Meet Our Staff

Riyad Shamma

Executive Director

Riyad Shamma has over 25 years of active youth work experience at all levels of involvement. He is currently completing his doctorate in non-profit management. He has an excellent relationship with the youth and is superb at engaging them in discussion and establishing trust. He is an exceptional listener, and has demonstrated the wisdom to understand what is meant. Highly experienced as a planner and trainer, he is very effective in helping the youth to develop their solutions, and to then teach them the necessary skills to implement those solutions, so that they are long term. Good communication and his current and previous roles as a youth, adviser, parent, imam, and mosque board member, enable him to understand and communicate the needs that all sides have in a way understandable to them..

Ahmed Zayed

Program Supervisor

Ahmed Zayed brings several years of youth work and community service to IYDE. For the past 3 years he has been a key volunteer with Project Downtown (PD), which prepares and serves lunches for the downtown community every Sunday. He soon took charge of PD, and ensured its continuation. The program continues to flourish and grow, both in terms of the number of volunteers and services offered. Ahmed has also lead study groups for youth and young adults. His commitment to seeking and sharing knowledge lead him to be invited as a speaker by student groups at the University as well as in his local community. His presence is loved by young and old for his gentleness and introspective temperament as well as for his humbleness. Ahmed is someone who is generous and fun loving, and who relates well to young people. He is considerate to all and appreciative of the concept of diverse intergenerational community building.

Mariam Martínez

Program Development

Mariam Martínez brings more than 10 years of educational experience and youth work to IYDE. She has taught all levels of school, from first to twelfth grade, as well as having worked with younger children. Mariam has developed successful educational programs and curriculum that have achieved marked improvement and results in the students performance. She balances effective organizational skills with creative and playful approaches to fully engage youth in learning and growing. After volunteering for several years with IYDE, she joins us to develop our programs for youth 7 to 11 years, focusing on those who come from homes where the parents speak little or no English, beginning with the Hispanic community.

Kabir Karim

Program Director

Kabir Karim has a Masters degree in Public Health, and brings his considerable experience as a country program manager for an NGO and background in Public Health education and awareness to IYDE. He has developed and lead training programs for various communities, organized workshops and engaged with key leadership within communities. He has worked with teens and young adults, educating and coaching them. He coordinated the civil society response to the Early Childhood Development and the Social Exclusion Knowledge Networks of the WHO Commission for Social Determinants of Health (CSDH). His focus, energy, and drive have made him a welcome addition to our team.