Founder ofDeservia Realty, Inc. and Deservia Financial Corporation, Farhana Kabir started her Real Estate career in 2003 and by applying her expertise and marketing knowledge to real estate, she rose to become one of the top salesperson in her company by 2006. An entrepreneur at heart who has owned and operated several businesses from a payday-loan company to two successful real estate franchises, Farhana continues to build an extremely successful career with her relationship-oriented approach to her clients.
Adil Dhalla is the Director of Centre for Social Innovation (CSI) – a rapidly growing hub for more than 1000 social entrepreneurs and organizations. As one of the first coworking spaces in the world, CSI has been a pioneer in its work around re-envisioning the future of work, which includes the creation of the Director of Culture role (one of the first of its kind globally). Along with his team, Adil has been learning, playing and experimenting with stewarding CSI’s culture through its stories, events, policies, products, systems and people management – all with an eye towards fostering belonging, happiness and greater impact. In addition to his work at CSI, Adil has been a serial social entrepreneur, Co-Founded the mobile video pioneer My City Lives, volunteered for the Obama campaign and has created several successful community interventions, including Project Ukulele Gangsterism, Part E-Day and the Regent Park Community Potluck. He is currently the Chair of the Board for the Stop Gap Foundation, an inspiring organization creating accessible cities and a Co-Founder of Camp Reset, the acclaimed summer camp for adults.
Shahed Amanullah is co-founder of Affinis Labs, a Northern Virginia startup incubator that focuses on businesses with positive social impacts in global Muslim communities. Through Affinis Labs, he helps to organize global hackathons to create social impact businesses as well as craft social media strategies for NGOs and governments that combat extremist narratives. As co-founder and director of the lab, Shahed Amanullah helps manage the development and launch of incubated initiatives and mentors portfolio companies to help them accelerate and grow.
Kashif Zubair brings to Adroit over 18 years of experience and skills as a business strategist, accountant, and auditor. Kashif has worked at Ernst & Young, Arthur Anderson, Capital Health System, and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Kashif’s passion is in making every small-mid size business successful to bring wealth and joy back to the middle class families. Through various avenues within Adroit and his dedication as a Rotarian, Kashif is constantly bringing change to the companies that he works with.
Known as the founder of “Allah Made Me Funny”- The Official Muslim Comedy Tour and as the “poor righteous teacher” from his days as a young performer coming up in the industry, a writer for Hollywood heavyweights like Damon Wayans, George Lopez, and Darrell Hammond on Saturday Night Live, Preacher Moss has proven his value across many levels of stand-up, activism, and community empowerment. His “End of Racism” Comedy and Lecture tour has been voted “Best Diversity Act” on college campuses for 2008 and 2009.
His material has been described as “smooth, intelligent, and thought provoking”, as his comedy simultaneously occupies two spaces, at the same time. Moss makes you laugh and think. He is a master craftsman. His experiences as a comedian, writer, lecturer, Muslim, African-American, and poor righteous teacher are the sum of all his parts. He is The Mighty Preacher Moss. Follow him on twitter at @PreacherMOSS.
Wajahat Ali is the writer ofThe Domestic Crusaders, a two-act play that is being hailed as “one of the first major Muslim American plays.” We asked him what brought him to his current job at Al Jazeera’s The Stream, his ups and downs along the way, and what inspired him to become a playwright.