Kareem Irfan, Chapter Member

Mr. Irfan has served as Chairman of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago, a broad-based federation serving over 400,000 Muslim Americans, for four years since January 2001. He has contributed in a leadership capacity for over 20 years with Muslim community projects focusing on Media Affairs, Inter-faith  & Civic Collaborations, Leadership Development, Strategic Planning, and Advocacy with Public & Law Enforcement Officials. He serves on the National Boards of the Islamic Society of North America & The Inter-Faith Youth Core, the Executive Committee of the Council of Religious Leaders of Metropolitan Chicago, the National Advisory Board of the Bernardin Center for Theology & Ministry at Catholic Theological Union, and the Illinois Research Advisory Council for Criminal Justice.

Mr. Irfan is General Counsel:IP/IT for the North American Division of  Schneider Electric, a Paris-based global manufacturer of electrical distribution, automation and control products. He has a M.S. in Computer Engineering from University of Illinois and a J.D. from DePaul University. Following private practice with two prominent IP law firms, he has been with Schneider Electric since 1992 and currently manages the legalities of business initiatives in Intellectual Property & Information Technology. Having served as Secretary, Board Director & Chairman:Inventor Services Committee of the IP Law Association of Chicago, he lectures on his areas of legal expertise and is strongly committed to pro bono initiatives.

Mr. Irfan is a frequent speaker on Islam and the perspectives of Muslim Americans and has featured on national & international print, radio and TV media including NPR, CNN, ABC’s Nightline, BBC, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. He is recognized for presentations at inter-faith, civic and corporate events on Islamic precepts, the post 9-11 ‘war on terror’ and resulting impact upon Civil Rights, Muslims and relations with the Islamic world. Amongst his personally cherished talks are the first-ever Islamic prayer for the Chicago City Council, Annual Conference speeches for the Illinois Chamber of Commerce and the AFLCIO, presentations on Islam and inter-religious collaboration at Fortune 500 Companies,  Churches and Synagogues. He remains passionately devoted to inspiring fellow Americans to transcend religious, ethnic and cultural boundaries to collectively address emerging global challenges.

Mr. Irfan has received the Distinguished Community Leadership Award from the U.S. Dept. of Justice; the Distinguished Interfaith Collaboration Award from Mayor Richard Daley of Chicago; the Outstanding Religious Services Award from Imam W.D. Mohammed’s African-American Muslim Community; and the Community Service Award from the Muslim Bar Association.