IEF Board of Governors
The Islamic Education Foundation of NJ (IEF) was founded in 1983 by members of the Islamic Center of Jersey City (ICJC) as Al-Ghazaly School. As the community expanded rapidly and the number of enrolled students grew in the 1990s, the ICJC collaborated with the Islamic Center of Passaic County (ICPC) and North Hudson Islamic Education Center (NHIEC) to open the dedicated high school in Teaneck, NJ and additional elementary school in Prospect Park, NJ. As the IEF constitution currently stands, the IEF Board of Governors is comprised of 7 voting members, 2 appointed by each of the above Islamic Centers and the 7th position appointed by the school’s Parent Teacher Organization. The Executive Director of the IEF serves as a non-voting member of board.
Meet the Board Members
Dr. Saed Abbassi, Chairman
Dr. Saeed Abbassi is one of the longest serving board members of the IEF and a founder of many Islamic organizations in New Jersey and USA. Five of his children graduated from the IEF system and hold leadership positions in these Islamic Organizations and significant contributors to the community. He currently has two children in the IEF system and serves as the Chairman of the Board. He also serves on the board of the North Hudson Islamic Education Center (NHIEC).
Br. Ahmed Shedeed, Vice Chariman
Br. Ahmed Shedeed is a long standing member and stalwart of the NJ Muslim Community, particularly in Jersey City. He is the executive director and chairman of the storied Islamic Center of Jersey City, one the first mosques in NJ and the original location of Al-Ghazaly School. He is an active leader in local politics and is currently an appointee of the Jersey City planning board. He has served as board member of the IEF for many years and has been a big contributors to its growth during this time.
Br. Karim Maasarani, Treasurer
Karim is a graduate of the IEF. He graduated in 2005 and went on to NJIT where he earned a Masters in BioMedical Engineering. After working in the engineering field, Karim went back to business school where he graduated from Columbia Unversity with Honors.
Karim is currently a Vice President at a Venture Capital and Private Equity firm in NYC where he invests in the next generation of medical technologies.
Karim is mosty proud of his extracurriculars where he is an active member of the IEF Board and is Board treasurer for the Islamic Center of Passaic County.
Dr. Suha Siam
Dr. Suha Siam has three children who enrolled at Al-Ghazaly High School. She has been helping IEF since 2018 and volunteers with several other Islamic organizations that serve the community. She has been an educator for over 20 years. She holds two Bachelor’s Degrees in Mathematics Education and Computer Science, a Master’s Degree in Applied Mathematics, and a Doctoral Degree in Educational Leadership with a specialty in Curriculum and Instruction.
Suha was a full-time university instructor and curriculum coordinator at NJIT for 10 years, where she was ranked among the top 25 professors in the country out of one million. Business Insider named her as one of the best 25 professors in America. She received an Excellence in Teaching Award at NJIT and was recognized for her accomplishments as curriculum coordinator. Afterwards, she opened a school in Florida where she served as the Principal and then became the Executive Director. Her school was ranked as one of the top 10 in the state and has been receiving a School of Excellence Award every year. Suha is also a lead evaluator for the largest accreditation organization where she reviews schools around the country for accreditation.
Dr. Ahmad Qatanani
Dr. Ahmad Qatanani is an alumni of Al-Ghazaly (Class of 2008) who obtained his BS degree in Biomedical Engineering from NJIT (2012) and worked as a project engineer for Stryker Orthopedics developing surgical implants. He went on to obtain his medical degree from Rowan-Virtua School of Medicine (NJ) and is currently doing his Internal Medicine residency at Hackensack University Medical Center.
Dr. Ahmad has long been involved in the service of the NJ Muslim community. Ahmad was a long-term member of the (Islamic Center of Passaic County) ICPC Youth Committee and helped found and develop the annual ICPC youth camp. He was a founding member of the IAMY (Institute of American Muslim Youth) annual convention and served as chairman in 2016. He is a member of the ICPC outreach committee.
Ahmad looks forward to contributing to the IEF Board of Trustees and helping grow Islamic education in New Jersey. He resides in Paterson, NJ with his wife and 2 kids who attend Al-Hikmah.
Br. Ameer Abuawadeh
Br. Ameer is a graduate of Al-Ghazaly school, Class of 2003. He received his degree in biomedical engineering from New Jersey Institute of Technology. He has been a successful business owner for over 20 years. He joined the IEF Board in 2019 and previously served on the board of the North Hudson Islamic Education Center (NHIEC).
Br. Hassan Mahmoud
Hassan Mahmood is a licensed civil engineer and leverages his expertise to support the budget and property planning for the IEF. He has served on the IEF board for many years and has three children all of whom graduated from the IEF schools.