OUR STAFF

Faten Husni Odeh – Executive Director

Faten Husni Odeh currently serves as Executive Director for the Cleveland & Northern Chapter of CAIR-Ohio, a role she commenced on January 3, 2023. 

Odeh is a Palestinian-American civil rights advocate who brings a wealth of experience, skills and talents to her current position. She has an extensive background in educational programming, community empowerment and volunteer service.  

Odeh attended East Carolina University (ECU) where she completed a double major in communication with a concentration in broadcast journalism and political science with a focus on the Middle East. She obtained a Master of Arts in Teaching with a focus on history education also from ECU and a teaching endorsement from the University of Akron. Odeh received a Certified Fundraising Management Certificate (CFRM) from the Center on Muslim Philanthropy at Indiana University. 

Community service has been at the heart of her life from early on. Odeh volunteered as a Sunday school teacher for the Islamic Center of Greenville from 2006-2009. She was a volunteer teacher for teens at the Islamic Center of Cleveland (ICC) and served on the ICC Youth Committee. She also served on the ICC Women’s Committee, helping with the food pantry and volunteering at the Mary Joyce Women’s Shelter. She assisted with the nation-wide annual Pious Project’s Feed the Hungry program which has served more than 5,000 homeless people in greater Cleveland.

As a teacher at Al Ihsan School, she established the Civic Duty program to encourage volunteerism and the Student Government Association. She volunteered with the GIVE organization, which assists refugees and families in need. She helped organize the Lend a Helping Hand Refugee Awareness Banquet with Cleveland State University’s MSA, Hillel and Latinos Unidos. Odeh established the Misada Family Literacy Organization, which aims to empower families through literacy and educational programs.  

As part of her advocacy efforts, Odeh served on the board of Cleveland Peace Action and was the co-chair of the Middle East Committee. Odeh helped organize protests as part of efforts to end the occupation of Palestine, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and to close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. She has also worked on projects with Eyewitness Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace. She helped raise awareness and funds in support of the Rohingya people. Odeh is active in the Cleveland Palestine Taskforce and the Palestine Breakfast Club which brings people together for important conversations over traditional Palestinian cuisine. She regularly works on nonpartisan GOTV efforts and has volunteered for several presidential campaigns. 

Odeh has extensive experience in youth and adult education and literacy programing. She has taught at Saint Anthony of Padua, Old Brook High School, Al Ihsan School of Excellence and the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. She also tutored, mentored and served as an adult educator at the Cuyahoga County Library through the Key College Prep program and the Aspire program. She served as a teacher and volunteer coordinator and helped resettle refugees at the International Services Center, now known as the US Committee on Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI). 

Odeh has also gained experience in the public sector where she served as an intern at the Congressional Office of Congressman Dennis Kucinich. In that capacity, she helped address the problems and needs of community members, working on constituent cases dealing with immigration, housing and political concerns.  

Prior to her role as Interim Executive Director, she served CAIR-Ohio in the capacity of a volunteer, and then as a board member for our Cleveland office from 2019-2022 where she supported and participated in dozens of programs and projects including Muslim Day at the Capitol, Teatime for Peace, USCMO Legislative Days, GOTV efforts, CAIR’s Annual Banquets and Sharing Ramadan Community Iftar Dinners, along with public speaking events and media engagement efforts. She also served as Chair of the Board Effectiveness Committee, where she coordinated annual board retreats and training. 

In preparation for her role at CAIR-Ohio, Odeh completed the Certified Fundraising Management Certificate (CFRM) Program from the Lily Family School of Philanthropy through the Center on Muslim Philanthropy. Odeh also completed ServeOhio’s certification program in Volunteer Engagement Fundamentals. She also completed two Diversity, Equity and Inclusion trainings. As an ongoing effort to emulate the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him.), she received her Certificate of Graduation in the Seerah Intensive Program from Miftaah Institute, which she hopes to apply to all the work she does for the community. 

While at CAIR, Odeh hopes to help ensure that Muslims exercise their civil rights, and that their voices are heard on important social and political matters. She also hopes to work on youth development programs, capacity building and organizational sustainability and growth, community outreach and stewardship. Among other goals, she hopes to help dispel stereotypes of Islam and Muslims and to bring together people of all faiths to work for the common good. Her work will center around building partnerships and working in coalitions to help advance the cause of peace and justice.

Faten can be reached at fodeh@cair.com.

Gia Hamed – Community Outreach Coordinator

Gia Hamed currently serves as the community outreach coordinator for CAIR Ohio. Gia is a Palestinian born in Ohio and raised in Qatar. She is currently an undergraduate student at John Carroll University (JCU) on the pre-law track. In May of 2023, Gia will receive her bachelor’s in political science and peace, justice and human rights with a minor in leadership development. In addition to her academic pursuits, Gia is an active organizer with the Palestinian Youth Movement and Students for Justice in Palestine, where she engages in initiatives and campaigns aimed at raising awareness about the Palestinian cause. Gia also serves as the director of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging for student government at JCU.

She can be reached at ghamed@cair.com.

Arselan Rekhif – Administrative Assistant

Arselan Rekhif currently serves as the administrative assistant for the Cleveland and Northern Ohio Chapter of CAIR-Ohio. Arselan was born in Algeria and moved to Cleveland in 2015. He is currently a student at Case Western Reserve University on the pre-law track. He is pursuing majors in both political science and international studies with minors in Arabic and ethics.

He can be reached at arekhif@cair.com.

Jenna Muhieddine – Get Out the Vote Coordinator

Jenna Muhieddine serves as the GOTV (Get Out the Vote) Coordinator for the Cleveland & Northern Ohio Chapter of CAIR-Ohio. Jenna graduated in May 2024 with her Bachelor’s of Science degree from Cleveland State University and served on the board of CSU’s Students for Justice in Palestine. She is from Akka, Palestine and organizes with the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) in Cleveland, which advocates for Palestinian rights and organizing impactful initiatives that raise awareness about social justice issues. Jenna has substantial experience in community organizing in leadership and was part of CAIR-Ohio’s 2024 Muslim Civic Leadership Experience (MCLE) where she joined CAIR and USCMO for Muslim Advocacy Days in Washington D.C. to advocate on Capitol Hill for an array of issues regarding the crisis Gaza including allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza and an immediate and permanent ceasefire.

She can be reached at gotv@cleveland.cair.com.

Julia A. Shearson – Emeritus Executive Director; Consultant; Special Projects

Julia A. Shearson has served for the past twenty years as the Executive Director of the Cleveland Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). Shearson received her Bachelor of Arts in East Asian Languages and Cultures from Columbia University in New York City, a Master’s in Linguistics from Ohio University, and a Master’s in Middle East Studies from Harvard University.

While at CAIR, Shearson’s work has centered on civil rights advocacy, educational outreach, and media and public relations. She helps ensure that Muslims exercise their civil rights, and that their voices are heard on important social and political matters. Her goal is to help dispel stereotypes of Islam and Muslims and to bring together people of all faiths to work for the common good.

A vocal critic of post-9/11 policies that have eroded civil liberties, Shearson has fought against excessive government secrecy, unwarranted surveillance, racial profiling, and other abridgements of the liberties guaranteed in the Bill of Rights.  Shearson has also worked to challenge Islamophobia, a form of racism and xenophobia that uses the demonization of Muslims to promote imperialism, unending war, war profiteering, and abusive resource exploitation.

Ms. Shearson has won awards and recognitions for her work to promote diversity and mutual understanding. She was named by Cleveland Magazine as one of the area’s “Most Interesting People” for her work to help immigrant victims of domestic violence. She was recently honored together with 22 area women for their leadership, activism, and community service in an art exhibit entitled “Reflections: The Many Facets of Stephanie Tubbs Jones” installed at Cleveland Hopkins Airport in memory of the late Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones.

Before joining CAIR, Shearson served in the field of education for over 10 years, teaching at Ohio University, Jewish Vocational Services in Boston and at the Summer School and Division of Continuing Education at Harvard University. She has spent many years working in the cross-cultural and interfaith arena and has traveled extensively in Europe, East Asia, and the Middle East.

She can be reached at jshearson@cair.com