ALLENDALE, Mich. -- Ismael Ahmed, one of the co-founders of the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS) in Dearborn and the organization's current executive director, will receive an honorary doctorate of economics and social services at Grand Valley's winter commencement on Saturday.
Recognizing that there was a need in the growing Arab-American community to provide services to new immigrants, Ahmed was one of the first volunteers to open a storefront to address those needs 30 years ago. He served as a volunteer for ACCESS until he was named its executive director in 1983. Under his leadership, ACCESS has grown from the storefront to a major organization in Detroit, offering 44 programs which serve more than 50,000 people a year with a $9 million annual budget.
Ismael has received a number of awards in recognition of his work, including: the New Detroit Bridging the Gap individual award (1999); the Michiganian of the year award (1995); University of Michigan Alumni of the Year award (1994); Points of Light Award presented by the White House (1992); Outstanding Leadership Award from the U.S. Census Bureau (1992); Congressional Record tribute to ACCESS; and numerous State of Michigan House and Senate resolutions honoring ACCESS.
Ahmed has been appointed to numerous committees in recognition of his work around Metro Detroit, which is home to the largest concentration of Arabs in the U.S. These include serving as vice-chair of New Detroit, Inc. and on the boards of trustees for the Henry Ford Health System and Channel 56 Television. Ismael is also a contributing author of the book Arabs in America: Myths and Reality and was the organizer and contributing artist for the mural Wall of Heritage and founder and coordinator of Earth Island Orchestra, a multi-cultural band. He is also producer and host of WDTR-FM's World Mix program.
