Our Board
Executive Board.
Najah Bazzy, RN, PhD (honoris causa)
Founder and CEO
Najah Bazzy, RN, PhD (honoris causa) is an internationally esteemed health care consultant, humanitarian, interfaith leader, professor and 2019 CNN Top 10 Hero. Born and raised in Southeast Michigan, Najah earned her nursing degree from Madonna University and specialized over the past three decades in critical care and transcultural nursing. She leads Diversity Specialists, a training group that promotes cross-cultural understanding between clinicians and patients, and is the Founder and CEO of Zaman International. As an interfaith leader, she has educated thousands about Islamic practices and beliefs through books, documentaries, and talks before U.S. and international audiences. An avid reader and tea aficionado, Najah lives in Canton, Mich., with her husband of more than 35 years, Allie Bazzy. They have four children and four grandchildren.
Gehad Alawan
Chairman of the Board
Gehad Alawan is a Financial Advisor with AXA Equitable LLC, specializing in building wealth with individuals and corporations. He has earned many corporate achievements, most notably induction into the AXA Hall of Fame. He is a former Board Member of the Opportunity Resource Fund and currently serves on the Southwest Solutions Housing Board of Directors. He was awarded Businessman of the Year in 2012. Alawan earned his Business degree from Central Michigan University. He has four children and is involved in their school PTAs and soccer teams.
Colleen Ezzeddine, Ph.D.
Board of Directors, Vice-Chair
Colleen Ezzeddine has a doctorate in organizational communication from Wayne State University. Her professional experience includes higher education administration (former Director of Undergraduate Admissions at the University of Detroit Mercy) and consulting, speech writing, coaching and training through The McMillan Group. Clients have included Wayne State University, Arab American and Chaldean Council, Global Commercial Credit and the Michigan Association of Physicians of Indian Origin. Dr. Ezzeddine is also a part-time faculty member in the Department of Communication at Wayne State University. She currently serves on the Board of the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU) and she is a past board member of Health Alliance Plan. She and her husband, Ahmad, have three children: Taima, Hassan and Nadim.
Nader Bazzi, D.D.S.
Board of Directors, Treasurer
Nader Bazzi, DDS, graduated from the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1993. He graduated from the University of Detroit-Mercy School of Dentistry in 1997. Dr. Bazzi and his wife, Dr. Rima Bazzi, went on to found Contemporary Dentistry, which operates two offices serving patients in both Canton and Dearborn, Michigan. An avid sportsman, Dr. Bazzi is an accomplished skier and racquetball player. He enjoys traveling and outdoor activities with his wife and two children.
Moheeb Murray, Esq.
Board of Directors, Secretary
Moheeb graduated from the University of Michigan Business School in Ann Arbor with a Bachelor of Business Administration in 1997, and from the University of Michigan Law School in 2001. He currently works as an attorney with the Troy law firm of BSP Law, where he specializes in commercial litigation matters. Murray lives in Rochester Hills with his wife, Nissrine, and their two sons, Hussein and Tarek.
Joffer Hakim, M.D.
Board of Directors
Joffer Hakim is an anesthesiologist on staff at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Oakland, in Pontiac Michigan. He was born and raised in Michigan City, Indiana, and attended the University of Michigan for his undergraduate studies as well as for medical school. He stayed in Ann Arbor and completed his residency in anesthesiology at the University of Michigan hospitals. Since 1996, he has been on staff at St. Joe’s in Pontiac. Currently, Joffer is the Clinical Director for the Department of Anesthesia. Dr. Hakim is married to Dr. Nishath Hakim and has 4 children, 1 boy, and 3 girls. His interests include Islam, reading, and sports, especially U of M football.
Sumreen Ahmad
Board of Directors
Sumreen Ahmad is a global management consultant with 20+ years of experience in leadership development, human capital and organization design, journey management, and strategic planning. She currently serves as the Global Change Management Lead for Accenture, responsible for leading organization-wide transformational efforts. Ahmad is also a recognized expert in building inclusive, equal, and innovative cultures and has spoken across industry conferences including: Working Mother Media, Diversity Best Practices, and The Forum for Workplace Inclusion. Ahmad is committed to translating her professional skills by serving the non-profit community and has been serving as Zaman International's Strategic Planning Lead since 2011, prior to joining the board in 2019.
Farah Harb
Board of Directors
Farah Harb received her Bachelor in Business Administration degree from the University of Michigan-Dearborn and MBA from Eastern Michigan University. After undergrad, she became a career advisor at Wayne State University for four years. Currently, she oversees education programs in the Ford Motor Company Fund, providing scholarship opportunities for students to help them financially achieve academic success, as well as funding for student-led projects that address a social need or problem in communities around the world. She also teaches BA300: Career Planning and Development at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, providing students with career advice and helping them achieve their career goals.
Amanda Jawad
Board of Directors
Amanda Jawad is an Assistant United States Attorney in Detroit, where she has prosecuted cases involving child exploitation, sexual abuse, human trafficking, and violent crime. Before that, she worked as an associate at a law firm in New York City, representing clients in government investigations and regulatory matters. At the firm, Jawad worked pro bono with the NYCLU on a class-action suit that resulted in systemic reform of New York’s public defense system. Jawad earned her undergraduate degree in Psychology and Spanish from the University of Michigan (Go Blue!) and her law degree from Harvard Law School. While at Harvard, she became interested in Islamic and Arab feminism and studied the ways in which customs within Muslim-American communities can marginalize women during divorce proceedings. While living in New York, Jawad did interfaith work with the NYC Muslim-Jewish Solidarity Committee.
Advisory Board.
Mr. Rumzei Abdallah - Senior Manager, Assurance and Tax, Plante Moran
Mr. Joseph Alcodray - Director, Solutions Consulting, PSCU
Mr. Ali K. Bazzi - Consultant, Progressive Management Company, LLC
Dr. Rima Charara - Adjunct Professor, Wayne State University
Dr. Nishath Hakim - President, Prosperity Health
Dr. William H. Restum - Past CEO, Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan
Mr. Hussein Siblini - Owner, New Yasmeen Bakery
The Honorable Judge David Turfe - 20th District Court, Dearborn Heights, Michigan