Kenneth Gamble

Musician/Activist

Kenneth Gamble is a native of South Philadelphia.  His career has been one of giving back to the city where he was born.  He first gained the public’s attention through his musical career, but equally impressive (and important to him) are his efforts in public service.
 
He first gained fame for having written, produced, recorded, and published more than 3,000 songs performed by artists such as The Jackson Five, Teddy Pendergrass, Billy Paul, Lou Rawls, and many others.  A Grammy Award-winning artist, he and writing partner Leon A. Huff were inducted into the National Academy of Songwriters Hall of Fame; the Grammy’s Lifetime Achievement Hall of Fame; and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
 
An activist in Philadelphia, Mr. Gamble has played major roles in the formation of Clean Up The Ghetto, The African American Foundation, The Universal Community of Truth, and the South Philadelphia Ministries Task Force. As founder and chairman of Universal Community Homes and one of the largest African American holders of real estate in Southwest Central Philadelphia, Kenneth Gamble has used his success to begin a neighborhood revitalization effort. 

Ausma Khan

Muslim Girl Magazine

Ausma Khan is the editor in chief of Muslim Girl magazine, a bi-monthly, North American publication. The first magazine to address a target audience of young Muslim women, Ms. Khan describes Muslim Girl as an opportunity to re-shape the conversation about Muslim women in North America.
 
Ausma Khan holds a Ph.D. in international human rights law from Osgoode Hall Law School, where her research specialization was humanitarian intervention and war crimes in the Balkans. Ms. Khan completed her LL.B. at the University of Ottawa and her B.A. in English literature and sociology at the University of Toronto.
            
Ms. Khan practiced immigration law in Toronto and has taught international human rights law at Northwestern University, as well as human rights and business law at York University. She is a long-time community activist and writer and has both published and produced her own fiction. She is a contributor to the women’s anthology Her Mother’s Ashes 2, edited by Nurjehan Aziz and continues to write for Muslim Girl.

Lena Khan

2007 Grand Prize Winner

An aspiring filmmaker, Lena Khan graduated summa cum laude and received undergraduate degrees at the University of California, Los Angeles in political science and history, after which she went on to graduate at the top of her class in film at the prestigious UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television. Since then, Lena has written and directed several films. Her most recent project, A Land Called Paradise, won the grand prize of $20,000 in LinkTV's "One Nation, Many Voices" film contest. A Land Called Paradise, with a budget of approximately $500, has also been licensed by the State Department for use on its America.gov web site and for presentation to 30 foreign embassies. The video has become an Internet sensation, noted on Queen Rania's "Favorites" section on her web site and receiving hundreds of thousands of hits on YouTube and various blogs.

Lena has also gained experience at noted production companies such as Participant Productions (Syriana, The Kite Runner) and Valhalla Motion Pictures (The Incredible Hulk, Armageddon). She has been honored as a guest speaker at various universities; profiled in USA Today, the New York Times, the Riverside-Press Enterprise, and various other media outlets; won Sony Entertainment Television's South Asian Excellence Award for contributions to entertainment; received the Activist of the Year award from The Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR); and most recently was recognized as an emerging filmmaker to watch at MPAC's 2008 Media Awards. 

Callie Khouri

Screenwriter/Director

Callie Khouri galvanized women and sparked nationwide debate in 1991 with the hit movie Thelma and Louise, her screenwriting debut, for which she received an Oscar.

Her second picture, released in August 1995, was Something to Talk About for Warner Brothers pictures, starring Julia Roberts, Dennis Quaid, Gena Rowlands, Robert Duvall, and Kyra Sedgwick.

Her directorial debut was in June 2002 with Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, which she also adapted for the screen. It starred Sandra Bullock, Ashley Judd, Ellen Burstyn, and James Garner.

In 2006, Ms. Khouri collaborated with legendary television producer Steven Bochco to create an original television series for ABC/Touchstone titled Hollis and Rae for which she wrote and directed the pilot. Most recently, Ms. Khouri has finished directing her second feature film titled Mad Money. The film stars Diane Keaton, Queen Latifa, Katie Holmes and Ted Danson. It was released in January 2008.

Born in Texas and raised in Kentucky, Callie Khouri attended Purdue University, where she majored in drama. She currently resides in the Los Angeles area.

Chris Lowney

Writer

Chris Lowney is a former Jesuit seminarian and who later served as a managing director for JP Morgan & Co. in Tokyo, Singapore, London, and New York.

Prior to that, he was a Jesuit seminarian for seven years. He is a summa cum laude graduate of Fordham University, where he also received his M.A. and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He is holder of honorary doctoral degrees from Marymount Manhattan University, St. Louis University, and from the University of Great Falls. Lowney serves on the board of directors of the NY Nativity collaborative of middle schools, on the board of Company magazine, and on the board of One Nation.

He is the author of Heroic Leadership: Best Practices from a 450-Year-Old Company that Changed the World, and also of A Vanished Word: Muslims, Christians, and Jews in Medieval Spain. He currently resides in New York.

Preacher Moss

Comedian

Preacher Moss is considered one of the top Muslim comedians in the world. As the architect of the world famous Allah Made Me Funny Muslim comedy tour, he has provided a format for some of the young stars in the business like Azhar Usman, Mo Amer, Azeem Muhammad, and countless others.

He recently produced a full-length feature film called, Allah Made Me Funny - Live in Concert. Preacher Moss has been profiled on the BBC, CBC, Reuters, CBS Sunday Morning, Fox New Dayside, C-Span, BET ComicView, and VH1. He has served as writer/consultant to major comedians such as Damon Wayans, George Lopez, and Darrell Hammond of Saturday Night Live, and written for Nickelodeon, and The George Lopez Show.

Recently named the 2008 APCA Diversity Speaker of the Year, Preacher Moss is considered one of the best lecturers on the college circuit with his End of Racism comedy and lecture tour.

Kareem Salama

Musician

Kareem Salama is a country music artist born and raised in Ponca City, a small town at the edge of Green Country in Oklahoma. In addition to being a musician Kareem holds a degree in chemical engineering as well as a graduate degree in law.

He began writing songs when he was young and says his love of classical Western and Arabic poetry gave him a good foundation for his songwriting. As a child, Kareem's parents exposed him to many things in Oklahoma: water painting, boxing, Indian tribal powwows, country and bluegrass music, rodeos, and the theatre.

Kareem says his music reflects his broad interests. In 2006 he completed his first album, Generous Peace followed by his second album last year, This Life of Mine. He currently makes his home in Richmond, Texas and when he isn't touring, writing new songs or furthering his law career, he is also working on a novel.