Milia Islam-Majeed

is the daughter of immigrant parents who migrated here in 1986 from Bangladesh.  She has since then lived in the United States spending most of her childhood and adolescence in a small Midwestern town of Fulton, Missouri.  She obtained her undergraduate degree in World Religions and Psychology from Westminster College in Missouri and thereafter moved to Boston, MA for her graduate work.  She is a 2004 graduate of Harvard Divinity School where she earned her Masters in Theological Studies of the World Religions. 

While at Harvard she gained the essential knowledge needed to understand and work with members of diverse ethnic, cultural, social, economic, racial and religious communities. Aside from academics, she initiated activities that were both educational and relevant to the times with the goal of serving individuals espousing various faith traditions. 

Her deep commitment to interfaith work continued beyond the completion of her graduate studies.  Post graduation Milia served as the Program Director of “Community Empowerment Project” in Boston, MA.  This federally funded year-long program included working with the marginalized immigrant and refugee community and their involvement in building bridges across racial, ethnic, religion, cultural and neighborhood divides in Cambridge and greater Boston. 

Prior to becoming the Executive Director of SCIC, she was the Program Manager of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) Leadership Development Center in Plainfield, Indiana.  Milia’s primary responsibility lied in program design, development and execution of leadership trainings as well as seminars for community leaders and members focusing on understanding the religious and cultural diversity vibrant in America today. 

In her tenure at ISNA she participated in over 20 interfaith discussions, forums and programs through faith based organizations, academic institutions, governmental agencies as well as the general community.  These programs addressed on multiple topics including how to co-exist in a pluralistic society.  Most recently, she was part of an interfaith program sponsored by the US Department of State where an American delegation of six scholars and community leaders were invited to Indonesia to participate in interfaith dialogues focusing on religion and society.

Her passion and commitment to interfaith work has been existent and illustrated throughout her personal, academic and professional life.  She is very excited about starting this new position and hopes to serve both the SCIC as well as the greater community in an effective manner and very much looks forward to working with the interfaith community existent here in Southern California.