The ISB Leadership Institute (ISBLI) is an initiative of the Islamic Speakers Bureau of Atlanta geared to cultivate leaders with a purpose. ISBLI educates and prepares professional and community leaders who are committed to shaping a better collective future.
Relying on renowned thought leaders and topic-related practitioners. ISBLI trains and cultivates civic leaders who create positive and constructive changes within their communities. By encouraging sustainable approaches to creating a more prosperous and peaceful planet within communities, ISBLI’s Fellows and Alumni add value in the public square.
“Service to others is the rent you pay here for your room on earth.” — Muhammad Ali
Vision
ISBLI trains and cultivates competent and effective civic leaders from within the diverse communities throughout Georgia.
Mission
ISBLI increases and elevates the civic engagement of Muslim and other leaders within the public sector in order to create a more vibrant, inclusive, and interconnected civic environment equipped to overcome local and global challenges
ISBLI Core Values
EXCELLENCE – We embrace accountability for excellence in planning, effort, and outcomes.
INTEGRITY – We adhere to truthfulness, honesty and “walking the talk” of the leader.
SERVICE – We put the needs of those we serve above our own personal needs and desires.
“The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers” — Ralph Nader
ISBLI Participants Will
- Strengthen their capacities to advance sustainable development in their communities
- Improve their leadership skills
- Gain a better understanding of community leadership and become more effective as community leaders
- Join a vibrant statewide network of civic leaders making an impact on our local and global communities
ISBLI Graduates will support Organizations and Communities with
- Stronger, more effective leaders who improve team functioning and productivity
- Networking connections and resources that can help advance the organization’s goals
“True leaders understand that leadership is not about them but about those they serve. It is
not about exalting themselves but about lifting others up.” — Sheri L. Dew
Eligibility
To be eligible to apply for the program, participants must be at least 25 years old and must complete the application process. ISBLI candidates should have a proven passion for civic engagement and community service, prior leadership experience, and experience working within groups and organizations. ISBLI implements a standardized candidate screening process that includes interviews of qualified applicants. Participants must commit to attending all ISBLI formal and informal sessions.
This program is not limited to the Muslim community. Participants from ALL backgrounds are welcome and encouraged to apply.
The tuition fees for the ISBLI 2024 are as follows:
Full Tuition $1,750.00 ($1500 if application received by November 30, 2023).
Limited scholarships may be available on a need basis for up to 30% of the fee. Financial necessity will have to be documented and demonstrated. Please see the application for details. The attendance requirements for scholarship recipients are the same as that for all program participants.
Early Bird Deadline: March 31st
Application Deadline: April 30th
Tuition Payment Deadline: June 14th
ATTENDANCE POLICY
Participants may miss only ONE session. Upon second absence, the student is placed on probation. In case of termination of the participant, any tuition paid is nonrefundable.
Schedule
The Four Building Blocks of ISBLI
Cultivate:
ISBLI develops competent, knowledgeable, courageous, and action-oriented leaders who apply their leadership skills to civic engagement initiatives and organizations to respond to development challenges throughout the communities in which they live and work.
Connect:
Participants meet and learn from leaders in the business and non-profit sectors, government, international organizations, and community organizations to gain a better understanding of how to effectively lead change in their respective spheres of influence. The ISBLI Alumni Network is a tremendous resource for networking, mentoring, and mobilizing people and resources towards aspirational goals.
Inspire:
ISBLI develops leaders who apply critical thinking and creativity to solve current and future issues.
Work:
ISBLI participants work on group projects that affords them practical opportunities to do “real world application” of the content learned in the program. The projects reinforce learning, generate teamwork, and benefit civic initiatives.
ISBLI is a nine-month program featuring a series of leadership modules developed by thought leaders and practitioners. The time commitment for ISBLI participants is one full Saturday per month for the duration of the program plus time for the group project. The ISBLI uses a modular curriculum building competencies in:
- Leading Teams
- Personal Leadership
- Transformative Leadership
- Leading Inclusively
- Leadership in Islam
- Conflict Resolution
- Non-Profit Leadership
- Business Communication
- Advocacy
More Benefits
Presenters/Guest Speakers:
The ISBLI curriculum is presented by experts in each of the competency areas. Our holistic approach to leadership training and development maximizes learning, retention, and application of new skills by participants. In addition, guest speakers, such as well-established faith, corporate and nonprofit professionals, share their diverse perspectives and experiences as community leaders. Participants learn how these subject matter experts practically apply leadership principles and skills in real-world scenarios. The guest speakers afford participants the opportunity to interact with men and women at the top of their fields, gaining additional insights and connections
Applied Learning – Group Projects:
As part of the ISBLI experience, participants are organized into teams to work on group projects. These projects are selected from proposals from various non-profits and are designed to address specific needs and/or solve key problems. These are “real-world” projects that generate actual value to organizations and the larger society. Each ISBLI group project team is responsible for establishing working protocols, deliverable timelines, and facilitating the project from start to finish. An advisor from the ISBLI Team and a project sponsor from the non-profit organization are assigned to each group. The teams provide updates at each monthly ISBLI session. The groups present their projects to key stakeholders as well as the entire ISBLI cohort at the end of the session.
ISBLI Fellows
ISBLI Faculty
Kim Howard-Carswell
Persona Affairs’ award-winning CEO Kim Howard-Carswell, “Branding Ombuds” takes a unifying approach to
career branding, operations, workplace conflicts, and leadership development. As a lead international Ethno-
nonviolence trainer for FEHN and Nigeria’s Presidential Amnesty program, she helped transform over 20,000
Niger Delta militants (featured on CNN’s Planet in Peril) into successful employees and productive citizens.
After Kim’s global experience as a Kingian Nonviolence Trainer, she harmonized the organizational conflict system
design and ombudsperson methods into the actionable strategy.
Throughout her career, Kim has authored numerous training curricula as well as three self-marketing
books. Kim served as the Southern Christian Leadership Foundation CLF Program Manager for US
Department “Ambassador for Peace” Nonviolence Training project. She is an Advisory Board Member
and Guest Lecturer at Georgia Institute of Technology’s School of Interactive Computing.
Kim earned the “Top 1%” LinkedIn User distinction and national recognition as The 2016 American
Business Women. She served on the Atlanta Area Council African and Southeast Asian Delegation and
facilitated dialogues with progressive leaders in government, NGOs, and business from over 15
countries.
For three years, she used her international prowess in conflict reconciliation and served as The King
Center’s Director of Nonviolence365® Training & Development to modernize complex business
operations, portfolio of instruction and structured the pilot delivery for a virtual leadership program. In
addition, to advising, Kim is a member of the International Ombudsman Association’s Diversity Equity
and Inclusion Task Force – Belonging Committee.
Kim is a New York native who relocated to Atlanta to raise her family. She earned a Bachelor of Arts
degree in Communications from Georgia State University. Kim pursued a Master of Science in Conflict
Management from Kennesaw State University and Women as 21st Century Leadership at Park
University. Among other endeavors, she acquired certifications in Advanced Mediation, Organizational
Conflict Management, Negotiations, and International Kingian Nonviolence Conflict Reconciliation from
The University of Rhode Island and Emory University.
Terri Theisen
Theisen Consulting is a national management consulting firm providing strategic counsel to nonprofit organizations, grantmaking foundations, coalitions and collaboratives, corporate civic engagement programs, and government agencies throughout the United States. Theisen Consulting has expertise in strategic and tactical planning, group facilitation and decision-making, board development and effectiveness, capitalization of nonprofit organizations, and organizational development. Theisen Consulting provides services in planning, board development, management, governance, executive search, executive coaching, and civic engagement. Practice concentrations include public health, education, human services, arts and culture, and nonprofit management.
Prior to founding Theisen Consulting, Terri spent more than twenty years as a nonprofit staff leader. She served as CEO of a regional nonprofit; as vice president of two large national nonprofits where she had responsibility for the field operation of more than 30 affiliates, and as an internal management consultant in a large national nonprofit organization. Throughout her career, she held various staff positions in program management, public policy, senior leadership, and operations.
Terri is an active and committed volunteer. She chaired the 2016 Women’s Leadership Breakfast for United Way of Greater Atlanta and serves on the Global Women’s Leadership Council of Women United for United Way Worldwide. She is past chair of the Women’s Leadership Council of the United Way of Greater Atlanta and is a past chair of the Women of Tocqueville Society. Terri is a board member, executive committee member, and treasurer of the National Psoriasis Foundation, a $16 million nonprofit organization dedicated to finding a cure for psoriatic diseases. Terri is a board member of Jewish Family & Career Services, a $13 million human service nonprofit in Atlanta, Georgia, and is a board member of the Sandy Springs Foundation.
Terri is an active alumna of Leadership Atlanta (class of 2007.) She is past chair of the Board of Hands On Atlanta and currently serves on its Advisory Board. She is a past board member of the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Foundation; a past board member (and current Advisory Board member) of the Visiting Nurse Health System/Hospice Atlanta; and is a member of many other civic and professional associations, including the American Public Health Association and the American Society of Association Executives. Terri is a 2005 graduate of the Diversity Leadership Academy, is a sought-after speaker and conference session leader including for the BoardSource Leadership Forum, Council on Foundations, Grantmakers in the Arts, the Georgia Society of CPAs, and the Council of Volunteer Administrators. She has been interviewed by numerous industry publications focused on the nonprofit sector. Terri is the author of two books: Nonprofit Business Plan Development: From Vision, Mission, and Values to Implementation, and Succession Planning for Nonprofit Leadership: Steps to Ensuring Your Organization’s Future,as well as numerous articles related to nonprofit management and effectiveness.
Vicki Flier Hudson
Vicki has two decades of experience helping leaders and organizations get results. Her corporate training background and her expertise in multi-country software implementations help her speak the language of her clients. Vicki is certified in TTI Success Insights DISC and 12 Driving Forces. She is also a certified administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI), a registered mediator with the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution, and a trained coach through the Co-Active Institute.
Vicki has lived and/or worked in Belgium, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Nepal and Thailand She developed a knack for riding camels, rickshaws, buses, and cement trucks across the globe, and enduring Indian train rides exceeding fifty-five hours at a time. She has traveled in several countries including Austria, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, England, Greece, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Jordan, Malaysia, Mexico, Panama and Singapore. She is a proud member of the International Coaching Federation, and has been active in organizations such as the Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research (SIETAR), Japan-America Society of Georgia, and the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG). She served on the Board of Directors for the Georgia Indo-American Chamber of Commerce and TAG’s International Business Society. In her spare time, Vicki sings and plays guitar in a Rush tribute band, The Spirit of Rush.
Amir Ghannad
Rita Wuebbeler
Rita is a certified Executive Coach and holds a PCC (Professional Certified Coach) credential from the International Coaching Federation (IFC). She is a Senior Facilitator with Personal Leadership Seminars, a Qualified Administrator for the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI), and a certified administrator of the DISC Behavioral Profile. Rita regularly presents at international professional conferences on the topics of leadership development, cultural competency building, effective communication and organizational development, as well as in industry-specific areas.
Jeremy Solomons
Natosha Reid-Rice
Natosha Reid Rice is Habitat for Humanity International’s first Global Diversity,
Equity and Inclusion Officer and is leading the development and the execution
of Habitat’s global strategy for diversity, equity and inclusion.
In her previous role at Habitat as Associate General Counsel, Natosha initiated
and managed financing programs and strategies to generate sources of capital
to enable Habitat affiliates to build affordable housing with families throughout
the U.S. In addition to her work at Habitat, Natosha served as an Associate
Pastor at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, GA for 11 years
before now serving as All Saints’ Episcopal Church’s Minister for Public Life.
Prior to joining Habitat, she practiced law in the commercial real estate
practices of Alston & Bird LLP, in Atlanta, Georgia and at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind,
Wharton and Garrison in New York City. While at these firms, her practice
focused on commercial real estate development transactions, acquisitions,
dispositions and leasing.
Natosha is passionate about providing a voice to the voiceless and opportunities
to communities that have been historically disadvantaged. Shortly after
graduating from college, she was chosen by the King Center for Nonviolent
Change and Harvard University, as one of 5 students, to implement a voter
education program with the South African Nonpartisan Voter Education
Program in preparation for South Africa’s first democratic elections. She
trained over 6,000 people in Cape Town, South Africa who then participated in
the election that led to the election of President Nelson Mandela in 1994.
Rachael Bregman
Rabbi Rachael Bregman has been the Berman Family Rabbinate Rabbi in Brunswick, GA since 2013. She is a fellow at Rabbis Without Borders and the Institute for Jewish Spirituality. Rachael is a co-founder of Tzedek Georgia, the Reform Movement’s social justice arm for the state of Georgia, and of Glynn Clergy for Equity–a clergy group committed to creating better equity in Glynn County, GA. Beyond Judaism and justice, Rachael has engaged in many outdoor pursuits, bakes semi-professionally, was a Lieutenant in the US Navy and is a mom to both a tiny human and a rescue dog.
Zaynab Ansari
Zaynab Ansari has served as a member of the full-time faculty of Tayseer Seminary since its founding in 2014 when she joined the Muslim Community of Knoxville in the pioneering role of women’s scholar-in-residence, one of the first women to serve in such a capacity in an Islamic institution in North America. With over 20 years of experience as a public speaker, facilitator of interfaith dialogue, youth mentor, and an instructor of the Islamic Sciences, Ustadha Zaynab is committed to reviving the Prophetic model of community and training the next generation of Muslim leaders, workers, and activists.
Ustadha Zaynab considers herself a lifelong student of traditional Islam and she was blessed to spend her formative years studying in Damascus, Syria with both male and female scholars of the Qur’an, Islamic law, theology, and spirituality. Prior to settling in Knoxville, Ustadha Zaynab was based in Atlanta, where she earned degrees in World History and Middle Eastern Studies from Georgia State University, and dedicated her free time to volunteering with the award- winning Islamic Speakers Bureau of Atlanta.
In addition to her work inside the classroom at Tayseer Seminary, Ustadha Zaynab is active with several nonprofit organizations and teaches online classes on a number of topics, including Qur’anic Sciences, Hadith, and Women in Islam.
ISBLI Faculty
Kim Howard-Carswell
Persona Affairs’ award-winning CEO Kim Howard-Carswell, “Branding Ombuds” takes a unifying approach to
career branding, operations, workplace conflicts, and leadership development. As a lead international Ethno-
nonviolence trainer for FEHN and Nigeria’s Presidential Amnesty program, she helped transform over 20,000
Niger Delta militants (featured on CNN’s Planet in Peril) into successful employees and productive citizens.
After Kim’s global experience as a Kingian Nonviolence Trainer, she harmonized the organizational conflict system
design and ombudsperson methods into the actionable strategy.
Throughout her career, Kim has authored numerous training curricula as well as three self-marketing
books. Kim served as the Southern Christian Leadership Foundation CLF Program Manager for US
Department “Ambassador for Peace” Nonviolence Training project. She is an Advisory Board Member
and Guest Lecturer at Georgia Institute of Technology’s School of Interactive Computing.
Kim earned the “Top 1%” LinkedIn User distinction and national recognition as The 2016 American
Business Women. She served on the Atlanta Area Council African and Southeast Asian Delegation and
facilitated dialogues with progressive leaders in government, NGOs, and business from over 15
countries.
For three years, she used her international prowess in conflict reconciliation and served as The King
Center’s Director of Nonviolence365® Training & Development to modernize complex business
operations, portfolio of instruction and structured the pilot delivery for a virtual leadership program. In
addition, to advising, Kim is a member of the International Ombudsman Association’s Diversity Equity
and Inclusion Task Force – Belonging Committee.
Kim is a New York native who relocated to Atlanta to raise her family. She earned a Bachelor of Arts
degree in Communications from Georgia State University. Kim pursued a Master of Science in Conflict
Management from Kennesaw State University and Women as 21st Century Leadership at Park
University. Among other endeavors, she acquired certifications in Advanced Mediation, Organizational
Conflict Management, Negotiations, and International Kingian Nonviolence Conflict Reconciliation from
The University of Rhode Island and Emory University.
Terri Theisen
Theisen Consulting is a national management consulting firm providing strategic counsel to nonprofit organizations, grantmaking foundations, coalitions and collaboratives, corporate civic engagement programs, and government agencies throughout the United States. Theisen Consulting has expertise in strategic and tactical planning, group facilitation and decision-making, board development and effectiveness, capitalization of nonprofit organizations, and organizational development. Theisen Consulting provides services in planning, board development, management, governance, executive search, executive coaching, and civic engagement. Practice concentrations include public health, education, human services, arts and culture, and nonprofit management.
Prior to founding Theisen Consulting, Terri spent more than twenty years as a nonprofit staff leader. She served as CEO of a regional nonprofit; as vice president of two large national nonprofits where she had responsibility for the field operation of more than 30 affiliates, and as an internal management consultant in a large national nonprofit organization. Throughout her career, she held various staff positions in program management, public policy, senior leadership, and operations.
Terri is an active and committed volunteer. She chaired the 2016 Women’s Leadership Breakfast for United Way of Greater Atlanta and serves on the Global Women’s Leadership Council of Women United for United Way Worldwide. She is past chair of the Women’s Leadership Council of the United Way of Greater Atlanta and is a past chair of the Women of Tocqueville Society. Terri is a board member, executive committee member, and treasurer of the National Psoriasis Foundation, a $16 million nonprofit organization dedicated to finding a cure for psoriatic diseases. Terri is a board member of Jewish Family & Career Services, a $13 million human service nonprofit in Atlanta, Georgia, and is a board member of the Sandy Springs Foundation.
Terri is an active alumna of Leadership Atlanta (class of 2007.) She is past chair of the Board of Hands On Atlanta and currently serves on its Advisory Board. She is a past board member of the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Foundation; a past board member (and current Advisory Board member) of the Visiting Nurse Health System/Hospice Atlanta; and is a member of many other civic and professional associations, including the American Public Health Association and the American Society of Association Executives. Terri is a 2005 graduate of the Diversity Leadership Academy, is a sought-after speaker and conference session leader including for the BoardSource Leadership Forum, Council on Foundations, Grantmakers in the Arts, the Georgia Society of CPAs, and the Council of Volunteer Administrators. She has been interviewed by numerous industry publications focused on the nonprofit sector. Terri is the author of two books: Nonprofit Business Plan Development: From Vision, Mission, and Values to Implementation, and Succession Planning for Nonprofit Leadership: Steps to Ensuring Your Organization’s Future,as well as numerous articles related to nonprofit management and effectiveness.
Vicki Flier Hudson
Vicki has two decades of experience helping leaders and organizations get results. Her corporate training background and her expertise in multi-country software implementations help her speak the language of her clients. Vicki is certified in TTI Success Insights DISC and 12 Driving Forces. She is also a certified administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI), a registered mediator with the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution, and a trained coach through the Co-Active Institute.
Vicki has lived and/or worked in Belgium, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Nepal and Thailand She developed a knack for riding camels, rickshaws, buses, and cement trucks across the globe, and enduring Indian train rides exceeding fifty-five hours at a time. She has traveled in several countries including Austria, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, England, Greece, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Jordan, Malaysia, Mexico, Panama and Singapore. She is a proud member of the International Coaching Federation, and has been active in organizations such as the Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research (SIETAR), Japan-America Society of Georgia, and the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG). She served on the Board of Directors for the Georgia Indo-American Chamber of Commerce and TAG’s International Business Society. In her spare time, Vicki sings and plays guitar in a Rush tribute band, The Spirit of Rush.
Amir Ghannad
Rita Wuebbeler
Rita is a certified Executive Coach and holds a PCC (Professional Certified Coach) credential from the International Coaching Federation (IFC). She is a Senior Facilitator with Personal Leadership Seminars, a Qualified Administrator for the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI), and a certified administrator of the DISC Behavioral Profile. Rita regularly presents at international professional conferences on the topics of leadership development, cultural competency building, effective communication and organizational development, as well as in industry-specific areas.
Jeremy Solomons
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