Staff Directory
CAIR-WA is led by a unique and diverse group of courageous, hardworking and talented people. The staff, board, interns and volunteer activists – including pro bono attorneys – have distinct roles but work toward the same goal: to advance the mission of CAIR-WA. Every person affiliated with the organization brings with them a commitment to creating and sustaining a diverse and inclusive environment.
CAIR-WA staff and interns comprise some of the most passionate people in the region who are working every day to empower American Muslims.
Meet our Staff
Imraan Siddiqi, Executive Director
Imraan Siddiqi is an advocate, nonprofit leader and prominent voice for justice in the American Muslim community. Born in Auburn, Alabama, Imraan spent most of his life in the metro Atlanta area. Throughout his career, which has spanned the corporate, entrepreneurial and nonprofit worlds, he has written extensively on the subjects of Islamophobia and issues impacting American Muslims. In 2011, Imraan joined the CAIR-Arizona Board of Directors to help re-build the chapter to serve Muslims locally. Under his board leadership, the organization was able to grow from zero to three full-time staff by 2015. In 2015, Imraan became the full-time Executive Director of CAIR-AZ, leading the chapter to become a leading force for civil rights locally.
Imraan has been a leading voice in the age of social media, such as starting the #NoBanNoWall campaign, as well as leading many nationally and globally recognized social media campaigns. He has appeared in media outlets across the world for his commentary and thoughts on a wide array of issues. He holds an MBA from Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey School of Business as well as his Bachelors in Marketing from the University of Texas-Arlington.
Outside of work, Imraan enjoys the outdoors, hiking and traveling with his wife and three sons.
Amanda Azad, Deputy Executive Director
Amanda Azad is a dedicated civil rights advocate with a strong history of advocating for Muslim communities. As the Deputy Executive Director at CAIR Washington, she helps craft CAIR Washington’s integrated advocacy approach to issues; working externally on policy and advocacy and internally on capacity, planning, and development to build communal and organizational strength.
Before starting at CAIR Washington, Amanda worked at the ACLU; first as an intern for the Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief, and then as a Litigation Fellow. Most recently, she worked as Policy Counsel at the ACLU of Arizona.
Originally from New Jersey, Amanda graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Anthropology from Stockton University where she was on the board of the Muslim Student Association.
She received her Juris Doctor and Master of Theological Studies from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia where she wrote her thesis on the criminalization of Muslims in the U.S. At Emory, Amanda was the Assistant Managing Editor on the Journal of Law and Religion. She organized and moderated several panels on issues impacting Muslim communities, including ones at Yale Law School’s RebLaw Conference and the National Lawyers Guild Convention.
During graduate school, she was the recipient of Candler’s Criminal Justice Fellowship, working at the Southern Center for Human Rights. She also worked pro bono at Project South in Atlanta.
Before attending graduate school, Amanda worked at the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy and served as an AmeriCorps VISTA at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. where she helped with capacity building for service-learning programs.
Besides her advocacy work, Amanda enjoys camping and hiking, reading books and going on road trips, and spending time with her husband and new baby - all while enjoying a good cup of coffee.
Ayoub Ahmed, Community Organizer
Ayoub Ahmed is a Community Organizer at CAIR Washington. He works with our Senior Programs & Operations Manager to ensure information and ideas move efficiently within the organization. He also serves as the first point of contact for CAIR-WA, answering phone lines and responding to general inquiry emails.
Ayoub worked with CAIR-WA in the past as both a legal intern and census canvasser and has been working with marginalized communities throughout Seattle for years. He volunteered as a mentor for Seattle Public Schools, worked with Digital Connectors teaching digital literacy to low-income communities, and tutored students at the Somali Community Center.
Ayoub graduated from University of Washington with a double major in Law, Societies, and Justice and in Sociology. He was also a Somali Student Officer during his time at UW. He plans on attending law school and becoming a civil rights lawyer.
Noor AlSaleh, Director of Operations and Philanthropy
Noor AlSaleh is the Director of Operations and Philanthropy at CAIR Washington where she develops and oversees programming relating to advocacy, organizing, and outreach for Washington’s Muslim community.
Noor was born and raised in Kuwait City, Kuwait. Prior to joining CAIR-WA, Noor earned her PhD from the Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington. Her doctoral dissertation explored experiences of discrimination and exclusion among non-citizens, religious minorities, and stateless populations in the Arabian/Persian Gulf. She studied government and Hebrew at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, and received her Master of Arts in international politics at New York University.
She is dedicated to dismantling stereotypes about Muslims – especially those about Muslim women. She started at CAIR Washington as a civil rights intern in 2016 and, "loved the work so much she had to come back!"
Contact Noor AlSaleh at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Shirin Aqa, Immigration Legal Assistant
Shirin Aqa Mustafazada joined CAIR-WA as an Immigration Legal Assistant. Prior to this role, his volunteering with CAIR-WA primarily focused on family-based applications, humanitarian applications, asylum, and removal defense. Shirin facilitates the flow of the Afghanistan Crisis Response Clinic (ACRC) and is responsible for reviewing the clinic’s inquiries, establishing contact with individuals in need of the ACRC’s legal services.
Shirin has an Associate's Degree in Legal Administration from Green River College Auburn Washington his Law degree in Afghanistan. He is also a licensed attorney in Afghanistan.Prior to moving to the United States, he worked extensively with refugees and their resettlement as a volunteer and CJ working for the government.
Shirin Aqa speaks Farsi-Dari. When he is not working, Shirin Aqa enjoys assisting Afghan community center, playing volleyball, and pickleball.
Alex Baron, Senior Staff Attorney
Alex Baron is a Senior Staff Attorney who works with the Immigrant Justice Project as well as handling civil rights and discrimination cases.
Alex worked in science publishing before going to law school, where he found that immigration law combined his interests in geography and communication with his devotion to service. Prior to joining CAIR Washington, Alex ran a solo practice with a focus on asylum and removal defense. He speaks Amharic and basic Spanish.
Alex has a JD from the University of Washington and a Master of Science degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Outside of work, Alex enjoys music, reading, and spending time with his family.
Faiza Duale, Immigrant Justice Attorney
Faiza is an Immigration Attorney primarily focusing of family-based applications, humanitarian applications, asylum and removal defense.
She is barred in the State of California and received her Masters (LLM) in Sustainable International Development from the University of Washington and her Law degree in Kenya. She is also a licensed attorney in Kenya.
Prior to moving to the United States, she worked extensively with refugees and their resettlement as an attorney working for the government.
Faiza speaks Somali and Swahili. When she is not working, Faiza enjoys taking long road trips and sitting by the beach or exploring nature.
Contact Faiza at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Jim Maher, Legal Program Administrator
Jim Maher is the Legal Program Administrator at CAIR Washington. He serves as the first point of contact for people seeking legal assistance and works with the legal team to successfully resolve complaints submitted by community members. In addition, Jim works to identify both evolving legislation at the federal, state, and local level and advocacy issues that may impact the Muslim community in Washington state.
Jim earned his Bachelor of Arts in Finance at Washington State University (WSU) in 1985 and his MBA from WSU in 1988. He worked in manufacturing cost management at the Boeing Company for nine years before starting his own private investment company in 1998. Additionally, Jim has served in a variety of roles on nonprofit boards including the Masonic Retirement Center of Washington and the Seattle Youth Symphony.
After spending 20 years working in the investment field, Jim realized his real passion is law and assisting those who need help. In 2013, Jim obtained his Paralegal Plus Certificate from Highline College. After completing his paralegal training, he worked with a variety of nonprofit legal organizations including Eastside Legal Assistance Program in Bellevue and Dependency CASA at the King County Superior Court in Kent. He joined the civil rights team at CAIR Washington in 2015 and is proud to assist Muslim Washingtonians in securing their rights.
Jim is married to Donna who is an instructor at Renton Technical College and has one daughter, Susannah, who recently earned her Master of Marine Affairs degree from the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs at the University of Washington.
Anessa Novasio, Immigration Attorney
Anessa Novasio is an Immigration Attorney who is thrilled to be a part of the CAIR Washington team assisting immigrants and their family members obtain critical immigration benefits and relief.
Anessa received her JD in 2011 from the City University of New York School of Law, and a BA in Media Studies from Hunter College (CUNY). Barred in Washington State since 2012 and admitted to the US District Court for the Western District of Washington, Anessa’s legal career has focused on meeting the civil legal needs of immigrants, domestic violence survivors, workers and others in legal or financial crisis. Before working at CAIR Washington, she ran a sliding scale law firm in Seattle’s south end for over a decade. Anessa has served at various legal clinics and pro bono programs, including Northwest Immigrants' Rights Project, El Centro de la Raza Legal Clinic, and King County Volunteer Legal Services. She is a proud member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and currently serves as the co-chair of the AILA-WA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.
When she is not working, Anessa loves reading novels, laughing with friends, hanging out with her pet bunny rabbits and cat, and mountain biking with her husband.
Contact Anessa Novasio at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Najma Osman, Policy Associate
Najma Osman is the Policy Associate at CAIR Washington where she engages in policy research, legislative advocacy and public education. Prior to CAIR Washington, Najma graduated from the University of Washington with a Bachelor of Arts in Medical Anthropology and Global Health. As a student, she was a mentor for the “Mentor Power for Success” program with the Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity and was President of the Somali Student Association (SSA).
Najma also worked as a field coordinator for MAMA AMAAN – a perinatal research project with Somali Health Board and University of Washington, where she coordinated in providing culturally congruent perinatal education and healthcare services for women in low-income communities.
Najma is currently a Master of Public Health- Health Management and Policy candidate. She believes that advocacy in policies and legislation play a critical part in health, and that understanding the intersection of social justice and health is key to addressing health inequities. With her MPH degree, Najma intends to focus on reducing the barriers marginalized communities face and promote the well-being and health of communities globally through systemic policy change.
Contact Najma Osman at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Angelique Rodriguez, Policy Assistant
Angelique Rodriguez is the Immigrant Rights Administrator at CAIR Washington. She facilitates the flow of the Afghanistan Crisis Response Clinic (ACRC) and is responsible for reviewing the clinic’s inquiries, establishing contact with individuals in need of the ACRC’s legal services, and assisting the ACRC director with the clinic’s logistics, programming, and outreach.
Prior to working at CAIR Washington, Angelique was involved in policy and advocacy work in immigrant communities in the greater Seattle area. Some of her work includes being a voting member on North Seattle’s College Council, tutoring and mentoring students in predominantly immigrant communities, and facilitating workshops on equity and oppression with Global Visionaries.
Angelique’s experiences living in the segregated city of Seattle, coupled with knowledge she acquired from policy work, along with her personal and familial connection to immigration, led her to become deeply dedicated to the realm of policy and law. Both her experiences and studies revealed to her that policy and law impact every aspect of people’s everyday lives, and these impacts are by no means equitable across community lines. In her work, Angelique strives to center immigrant voices and experiences at the forefront of policy and law.
Contact Angelique at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Matin Rokhsefat, Operations and Community Specialist
Matin Rokhsefat is the Operations and Community Specialist at CAIR Washington. She holds a PhD from the Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations at the University of Toronto. Her areas of expertise are Middle Eastern history and Islamic studies.
In addition to her academic interests and endeavors, Matin is passionate about diversity & inclusion, and of engaging individuals in their community. She aims at empowering people and organizations to reach their full potential. She loves to mentor and help advance individuals towards leadership goals and career paths. Matin is trilingual with fluency in English, French and Farsi/Persian.
Contact Matin at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Hannah Vickner Hough, Senior Immigration Attorney
Hannah Vickner Hough is an Senior Immigration Attorney who has focused her legal practice on supporting immigrants as they navigate the immigration processing systems and defend themselves from deportation in court proceedings. She has worked for migrants, refugees and immigrants; specifically, those directly impacted by changing immigration policy, and affected by domestic violence, human rights abuses, involuntary migration and human trafficking.
Throughout her career, Hannah has been an attorney for clients filing affirmative applications to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and in removal proceedings before the Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR). She has assisted individuals seeking immigration relief in the areas of: asylum, adjustment of status, Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) applications and visas for trafficking survivors and victims of violence.
Hannah was admitted to practice before the United State District Court for the Western District of New York and was sworn in as a member of the NY State Bar in 2010. She is also a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. Originally from Western NY, Hannah is a recent transplant to the PNW.
Katie Walker, Senior Communications and Marketing Strategist
Katie Walker is the Senior Communications and Marketing Strategist at CAIR Washington, playing a critical role in crafting CAIR-WA's strategic advocacy communications, implementing marketing and fundraising campaigns, and building data and communications infrastructure. Katie is the primary point of contact for media outlets and journalists.
Before joining CAIR Washington, Katie worked in marketing and communications to advance social good organizations for nearly a decade. This work has included public health initiatives around STIs and HIV/AIDS, fundraising campaigns for K-12 education, protections for trans and gender expansive students, and empowering young people to make their voices heard through art and writing. Katie considers marketing tools to be a powerful way to reach and represent traditionally marginalized communities.
Katie holds a BFA from Washington University in St. Louis, and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Washington.
Contact Katie at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Meet our Board of Directors
Osama Hamdan, Board President
Osama joined the CAIR Washington board in 2019. He has been working to empower the local Muslim community since moving to the Seattle area in 1996.
A graduate of Xavier University of Louisiana, Osama has worked to uplift minority communities by connecting them with technology. He ran for Redmond City Council twice and continues to work at getting Muslims involved in the political process.
Osama has also served as a board member at Medina Academy, a local Islamic school focused on building future Muslim leaders.
Nimco Bulale, Board Member
Nimco Bulale is a professor and an education policy expert with extensive experience working with community-based organizations and coalitions that work to strengthen the voices of disenfranchised communities to promote a more just society.
Nimco was born in Mogadishu, Somalia and raised in Seattle. Nimco is fluent in Somali and proficient in Spanish. She received her Master’s in Public Administration with a focus on nonprofit leadership and local government administration from Seattle University. Previously, Nimco attended the University of Washington where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in International Studies with a focus on foreign policy, diplomacy, peace and security. Nimco volunteers with various community-based organizations and coalitions.
Nimco is passionate about closing the achievement gap in education, empowering refugee and immigrant communities, and breaking down the systemic barriers to opportunity. Moreover, Nimco is committed to working to address the root causes of injustice, building power, and creating equitable change in her community.
During her free time Nimco enjoys traveling, discovering new coffee shops, spending time with her family, as well as enjoying Seattle’s impressive selection of restaurants.
Ahmed Gaya, Board Treasurer
Ahmed joined the CAIR Washington board in 2019.
Ahmed has spent the last 15 years running social justice campaigns in the United States, Canada and Europe. He is currently the Senior Strategist for Climate Justice and Migration at the National Partnership for New Americans. In that role he helps the immigrant rights movement respond to the challenges of the climate crisis. Prior to this Ahmed lead the electoral program for the Sunrise Movement where he was an early and outspoken supporter of prominent Muslim-American candidates like Ilhan Omar, Abdul El-Sayed, and Rashida Tlaib.
Yusra Hamidani, Board Member
Yusra Hamidani is a product manager at The Boeing Company and an active leader within the Greater Seattle community.
As an IT Professional she has led the evaluation and implementation of projects, plans, strategies, and processes to support organizational goals. Yusra enjoys piecing together the skills and knowledge she has acquired from her diverse array of experiences to enable organizations to operate in a competitive global market.
Yusra holds a Masters of Science in Engineering Technology from Purdue University, as well as a Bachelors of Business Administration from Gonzaga University.
As a Muslim-Pakistani-American, Yusra recognizes the gap in representation of minority groups in the corporate realm. In order to bridge this gap she is actively supporting youth leaders to build their self-advocacy skills within the post-secondary education system and transition into the corporate arena. Yusra also serves as a board member of the Degrees of Change organization, a non-profit supporting the development of diverse, homegrown leaders to succeed in college and use their degrees to build more vibrant and equitable communities. Yusra is a 2020 recipient of the Women of Color Rising Star Technologist award for demonstrating outstanding achievement in shaping technology for the future.
In her free time, Yusra enjoys traveling, hiking and experimenting with new food cuisine recipes.
Adasha Turner, Board Member
Adasha Turner (CNIM R EEG T) is a retired board certified Surgical/Clinical Neurophysiologic Specialist (IONM). She is the owner of Adasha Turner Neurodiagnostic Services with prior employment and contracts at UW Rehab, Stanford Traumatic Brain Injury Institute, Harvard Massachusetts General Hospital, and University of Arizona. She performed real time biofeedback studies including mapping of the eloquent cortex of the brain, spinal cord, and nerve conduction pathways during neurosurgery, cardiovascular and orthopedic trauma surgeries.
In 2019, Adasha founded the nonprofit, Modest Family Solutions dba Ummah Sustained Institute; a 4-H partnership youth development program that empowers youths’ spiritual and emotional journeys by applying life skills and an understanding of human rights literacy and action-based entrepreneurship education in social studies, ecology and environmental science.
Adasha is currently a WSU Extension Master Gardener intern, Snohomish County Sustainable Community Stewards & Waste Warrior, WSU Extension Diversity Inclusion “Facing Racism” Speaker, and WSU Extension 4-H Volunteer.
With over 25 years of homeschooling experience, Adasha is the Vice Principal of Muslim Association of Puget Sound (MAPS) Sunday School. She serves on a programming subcommittee for MAPS’ Committee of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (CDEI) and MAPS’ Social Leadership Team. She helped organize: “Uplifting Sisterhood; Black in Islam,” “George Flyod: Stand in Solidarity,” and Juneteenth programs. She also serves as a responder for MAPS-MCRC Covid-19 Response Triage Team.
In her free time, she co-produces the up-and-coming “Unapologetically Black and Muslim” podcast. She enjoys hosting the “Ummah Sustained: Jr Master Gardener” program and modeling stewardship and sustainable resources with her daughter.
Sumayyah Waheed, Board Member
Sumayyah Waheed is a consultant with over fifteen years of experience in legal and policy advocacy at the local, state and national levels.
She directed the All In For Washington campaign to flip Washington state's upside-down tax code so that all communities thrive, and led statewide juvenile and criminal justice campaigns at the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights in Oakland, California. There, she played a cornerstone role in the movement to dismantle California’s youth prison system. She has also worked for Color of Change, the nation's largest online racial justice organization, and city and county governments. Sumayyah earned her J.D. from U.C. Berkeley School of Law and her B.A. from The Ohio State University.
Other than civil rights, her passions include poetry, Islamic art, and sunny beaches.
Meet our Website Development Team
Mariño Carranza
Mariño Carranza is part of the Website Development Team at CAIR Washington, helping support the Media Department. Mariño is a Guatemalan immigrant who has lived in the Seattle area for the last twenty years. He grew up working at a print shop owned by his family. He is currently working in a print company as a Prepress Technician.
Mariño has volunteered with Bethany North Community Church, serving breakfast several times a month at the Methadone Clinic in Shoreline; Mary’s Place, translating documents into Spanish and video voice over; Shoreline Little League, assistant coach. He believes that serving is a way in which one finds growth and serving those who serve the larger community is a way to find hope.
Mariño studied Business Administration at Universidad Mariano Galvez in Guatemala City, and web development at Code Fellows and UW Professional and Continuing Education. He is an avid soccer player, baseball fan, father of two and husband of one.
Asma Masude
Asma Masude is a member of the Website Development Team at CAIR Washington. She is excited about using her love of design and web development in conjunction with her passion for social justice to help CAIR’s website run smoothly.
Most of Asma’s website development experience has been in the form of personal passion projects and she loves being an active member of her community. She has previously been an intern with the Washington Bus where she researched and advocated for pieces of progressive legislation. She is currently a student at the University of Washington pursuing a BA in Law, Societies, and Justice and a minor in Informatics. In her free time, Asma loves to write, read, and crochet things for the people she loves!
Salman Mughal
Salman Mughal has been a volunteer on the Website Development Team at CAIR Washington since 2017, where he helps to maintain and strengthen CAIR Washington’s web presence, messaging, and communication.
Salman was born in Lahore, Pakistan and was raised in Massachusetts and Illinois before getting a degree in Computer Science from Princeton University. He then moved to Seattle to work at Microsoft, where he spent over two decades as a Software Engineer before leaving to try his hand at consulting, but was also inspired by his daughters to teach computer programming to students of all ages. Since 2015, he’s taught students of all ages from kindergarten to high school the basics of programming, game-building, electronic circuits, and robotics, and currently teaches AP Computer Science at a local high school.
Salman is proud to volunteer with an organization such as CAIR Washington which promotes civil rights and equality, opposes bigotry and hatred, and protects the most vulnerable. In his free time, he enjoys travel, good food, a good soccer match, and all things sci-fi.