Team

Team

Sarah Sayeed, Founder, President, is a freelance journalist who covers State Department and other news in the Washington, DC area. She meets regularly with community leaders, scholars and business entities to foster and develop intercultural and religious awareness. Sarah served as a member of the Women’s Empowerment Action Team on Education at the State Department led by Ambassador Shireen Tahir-Kheli, where she was involved in suggesting and discussing ways media can be used to make education more accessible to women and girls around the world. Sarah completed her A' Levels in History and Economics in Kuwait and graduated with a triple major in Economics, Political Science and International Studies from Southern Methodist University. Sarah currently serves on the Board of Directors of The Women's Centre a non-profit counseling and resource facility that addresses the personal, professional, legal and financial concerns of women and their families.

John Boyer, Founder, Executive Director, helped establish the Media Education Laboratory and taught broadcast journalism at Rutgers University-Newark. He has more than twenty years experience as a public television producer specializing in international media issues and media education. A program he initiated for the PBS series Inside Story with Hodding Carter critically analyzing U.S. media coverage of the Soviet Union won many awards including a national Emmy. His works include the acclaimed documentary, On Television: Teach The Children about the regulation of children’s television with Edwin Newman, and Media Literacy: The New Basic? with John Merrow, special correspondent for education with the NewsHour on PBS. John is a graduate of the Defense Language Institute in German Language Studies and served at Field Station Berlin from 1968 - 71 developing his interest in cross-cultural communication viewing the Rashomon of East German, West German and American TV news reports.

Sasan Afsoosi, Media Producer, has more than 15 years of experience as a documentary TV producer and photographer covering international cultural subjects, including news, architectural styles, religious values and nomadic life styles. He has worked for Agence France Press, Time Warner Cable, Press TV, Washington Life Magazine, and numerous other news agencies and magazines. His work has appeared in many international exhibitions and books. He is currently completing ”Women’s Life in Iran.” Sasan has worked as senior technical project manager for Sprint Nextel, AOL, EDS, GlobalOne, Kodak and New Yorker Magazine’s Cartoon Bank Project. He completed his MA in Communications/Film Production from American University in Washington DC.

Steve Klein, Electronic Media Director, is a journalist, teacher, media consultant, sports content specialist and online writing instructor, with a proven ability to work and communicate with people, and a cross-platform vision for academic and professional journalism. Steve is coordinator of the Electronic Journalism program in the Communication Department at George Mason University, teaching classes in Writing Across Media, Online Journalism, Sports Writing and Reporting, Political Journalism, among others. He also leads a summer Global Education program in Ireland. A working journalist for most of his career at several newspapers (USA Today, the Lansing State Journal, the Stamford Advocate, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Akron Beacon Journal, the South Bend Tribune, the Wisconsin State Journal), Steve has taught at Michigan State University, American University, Cape Cod Community College and GMU for 20 years.

Patrick Reilly, Chief Social Media Officer, is a Silicon Valley intellectual property attorney experienced in the issues of creative rights and new media. His law practice includes patent prosecution and intellectual property rights licensing in the areas of software, Internet technologies and semiconductor devices; patent portfolio sales; and business strategy development. As founder and CEO of the Intellectual Property Society Patrick produces and hosts educational seminars and videoblogs in collaboration with organizations like the High Tech Law Institute of Santa Clara University. He specializes in bringing together leading academics, high technology entrepreneurs and creative workers to discuss new and emerging legal issues that are redefining the possibilities and dynamics of world culture. Patrick is a graduate of the Defense Language Institute in Russian Language Studies, with a BS in Sociology from the State University of New York; a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Toledo; and a JD from Concord University. He is a member of the U.S. Patent Bar and the California State Bar.

Jamalyah Sulayman, Web Project Manager joined oneblue in January of 2009 as a volunteer, working with our vendors to design and update the website. She enjoys interfaith and intercultural events and dialogues, and is interested in helping to promote the mission of oneblue. Jamalyah is a Quality Assurance Engineer with over 7 years experience in the technology, health and financial services industries. She is a graduate of the University of Washington with a degree in Information Systems, and a certificate in International Studies in Business, along with a minor in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations

Noon Salih, Youth Coordinator, is a student at George Mason University’s School of Public Policy earning a Master’s in International Commerce and Policy. With a B.A. in communications and a minor in business, Noon is actively engaged in a variety of programs concerning the media and international relations. As the founder and president of the Sudanese Student’s Association at George Mason University, she organized a forum promoting Sudanese culture and awareness of the humanitarian crisis affecting women in Darfur. She previously worked as an intern at CNN’s Situation Room and held past positions at the U.S. Committee for the United Nations Development Program and WETA TV, the flagship PBS station in Washington, DC. Noon plans eventually to work in her homeland of Sudan in community-building projects and to contribute to the further development of objective media throughout Africa.

Board of Advisors

Karen Armstrong was a Roman Catholic nun before earning her degree in literature from Oxford University and taught for many years at the University of London and the prestigious Leo Baeck College for the Study of Judaism. She has written extensively on what Islam, Judaism and Christianity have in common, including A History of God, Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths, and The Battle for God. Her most recent books include The Bible: A Biography; The Great Transformation: The Beginning of Our Religious Traditions; Muhammed: A Prophet for Our Time; A Short History of Myth, The Spiral Staircase, and Faith After September 11. She is a member of the High Level Group of the U.N. Alliance of Civilizations. She won the TED prize in 2008 to establish a Charter for Compassion .

Sulayman Nyang teaches at Howard University in Washington, D.C. where he serves as Professor of African Studies and is co-director of Muslims in the American Public Square, a research project funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts. He has served on the boards of the African Studies Association, the American Council for the Study of Islamic Societies and the Association of Muslim Social Scientists. Professor Nyang has written extensively on Islamic, African and Middle Eastern affairs. Best known for Islam, Christianity and African Identity, he has also contributed over a dozen chapters in books on Islamic,African and Middle Eastern subjects. He is a co-author of Muslims in the Public Square : Hopes, Fears, and Aspirations, and the author of Islam in the United States of America. His numerous scholarly pieces have appeared in African, American, European and Asian journals.

John L. Esposito is University Professor, Professor of Religion and International Affairs, Professor of Islamic Studies and Founding Director of the Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding (ACMCU) at the Edmund Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University. He is editor-in-chief of the four-volume The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World, The Oxford History of Islam, The Oxford Dictionary of Islam and author of more than thirty-five books including Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think (with D. Mogahed) and Unholy War: Terror in the Name of Islam. He is a member of the High Level Group of the U.N. Alliance of Civilizations.

Mark LeVine is Professor of modern Middle Eastern history, culture and Islamic studies at the University of California - Irvine. He is the author and editor of more than half a dozen books, including Heavy Metal Islam: Rock, Resistance, and the Struggle for the Soul of Islam; Impossible Peace: Israel/Palestine Since 1989; and Why They Don't Hate Us: Lifting the Veil on the Axis of Evil. As a musician he has recorded, performed and toured with artists including Mick Jagger, Chuck D, Michael Franti, Dr. John, Ozomatli, Hassan Hakmoun, Arab/Muslim heavy metal and hiphop artists The Kordz (Lebanon), MC Rai (Tunisia), Salman Ahmed (Junoon--Pakistan), Cafe Mira (Morocco, Algeria, France), Ghidian Qaymari (Palestine), and Lazywall (Tangier-Reading). Articles, music and media clips available at www.culturejamming.org.

Zeeshan Zaidi works in the entertainment and digital media fields in both creative and business capacities. He is currently Chief Operating Officer and Head of Global for Lime Wire, the world's most popular peer to peer (P2P) file sharing program. Previously, he was COO and Head of Business Development for Nabbr, an online media startup that distributes premium video entertainment content and brand advertising to a Generation Y audience. Before Nabbr, he spent seven years at Sony BMG as VP of New Ventures for Sony BMG Global Digital Business Group, VP, Digital Business Operations for RCA Music Group, and Sr. Director, Marketing for Arista Records, where he helped develop the careers of superstars such as Avril Lavigne, Usher, Santana, OutKast, Pink, Dido and many others. Zeeshan received an AB from Harvard University, an MBA from Harvard Business School and a JD from Harvard Law School, and is admitted to the New York State bar.