Linda Howard, JD

Linda Howard, Chief Compliance and Impact Officer for MLPI, is our host of Profound Conversations. She is a compliance and ethics consultant with over 30 years of combined experience in law, compliance, and health care operations.

Linda is known for asking difficult questions while facilitating discussions such as multicultural competency in the delivery of healthcare and wellness services and ethics and social responsibility in the development of business initiatives.

 She has a passion for wellness and is a believer in social responsibility. She is the President of the Board of the National Wellness Institute, a writer and a public speaker addressing critical issues impacting humanity.

Linda works with her MLPI executive team members Karim Ali and Samuel Shareef to develop programing ideas.

“Be the change that you want to see.”

Karim Ali

Professionally Karim Ali currently holds the responsibility of Chief Executive and Relationship Officer of a national community development organization.  By passion he is an organizer and leader of diverse teams of media professionals and practitioners of social innovation.   Karim’s accountabilities lie at the intersection of non-traditional social science and media expressionism.  Formally trained in aeronautical sciences, Karim is an alumni of Howard University and holds a Masters of Independent Media Distinction.  He has also completed Landmark International’s Curriculum for Living, as well as advanced Senior Executive and Organizational Development training.

As an intercultural communications influencer and CEO of AaliaNetwork of Diversified Holdings, his work has contributed to award-winning team efforts in narrative design and motion picture production.  As a writer and Executive Producer, Karim also contributes to the development of Profound Conversations ™.  an executive leadership development initiative which improves social and economic outcomes by honoring the voices and beliefs that motivate communities.   He credits his team’s ability to touch, move and inspire diverse audiences to their "commitment to staying true to their mission working towards establishing life-long learning and healthy communities at the local, national and global levels.”

Samuel A. Shareef

Samuel Shareef is a Senior Economic Development Officer for the Muslim Life Planning Institute. He along with MLPI executive team members Abdul Karim Ali and Linda Howard are co-creators as well as executive producers of Profound Conversations. Samuel is a Radio, Television, and Film management graduate of the University of Kansas, William Allen White School of Journalism. He is also a graduate of the University of Kansas Business School. His post-graduate work includes completing the 1997Bank of America sponsored Leadership and Management Initiative for Community-Based Development, “The Development Training Institute, Inc.,” Baltimore, Maryland.

 Career experiences include a decade of Commercial Real Estate Property & Asset Management, Public Relations Senior Executive, and Community Economic Development Consultant in Limestone Creek, Lake Worth, West Palm Beach, Boynton Beach, South Bay, Belle Glade and Delray Beach, Florida.

Erika Christie

Erika is a Media Developer and Podcast Producer. She flexes her creative muscles developing and executing multimedia experiences across platforms where she weaves words, music, graphics, videos, actors, visual artwork, and storylines together to create memorable experiences.  She has been having a wonderful time with the team at MLPI working on content creation, video and audio production, website design, and visual marketing strategies.

Her background in Directing, Photography, and Video help influence all of her design decisions whether she’s working with Wounded Veterans, Street Artists in New York City, or Production Managing Animation and Comic Book projects with Black Light Visions.  

"Human creativity leads to social cohesion as artists define our collective reality."

Bashir Ash-Shahid Ali

Bashir is a native of the Washington, DC area and interested in poetry, music, film, and art. He has been a student intern with AaliaNetwork, LLC since 2015. He is also a student in Digital Media and Photography at the Community College of Baltimore County, His speciality is knowing how to infuse the right music selections with graphic visuals to help convey the client's story aiming to touch, move and inspire.

Gregory Lee

Photographer, Editor, and Filmmaker

Gregory Lee is a young photographer, editor, and filmmaker based in the DMV area. He has written, directed, and produced two student films as well as an award-winning abstract dance piece. He has also worked with Montgomery College Television covering everything from a DACA rally to Townhall meetings.

Najwa K. Ali

This year Najwa Ali makes her Director's debut for the DC Humanities Council's Community Heritage Project Showcase entitled: The Journey to find the Conscious of Washington DC: 1968. Najwa began her interest in media and film at the very young and attended the University of Washington, DC. She graduated with a Degree in Television and Broadcasting, and taken classes in Electronic Media at Towson University to further her skills.

Khadijah S. Ali

Khadijah is a native of the Washington, DC metro area whose interest lies in human connectivity and behavior. As a third year Sociology major at the University of Maryland, Khadijah has volunteered her talent at Aalia network since 2016. Assisting with various projects as it relates to community outreach, event registrant, and clerical duties as needed. Her hobbies include fashion design and photography. Presently she works part time as a Communications Consultant for the Muslim Life Planning Institute. She plans to complete her Bachelor's Degree in Spring 2021.