Laila Marie Al-Askari’s Biography
Laila Marie Al-Askari is the Director of Administration and Finance for The Brick Presbyterian Church where she is developing the organization’s systems to service inreach and outreach needs as well as interfaith work.
Ms. Al-Askari has a keen interest in serving the Muslim community, an activity that she has been involved in since her school days. In 2014 the Islamic Center of New York University (ICNYU) awarded Laila the Visionaries Award for her work in cofounding the Islamic Center during her undergraduate years at NYU. The ICNYU began with 7 members and today over 1,000 students and alumni are active in the ICNYU community. She feels that it is her duty to speak out for Islam, and clear misconceptions about Islam. As a young professional Laila formed the Young Muslim Professionals Club. It is Ms. Al-Askari’s goal to see Muslims become visible, and for people to see Muslims as valuable members of their society.
Laila’s interfaith work has led her in many directions. In 2017 Laila joined the board of the Muslim Community Network to continue her work on building bridges within our communities. She has served as Treasurer for the American Society for the Advancement of Muslims, and served as the Muslim representative to the Executive Committee for Auburn Seminary’s Face to Face Faith to Faith Program for conflict resolution, and currently serves in an advisory capacity to the Board of the Cordoba House and the Islamic Sunday School Program. During the past several years Laila has participated in interfaith panels on Islam at Marble Collegiate Church and other venues. Most recently Laila participated in the Muslim Leadership Training program jointly sponsored by the Cordoba House and the Hartford Seminary.
Ms. Al-Askari is a native New Yorker, a graduate of New York University with a BA and MA in Near Eastern Literature and Languages, and an MBA in Healthcare Administration from Baruch College/Mt. Sinai School of Medicine and is a Certified Health Care Executive (CHE). She was the Administrator for Cardiology at Beth Israel Medical Center, and later at Montefiore Medical Center, worked in the Otolaryngology and Ophthalmology Departments as the Director of Business and Clinical Affairs providing needed services for underserved areas. For this work she was one of the first administrators to become a Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine.
Hobbies: Travel, Diving: Master Diver and an avid underwater photographer.