Sister Tabassum Haleem served as the Executive Director of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago (CIOGC) from May 2015 to January 2017. During her tenure as Executive Director, Sr. Tabassum led CIOGC’s efforts in working with member organizations, interfaith partners, civic organizations, elected officials and government agencies to advocate for Muslim community interests, assist the American Muslim community in their positive contributions to our country and broader communities, and build coalitions to promote a fair and just society.
“I am confident that Sr. Tabassum will continue to contribute highly to the Chicago Muslim community which she always loved and scarified for. We wish her the very best in her future endeavors and thank her greatly for her tireless efforts at CIOGC.” said Dr. Bassam Osman, Chair of CIOGC. “Sister Tabassum worked very hard for the Muslim community as the Executive Director of CIOGC, where she built relationships with interfaith and civic groups as well as local and state government. I had the pleasure of working with her on many occasions and feel lucky to call her a good friend.” commented Suzanne Akhras Sahloul, Executive Director, Syrian Community Network.
Prior to joining CIOGC, Sr. Tabassum held various executive positions including, as Director of Government Relations at PolyBrite International, Regional Controller of BMW NA, and Financial Analyst at Paramount Pictures Corp. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Illinois at Chicago, Master of Public Policy and Master of Arts from the University of Chicago, and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA). Sr. Tabassum serves on the Board of Trustees for the Naperville Education Foundation (NEF), is a Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow and a McCormick Tribune Urban Policy Leadership Fellow, and has served as a co-Chair for DuPage United, a community organizing group and on the Advisory Committee for the Naperville Chamber of Commerce-Green Leadership Council. She is married to Dr. Azeem S. Haleem and has four sons.