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.

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

Director of Programs

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.

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.

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.

TAREQ OSMAN

Controller

Tareq Osman, a Certified Public Accountant, serves as Controller for Islamic Relief USA. Tareq has more than 15 years of experience in a variety of accounting specialties, including account analyses, budgeting, internal control, reconciliations, accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll management, financial reporting, revenue recognition and individual and corporate taxation. Tareq has served in accounting-related capacities at a spectrum of for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, including Teligent Inc., the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, the World Wildlife Fund, and AARP. For the past five years, Tareq has worked as a public accountant at a CPA firm he founded.