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Our Faculty
Read about our founder, and faculty
Our Founder
Mohammad Saeed Rahman is a leader in the global humanitarian space, a philanthropist, volunteer, and entrepreneur with a deep involvement in networking, the community and the world at large. He has a passion for sharing his expertise in managing money and creating wealth for long term security. He has 35 years experience in the financial industry as Senior Vice President and Portfolio Manager at Wachovia and Vice President for Private Clients at Merrill Lynch. He is the founder of several business ventures and a few non-profit organizations. His ventures include Rubicon Global Asset Management, Rubicon Global Holdings, Rubicon Global Research, Always On Network, Maui-Rubicon Broadband and Z-Motors US.
Mr. Rahman received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Portland State University, and Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (MALS) degree at Reed College. Mr. Rahman received his Investment Management Analyst Certification from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Rahman served as an adjunct professor at the School of Marketing & Finance at Portland State University for eighteen years and has served as a Board Member for the Portland State Endowment Foundation. As of September 2016, he joined the Board of Trustees at Antioch College, and was soon selected as the Board’s Chairman of the Investment Committee. Antioch College is a 167 year old United States liberal arts college in the heart of Ohio. Previously, he served for 10 years on the board of the Counsel of Spiritual and Ethical Education (CSEE). He also founded One Ummah Foundation (OUF), a non-profit organization dedicated to breaking the cycle of illiteracy and poverty in underdeveloped countries.
Mr. Rahman previously served on the board of the Institute of Halal Investing. He has a very avid interest in demystifying halal investing and bringing it within the mainstream of the investment industry on a global scale. He was a member of the Reuters panel on Islamic finance in Singapore and presented his paper on Micro Equity Venture at the Harvard Islamic Finance Forum.
His resourcefulness and love of networking lead him to various investment projects from companion animal pharmaceuticals, to wireless telecommunications, to biotech engineering. He also has a heart for working on humanitarian projects through One Ummah Foundation, bringing education and health services to children in underdeveloped communities in a dozen countries world-wide, and to his own local community.
As a global visionary, philanthropist and entrepreneur, he is a leader on ethical business practices and philosophies. He is a firm believer in driving fear out of the workplace and replacing it with joy. His personal business philosophy centers on marrying your passion with your compassion. Mr. Rahman has been quoted by BBC, NPR, the Oregonian, and Deal Maker: Middle East, about his views on halal investing. He has been interviewed by Foreign Policy Magazine and other world media organizations.
Read more about Mohammad Saeed and the power of love with his story with One UMMAH Foundation
Umer Syed
Dean of Spirituality Training
Umer Syed started his journey in Islamic education with the memorization of the Qur’ān in sunny Phoenix, Arizona. He has since lead taraweeh in various masjids for the last decade, most recently at the Muslim Community Center of Portland. He has been active in community work and seeking sacred knowledge through sitting with traditional Ulāma nationally and internationally for the last decade with a special focus on Islamic Spirituality.
He is currently a student at Mihraab Foundation in Seattle, Washington as well as Fawakih Institute. Umer holds degrees in various disciplines, and completed his doctorate in 2021. He is currently completing his residency training in Portland, OR at Oregon Health & Science University where he also serves as the president of the Muslim Community at OHSU. He enjoys spending his time reading at coffee shops and outdoors in the beautiful Pacific Northwest!
