The Mecca Center congratulates board member Dr. Asra Ali who has been newly elected as an executive committee board member of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA). Dr. Ali’s efforts with ISNA will aim to foster the development of the Muslim community, interfaith relations, civic engagement, and a better understanding of Islam.
Dr. Ali lives in the Chicago suburbs, where she is a practicing dentist and a clinical faculty member/associate professor at Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine.
She is a graduate of Northwestern University where she received her undergraduate degree, Purdue University for her master’s degree, and Indiana University School of Dentistry for her graduate degree. Dr. Ali is an active member of her community, serving in many leadership roles — she is a board member at the Mecca Center in Willowbrook, Illinois, and is involved with many other service, civic, and philanthropic organizations in the Chicago area.
On a national level, she is chair of the MSA scholarship review committee, has served as the co-chair of the ISNA national convention steering committee over the last three years, is a member of the ISNA mosque development initiative, and has served on the narrative committee and sustainer’s circle. She is a 2017 cohort of the El Hibri Foundation’s Harvard Kennedy School community organizing/ leadership training program. In 2016 the Muslim Women’s Alliance recognized Dr. Ali with the Inspiring Women Award for her passion for excellence in all she does and her services to the community.
In her free time she enjoys traveling, reading, decorating, running, and following Chicago sports. In a statement, Dr. Ali said: “I’d first like to commend ISNA’s leadership and members on the adoption of the new bylaws. This is a momentous step forward in the history of the organization. I’m honored to serve as a member of the inaugural Executive Committee, and I’m eager to work towards helping make ISNA a stronger organization with greater services and a greater voice for the community.”
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