Yusuf Abdul-Qadir

Yusuf Abdul-Qadir

Bronx made, I attended high school in Spring Valley, NY before accepting admission to and graduating from Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. Obtaining a degree in Political Science and Middle Eastern Studies, I was awarded an Engagement Fellowship for the 2011/2012 academic year, studying Public Infrastructure Management and Leadership (an interdiscplinary program between the LCS School of Civil and Environmental Engineering and The Maxwell School) and Sustainable Enterprise (a partnership between SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry and the Whitman School of Management). By 2012, I continued my graduate studies, taking courses at both SU and SUNY ESF, while managing projects for CSR, sustainable development, and cleantech commercialization. Seeing a unique opportunity in the market for ecological and social innovations, I postponed my graduate studies to develop Ecologique, a sustainability-driven, social enterprise and consortium offering products and services for CSR, environmental finance, cleantech commercialization, and green building strategies.

Throughout my academic and professional career, I have worked to serve communities in the US and abroad, managing projects for the Puerto Rico Recycling Partnership (PRRP), the Virgin Island Recycling Partnership (VIRP), Synapse Sustainabilty Trust (a sustainability initiative of Synapse Partners, LLC), the Syracuse Center of Exellence's Environmental Finance Center (EFC), the City of Syracuse Parks Department, Plantagon International (a leading Swedish Cleantech company active in the sector of urban agriculture), the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), as a mentor to youth entrepreneurs at the Southside Innovation Center (SSIC), and most recently the Risala Institute and the Coker Corp (an environmentally conscious paving and concrete services company).

I've had the distinct opportunity to collaborate with thought leaders and entrepreneurs across the globe, using my passions for finding ways to build cooperation on the most challenging issues facing society. Nowadays, I spend my time building a network of global leaders seeking to develop innovative, and sound market driven solutions for sustainable development. It is my vision to help build a world, where the average person can live, work, and play sustainably and it will be my mission to be a leading voice amongst others in the fight against global climate change.