Ahmed Azam – Chairman of the Board of Islamic Relief USA 

An information science and technology engineer with more than 25 years of post-secondary teaching experience in Los Angeles, Ahmed Azam is chairman of the board of directors of Islamic Relief USA (IRUSA). Ahmed leads the board in helping the executive team carry out its mission to support people in need in the U.S. and worldwide, regardless of their faith. IRUSA provides emergency response, humanitarian aid, and essential services to people in dozens of countries. In 2023 alone, the organization helped feed more than 2 million people during Ramadan and Qurbani and committed $10 million for health and education programs in Afghanistan. Ahmed Azam is also known as a leader within the diverse, growing Muslim community in Southern California. 

Mr. Azam co-founded the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California, a nonprofit collective of mosques and Muslim organizations with nearly 80 member groups and over 12,000 subscribers. Ahmed also helped found and spent 25 years as president of the Islamic Center of Hawthorne, a nonprofit that promotes unity and understanding with interfaith communities while serving the social and religious needs of Muslims in Los Angeles.  

In addition to his work within the Islamic community, Mr. Azam is a professor at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, with more than 25 years of post-secondary teaching experience. Ahmed is a member of multiple professional organizations, including the American Society for Engineering Education and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Ahmed has also served on the international editorial board for the International Business Information Management Association (IBIMA).  

Complementing his experience, Ahmed holds a master’s degree in information systems management from the Keller Graduate School of Management at DeVry University, as well as a master’s degree in information science and technology from California State University, Northridge. Ahmed completed his undergraduate degree in mathematics and computer science at Yarmouk University.