EDITOR'S NOTE: April is Arab-American Heritage Month, so we're sharing a recent interview done by our Director of Programs Brian Yopp with Ismael Ahmed.
Ismael Ahmed is currently a member of the National Council on the Arts, having been nominated by President Joe Biden last year and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in December.
During his long career of public service, Ahmed was co-founder of the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS) in 1973 and became its executive director in 1983. He also was a prime mover behind the creation of the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn.
Ahmed served as Director of the Michigan Department of Human Services from September 2007 to January, 2011, having been appointed by Governor Jennifer Granholm.
To learn more about Ahmed, including his early days with the United Auto Workers, watch the complete interview by clicking here.