Halil Demir is the executive director of Zakat Foundation of America (ZF). The Chicago-based non-profit, which Mr. Demir established fifteen years ago, has grown to have an annual revenue of over $8m and has earned a four star rating from Charity Navigator for the organization’s humanitarian work around the world. ZF delivers emergency humanitarian aid and has established long-term development programs in more than 30 countries, providing Muslims a way to pay their zakat (charity), one of the five pillars of Islam, to raise the prospects of the world’s poor. Locally and nationally, ZF provides support to underprivileged communities and emergency relief to victims of natural or human disasters. Mr. Demir began his activist career as a student in his native Turkey. He obtained a Bachelor’s degree in sociology in Switzerland and obtained advanced degrees in history and non-profit management in the United States.