Dr. Sarah Sayeed

Dr. Sarah Sayeed, Chair and Executive Director of the Civic Engagement Commission, is a Bronx resident and has been dedicated to building an inclusive public square for almost two decades. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Sayeed was a Senior Advisor to former Mayor Bill de Blasio in the Mayor's Community Affairs Unit, where she worked with a diverse, multi-ethnic and multi-lingual Muslim constituency to strengthen civic engagement. Her public service builds upon seven years of bridge building projects at the Interfaith Center of New York, where she regularly convened New York's diverse grassroots religious leaders with secular and city agencies, and implemented an extended collaboration between Catholic and Muslim social service providers. Dr. Sayeed also taught Communications to graduates and undergraduates at Baruch's School of Public Affairs for five years. Through her years of volunteer work with diverse Muslim organizations, including Women in Islam, Inc., she has been an avid promoter of interfaith relations and Muslim women's public engagement. Sarah earned a B.A. in Sociology and Near East Studies from Princeton University and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Communications from the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania. She also holds a certificate in Reconciliation Leadership through the Institute for Global Leadership and is an alumna of the American Muslim Civic Leadership Institute (AMCLI) Fellows program.