MLFA’s 1st Nonprofit Governance Forum brought together more than 100 nonprofit leaders, board members, and community stakeholders in Chicago and marked an important step in equipping community organizations with the tools, insights, and legal awareness needed to protect their missions.
Featuring award-winning keynote speaker Arwa Damon, former CNN and war correspondent, and founder of INARA, along with opening remarks by MLFA Board Chairman, Dr. Hatem Bazian, MLFA’s Nonprofit Governance Director, Antonio Glenn, and Venu Gupta, Executive Director of the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights. We held a few breakout sessions led by, Sana Saleem, Huma Khan, Ricardo Juan Simmonds, Afshan Paarlberg, Ellen Farwell, Eeman Shebley, Jinan Chehade, Sufia Khalid, Hina Shamsi, and closed our day with our CEO, Arshia Ali-Khan. The forum offered practical guidance on the pressures Muslim-led organizations face today. Attendees described this event as deeply impactful and strongly needed, reflecting the strength of a program designed to help institutions lead with greater clarity, accountability, and resilience. MLFA is grateful to our sponsors and partners, including Baitulmaal, Qalam Institute, Stearns Bank, Zakat Foundation of America, Islamic Relief, WF Fund, Women Donors Network, Catholic Theological Union, and LaunchGood. Their support helped make this important gathering possible.
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