EXECUTIVE TEAM
AHMED SHEHATA
Chief Executive Officer
Ahmed Shehata will serve as the next CEO of Islamic Relief USA (IRUSA), the nation’s leading Muslim humanitarian relief and development organization operating in the United States and 40 countries around the world. For nearly two decades, Ahmed has held several leadership positions at IRUSA, distinguishing himself as an expert in the American Muslim philanthropic, community development, and humanitarian NGO sector. As CEO, Ahmed oversees a programs portfolio surpassing $250 million in domestic and international emergency relief and development projects that are designed to deliver immediate, long-term and sustainable solutions to the most complex humanitarian crises.
Prior to this role, Ahmed served as IRUSA’s Director of Fund Development where he led and stimulated unprecedented growth in revenue, donor base, and programmatic impact. Ahmed spearheaded innovative fund development initiatives and campaigns which resulted in IRUSA surpassing $135 million in annual fundraising revenue, doubling its growth in the span of five years. He established and effectively managed the major gifts initiative, expanded community fundraising, and a comprehensive cross-channel donor cultivation strategy, securing funds from direct response fundraising campaigns, Fortune 500 companies, foundations, and high-net-worth individuals. Ahmed holds a Masters of Science in Management and a Masters of Arts in Philanthropic Studies. He also holds several fundraising and management certifications, including certification in Fundraising Management from the Lily School of Philanthropy at Indiana University.
As CEO, Ahmed will focus on driving programmatic impact and institutional growth by strengthening and refining operations and processes, expanding revenue sources, and cultivating diverse partnerships to meet the needs of our beneficiaries in an increasingly challenging humanitarian environment.
ANWAR KHAN
President
Anwar Khan is the co-founder and current president of Islamic Relief USA. He has 30 years of experience working in the field of humanitarian and development assistance. Khan, who is of Pakistani descent, grew up in England and has lived in the United States since 1994. Under Khan’s leadership, seven IRUSA offices opened across the country, with the headquarters originating in California before moving to Washington, DC.
Khan has extensive experience in conflict and disaster zones; he has traveled to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Chechnya, Palestine, Sudan, Haiti, Yemen, Pakistan, and Syria. He has also traveled for development work in Africa and South Asia, visiting locations including Timbuktu.
In the United States, he helped set up an extensive volunteer network that now consists of 25,000 people. On behalf of IRUSA, he served on the boards of InterAction and US Agency for International Development (USAID)’s Advisory Committee on Voluntary Foreign Aid (ACVFA). Along with other leaders in the international development field, Khan provides advice, analysis, and recommendations to USAID on the most pressing development issues in the world today. He has also served on the US State Department’s Religion and Foreign Policy Working Group, where he advised on humanitarian issues and the intersection of faith and development. Currently, he serves on the board of World Food Program USA, Joint Learning Initiative, and the Alliance to End Hunger. He is on the Advisory Council for Muslim Philanthropy Institute at Indiana University.
Khan represented and spoke on behalf of Islamic Relief on several of the UN Interagency Task Force’s stewarded initiatives over many years, including the “Special Session on Faith Engagement” at the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul, Turkey; the UN Commission on the Status of Women; and the Annual Symposia on the Role of Religion and Faith Based Organizations in International Affairs.
In recent years, Khan has focused on inspiring others at IRUSA as well as at other organizations to make positive change in the broader society.
ARAIF YUSUFF
Director of Programs
Araif Yusuff, MPA, is currently the interim CEO, formerly the Director of Programs for Islamic Relief USA (IRUSA), a nonprofit humanitarian and advocacy organization. Araif got his start at IRUSA on its US Programs team, and eventually became manager of the Disaster Management Team, where he led staff and volunteers through dozens of emergency response initiatives throughout the United States. Araif also helped establish the IRUSA Recovery Program in Houston, Texas, after the city suffered major damage in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. He is currently the vice chair of the New Jersey State Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (NJVOAD), president of the Board of Directors for New York Disaster Interfaith Services (NYDIS), a board member for the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (NVOAD), and an advisory board member for the New York City Faith Sector Community Preparedness Program (FSCPP). He holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, and a master’s degree in public administration from John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY).
Araif is an avid New England Patriots football fan, enjoys reading, and, most of all, loves spending time with his daughter.
TAMMAM DANDASHI
Director of IT and Systems
Tammam Dandashi joined IRUSA in 2017, and currently serves as Interim COO and Director of Business Services. His portfolio includes operations and facilities, volunteer management, and information technology.
Tammam holds a BS from Tulane University, and an MS from the University of New Orleans, both in Electrical Engineering, and a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management from George Mason University. Before joining IRUSA, Tammam was a cyber-security professional, safeguarding the networks and digital assets of large corporations.
In his free time, Tammam is passionate about assisting community-based nonprofits achieve their mission. Over the years, he has served on the boards of local, national, and interfaith nonprofits in various capacities.
CHRISTINA TOBIAS-NAHI
Director of Public Affairs, Research, and Advocacy
Christina Tobias-Nahi is currently the Director of Public Affairs, Research and Advocacy and has been at the helm of IRUSA’s government and policy engagement and interfaith efforts since late 2006. She stepped down from the Board to help move the headquarters from California to DC.
Tobias-Nahi holds two Masters, one from Harvard Graduate School of Education and another from Boston University-Paris in International Relations. She also has a Bachelors from the University of Hawaii in Ethnology with study abroad in China. She possesses an executive certificate program in Community-Based Development from Colorado State University and in December 2023 completed an executive certificate program in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
During a short stint away from 2011-14, Tobias-Nahi led the International Programs team at the Joint Council on International Children’s Services, with a portfolio on orphans, nutrition, and early childhood development. She also managed the Tech Girls program, a summer program of the US State Department and Legacy International that brings emerging female leaders from the MENA region to DC for leadership training.
Before moving to DC, she spent nearly a decade working at Harvard University with the Islamic Legal Studies Program and the Civil Rights Project, and prior to that was in Paris for many years where she worked for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
From her extensive travels, Tobias-Nahi has a strong interest in the refugee crisis and shelters and settlements and has utilized platforms such as UN Habitat III, the Conference on World Affairs, the Vatican, and the G20 Interfaith Summits to speak about and raise awareness on the issue. Outside of work she likes to spend time with her family and her many pets and hike the great outdoors.
DAOUD HAWA
Director of Marketing
Daoud Hawa is a communications professional with more than 25 years of experience in advertising, marketing, project management, video production, graphic design, public relations, and web design. He holds a communications degree from George Mason University and is certified in fundraising management (CFRM) from the Lily School of Philanthropy, Indiana University.
Daoud is the Director of Marketing at IRUSA. Skilled in managing projects, budgets, operational plans, and structure, He has expanded IRUSA’s marketing efforts to include advertising, direct marketing, web experience, engagement, social media, crowdfunding and peer-to-peer efforts, photography, videography, graphic design, campaign development, and so much more.
Prior to Islamic Relief, Mr. Hawa worked as an art director in New York and Washington, DC. His career history includes companies such as AOL, Booz Allen Hamilton, Ciber Inc, CareerBuilder, and 20/20 design. He also founded and lead marketing and design firm Daze Studios, where he served over 150 clients from small to large firms in over 20 different sectors such as the Fairfax County, Oracle, NASA, GMU, and Accenture.
Daoud serves on several boards within his local community. In his free time, he enjoys sporting events with his family, coaching little league, and taking his kids to Costco for their amazing pizza.
ASHAR AKHTAR
General Counsel
Ashar Akhtar joined Islamic Relief USA’s Legal Department in 2018.
Ashar holds an undergraduate degree in Commerce with a concentration in Finance from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia and Juris Doctor from the College of William and Mary School of Law. Prior to joining Islamic Relief USA, he served in various corporate in-house counsel positions in a variety of industries, including hospitality, financial services and business process outsourcing. Most recently, Ashar served as corporate counsel for a major accounting firm, where he was responsible for managing risk for a $250M region and lead counsel for international engagements, renewable energy transactions and tax credit services.
Ashar oversees organizational compliance, advises on risk management, and advocates for legal and regulatory issues that impact nonprofits working on issues of relief and development. He serves on the steering committee for InterAction’s Together Project and mentors both law students and attorneys interested in pursuing or transitioning to a career in the nonprofit industry. In his spare time, Ashar enjoys travelling, running, Virginia Cavalier basketball and motorsports.