The Center for Ethical & Effective Organizational Leadership (CEEOL) in partnership with Rabata, Maristan & TISA is proud to present: Visionary Leadership Awards 2022 and a leadership grant awarded to the most competitive DFW applicants.
Ayesha Habeeb
I have been in the Dallas area for around 8yrs Alhamdullilah.
I’m a Faith Ambassador with CAIR, a revert mentor with WHYISLAM, part of IAMC team ( Indian American Muslim Council) who met Congressman Marc Veasey regarding Hijab Ban in India and a speaker for Sisters halaqa at Islamic Wylie Center.
Also, Alhamdullilah I’m the founder of Fatah Academy. I recently started this Academy with a vision to benefit the community by focusing on youth curriculum, research circles for women, Islamic Sciences courses, Qur’an circles and developing public speaking skills. I’m very honored to be part of this group
Omar Khan
I moved to Dallas from Ottawa, Canada. I am the co-founder of Ruh, an Islamic mindfulness and contemplation app (instagram/ruh.app) that integrates psychology and Islam together. we have a rich history of mindfulness and contemplation from within Islam.
We also built Ruh Care, a global directory of Muslim therapists (ruhcare.com) with a vision to make accessing mental health care truly accessible for our community.
I envision the next phase of Islam in the US to be part of this Rooted Revival. Where we as Muslims first and foremost are not just grounded and principled in our deen, but also are active in applying it practically in action to benefit the community.
Zeeshan Parupia
I am a Co-Founder of The Preservers, an institution seeking to inspire Muslims become ambassadors of Islam by offering Islamic Studies, Qur’an, Leadership, Mentorship, and Spiritual Wellness opportunities.
Our goal is to give everyone access to the Qur’an & Sunnah regardless of where they are at in the journey, to preserve the deen. We just started last year are getting ready to gear up for 2023 inshā’Allāh!
In the organization that I lead, Visionaries, we strive to build leaders through our leadership academy. We take students through a 9 month program to go over the state of the ummah, how we got here, and then students are given the tools and concepts to be able to help and benefit their community, their family, their friends, and themselves. Being able to work on my own leadership skills as well, I can help give better direction to our curriculum in the academy, give better advice to upcoming leaders that consult with me, and lead my team with excellence insha’Allah.
Sophia J Khan
I’m the Director of Guided Hearts Institute for Spiritual, Relational, and Mental Wellness – which is a new non-profit organization providing psycho education to our communities, men, women and youth alike in order to empower and educate them.
Our goal is to provide easily accessible tools and preventative and proactive intervention to help Muslims with their mental health and enhance their relationships skills in order to further better their lives using a holistic approach of the Quran and Sunnah integrated with Western research.
I want to be able to educate our women and help them develop skills that they will be able to instill and foster in their relationships and in their lives before they reach a point where they feel they need to take their own life or run away. This especially includes the women who are in economically stressed communities as many of them cannot afford counseling or therapy.
Omran Zbeida
My past/ current community services, coupled with my professional background and current position with CAIR-Texas as an Outreach & Development Coordinator, have put me in a unique position to shape the future of our Islamic institutions, thus impacting the direction of Islamic work and development.
I am currently facilitating the development of MABL “Muslim Alliance for Black Lives” strategic plans. My vision is to help ALL Islamic institutions to adopt strategic management and planning as the future for managing Islamic work in the USA.
Hammad Fazlani
I’ve been in Dallas for 16 years. Currently I’m serving as Ameer of Alpha Lambda Mu Fraternity – the only Muslim interest fraternity in America focusing on building purposeful men and a strong brotherhood based on the life of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.
We have 7 chapters in 5 states and 2 more slated for spring 2023. We have about 600 members (undergraduate and alumni). I’m grateful to be a part of the fraternity as it’s been large part of my personal growth.
I reflect on my own personal experience as an American-born, first generation, insecure and confused Muslim kid trying to find my way. When I reached college, I was blessed to join the fraternity and be surrounded by people who were confident in their faith. Confidence and love from the people I was surrounded with was what I needed to strengthen my devotion to Islam.
Leila Nimer Kayed
I believe Islam will rise once again from the West, we have such a great opportunity with so many resources that so many Muslims in so many countries would wish for.
As the Head of the Islamic School of Irving, I see that this opportunity is in honoring the voice of our youth and in paving the way for our youth to become well balanced, well rounded, and dedicated citizens. I have made it my focus to make sure our Muslim students have access to a diverse educational experience and burst the bubble so many try to place them in.
I have worked with the limited resources we have to make sure our college preparatory course offerings are accessible to all students, it has been a tradition to offer Advanced placement courses to those who have a straight “A” track record, we have broken that tradition at ISI. Now all students can opt for AP courses.
Mebarek Nouiouat
My main objective in this life is to serve the Deen of Allah by putting my utmost energy, efforts and dedication to achieve this noble cause. I believe that I’m blessed, and Allah answered my duaa by being servant of one of the iconic Masjid and community in the USA.
As a community builder my aim is to bring happiness to community members, minimize stress and conflicts, unite the Musallees on high ambitions and objectives, and spread brotherhood and sisterhood.
Broadly, my motto is to help Irving Masjid in all dimensions; vertically in all generations and horizontally in all disciplines (spiritual, social, sports, education).
I have focused on helping the youth by initiating many sports events and personally coaching soccer for kids, organizing basketball tournaments and youth camps. Also, I advocated for the sisters to use the multi-purpose hall (MPH) for sisters’ sports activities. Alhamdulillah my efforts were fruitful, and the sisters are happily using the MPH 12 hours/week.
Sadia Ahmed
The Muslim population in the U.S. is increasingly diverse. I believe we have to reimagine what spirituality, and faith spaces and communities look like. Faith leaders and community leaders have to be more inclusive in their approach to engage the community, especially young people and women. In my work life, I focus on diversity, inclusion, and equity in the nonprofit sector, but these are extremely important areas for the Muslim American community to focus on as well for the Muslim community’s sustainability and growth. I work very closely with the immigrant population and the Black Muslim community in Dallas and see an increasing need to unite the Muslim community as one body that supports and empowers each other as one ummah.
It is time to build our human infrastructure in our community, and that must begin with giving our women changemakers the tools to make an even larger impact on our community than the one they already make. Developing the leadership skills of women leaders through an Islamic faith perspective is vital to ensuring a brighter future for Islam in America with Allah’s blessing.
