December 29, 2022
As-Salaamu Alaykum. May God’s Peace and Blessings Be Upon You.
I am writing on behalf of the CAIR-Ohio, Cleveland Chapter Board to update you on the next generation of leadership that will be stepping forward to lead CAIR in the Cleveland and Northern Ohio region. As you may know, we have been working closely with our current Executive Director, Sr. Julia Shearson, on our succession plans to ensure that we have a smooth transition as we go forward.
After an extensive executive director search process, the Board decided that promoting leadership from within our ranks was the best way to preserve institutional memory and ensure continuity of efforts.
As such, we are pleased to announce officially that Sr. Faten Odeh has accepted the Board’s request to serve as our incoming Interim Executive Director. Her candidacy was advanced via an independent review process by our Executive Search Committee who determined that she possesses the passion, commitment, and skills to lead our office forward as part of the CAIR-Ohio team.
In light of the transition, Sr. Faten has stepped down from her role on the CAIR-Ohio, Cleveland chapter Board where she had served since 2019 and more recently as the Chair of the Board Effectiveness Committee. Sr. Faten will be working alongside Sr. Julia for a short period to help ensure a smooth hand-off of the reins.
Sr. Faten has plans to focus on further program development, capacity building, and educational outreach with a special focus on youth development. Her skills as an educator will serve her well in this role. Sr. Faten has degrees in communications and political science as well as an advanced degree in the field of education. In addition, she has a certification in fundraising management (CFRM) from the Center for Muslim Philanthropy at Indiana University. This certification will serve her well as she works on the capacity building and fund development aspect of the executive director role.
As President of the Cleveland chapter Board, I ask that you continue to support our organization through this transition. We are grateful to Sr. Julia for all her service to the community. We are excited and hopeful regarding the next stages of our organizational growth.
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Sr. Faten or members of our Board.
May Allah (swt) reward you for your continuing support and prayers.
Sincerely,
Ahmad Banna, MD FACC
CAIR-Ohio, Cleveland Chapter President
cc: CAIR-Ohio, Cleveland Chapter Board: M. Isam Zaiem, Treasurer; Aisha Samad, Secretary;
Faheem Shaikh, ED Search Committee Chair; Wali A. Shariff; Dr. Ihsan Ul-Haque; Humera Khan;
Dr. Yasser Armanazi; Melaak Rashid; Abdinor Abdullahi