Our Staff

 

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Ahmed RehabExecutive Director

Ahmed Rehab

Executive Director

Ahmed Rehab

Executive Director

Ahmed Rehab is CAIR-Chicago's Executive Director. Rehab is a regular contributor to the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Public Radio. Rehab is the founder of MyJihad Inc., a global PR and outreach campaign that seeks to take back Islam from Muslim and Anti-Muslims extremists alike. He is also the founder of theChicagoMonitor.com, The Muslim Youth Leadership Symposium, and the Co-founder of Bridge Initiative at Georgetown University. Prior to joining CAIR in August of 2004, Rehab was a freelance speaker, writer, and activist in the fields of interfaith collaboration, education, and community outreach. Between 1999 and 2002, Rehab served as a consultant for Arthur Andersen LLP – a global consulting firm. Rehab served on the board of the Illinois Coalition of Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR). He also served on IL. Governor Pat Quinn’s Muslim Advisory Council, and as vice-chairman of RegugeeONE, Illinois’ premiere refugee resettlement organization. He is a former board member and secretary of the Egyptian American Society, a member of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs’ (CCGA) Muslim task force, an Eisenhower fellow of the American Assembly, and alumnus of the FBI Citizen’s Academy. More


Maggie Slavin

Operations Manager

Maggie Slavin

Operations Manager

Maggie Slavin is the Operations Manager at CAIR-Chicago. Maggie graduated from Saint Mary's College (Indiana) with a degree in Communications and Arabic before becoming a New York City Teaching Fellow in 2015. Upon graduation from the Teaching Fellows program, Maggie was selected as a Fulbright scholar to Jordan from the U.S. Department of State in 2016 where she developed educational programming for Syrian refugees and served as a cultural ambassador for the United States. After her Fulbright year, Maggie continued as a classroom teacher for 4 more years at a public high school in Brooklyn, New York where she developed the school's first Arabic language class. Upon moving to Chicago in 2021, she taught in Chicago Public Schools for 2 years and served as a delegate to the Chicago Teacher's Union before joining CAIR-Chicago. Maggie can be reached at mslavin@cair.com


Phil Robertson

Litigation Director

Phil Robertson, Esq.

Litigation Director

Phil Robertson is CAIR-Chicago's Litigation Director. Phil received his Bachelor's degree in journalism from Marquette University and his law degree from Northern Illinois University. After passing the bar, Phil opened his own law practice in DeKalb, Illinois, focusing on personal injury, criminal and family law cases. In 1993, he took an appointment as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Illinois in the General Law Bureau of the Illinois Attorney General's Office in Chicago. There, he focused on civil rights cases on behalf of several departments and agencies in the state. Since then, Phil has worked in a variety of areas - in both the private and public sector - including real estate, land use and zoning, municipal, government and administrative law, labor and employment security, charitable trust law, whistleblower cases, health care and pharmaceutical law, elder law, estate planning, tax law and debt collection. In 2002, he became the Director of the Rockford Regional Office for the Illinois Attorney General's Office. He can be reached at probertson@cair.com.


Joseph Milburn, Esq.

Staff Attorney

Joseph Milburn, Esq.

Staff Attorney

Joseph Milburn is CAIR-Chicago’s Staff Attorney. He was born and raised in Saint Louis and he graduated from DePaul University College of Law where he obtained a Certificate in Public Interest Law. He has also worked and volunteered with a handful of non-profit organizations throughout Chicago. During law school, Joseph was President of the Muslim Law Student's Association where he coordinated and hosted events with other student organizations on various topics of interest to the law school community. Most notably during law school he was a law clerk for CAIR-Chicago. In his spare time he is presently in the process of learning the Arabic language and has volunteered to help individuals with disabilities such as Autism and ADHD. He can be reached at j-milburn@cair.com.


Erin P.R. Davis, MCM

Communications Coordinator

Erin P.R. Davis, MCM

Communications Coordinator

Erin Davis is CAIR-Chicago’s Communications Coordinator. Davis completed her undergraduate at DePaul University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications and Media. She also obtained a double minor in Public Relations & Advertising and the Chinese Language. Davis is also studying at the USC Annenberg School for Communications and Journalism, where she is working on receiving a Master’s in Communication Management with a focus on Marketing Communications. Since 2018, Erin has worked with nonprofit and for-profit organizations to help raise awareness, build and manage business reputation and cultivate consumer relationships. Her work has allowed her to collaborate with many organizations and institutes, such as Lurie Children’s Hospital and the Bears Care Foundation (an official nonprofit organization for the Chicago Bears). In addition, she has helped plan, coordinate and execute special and regional events to implement educational programs for children living in underserved communities.  Davis has also worked with establishing her marketing agency called Invested Affairs, LLC. IA is a small marketing enterprise that provides full-service Social Media, Public Relations, and Website development. Since 2018, she has helped local businesses and entrepreneurs use the method of storytelling to help capture attention. Davis aims to add meaning to the information companies want to introduce to their audience. She can be reached at epdavis@cair.com.


Bassam Arnaout

Outreach Coordinator

Bassam Arnaout

Outreach Coordinator

Originally from Syria, Bassam understands the importance of the advocacy work that CAIR does for the Muslim community. He graduated with a B.A. in Sociology and Economics from UIC. As the Outreach Coordinator, Bassam plays a pivotal role in building relationships with local communities, organizations, and individuals who share CAIR’s mission. Bassam also uses his experience as a former educator to inspire high school and college students to navigate their career choices in the civil rights field. In his spare time, Bassam enjoys trying out different cuisines and learning new Judo techniques. He can be reached at barnaout@cair.com.


Gazala Ali

Administrative Assistant

Gazala graduated with a B.A. in Sociology and holds a Certificate in Islamic Education. She has more than ten years of extensive experience in providing comprehensive administrative support across diverse organizations. Her professional journey spans in teaching, active participation in private schools, and a profound dedication and passion to nonprofit causes. Gazala possesses an unwavering commitment to attaining organizational objectives, promoting positive change, and collaborating with fellow members for a overall improvement. Inspired by CAIR’s advocacy work, she is eager to contribute within the current socio-political landscape. Beyond her professional endeavors, she finds joy in traveling and spending quality time with family. She can be reached at gali@cair.com.


Haazim Patel

Haazim Patel

American Muslim Eco-System Coordinator

Haazim Patel

American Muslim Eco-System Coordinator

Haazim Patel is the American Muslim Eco-System Coordinator working jointly with CAIR-Chicago and MLFA. With a strong academic background, earning a B.S. from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee in May 2023 in Biomedical Science and Technology. As a Software Engineer Intern at a Stealth FinTech Startup, he played a pivotal role in software design, coding, and debugging. His project management and community engagement skills were further honed as a Project Manager and Marketing intern at Helping Hands, where he demonstrated dedication to outreach and mission promotion. This commitment continued in his role as an Outreach Coordinator at Young Muslims, where he fostered positive relationships, executed successful outreach plans, and contributed significantly to the growth of the local Muslim community. Haazim's diverse skill set and passion for making a meaningful impact on both the technical and community fronts make him a valuable addition. You can connect with Haazim Patel by reaching out via email at Hpatel@cair.com or Haazim.Patel@mlfa.org



Sufyan Sohel, Esq.

Senior Advisor of Special Projects

Sufyan Sohel, Esq.

Senior Advisor of Special Projects

Sufyan Sohel serves as CAIR-Chicago’s Senior Advisor of Special Projects. Sufyan is a trained mediator and facilitator, and speaks frequently on topics of social justice, civil rights, and diversity.  Before CAIR-Chicago, he worked with DePaul University‘s International Human Rights Law Institute and the Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights where he researched global human rights abuses, with a focus on gender violence, and helped develop rule of law, community education, and advocacy programs alongside international partners.

Sufyan earned his undergraduate degree from Tulane University and holds a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) and a Master of Science in Finance (M.S.) from DePaul University.  Sufyan is a Cook County Human Rights Commissioner and on the board of directors for the Chicago Access Network Television (CAN-TV), the Greater Chicago Legal Clinic, and ACLU of Illinois, where he serves as the organization’s Affiliate Equity Officer. He proudly serves on the Chicago City Clerk’s Civic Engagement Advisory Council, the Red Cross of Illinois Diversity & Inclusion Task Force, and the DePaul Law Diversity Council, and is a volunteer magician with Open Heart Magic.  Sufyan is a recipient of the Chicago Bar Association’s Vanguard Award, the DePaul College of Law Young Alumnus Award, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Community Leadership Award, and is a 2018 Fellow of Leadership Greater Chicago. He can be reached at ssohel@cair.com.


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