraising/development roles at Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Jewish Community Center of Dallas, Dallas Heritage Village, and Dallas Children’s Museum. She graduated from Austin College with a BA in French and from Regis University with a Master’s in Nonprofit Management with a capstone project in Cape Town, South Africa. She is an alumnus of Leadership Texas, a returned U.S. Peace Corps volunteer to Namibia (2009-2011), and serves as an executive board member of Association of Philanthropic Counsel (APC). Rachel lives in Richmond, Virginia. This land was originally home to the Algonquian-speaking tribes, Youghtanund, Powhatan, and Chickahominy which were part of the Powhatan Confederacy. They are also known as Algonquian because of their language and common culture.
Reem El Shafaki
Reem El Shafaki is Senior Associate at DinarStandard, a growth strategy research and advisory firm empowering organizations for profitable and responsible global impact. DinarStandard specializes in halal/tayyab food, the Muslim-friendly and sustainable travel market, and Islamic/ethical finance. Reem leads DinarStandard’s travel sector practice. Her recent projects include developing the halal travel marketing campaign strategy for Indonesia, leading the team that implemented a Halal Travel Benefits Program in South East Asia for a global technology and payment processing firm, delivering a Muslim travel market opportunity workshop, developing a travel portal marketing plan and campaign, and authoring the Muslim travel section of the State of the Global Islamic Economy Report 2013–2019. Reem has worked with clients such as Thomson Reuters, MasterCard, and the Marriott. Reem frequently speaks at industry events, including ITB Berlin, the world’s largest tourism trade fair, and the Global Islamic Economy Summit. Before joining DinarStandard, Reem provided marketing consulting to small businesses in the U.S. and held marketing and managerial positions within both the banking and cosmetics industries. Reem holds a BA in English from Ain Shams University in Cairo, as well as the CIM Advanced Marketing Certificate from the Chartered Institute of Marketing in the UK.
Sadaf Hossain
Sadaf Hossain has a career background in business strategy, B2B and B2C enterprise software, healthcare, and entrepreneurship. He is currently a global business strategist at SAP and has founded/co-founded three brands in natural food and healthcare. He is also an active angel investor for early-stage start-ups, including currently serving as a managing director at Golden Seeds, an early-stage investment firm. Sadaf enjoys supporting nonprofits as well; he has served as a co-founder and former board member of Mariam Clinic in Raleigh, North Carolina, and as a strategy consultant with Compass DC.
Sadaf holds an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, as well as master’s and bachelor’s degrees from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is currently based in the New York City metro area.
Yvonne Maffei
Yvonne Maffei is a self-taught chef, food researcher & travel writer, cookbook author, e-commerce entrepreneur, public speaker, food industry consultant, niche consumer marketer, expert in halal cooking, and the founder of the first blog on halal food & cooking, MyHalalKitchen.com. She gives cooking classes, presentations on the meaning of Halal and educates about conscious cooking and healthy eating. She consults food brands, schools, and hospitals on how to understand and source for halal ingredients and methods in cooking for food and cosmetic products. Her book titles include Clean Your Kitchen Green (2010), Summer Ramadan Cooking (2013) and My Halal Kitchen: Global Recipes, Cooking Tips, Lifestyle Inspiration (2016). She has been an invited guest at the White House under the Obama Administration, a special counselor to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, a guest speaker at such prestigious events as the recent World Halal Summit in Istanbul, Turkey (2018), and a consultant to Aramark Corporation for the first ever all-halal university dining facility at New York University in Manhattan. She is currently working on a holistic cooking and lifestyle book, as well as conducting research on the superfoods of the Turkish Aegean & Mediterranean region. She lives in San Diego, California.
Oussama Mezoui
Oussama Mezoui is a passionate nonprofit executive working in the field of international relief and development. His focus this past decade has been on organizational development, operational competence, and program management. Oussama is the founder of Penny Appeal USA, a 501(c)(3) humanitarian relief and development organization working to alleviate poverty both domestically and overseas. Since launching in July 2016, the organization has successfully raised over five million dollars in support of their programs. He also serves as the board secretary of Our Three Winners Foundation, an organization focused on tackling implicit biases as a means to prevent prejudice against minorities. The foundation was established after the tragic murder of three young American Muslims in North Carolina in 2015.
Oussama has a BA in history from Queen Mary University of London and an LLB from the University of Oxford, where he attended Somerville College. He also holds a graduate certificate in Non-Profit Executive Management from the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University.
Nahela Morales
Nahela Morales is a dedicated, passionate Mexican Muslim convert, humanitarian, award-winning activist, international public speaker, community organizer, and a single mother of one. She is the co-founder of Embrace, an initiative created for Reverts by Reverts. Their mission is to empower, integrate, and serve our Muslim convert community by providing social and educational space in which to encourage growth, shape Islamic identity, and equip with the knowledge needed for their lifetime journey. She currently serves as the Marketing Director and Brand Ambassador.
She has had the opportunity to speak in countries like Sweden, Columbia, Brazil, and her native Mexico. She has represented a variety of oppressed demographics through her years as an activist and humanitarian. Since 2019 she has served on the board of CAIR-Central North, whose mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims. Her dedication and discipline enable her to also mentor and serve on other boards throughout the country.
Faye Nemer
Faye Nemer is a proven finance leader with global expertise developed through multiple roles in Fortune 20 companies at Ford Motor Company and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Most recently, she served as the CFO of a supply chain software startup. She is adept in strategic planning and long-term decision making with specific focus in treasury, FP&A, M&A, foreign currency exchange, managerial accounting, and end-to-end ERP system implementation. She is known to build and develop world-class teams and establish strong cross-functional relationships that deliver results while earning trust and credibility.
Afshan Paarlberg
Afshan Paarlberg serves as the senior attorney for the Muslim Philanthropy Initiative at Indiana University leading the Muslim nonprofit governance, risk, and compliance project. She has a JD from the University of Houston Law Center as well as a BBA and BA from the University of Texas at Austin. She is a doctoral student at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and completing a fellowship at IU in Muslim philanthropic and humanitarian studies. Afshan’s research, publications, and public speaking engagements are focused on nonprofits, philanthropy, and forced migration. She also enjoys service as the president of the board of Exodus Refugee Immigration—an Indiana based refugee resettlement agency, advisory board member to the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, member of the Muslim Women Giving 100 Giving Circle, and member of the American Muslim Women’s Giving Circle. Previously, Afshan has developed and executed nonprofit access to justice initiatives, represented clients in affirmative and defensive immigration proceedings, and supported nonprofits with governance, risk, and compliance.
Kashif Poshni
Dr. Kashif Poshni received his Doctorate of Dental Surgery from Columbia University School of Dental and Oral Surgery. He completed his surgical residency program as Chief Resident of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Washington Hospital Center. Dr. Poshni is currently in private practice and an active educator in Maxillofacial trauma at the surgical resident level. He has received numerous awards for his dedication and work, such as the Washington Hospital Center’s Chairman’s Award (2000). Dr. Poshni has performed several medical research studies and has been published in various journals, including the Journal of Eastern Psychological Association. Also, he was a former president of the Maryland Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons and the American Dental Society of Anesthesiology.
Monem Salam
Monem Salam is executive vice president and a director of Saturna Capital. He received his degrees from the University of Texas: BA (Austin) and MBA (Dallas).
He worked as the Chief Investment Officer for ITG & Associates (Dallas) until 1999, then as a representative with Morgan Stanley (suburban Dallas) until joining Saturna Capital in June 2003. He served as the Director of Islamic investing and a Deputy Portfolio Manager to the Amana Mutual Funds Trust until moving to Kuala Lumpur in 2012 to oversee Saturna Sdn. Bhd. In 2018, he returned to the United States and resumed his role as Deputy Portfolio Manager of the Amana Income, Amana Growth, and Amana Developing World Funds.
Monem is adjunct professor at IE Business School and speaks at Islamic finance/investment conferences worldwide. He is co-author of A Muslim’s Guide to Investing and Personal Finance. Monem has authored chapters on Islamic Investing in both Contemporary Islamic Finance and Islamic Capital Markets, and he contributes articles to leading Islamic financial magazines. As a mark of recognition of his achievements in Islamic economy, Monem was ranked among 500 of the Islamic world’s most prominent and influential leaders by ISLAMICA 500 in 2015.
Ahsan Shaikh
Ahsan Shaikh is a partner in the international law firm of McDermott Will & Emery, one of the world’s largest law firms, where he is worldwide Head of Patent Prosecution. His legal practice focuses on counseling Fortune 50 companies through startup companies on patent strategies for computer-related patents. Within the broader legal industry, he speaks on issues relating to improving the diversity of inventors and patent professionals in the United States, arguing that more inclusive technology-based innovation will be a key driver for both economic competitiveness and national security. His pro bono work at McDermott has included representing organizations dealing with Islamophobia, Muslim civil rights in the United States, and the Uyghur crisis in China.
Before his career as a lawyer, Ahsan was a software developer at Cisco Systems. Mr. Shaikh holds a JD from the University of Chicago and a BA in Computer Science from the University of California at Berkeley.
Shariq Siddiqui
Dr. Shariq Siddiqui serves as the assistant professor of philanthropic studies and director of the Muslim Philanthropy Initiative at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. Shariq has a PhD and MA in philanthropic studies from the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. He also has a JD from the McKinney School of Law at Indiana University and holds a BA in history from the University of Indianapolis.
Shariq authors research on Muslim philanthropy and the Muslim nonprofit sector. Most recently, he conducted a national survey of full-time Islamic schools in the United States. This project resulted in the book (which he co-authored) Islamic Education in the United States and the Evolution of Muslim Nonprofit Institutions that will be published in November 2017. Shariq also serves as the co-editor of the new Journal of Muslim Philanthropy and Civil Society and Journal of Education in Muslim Societies, and as the series editor of the Muslim Philanthropy and Civil Society book series. All three of these are published by Indiana University Press. He has served as a nonprofit practitioner for over 20 years for international, national, regional, and local nonprofit organizations.
Previously, Shariq served as the executive director of the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA). ARNOVA is a leading international association that connects scholars, teachers, and practice leaders in research on nonprofit organizations, voluntary action, philanthropy, and civil society.
Mohamed Smaidi
Mohamed Smaidi is a seasoned finance executive with a track record of success at driving strategy, growth, and profitability with Fortune 500 companies, technology startups, and private equity across a broad range of industries. Serving as VP of Finance at Thomson Reuters, Mohamed started his career in management consulting working for PricewaterhouseCoopers before moving on to work for Fortune 500 company Owens Corning, leading solar technology firm First Solar, and a tier one automotive supplier in the EV/mobility space, Dana. He has significant experience doing business internationally across the globe, including in Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Bahrain, and India, to name a few places. He also co-founded an early stage SaaS technology startup company in the employee shift scheduling industry.
Mohamed holds an MBA in Finance and Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems from Bowling Green State University. He currently resides in Toledo, OH with his wife and two children.
Iltefat Hamzavi
Founding Chair Emeritus
Iltefat Hamzavi is one of the founders of ISPU. Dr. Hamzavi is the vice president of Hamzavi Dermatology and its affiliate Dermatology Specialists. He also is on the faculty at Henry Ford Hospital’s department of dermatology and an assistant professor at Wayne State University, both in Detroit, Michigan. Dr. Hamzavi has been selected as one of America’s Best Doctors and is considered an international expert in several skin diseases. He serves on the boards of Crescent Academy International and the School of Arts and Sciences at Wayne State University. Dr. Hamzavi received his BA and MD from the University of Michigan. In May 2017, Dr. Hamzavi was awarded the title of Founding Chair Emeritus in recognition of his 15 years of service as board chair.