After a thorough and rigorous search process, led by ISNA’s executive committee and a reputable recruitment firm, the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) is pleased to welcome Basharat Saleem as its new Executive Director.
Basharat brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise in the areas of nonprofit management, leadership development, event management and more. Immediately before accepting this appointment, Basharat served as the Director of conferences and events, at the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), nation’s most broad-based journalism organization founded in 1909. At SPJ, he managed the annual convention, journalism awards program, Scripps training programs, and other events.
Basharat is no stranger to ISNA, prior to his current position with SPJ, Basharat served as ISNA’s Director of convention, conferences, and special projects for more than 15 years. In this role he oversaw ISNA’s annual convention, conferences and other programs. More importantly, his role gave him deep and critical knowledge of ISNA’s mission, vision, and strategic priorities as well as meaningful relationships and interactions with Muslim communities and leaders giving him the ability not only to contribute to the development of meaningful programs to serve the community but also the skills and relationships to implement them.
Basharat constantly updates his knowledge and professional skills; he has completed a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) degree in Finance from the University of Indianapolis. He also completed a fellowship program in Non-Profit Management and Philanthropy from the Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). In addition, Basharat is a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) and has received certifications in Fundraising Management (CFRM), and Project Management from (IUPUI).
“Basharat brings the right mix of education, experience, and extensive knowledge of ISNA and its constituencies to this most critical position” said ISNA President Dr. Syed Syeed. “I and the rest of the leadership of ISNA look forward to working with Basharat to take our beloved organization to the next level” he added.
