Ahmed Shehata

A leading figure in Muslim-American philanthropy, humanitarian relief, and community development, Ahmed Shehata is the CEO of Islamic Relief USA (IRUSA). Founded in California in 1993, IRUSA is the leading Muslim humanitarian relief and development nonprofit in the United States. As CEO, Ahmed Shehata oversees more than $250 million in funding for domestic and international emergency relief and development projects, including water and sanitation, health, education, and disaster response. Over two decades with IRUSA, Mr. Shehata has helped the organization broaden its impact through successful outreach and capital campaign development strategies.

Before becoming CEO in January 2024, Ahmed Shehata was IRUSA's director of fund development. Mr. Shehata played a key role in driving unprecedented growth in donors, revenue, and programmatic impact. Mr. Shehata helped double the organization's annual fundraising revenue to more than $135 million through a variety of successful initiatives, including the creation of a Major Gifts Department, which worked to transform mid-level donors into major donors and accounted for more than 40 percent of IRUSA's annual revenue.

Mr. Shehata previously served as community outreach manager and was responsible for creating and delivering wide-reaching educational sessions for the public to boost fundraising. Mr. Shehata collaborated with NGOs, faith-based communities, local businesses, and foundations. Other prior roles with IRUSA include Middle East national campaign manager, Midwest office regional manager, and development coordinator.

Complementing his extensive experience in nonprofit fundraising and program development, Mr. Shehata holds a master's degree in philanthropic studies and certificate in fundraising management from the Lilly School of Philanthropy at Indiana University. Mr. Shehata also earned a master's degree in management and bachelor's degree in business management from Strayer University.