FOUNDER AND CEO - SALIMA SUSWELL
In 2023, Salima Suswell founded the Black Muslim Leadership Council. BMLC is a national nonprofit organization, with a 501(c)(4) arm, dedicated to policy advocacy for urban communities, nonpartisan voter registration and voter turnout, civic education, and leadership development.
In addition, Salima serves as Founder & CEO of the award-winning Evolve Solutions, a government affairs and community engagement consulting firm founded in 2010 to address the racial and socio-economic disparities within urban communities. She also founded the Philadelphia Ramadan & Eid Fund, which provides the community with programming and shared experiences for children, youth, and families while celebrating the rich diversity within the Greater Philadelphia region.
Some of Salima’s other noteworthy contributions include: her role as Chair of the Muslim American Host Committee for the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia; her role as Pennsylvania Deputy Senior Advisor for the Biden-Harris 2020 Campaign; and her role as Vice President and key organizer for Women’s March on Philadelphia, which drew over 60,000 attendees. Salima serves on the Leadership Council for the United Negro College Fund (Philadelphia Chapter). In 2017 Salima made history as the first Muslim woman appointed to the Pennsylvania Governor’s Advisory Commission on Women by Governor Tom Wolf. In 2020 Salima was appointed by Mayor Jim Kenney to the Mayor’s Commission for Faith-Based and Interfaith Affairs. In 2023 Salima was reappointed to the Pennsylvania Governor’s Advisory Commission on Women by Governor Josh Shapiro.
501(C)(4) BOARD
Dr. Alia Ammar, Ph.D., (IL)
Board Chair
Dr. Ammar has a long history of community organization and leadership among the Chicago region’s Muslim community, including past positions on the boards of two of Chicago’s largest mosques. She has recently been elected to the Board of Directors for the Inner-city Muslim Action Network (IMAN) an organization that has worked for the past 25 years to address the challenges and struggles confronting marginalized urban communities. She is a member of the Civic Engagement Committee for the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicagoland (CIOGC) and is affiliated with the Northern Illinois American Muslim Alliance (NIAMA) to foster political engagement of the Muslim American community. In her political and social justice work, she strives to honor the work of her late uncle, Dr. Timuel Black.
Ibrahim M. Small, (NJ)
Board Secretary
Ibrahim M. Small is a community activist and Muslim political operative in the state of New Jersey. Currently, he works for the Board of Elections in Essex County, NJ. In addition to his work in government, he has worked on political campaigns for the last 20 years in six states and has helped elect and re-elect governors, U.S. Senators, and U.S. Congressional members, as well as state, county, and municipal officials. He has worked in the U.S. Senate and for the City of East Orange, NJ.
Ibrahim is a graduate of Rutgers University: Newark with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and History and a Minor in Public Administration. He is currently pursuing a Master’s in Public Administration from Rutgers University: Newark.
He is a proud father of two boys, Ishmael and Isaiah. Ibrahim is a second-generation Muslim in politics.
Rickey Duncan, (PA)
Board Member
Rickey Duncan Sr. is the CEO and Executive Director of New Options More Opportunities (NoMo), a Philadelphia-based organization that provides trauma-informed treatment centers specializing in restorative justice, housing, and workforce development. He is also the founder of Duncan Management and Consulting. Duncan is a leader in Philadelphia, speaking out against criminal and social discord affecting the urban community and the challenges of behavioral health cycles, civil crises, and pitfalls.
In 2019, Duncan piloted Philadelphia’s first paid Youth Workforce Development Program. In 2022, he opened his first independent youth living facility to combat youth homelessness. He holds a Business Management degree from Penn State University. His service has won him awards, including the Made Man Philadelphia accomplishment in 2019 and the Black Brain Champion of the Year in 2022.
Duncan was born and raised in South Philadelphia and educated in the Philadelphia public school system. At an early age, he was arrested and served over 21 years of incarceration before being discharged on parole. Immediately upon release, he began a relentless attack on the injustices that are so prevalent in the Black and Brown communities.
Thomas “Jermaine” Carey (MI)
Board Member
Thomas “Jermaine” Carey is a Detroit-born grassroots organizer, political strategist, entrepreneur, and community leader who serves as a Campaign Coordinator and Organizer with CAIR Action Michigan. His work is dedicated to expanding voter engagement, executing robust GOTV strategies, driving civic education, and cultivating volunteer leadership, with a particular focus on building powerful coalitions across Metro Detroit’s Muslim and Black communities.
With over a decade of hands-on organizing experience, Jermaine brings a grounded, people-first approach rooted in neighborhood relationships, faith, accountability, and collective action. As the founder of Carey Strategy Group, he also partners with nonprofits, political campaigns, and civic leaders to deliver tailored strategic planning, program development, public engagement, and impactful, community-centered events.