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.

Natalie Hale, Esq. – Staff Attorney

Natalie Hale currently serves as the Staff Attorney for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Cleveland & Northern Ohio Chapter (CAIR-Ohio). 

Natalie was raised in New Jersey but has close family ties to Ohio. Natalie obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminology & Criminal Justice Studies from the Ohio State University. Her passion for sociology, philosophy, and history also led her to obtain minors in those subjects. Natalie obtained her Juris Doctorate (J.D.) from Indiana University’s Maurer School of Law, in Bloomington, Indiana. Upon graduation, Natalie worked with the Richmond County District Attorney’s Office Criminal Court Bureau. 

Now that Natalie is admitted to the practice of law in Ohio, she looks forward to using her experience to benefit members of her local community and work towards achieving equity for all Americans.

She can be reached at nhale@cair.com.

Nida Imam J.D., M.B.A. – Legal Fellow

Nida A. Imam is a Legal Fellow for the Cleveland and Northern Ohio Chapter of CAIR-Ohio. Born in Pakistan, Nida moved to the United States at a young age and has since lived in NYC, Detroit, and Fort Wayne before settling in Cleveland. Currently a third-year law student at Cleveland State University College of Law, Nida is passionate about addressing legal inequities and helping individuals overcome barriers to justice.

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

Mariam O. – Executive Assistant & Communications Coordinator

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

Anisa Liban – Government Affairs Coordinator

She can be reached at govaffairsOH@cair.com

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