The SkinLess Conference
The first inaugural SkinLess Project Conference was held on October 19th in Downers Grove, IL. The conference featured diverse women, who are leaders, entrepreneurs, athletes, mothers, daughters and sisters who are inspiring change in their lives and communities every day.
CONFERENCE PROGRAM
Join us for all or part of the program!
8:30 AM – 9:30 AM ~ Morning Kick-Off & Breakfast
Inaugural Address: “Finding Joy” Diane Overgard – CEO, Find Joy
9:35 AM – 10:45 AM ~ PANEL I: The Deconstruction of Beauty
10:55 AM – 12:05 PM ~ PANEL II: All Three Factors: Body, Mind and Soul
12:05 PM – 12:55 PM ~ LUNCH: Finding Our Balance Presentation
1:00 PM – 2:10 PM ~ PANEL III – Breaking Your Glass Ceiling
2:20 PM – 3:30 PM ~ PANEL IV – Women as Leaders of Change – Experiences and Resources
Moderator: Ahlam Jbara, Associate Director, CIOGC
Principal Education Consultant, InnovusED
3:40 PM – 4:50 PM ~ PANEL V – Faith Fueling Change
4:50 PM – 5:30 PM ~ Networking Reception with Live Musical Entertainment
Mari Gallagher – Principal Mari Gallagher Research & Consulting Group
Mari Gallagher is President of Mari Gallagher Research & Consulting Group (
www.marigallagher.com
) and the National Center for Public Research (
www.NCforPR.org
), both headquartered in Chicago. Mari authored
Examining the Impact of Food Deserts on Public Health in Chicago
, a breakthrough study that popularized the term “Food Desert” nationally in 2006 and encouraged Congressman Bobby Rush to enter “Food Desert” language into the Farm Bill.
Mari is also Adjunct Associate Professor at Bouvé College of Health Sciences at Northeastern University in Boston where she guests lectures from time to time. And as a former practitioner, she developed a $75 million shopping centered anchored by a full-service grocery store. Mari has also worked as a community organizer to improve quality of life , community health, and economic prosperity. Her story is inspirational and includes personal accounts of how she faced and overcame some of the most daunting forces blocking positive community change.
Daliah Saper – Principle Attorney Saper Law
DALIAH SAPER is a member of the Illinois Bar and both the General Bar and Trial Bar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. She handles
high profile cases
and is frequently relied upon by the news media as a go-to expert on intellectual property, social media, and business issues. For example, Daliah has been featured on national television, radio, and in several publications including: CNBC, Fox News, NPR, WGN 720, The Chicago Tribune, National Jurist Magazine, Chicago Lawyer Magazine, Chicago Reader, Chicago Public Radio WBEZ 91.5,
P2Pnet.net
,
StyleExpose.com
, and SBTV.com. She has repeatedly received the honor of being named a
“Rising Star”
by Super Lawyers magazine, is recognized as a leading Media and Entertainment lawyer by
Chambers and Partners
, and was recently nominated for the prestigious ATHENA Young Professional
Leadership
Award. In addition to conducting
Seminars
at Saper Law on a monthly basis, Daliah is a frequent lecturer, panelist, and instructor for organizations around the city and the country. (For Daliah’s latest speaking engagements, please click on
News
.) She is on the faculty of
PLI
, Practicing Law Institute, and has been selected by Harvard Law School’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society to be a member of Harvard’s new Online Media Legal Network (OMLN). Daliah is also an adjunct professor at Loyola University Chicago School of Law, teaching a Sports and Entertainment law course.
Daliah received her J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law, where she was a staff member on the Journal of Law Technology and Policy and served as President of the Intellectual Property Law Society. Her work experience includes positions at Brinks Hofer Gilson and Lione, a large intellectual property law firm; Lawyers for the Creative Arts, a non-profit organization assisting artists; and the Anti-Defamation League, a civil rights organization. She has also worked at Playboy Enterprises, Inc., assisting with the maintenance and enforcement of Playboy’s global trademark portfolio.
Prior to starting her own firm, Daliah gained experience as a commercial litigator and negotiated settlement agreements on behalf of individuals sued by the Recording Industry Association of America. She also served as Vice President and in-house counsel of diLuce Productions, Inc., a Chicago based public relations and marketing consulting firm specializing in event production.
Daliah serves on the advisory boards of the Chicago Fashion Foundation and Social Media Week Chicago. She is an active member of the Chicago Bar Association, the Technology Executives Club, the Decalogue Society, the Standard Club, and IFP (Independent Feature Project). Through her firm, she supports and sponsors many technology and arts related organizations such as Tech Cocktail and the Midwest Independent Film Festival. She also volunteers for Lawyers for the Creative Arts, Kartemquin Films, Chicago Filmmakers, Women in Film, and Wyclef Jean’s Yele Haiti Foundation.
Finally, Daliah has extensive overseas experience, having studied at Fudan University in Shanghai and the City University School of Business in London. She speaks Hebrew and Farsi.
Sadia Ashraf – Outreach Publicist for Central Asia Institute (CAI)
Sadia Ashraf is a Los Angeles based Public relations and communications executive currently working on film production and publicity. She has spearheaded successful international publicity campaigns excelling in press relations, talent placement, philanthropic promotion, external communications and fundraising. Ms. Ashraf is additionally an activist, portrait artist, creative writer and serial volunteer.
She is a seasoned public speaker and has been a keynote speaker at Harvard, JJ Law College NY, Loyola University, University of Madison-WI and University of N. Carolina etc. A media savvy spokesperson, she has been interviewed by Comcast Newsmakers, CNN Headline News, NBC WI and NPR. Ms. Ashraf has also been published/ featured in Chicago Tribune, Loyola Magazine, O Magazine online, Washington Life , TribLocal, Joliet Herald, IllumeMedia, Patheos, Azziza, AllVoices and more.
She has been the Outreach Director for Central Asia Institute (CAI) where she documented education research and statistical data for national presentations. She was the editor of CAI’s online publications and managed their large scale fundraisers, peace conferences and galas nationally. She has previously worked as a public relations manager, art history research director and a freelance writer.
Additionally, for her community service, Ms. Ashraf is a board member of several foundations including Zindagi Trust and Shine Humanity. She holds two Masters Degrees in English and English Literature from Loyola University Chicago.
Tajani Farhan – Lead Attorney Berg & Berg Real Estate & Corporate Law
TAJANI FARHAN is the leading attorney for Berg & Berg’s real estate and corporate departments with extensive experience in both corporate and real estate law. Adding to her expertise in both fields of law, is her longstanding personal practical experience in both areas. She grew up with parents who were small business owners, therefore making her intimately aware of the challenges faced by businesses, land owners, business owners and their families.
In real estate matters, she represents clients through the entire process of buying and selling property including preparing purchase and sale agreements. Further, she has experience in land use, development, and zoning matters. In her years of experience, Tajani has acquired zoning variances on behalf of her clients, assisted in securing tax increment financing for projects, successfully fought an eminent domain matter, and performed hundreds of commercial and residential real estate closings. Moreover, Tajani has experience in all other aspects of real estate matters.
On the corporate side, Tajani represents clients with the initial start-up of their business and continues to provide counsel throughout their business’ life cycle to ensure successful growth. This includes preparing contracts related to employment matters, vendor agreements, real estate matters, copyright and trademark issues, mergers, expansion of their businesses, and everything in between. Further, she has provided assistance in acquiring MBE/WBE certification.
Tajani received her J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law, and her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Chicago with Honors. While at the University of Chicago, Tajani studied in Paris, France. She is currently a member of both the Puerto Rican Bar Association and the Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce, where she started the Women’s Business Development Committee. She was a member of the Next Generation Leadership Advisory Council for the 2016 Olympic Committee, and the State of Illinois Treasurer’s Community Affairs Council.
Finally, Tajani is fluent in Spanish and has traveled extensively.
Anisha Ismail Patel – Founder & Executive Director, Muslim Women’s Alliance & Principal, InnovusED
Anisha Ismail Patel is the Principal of InnovusED, an educational consulting firm (
www.innovusED.com
). Her company specializes in consulting, curriculum and coaching and has given her the opportunity to merge her educational expertise with her passion for community organizing. She has gained a diverse range of experiences as an educator: Being a teacher and administrator for public school students, to serving as an adjunct faculty member training future teachers at area colleges. She has culminated her gained knowledge in leading the InnovusED consultancy group, dedicated to meeting the needs of their client educational institutions.
Growing up attending an International School in Malawi, Africa she has always valued diversity. It was there that she began her non-profit work when she established the first Muslim woman’s philanthropic group in her hometown. Anisha moved to the US to further her education. She was awarded academic merit scholarships and earned a Masters in Educational Administration and Leadership from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her passion for civic engagement continued in college where she served as President of the Honors Society.
Additionally, her community service work has kindled an inspirational energy in her life . Anisha is the Founder and Executive Director of the Muslim Women’s Alliance ( www.mwachicago.org ). MWA is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization with a mission to build a strong alliance between women so that they may implement shared values by promoting the Islamic principles of philanthropy, community service, personal development and building a mutual understanding between people of diverse backgrounds. Elected as a Community Ambassador by One Chicago, One Nation she has worked on fulfilling the mission of bringing together Chicagoans of diverse faiths and cultures. Her work implementing the Women Ambassadors of Unity program was recognized by the Chicago Community Trust and led to MWA being awarded a grant to continue their interfaith initiatives. She has been invited as a public speaker to participate in events such as NPR Vocalo’s Panel discussion on Civic Engagement Initiatives and the Diversity Woman’s Conference.
Anisha cherishes her time nurturing her three young daughters with her husband. They reside in Arlington Heights, Illinois when they are not off exploring different parts of the world.
Cristal Thomas – Deputy Governor of Illinois
Cristal Thomas, MPP, is the Deputy Governor of Illinois. Appointed by Governor Quinn in February 2011 she is responsible for developing and overseeing the Governor’s policy agenda, advising the Governor on critical policy, budget and management issues, and managing key projects to implement policy and operational goals.
Ms. Thomas has devoted her career to public service. Prior to joining the Quinn Administration, she was Regional Director of the Region V Office at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the federal government’s lead agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services to the most vulnerable. As Regional Director, Ms. Thomas represented HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and the Obama Administration in direct official dealings with State, local and Tribal government officials and key external stakeholders across six states. Ms. Thomas approached this work with the belief that government works best when it is connected to the people it serves.
Before her appointment as HHS Region V Director, Ms. Thomas created and led the Ohio Executive Medicaid Management Administration, a new state office responsible for coordinating Medicaid policies and operations across six state government agencies spanning the fee-for-service, managed care, long-term care, behavioral health, public health, and developmental disability systems. She has also held positions as the Ohio Medicaid Director, and Assistant Director at the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, where she helped develop and implement the Illinois All Kids program, ensuring that all children in Illinois have access to health care coverage and medical and preventive services. She began her career as a Policy Analyst at the White House Office of Management and Budget. Ms. Thomas is a graduate of the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio and received a Masters in Public Policy from the University of Chicago. She lives in Chicago, IL.
Diane Overgard – Founder and CEO, 45 Degrees.
She is a Certified Coach and Family
Life
Educator as well as a sought-after Speaker, and published Author. She is passionate about creatively inspiring people to understand themselves, find direction for their lives and develop habits that bring them more success in both business and family
life
.
With a background in Adult Education, she understands what motivates adults to build relationships and change behaviors. In her presentations, it is obvious that she knows how adults learn and quickly establishes an energizing environment of trust and respect, with enough light-heartedness to encourage participants to open up, have fun, and try new concepts and behaviors. Her speaking format is lively and insightful, outside the traditional relationship of lecturing speaker and listening student. Her presentations are challenging, personal, and motivational – but never boring!
Diane is a former licensed parent educator with 25 years of experience teaching about family dynamics, parent-teen relationships and parenting styles. Busy professionals hire her to guide them as they find practical ways to be more effective in their work and stay connected with their families. She also coaches extensively with single adults, empowering them to add more purpose, satisfaction, contentment and joy to their careers and lives.
Diane speaks at staff trainings, business luncheons, retreats and educational conferences. She is a member of the National Council on Family Relations, Past-President of the Board for KidsMatter, Chair-Elect Naperville Chamber Women in Business, and extremely active in the community.
Jane Ramsey – Executive Director, Jewish Council on Urban Affairs
Jane Ramsey is a long-time community activist with a strong commitment to social and economic justice. She has been at the forefront of many critical issues affecting the city, including organizing coalitions on behalf of human and civil rights issues.
Ramsey is the executive director of the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, which combats poverty, racism and anti-Semitism in partnership with Chicago’s diverse communities. Guided by prophetic Jewish principles, JCUA pursues social and economic justice for Chicago’s most vulnerable neighborhoods by promoting a vision of empowering communities from within. Ramsey’s leadership since 1979 has enabled the JCUA to become one of Chicago’s most active and important organizations speaking on behalf of human and civil rights issues.
Through JCUA Ramsey works to address critical problems such as immigration, homelessness and community displacement, community reinvestment, police misconduct, government accountability and bigotry in all forms. Ramsey has been a principal organizer of coalitions that bring diverse groups together to address common concerns, including the Jewish-Muslim Community Building Initiative.
In 1986 Ramsey took a leave of absence from JCUA for two years to join Mayor Harold Washington’s cabinet, serving as director of community relations for the Office of the Mayor. In that capacity Ramsey advised the mayor on a range of issues affecting Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods.
Amongst many other awards, in 2009 Ramsey was named to “The Forward 50” list of those “leading the American Jewish community into the 21st century” by the Forward, the legendary daily publication in American journalism.
In addition Ramsey has served on numerous boards and commissions. She is a current board member of CAN-TV, the Leadership Greater Chicago Fellows Association, and the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.
She has also served on many others boards: as co-chair of the Justice Coalition of Greater Chicago, the Chicago Coalition to Protect Public Housing, the Ethics Coalition, Lake View Counseling Center, KAM Isaiah Israel Congregation, the Public Welfare Coalition, Women in Charge; and as commissioner for Private Industry Council (PIC), the Women’s Commission of the City of Chicago, and the Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism.
Ramsey has a master’s degree (1976) from The University of Chicago, School of Social Administration and a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Washington University in St. Louis. Ramsey has served as lecturer and field instructor for the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago, where she taught Organizing Communities and Coalitions for Social Change.
A long-time resident of Chicago, Ramsey is married to Lewis Rice and has four children: Joshua, Laura, Bari and Brandon.
Nadiah Mohajir – Co-Founder & Director, HEART Women & Girls
Nadiah Mohajir is co-founder and director at HEART Women & Girls. Nadiah earned her master’s degree in public health in 2009 from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She has worked in healthcare for over 10 years in a variety of settings, including but not limited to research, academics, policy, and community health. Most recently, she was a consultant for the Office on Women’s Health (OWH) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, working on a variety of different projects focusing on HIV/AIDS awareness, American Indian/Alaska Native Health, and improving the health of Chicago.
Prior to her work at the OWH, Nadiah worked on a research project focusing on improving the pregnancy outcomes of low-income Chicago women. In 2010, she was selected to serve as a One Chicago, One Nation Community Ambassador and a Fellow for the American Muslim Civic Leadership Institute. She earned her bachelor’s degree in public policy studies from University of Chicago and lives in the South Side Chicago neighborhood Hyde Park with her two children and husband.
Christine Litwicki – Personal Trainer
Christine Litwicki is a Certified Personal Trainer at Life Time Fitness. She has completed a marathon and numerous triathlons. With this experience, she has helped her clients train for and complete triathlons, and has inspired many members of Life Time to achieve their personal health and fitness goals. Her philosophy is that health and fitness are very specific to the individual. Using her undergraduate in Psychology combined with her fitness experience, she believes in educating her clients about health and fitness to make them successfulfor a life time.
Dilara Alim Sayeed – Director, Envision Education Consultants
Dilara Alim Sayeed is Director of Envision Education Consultants. She has an M.S. Ed from Northwestern University (1999), has attended the Harvard University Graduate School of Education Principal Center (11/2010), and is pursuing a graduate degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign.
Dilara has 19 years of experience teaching at the PreK-12th grade levels at public and private school systems. She is currently an educator in District 203 and an instructor in the Department of Education at Benedictine University. Her passion is promoting successful teaching and learning for students of all ages!
Envision Education’s current initiative is partnering with Indian-based Edvantage Teacher Leadership Institute to connect educators in India with teacher leaders in the United States via ongoing SKYPE peer mentoring. As Director, Dilara conducts workshops for educators and community members internationally and writes on education and youth issues. She also serves on committees and on the board of trustees of organizations such as KidsMatter and the Webb Foundation. She strives to share opportunities to reflect and grow as lifelong learners for teachers, students, parents, and community members.
dilara@skinlessproject.com
www.envisioneducation.org
Natalie Moore – Reporter, South Side Bureau WBEZ
As the reporter for WBEZ’s South Side bureau in Englewood, Natalie covers news and issues in that community and surrounding areas.
Prior to joining the WBEZ staff in May 2007, Natalie was a city hall reporter for the Detroit News . She has also been an education reporter for the St. Paul Pioneer Press and a reporter for the Associated Press in Jerusalem.
Natalie’s work has been published in Essence , Black Enterprise , the Chicago Reporter , Bitch , In These Times , the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Tribune . She is co-author of the book “Deconstructing Tyrone: A New Look at Black Masculinity in the Hip-Hop Generation.” (Cleis Press, 2006). She is also co-author of “Almighty Black P Stone Nation: The Rise, Fall and Resurgence of an American Gang.” (Feb. 2011, Lawrence Hill Press).
Natalie is a 2009 fellow at Columbia College’s Ellen Stone Belic Institute for the Study of Women and Gender in the Arts and Media, which allowed her take a reporting trip to Libya. She’s also on the board of directors of the Neighborhood Writing Alliance. Natalie is a 2010 recipient of the Studs Terkel Community Media Award. She has won several journalism awards, including a Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. She is a member of the Windy City Chapter of the Links, Inc.
Natalie has an M.S.J. in Newspaper Management from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and a B.A. in Journalism from Howard University. She is an adjunct instructor at Columbia College Chicago and is the former program chair for the Association for Women Journalists.
A native of Chicago, Natalie lives in the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago.
Aisha al-Adawiya – President of Karamah, Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights
Aisha al-Adawiya is the founder of Women in Islam, Inc., an organization of Muslim women which focuses on human rights and social justice. Ms. al-Adawiya organizes and participates in conferences, symposia and other forums on Islam, Gender Equity, Conflict Resolution, Cross-Cultural Understanding, and Peace Building. She also represents Muslim women’s Non-Governmental Organizations at United Nations forums. Ms. Al-Adawiya coordinates Islamic input for the Preservation of the Black Religious Heritage Documentation Project of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. She also serves as a consultant to numerous interfaith organizations and documentary projects on the Muslim American experience. Additionally, she serves on the boards of numerous organizations related to the interests of the global Islamic community. Ms. al-Adawiya is a guest host and producer of Tahrir, WBAI Pacifica Radio in New York City.
Jan Shaulis – Christian Co-Chair, Southwest Interfaith Team
Jan Shaulis is the Christian co-chairperson for SWIFT (South West Interfaith Team). SWIFT is a non-profit organization made up of Muslim mosques, Christian churches, and Jewish synagogues located in the south & south-west suburbs of Chicago, Illinois.
The mission of SWIFT is to promote dialogue among the different religious communities and to work together on common community projects. The hope is that the efforts of SWIFT will promote mutual respect and will build understanding among the religious communities.
It is not the goal of SWIFT to convert any group to the beliefs of another. Also, SWIFT will not take stands on political issues.
Jan also is the Director of Congregational Care and Adult Ministries at Faith United Methodist Church where she plans retreats, prayer vigils , adult classes to help spiritual growth as well as overseeing the care of the of the congregation. This includes hospital visit, end of life care and help with various problems that arise in the lives of the people of Faith. She authored the book “The Gift” which helps people prepare for the end of their lives. Her great passion is helping people find their connection to God.
Ayesha Akhtar - Co-Founder – HEART Women and Girls Project
Ayesha earned her Masters in Public Health from the University of Illinois at Chicago, with a concentration on culturally sensitive health policy interventions. While at UIC, she worked as a graduate assistant at the Center for Research on Women and Gender and completed her internship at the Office on Women’s Health (OWH). Prior to her work at OWH, she worked at the Jesse Hines Veterans Hospital on a multi-site survey for spinal cord injury patients, as well as the Illinois Health Education Consortium, improving Chicago Public School immunization rates. She earned her bachelors in accounting from Loyola University Chicago. Prior to her work in public health, she worked in the Big 5 accounting arena, serving a corporate and entrepreneur client base. She lives in Forest Park with her two children and husband. She loves running, beach vacations, and soap making.
Dr. Selma Rashid – Medical Director of Skin & Laser Aesthetics
Dr. Selma Rashid is an internationally recognized expert in the field of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. She has devoted years of study to hormone imbalance and how it accelerates the aging process and the diseases of aging. She passionately educates the lay public as well as her colleagues around the world on the correct approach to managing health so we can all age gracefully, maintaining our health and functionality.
Niamh King – Niamh King, Vice President, Programs,
The Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Niamh King is the vice president of programs at The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, where she has worked since March 2007. Prior to joining The Chicago Council, she worked in various capacities at Intel, FÁS – Ireland’s National Training and Employment Authority, the European Commission, and the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. King is a member of the Women’s Board of the University of Chicago and the EarthHeart Foundation board, and was a founding member of the Chicago chapter of UNIFEM-USA. She earned her B.A. in international relations and history from the University of Colorado at Boulder and her M.A. in development studies from the Institute of Social Studies (Erasmus University) in The Hague, Netherlands.
Laila Mohammad – Community Organizer, Author, Daughter of WD Mohammad
Laila Muhammad was born in Philadelphia, Penn., during the time her father, Imam W. Deen Mohammed, Malcolm X and other Ministers under the leadership of the Hon. Elijah Muhammad were spreading the social reforming message of The Nation of Islam. She and her parents, Wallace D Mohammed, as he was then known, and Shirley Mohammed, moved to Chicago, a few years later. She is blessed to have been at her father’s, leader’s and friend’s side, until his passing September 9th 2008; learning and working with him for the betterment of our Human Family.
Laila is a graduate of the University of Islam / Sister Clara Muhammad School and now works with other educators with in that national school system. She holds a degree in Child Development and is very dedicated to the education of children.
Laila works with in the interfaith and intrafaith community; as a community organizer and activist. Her work has been and is because of her love and concern for our Human Family.
Laila is Founder & Executive Director of Ash-Shamsiyyah / The Umbrella, Family Service; established for the purpose of helping families in need. She is a published author. She also has a new spoken word CD.
For more information you may contact her at theumbrelladv@skinlessproject.com
Samreen Khan – Senior Policy Advisor for Gov. Pat Quinn
Samreen Khan was appointed as the Governor’s Liaison to Asian and Muslims in November 2009, in addition to her role as Senior Policy Advisor to Governor Pat Quinn. In this capacity, she advises the Governor on policy developments and initiatives to benefit the Asian and Muslim American communities in the State of Illinois. She also establishes and enhances bilateral relationships between the State of Illinois and foreign governments to promote international relations and trade.
Prior to her appointment, Ms. Khan was a Senior Policy Analyst in the Office of the Governor. She provided strategic direction and policy and program coordination on the integration of immigrants and refugees in Illinois.
She holds a master’s degree in International Studies from the University of Denver’s Josef Korbel School of International Studies and a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
