AHMED FLEX OMAR
A native of Somaliland, Ahmed (entrepreneur/activist) is the recipient of the Presidential Service Award, bestowed by President Barack Obama in November 2016. Passionate about youth mentor-ship and combating radicalization, he grew up in the UAE before immigrating to Chicago as an adult. In his own family, he has witnessed both extremism and opportunity firsthand: one of his uncles is a cleric linked to Al Qaeda, while another uncle is a World Bank economist. He’s worked at UBS Wealth Management Group, American Express, RSM Mcgladrey and Deloitte before founding “Global Eventz,” an event marketing company that has organized over 500 corporate, nightlife and charity events. In 2015, he co-founded the Muslim American Leadership Alliance and was a delegate at the 2015 United Nations NGO conference. He was also a speaker at the UN Women’s Commission on the Status of Women, 60th Session. Ahmed has also implemented nationwide screenings of the critically acclaimed documentary, HE NAMED ME MALALA by Participant Media, and coordinates MALA’s StoryCorp project to help promote diversity and inclusion for the Muslim American narrative. The project has been archived into the Library of Congress, and recognized by the National Council of Public History. He’s currently an active member of the Chicago Leadership Alliance.