Executive Board

AHMED AZAM

Chairman

Ahmed Azam is an information science and technology engineer with over 24 years of university teaching experience in the greater Los Angeles area. Azam holds a Bachelor’s in Mathematics and Computer Science and Master’s in Information Science and Technology as well as a Master’s Information Systems Management (MISM). Azam is a member of the Operation Research Society of America, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and American Society for Engineering Education.

Azam is an active member of the American Muslim community in the Los Angeles area and has held several leadership positions on both local and national nonprofit and humanitarian organizations. Azam serves on the Board of Trustees of one of the largest and most diverse Islamic organizations in North America. As a founding member of the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California, Azam served in multiple capacities including the Board of Directors and Vice President. Azam was a founder of the Islamic Center of Hawthorne and has served as President of the mosque for over 25 years.

GREGORY ABDULLAH MITCHELL

Member

Gregory Abdullah Mitchell, a licensed attorney in the State of Illinois, joined the IRUSA board in 2021. He has 25 years of experience serving on boards in Chicago and on the national level. Mitchell brings a wealth of knowledge and experience concerning not-for-profit organizations.

Mitchell currently serves as the Executive Director at CIOGC, where, for over two decades, the group has served as the unifying force of 60 member organizations in Illinois. He is heavily involved in developing programs for the youth and focusing to help represent a wide array of ethnicities, races, and cultures including African Americans, Nigerians, South Asians, Arabs, Bosnians, Albanians, Turks, Latinos, Caucasians, and many more. Mitchell brings these extraordinary communities together in cooperation and collaboration to engage and work with the interfaith community, government, media, and the public in general.

HUSSEIN ATA

Member

Hussein Ata is a graduate of the University of Illinois, Chicago and holds a degree in Electronics and Electromagnetics Engineering (BSEE). Ata has extensive professional experience in nuclear technology and held several leadership positions, while maintaining a license from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to operate and supervise nuclear power reactors at the Exelon Nuclear Dresden Power Station.

Ata currently serves as chairman of one of the largest and most diverse Islamic conventions in North America. He has also held various senior leadership positions and served on the Board of Directors of major American Muslim nonprofit organizations in the Chicago metropolitan area. Ata is an active member of the local Chicago Muslim community and is the Vice President of his local mosque, where he previously served as President and Chairman of the Board.

KHALED ALBADAWI

Member

Khaled Albadawi is an accomplished entrepreneur and business leader in the greater Seattle area. He began his career in the finance industry after completing his education, gaining valuable experience in finance and management. Khaled worked as a CPA for big four firms and some of the largest and most successful technology companies in America, honing his understanding of the sector and its challenges in senior roles.

In 2020, Khaled founded Diwan Accounting, a business that has quickly become a success. The company empowers smaller organizations that require high-caliber professional accounting but do not necessarily have the budget. Today, Diwan Accounting is a leading provider of cutting-edge accounting and finance solutions and services, with a reputation for excellence and innovation.

Khaled is a committed philanthropist, dedicated to supporting charitable causes in his home country and beyond. He is actively involved in promoting education, healthcare, and economic development, serving as a treasurer on the board of Islamic Relief USA.

DR. ESAM OMEISH

Member

Dr. Esam Omeish is an experienced surgeon and a prominent civic leader in the Washington, DC area and the nationwide Muslim-American community. Dr. Omeish  recently joined the national board of Islamic Relief USA, a nonprofit humanitarian organization that provides aid in more than 40 countries around the world. His commitment to public service has been a constant throughout his life, ever since Dr. Omeish immigrated to the US as a teenager with his family in the early 1980s.

Dr. Omeish’s extensive list of civic leadership activities include serving as president of national nonprofits and chairman of the board of local and regional organizations. In addition, Dr. Omeish chaired the board of a community medical clinic that provided free healthcare to those in need. Dr. Omeish ran for the Democratic nomination in the 35th District of the Virginia House of Delegates election in 2009, becoming the first Muslim-American in the state to run for office.

A diplomat with the American Board of Surgery, Dr. Omeish is the chairman of the Department of General Surgery at Inova Alexandria Hospital in Northern Virginia. Dr. Omeish has served in this capacity since 2006 and has worked at the hospital for more than two decades. He was the surgeon on call at the facility following the September 11 terrorist attacks. In 2005, he received the Outstanding Physician and Surgeon Award from Consumer Reports, and in 2007, he  was named Outstanding Physician of the Year.

Dr. Omeish earned his MD from Georgetown University School of Medicine and completed a general surgery internship and residency at Rutgers Medical School. He has performed thousands of surgeries throughout his career.

Dr.  Omeish has been featured on CNN, MSNBC, and ABC News, and has been quoted in several major publications, including The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times. He has been actively involved in Washington, DC, political circles for more than 25 years. Dr. Omeish and his wife have been married for 30 years and have four children together.

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. 

ARAIF YUSUFF

Chief Operating Officer

Araif Yusuff, MPA, 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.