Our Gala Sponsors
Gold Event Sponsor
Locke Lord LLP
Bronze Event Sponsor
Guidance Residential
AMPD Gala 2017 Speakers
Our Special Guests & Speakers at the Gala
Kam Shams - Key Note Speaker
Chairman Emeritus of The Shams Group (TSG)
Mr. Kam Shams is a strategic visionary, entrepreneur and innovator with more than 30 years experience. He is founder and chairman emeritus of The Shams Group (TSG) - a premier, award-winning advisory consulting group in the healthcare IT space.
Mr. Shams was formerly CIO of Alexian Brothers of America - a large Catholic multi-hospital healthcare organization, and VP of information systems at the Memorial Hospital Association in Modesto, CA. His responsibilities included spearheading and overseeing the strategic use of healthcare IT at facilities across the country.
Mr. Shams has been a featured speaker at several conferences and is the author of several published articles. He has also served as an adjunct faculty member at various institutions at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Currently, he is a guest lecturer in healthcare management at the University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson.
Mr. Shams has a strong history of community service engagement, particularly with non-profit and community health organizations. For several years he served as chairman of the North Texas Ismaili Professional Network (IPN), an organization with more than 400 members.
Mr. Shams holds an MA in Healthcare Administration from Webster University in Missouri and a BS in Quantitative Methods and Information Systems from St. Cloud State University in Minnesota.
Muhammad Al-Amin - Spotlight Speaker
General Manager, Versacom LP
Mr. Muhammad Al-Amin holds nearly three decades of experience in business management and IT and telecommunications. He is general manager at Versacom, a national IT and telecom staffing and engineering consultancy company which has ranked three times on the Inc. 500 / 5000 list of the fastest growing US companies. Mr. Al-Amin’s achievements include growing Versacom from a startup to a $10 million dollar company in seven years.
Prior to this, Mr. Al-Amin was president and CEO of American Service Systems Corporation - a high-technology consulting business with nine offices across the US and over 500 employees. He has also held management and consultant positions at organizations including MCI, American Airlines, Sky Chefs and IBM.
His passions include interfaith outreach and dialogue as he is a founding member of the Deen Institute of North America. He has also served as an industry advisory board member at SMU.
Mr. Al-Amin holds a BSc in Electronic, Computer and Systems Engineering with a minor in Management from Loughborough University of Technology, and an Owner/President Management certification from Harvard Business School.
Noor Saadeh - Spotlight Speaker
Co-owner and founder, Noorart
Noor Saadeh is co-owner and founder of Noorart, an Islamic multimedia educational company celebrating its 20th year in business, and a former concert and opera singer who performed at the international level.
Noorart educates and inspires Muslim and Arab youth by producing quality products designed to promote self-esteem, pride in Muslim identity, and Islamic understanding. Bestselling products include the audio series “We are Muslims” and Razanne the Muslim doll, along with thousands of books and toys for children.
Noor was first introduced to and embraced Islam while she was a professional concert and opera singer in New York City. She then taught in Islamic schools throughout the US before launching Noorart with her husband Ammar. Her work offers a unique approach to developing love, pride and understanding of Islam amongst English-speaking children and their families.
Noor is also a well-known community leader and activist in the DFW community and a sought-after public speaker in motivational, dawah and interfaith settings. She regularly contributes to Family Flavours Magazine - a publication based in Jordan, in its “Divine Perspectives” column with a Christian co-columnist. She is also the first Muslim contributor for “Plaid for Women” and serves on the ‘Mother Board’ for the Dallas International Women’s Day festival.
Event Testimonials
See what members have to say about our past events.
"It is so beautiful to see young Muslims demonstrate quality leadership and selfless giving, and perhaps equally important, witness the community recognize them for their sacrifices... I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for inviting me to the event. I thoroughly enjoyed attending, meeting new people and learning so much. I pray that Allah (SWT) accepts from all of you, and reward amply for the wonderful work you are doing."
Dr. Mohammad Lazzouni
Keynote Speaker
Enjoyed attending this beautifully organized, packed with elegance and inspiration AMPD Elevation Gala 2015 tonight.
Nikhat Qureshi
AMPD Member
Phenomenal event! #ampdgala Who knew the Klyde Warren park was conceived and designed by a Muslim in Dallas?
Aemad Aslam
AMPD Advisory Board
Great job yesterday!! Great event, good food, good speeches!
Sana Kamdar
AMPD Formal Committee
I propose that many, many years from now, what was accomplished today will be a story, a memory, a milestone - in the history of being a Muslim in Dallas. The same way we remember the imam's who first brought this community together from a group of immigrants from around the world, I believe that today was a momentous occasion where this event put a stake in the ground. A declaration of what we are capable of, who we are, and how together, we can elevate the experience of everyone and everything we touch... We were a real team today. We moved with the power of one and were a force so fierce, that we inspired so many others to do, build and achieve more. Imagine how many people went home with smiles on their faces, and felt like they weren't alone, that someone cared for them, and was willing to work their bones off to help others.. May Allah swt continue to bless us with such good fortune, ameen.
Muzamil Ahmad
AMPD Leadership & Development Chair
Congratulations AMPD Team! What a well planned and executed gala! Everything was beautiful and it was a lovely evening! Already looking forward to next year's event!
Ayesha Shafi
AMPD Advisory Board