Dr. Safi Kaskas
Dr. Safi Kaskas is a management executive and a strategist with more than 40 years of experience. For this program, Kaskas has co-authored “The Qur’an – with References to the Bible, A Contemporary Understanding,” a new, never-before-completed translation of the Qur’an into contemporary English featuring more than 3,000 parallel references to the Bible.
Dr. Safi Kaskas is a management executive and a strategist with more than 40 years of broad-based experience in strategic planning, leadership, and business ethics, with an emphasis on strategic management in the corporate and academic worlds.
He has led large corporations and trading companies and has pioneered numerous successful start-up consulting engagements for clients in the areas of trade and industry in both the United States and Saudi Arabia.
Kaskas is a co-founder of East West University in Chicago, Illinois and was elected as president of its board of directors from 1979 to 2005. Under his board leadership, East West University acquired its accreditation from the North Central Association and developed a strong fundraising network that built a solid foundation for its continued growth. Kaskas continues to serve as a member of the University’s board of directors.
As the founder and president of Strategic Edge Management Consultants, Kaskas assisted many mid-level and large corporations in successfully developing their business portfolios. His consultant firm focused on strategic development within the healthcare industry and founded the American Strategic Healthcare Management Company (ASHM), which owns diagnostic centers and plans to acquire healthcare institutions in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
He has organized, participated in and moderated hundreds of business seminars, workshops and lectures on strategic management and business ethics and a variety of related topics.
In addition to his focus on strategic management sciences, Kaskas has studied Abrahamic religions and lectured throughout the U.S. on subjects related to Islam, the development of American Muslims and the future of Islam in the U.S. He has invested 30 years of his life in dialogue and bridge-building between followers of Abrahamic religions. Kaskas serves as a board member of Trac5, an organization working on faith-based conflict resolution and is invited to speak on a regular basis at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. on such topics as reconciliation, the Qur’an, and Jesus’ teachings. Most recently, Kaskas co-authored “The Qur’an – with References to the Bible, A Contemporary Understanding,” a new, never-before-completed translation of the Qur’an into contemporary English featuring more than 3,000 parallel references to the Bible.
Dr. Mike Ghouse
Dr. Mike Ghouse is the founder and president of the Center for Pluralism. He is a speaker, thinker, author, peacemaker, community consultant, pluralist, activist, newsmaker, and interfaith wedding officiant. Mike is deeply committed to Free speech, Human Rights, and Pluralism in Religion, Politics, Societies, and the workplace. He also manages the World Muslim Congress, a think tank, and has authored the book American Muslim Agenda available at Amazon. He has dedicated his life to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions to the media and policymakers. Full bio at www.TheGhousediary.com.
