The activities of Cornell Muslim Life and the chaplaincy are overseen by the Board of Directors of The Diwan Foundation. Diwan was created by Muslim alumni of Cornell University as a financial vehicle to support coordinated Muslim life programming at Cornell. Diwan seeks to enhance the quality of life for self-identifying Muslims and all Cornellians, by providing resources, implementing programs, and developing opportunities for students. Diwan is a 501(c)(3) non-profit federally tax-exempt organization.
A 1990 graduate of Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine following which she completed a residency in Avian Medicine and Pathology at the University of Pennsylvania. She is presently a Senior Extension Associate at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. She and her husband Amadou have two daughters and a son.
A 2004 graduate from Cornell’s Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management. He is currently a Director and Head of Healthcare Equity Capital Markets with Highline Research Advisors in New York. He was a founding Director of Muppies, New York, an organization dedicated to mentorship and leadership development.
A 2005 graduate of Cornell University with a BS in Applied Economics and Management. She is currently an investment advisor and financial planner with Azzad Asset Management, specializing in Islamic finance and socially responsible investing. Fatima lives in the Greater Philadelphia area with her husband and son.
Nadeem graduated from Cornell’s College of Arts & Science in 1996 with a concentration in Cell Biology. Following his M.D. and residency in Pediatrics at the University of Tennessee, Memphis, he completed a clinical fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston. He is presently an Assistant Professor of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine and Neuroscience at the University of Florida College of Medicine. He and his wife reside in Gainesville.
Saad graduated from Cornell’s College of Engineering in 1998. He worked in Corporate IT for Rohm and Haas Company for several years, before launching the IT consulting firm Hassan Associates. Saad and his wife reside with their son and daughter in the greater Chicago area.
Fariha graduated with a dual degree from the College of Arts and Sciences and College of Human Ecology in 2012. After taking time off to gather work experience in health equity for people with disabilities, she now resides in New York City as a PhD candidate at NYU Wagner’s School of Public service in Health administration and Disability policy.
Khairul graduated from Cornell’s College of Architecture, Art and Planning in 2008, with a Bachelors in Urban and Regional studies, before completing his Masters in Urban Design and Social Science at the London School of Economics. He is currently with International Enterprise Singapore overseeing infrastructure and international cooperation projects with government partners in emerging markets, having previously covered business and investment promotion in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. He currently lives in Singapore.
Rong Ma graduated from the College of Arts and Sciences in 2010, double majoring in Biology and English. After completing his PhD in Integrative Biology at the University of Texas in Austin, he pursued a postdoctoral scholarship at Penn State University, where he studied the genetic mechanisms underlying social behavior using honey bees as a model. Rong completed a fellowship at Insight Data Science and is currently a data scientist at CVS Health in Chicago, where he applies machine learning algorithms to help improve healthcare systems.
The Board comprises alumni volunteers who are committed to strengthening Muslim Life at Cornell. We’re always on the lookout for more alumni and student volunteers.