BOARD

SALMA ELKADI ABUGIDEIRI, LPC
MEMBER & CO-DIRECTOR
Training & Resource Development

 Salma Elkadi Abugideiri is Co-Director of the Peaceful Families Project, an organization dedicated to educating Muslim community leaders and members about domestic violence. Salma provides educational workshops and develops resources related to domestic violence among Muslims. She is a contributing author to several books including Walking Together: Working with Women from Diverse Religious Traditions, and Change from Within: Diverse Perspectives on Domestic Violence in Muslim Communities. She has also co-authored a brief guide for helping professionals entitled What Islam Says About Domestic Violence. In addition, she is associate producer of the video Garments for One Another: Ending Domestic Violence in Muslim Families.

She is also a member of the Interfaith Coalition against Domestic Violence, a national effort with a focus on guiding policy and legislation that supports domestic violence survivors. For several years, she served on Faith Trust Institute’s Leadership team, providing training to clergy and faith communities on issues related to domestic violence.

Salma is a licensed professional counselor in private practice in Reston, VA. She provides individual and family therapy for a wide range of problems, including mood disorders, anxiety disorders, trauma, abuse, and cultural adjustment issues. She has worked extensively with Middle Eastern and Muslim families.

MAHA B. ALKHATEEB
MEMBER & CO-DIRECTOR
Public Relations & Research

Ms. Alkhateeb is an activist, writer, and photographer dedicated to human rights advocacy through community building and artistic expression. As co-director of PFP, she engages Muslim leaders, Muslim communities, and mainstream providers to raise awareness and develop preventive and intervention services. Ms. Alkhateeb co-edited Change from Within: Diverse Perspectives on Domestic Violence in Muslim Communities, and conducts research on domestic violence among Muslims by exploring the experiences of families and communities. Recent projects she has spearheaded include launching the first grassroots video campaign against domestic violence, and a national study of the role of religion among Muslim women survivors. Prior to her work with PFP, Ms. Alkhateeb conducted research at Catholic University as the Muslim researcher for a multi-faith Pew Charitable Trusts study focusing upon the interconnection of religious institutions and civic incorporation among new immigrants. Ms. Alkhateeb holds an M.A. in Sociology from George Washington University.

ALTAF HUSAIN, Ph.D., VICE-PRESIDENT
Community Development & Education

Dr. Husain received his doctoral degree in Social Work from Howard University in Washington D.C. His area of specialization is the adjustment of refugee and immigrant families and children to the United States. His dissertation explored the predictors of self-esteem and academic achievement among Somali youth living in the Greater Metropolitan Washington Area, between the ages of 13-18. Dr. Husain has co-authored two chapters on culturally competent social work practice with children of South Asian Muslim descent and has lectured in North America and Europe on the integration of Muslims in the United States.

Dr. Husain achieved national and international prominence through his leadership as Vice President for one-term and then two terms as President of the Muslim Students Association National (MSA National). During his tenure, MSA National's reputation was restored as a premier organization dedicated to the development and provision of innovative, relevant and responsive programs and services to Muslim students throughout North America. He continues to serve the Muslim community through his membership on the Executive Committee of the Muslim Alliance in North America (MANA), the Board of Trustees of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), chairperson of the ISNA Leadership Development Center (ILDC), and a faculty member for COMPASS - the state of the art management training program of the Muslim Students Association, National.

MONA MALIK, MEMBER
Fundraising & Education

Ms. Malik is a social worker with over 10 years of experience. She has worked with abused children, recent immigrants and victims of domestic violence. She is currently the Director and Founding Member of Muslim Mothers Against Violence (MMAV)- Washington DC Chapter. MMAV teaches nonviolent conflict resolution skills to Muslim teenagers. Mona is also active in many local non-profits and has led many fundraising events and activities for Unity Production Films (UPF) and Muslim Advocates. She was also the social worker for the Dar Al Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, VA. She worked under a FEMA grant conducting crisis counseling at the All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS). Ms. Malik has received Masters and Bachelors degrees in Social Work from the University of Cincinnati.

IMAM MOHAMED MAGID, MEMBER
Theology

Imam Magid is the Vice-President of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), and Imam and Executive Director of the All Dulles Area Muslim Society, ADAMS Center, in Sterling, Virginia. Under his direction, the Center has grown to be one of the largest Muslim community organizations in the Washington Metropolitan Area. With his encouragement, ADAMS has become active in local interfaith dialogue programs, social work, government relations, civic involvement, community service, and the education of the local public about Islam and Muslims. Very active in the Islamic community, Imam Magid is Vice-President of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), and serves as a member of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Muslim, Sikh and Arab Advisory Board. He also occupies the Chairmanship of the Fairfax County Faith Communities in Action, is a board member of the Fairfax County Partnership for Youth, and is a member of the George Mason University Campus Ministry. Imam Magid's domestic violence advocacy activities include serving as a board member of FaithTrust Institute, and as a member of the National Interfaith Planning Committee for Domestic Violence. In May 2006, Fairfax County Human Rights Commission awarded Imam Magid with their Human Rights Award.

A Sudanese-born American, Imam Magid is the son of the Grand Mufti of Sudan. At the hand of his father and other notable scholars, he studied and graduated in traditional Islamic disciplines, including Shariah (Islamic Jurisprudence) and Tawwauh (Islamic Spirituality). Imam Magid views marriage and pre-marital counseling as his passion. He currently resides in Sterling, Virginia with his wife and daughters.

SHARON O'BRIEN, Ph.D., SEC. & TREASURER
Research & Education

Dr. O'Brien is a Family Violence Research Consultant who has worked on several domestic abuse research projects including the national femicide study led by Dr. Jacquelyn Campbell. Her dissertation work was recognized at the 2003 International Family Violence Research Conference. She has presented papers and moderated panels at local, national and nternational conferences and has led workshops, seminars, and trainings on domestic violence and faith. Dr. O'Brien has authored an article and book chapter and serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Aggression, Maltreatement, and Trauma. Since 2004, she has used her leadership and grant writing skills in service to the Interfaith Community Against Domestic Violence, Montgomery County, MD (IFCADV).

In addition, Dr. O'Brien has served on the Domestic Violence Coalition of Maryland and serves on the Board of the Peaceful Families Project and the Advisory Group of the Jewish Coalition Against Domestic Abuse of the Greater Washington Area. For ten years, she has served as Senior Management Trainer and Internal Quality Improvement Consultant at The George Washington University. Dr. O'Brien earned a Masters in Adult Education at The George Washington University and a Ph.D. in Human Development at the University of Maryland, College Park. Dr. O'Brien trained with Rev. Dr. Marie Fortune, Founder and Senior Analyst of The FaithTrust Institute.

TERRY M. RAUCH II, MEMBER
International Business Development & Technology

For over 16 years Mr. Terry Michael Rauch II has led the business community in meshing the worlds of advanced technologies with both public and private corporate structures. His business strategies focus on efficient, effective solutions that are both socially and ecologically sensitive. He continues his mission today as the CEO of World Investment & Trade, LLC (WITCO) a leading consulting and contracting firm based out of Washington, D.C. WITCO specializes in business development for international companies and small businesses, and market research and competitive analysis. The firm also provides government contracting services and SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) proposal consulting services.

Mr. Rauch has been a pioneer in "technology integration" as a means of collaboration and partnership for large international development projects. He recently led several investment teams in Turkey, the Caribbean, Canada, and Pakistan to help open the markets to private sector investments and public-private partnerships and sits on several workking groups on international health promotion and diplomacy.

Mr. Rauch has presented business and technology briefings to the Federal Trade Commission, the Justice Department, the State Department, and many other federal and state authorities. In 2009 he conducted the first ever study on Clinical Saleries in the Caribbean Region and before that he was selected by the Department of Education and the West Virginia High Tech Consortium to sit on an expert panel on Technology Usage and Safety in which he co-authored the Technology safety curriculum for the West Virginia Public School system.

Mr. Rauch has written several articles, reports, and white papers on International business, Global Trade, Health Promotion, and Technology that have appeared in numerous publications. He is an active participant in regional planning and development meetings for the Caribbean and Central America and provides insights on future trends and prospects in health development and international trade. In 2006 Mr. Rauch headed a regional campaign on HIV/AIDS Prevention in the Caribbean. Throughout 2006-2007 Mr. Rauch led WITCO's development of the first Corporate Training CD on BioTerrorism Preparedness and led the sourcing, procurement and logistics for the massive Irrigation Project for the coffee region in Merida, Venezuela. He has spent the last 16 years developing his expertise and has helped numerous SME's in the US and around the world recognize their potential in the global marketplace. In 2008 and 2009 Mr. Rauch traveled throughout the Caribbean, Middle East, and Near Asia developing healthcare projects to further regional and country specific health reform initiatives.

AFEEFA SYEED, PRESIDENT
International Development & Education
As a diversity consultant and multicultural trainer, Afeefa Syeed has consulted with a range of organizations including World Learning for International Development, public school systems in the US, the Children's Defense Fund, Simon & Schuster Children's Book Division, the U.S. Department of Education, and MTV/Nickelodeon Productions and HRH Prince of Wales initiative on Faith and Action.  Recently, she served as an ambassador with the Citizen's Dialogue Program of the US State Department.  On the international scene, Ms. Syeed has consulted with various NGOs and development agencies in areas of youth and women empowerment and leadership, good governance, education and curriculum instruction, and advocacy. She is a member of various interfaith, social service and political action organizations.

Her involvement and community activism led her to run for local office in 2003 as the Democratic candidate for the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors from the Potomac District.  Ms. Syeed is a Founding Director of Al Fatih Academy; a community school whose philosophy is integrated learning with an emphasis on civic education and participation. Through the school, she has helped develop the Peace Leaders Program to teach conflict resolution and peacemaking skills to elementary and middle school students. She has also worked to initiate Kids Giving Salaam (Peace) to foster and inculcate the love of community service in children.  Currently, Ms. Syeed also serves on the Advisory Group for the Institute for Women's Policy Research, the Working Group of the Pathmaps Project of the Center for Spiritual and Ethical Education, Muslim Leaders of Tomorrow, and was an elected Board member of the ADAMS Center, one of the largest Islamic centers in the US. Ms. Syeed holds a Masters Degree in Applied Anthropology with a focus on Community and Grassroots Development.