About
Criterion
Team

Assad Koshul is originally from Pakistan and grew up in the New York Metro area.

He Is an Accounting/Finance, Organizational Development, Change Management, Leadership and Human Capital Development Professional with experience in diverse industries in developed and emerging markets.

He has been a community activist since an early age and has worked with diverse groups for social justice causes.

He has been involved in several projects to benefit his ancestral home of Pakistan, including: East West Consulting and Training Lead Facilitator In Pakistan, Lahore Women’s College and University Workshop and Training Sessions for professors and department heads, and the Ansar Management Corporation, where he developed a financial model for the largest low income housing development projects in Pakistan.

His diverse professional experience and cross cultural competency equips him to create intellectual and emotional alignment in diverse environments and situations.

His current work focuses on knowledge integration, intellectual and conceptual framework development for professionals and activists. He also focuses on bridging the gap between academia and industry for young professionals as well as curriculum and workshop development for diverse audiences.

He is a graduate of Rutgers University, a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Scrum Master (CSM), PROSCI Change Management Certified and Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD).

Imam Zaid Shakir was born in Berkeley, California, in 1956, one of seven siblings. He was raised in Atlanta, Georgia and New Britain, Connecticut. During his school years he was active in sports, focusing on football and track. He converted to Islam in 1977 while serving in the United States Air Force.

Even before converting to Islam, he was concerned about communal change, leading him to briefly embrace communism and working on the cases of Joan Little and the Wilmington Ten. His desire to effect meaningful change after converting led to his assisting in founding three masjids in New Brunswick, New Jersey, New Haven, Connecticut, and Oakland, California, as well as other organizations such as the Connecticut Muslim Coordinating Committee and the Tri-State Muslim Educational Initiative.

Imam Zaid is a spiritual philosopher, aligns different intellectual traditions and creates intellectual frameworks, with which to harmonize individuals, families, and societies. He is a visionary leader who is a change agent who places emphasis on spiritual, mental and physical health.

He is a graduate of the US Air Force Supervisory Training Program, ESL Teacher’s Training Program, American University, and Rutgers University Graduate School, where he obtained a Masters Degree (MA) in Political Science.

Imam Zaid is passionate about education and writing, having authored four books and a plethora of articles dealing with various subjects. He is a cofounder of Zaytuna College, the country’s first accredited Muslim College liberal Arts college.

He is a signatory of a declaration in support of the Paris Climate Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and authored the Muslim response to Pope Francis’ Encyclical on Climate Change, Laudato si’. He is an urban gardener as well as an artist and poet. His goal is to see a strong and viable Muslim community, whose roots are firmly planted in the soil tilled by the African Muslims whose sacrifices were so instrumental in building this country, and whose branches provide shade for the entire community in all of its diversity.

Mohsin A Khan is a University of Chicago trained neurologist and sleep disorders specialist. He is an assistant professor at the University of Illinois College of Medicine and is the Medical Director of the Mercyhealth Sleep Disorders Center in Rockford IL.
He serves on the board of directors of Khalil Center, a leading Muslim Mental Heatlh organization. He has a special interest in the neuroscience of spirituality.

He brings penetrative insight to Criterion Concepts LLC’s curriculum from a neurological perspective, including how to learn and relearn ideas and concepts from the Seerah in a modern context.

Additionally, he and his family run a non-profit farm, the Happy Apple Farm in northern Illinois.

Aisha H.L. al-Adawiya is the founder and President of Women in Islam, Inc., an organization of Muslim women which focuses on human rights and social justice. Ms. al-Adawiya also represents Muslim women’s Non-Governmental Organizations at United Nations forums, as well as coordinating Islamic input for the Preservation of the Black Religious Heritage Documentation Project of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. She organizes and participates in conferences and other forums on Islam, Gender Equity, Conflict Resolution, Cross-Cultural Understanding, and Peace Building. Ms. al-Adawiya is consultant to numerous interfaith organizations and documentary projects on the Muslim American experience, while also serving on the boards of numerous organizations related to the interests of the global Islamic community.

Wafa Hozien, Ph.D. has been an educator and administrator for over 30 years in K12 and higher educational institutions. She is a specialist in effective educational leadership practices, multicultural education, diversity and social justice education and has written widely in these fields. Research by Dr. Hozien on how educational institutions can improve race and ethnic relations has greatly influenced schools, colleges, and universities across the United States and the world through her presentations. She has received numerous national and state accolades, most recently, she was the recipient of the Multicultural Educator of the Year Award (2017) from the State of Michigan and by being invited to the White House to consult on Inclusivity practices.

Dr. Hozien uses her research and work to spark respect for the diverse people who share space in classrooms, schools, and communities, and to prompt action for equity and justice. Her research focuses on anti-racist multicultural education, ethnic studies, and principal/superintendent preparation. Dr. Hozien has published numerous articles, as well as book chapters, encyclopedia entries and five books. She has demonstrated a strong commitment to both undergraduate and graduate teaching while also bringing in robust amounts of and conducting externally funded research in her academic field. She is a frequent presenter at national and international scholarly conferences. She earned her B.A. from William Paterson University, two master’s degrees one from Rutgers University, the other one from Seton Hall University of New Jersey, and her Ph.D. from the Pennsylvania State University.

Imam Abdul Aziz has a Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences and benefited from a traditional Islamic Education in Morocco. He retired from the university of California and Los Alamos National Laboratory Where he worked on complex projects such as nuclear waste disposal, nuclear contamination clean up and international nuclear diplomacy for nuclear non-proliferation. He is a graduate of the Hartford seminary Muslim chaplaincy program He is being working since his arrival to the U.S. In 1979 on promoting cultural understanding and interfaith harmony. His passion is to work with others in the faith community to nurture an environment where the future generations of Muslim Americans are succeeding in the American society with a strong bond to the Islamic faith with its moderate, tolerant and middle of the road practice.

He is a co-Director and Founder of the first American Muslim-Jewish Dialogue and in 1998 he led a delegation of American Muslims and Jews on a peace-seeking journey to Morocco and the Middle East.

He is also Chairman of the Board of the Ibn Asheer Institute for Islamic Studies. In the past he was a Spokesman of the Muslim Public Affairs Council and a past member of southern Nevada Interfaith Council. Dr. Abdulaziz is a Co- founder and a past president of the Santa Fe Interfaith Leadership Alliance. He is a signatory of “A common word among us”. Imam Abdulaziz is a Jumaa Khatib (Friday sermon) at Masjd Assabour masjid Altawheed and Jamai Masjid and a religious councilor with the Clark County detention center.