our team
Connection is fundamental to us a spiritual beings. When we are connected, we operate at our full capacity, and love and generosity permeates in everything we do.
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Staff
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BIOS
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Marci Hadley-Mairel, Program Director
Creators are special. They move through life infusing beauty and new life into everything they touch. They not only see the possibility in the mundane, but they do something about it. For as long as she can remember, Marci Hadley-Mairel has been a creator, the kind who channels it into a business model. She loved baking so at age 12, she created a cake decorating business. Marci had a knack for creating baby quilts for friends, and turned that into a business as well. She even took her teenage sport of choice, karate, and made a career out of that for a period of time. “When I’m creating, I enjoy taking the raw ingredients and using it to make something better, one that can benefits others,” she said. “My favorite part is seeing someone enjoy it.” |
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Marci’s creative energy is a part of everything she does, and she has brought that spirit into the Good Tree community as program director. However, at first, Marci came to Good Tree not feeling very creative or connected. As the daughter of converts to the Muslim faith, Marci was used to feeling like an outsider. When she found Good Tree, that all changed. She began to feel accepted, valued and most importantly, connected with herself, others and her Creator. She started off as a volunteer, quickly immersing herself in the classrooms and finding opportunities to fill in and support the leaders. In less than a year, Good Tree saw her hard work and dedication and invited her to step into the role of program director. Once again, Marci’s creativity has blossomed, allowing her to take on her biggest creativity initiative yet: “I want to create a space where people belong,” she says.
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Mayssa Masri, Marketing Strategist Mayssa Masri is a Detroit-based Syrian-American freelance digital marketing and social media strategist. She graduated from Wayne State University with a double major in journalism and communication studies and is currently completing a master’s degree at the University of Florida in digital strategy. Mayssa is passionate about social activism and serving the Muslim community. |
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Dr. Jamal Atalla, Youth Mentor & Volunteer Dr. Jamal Atalla is a volunteer and youth mentor, cofounder of MYCA (Muslim Youth Center of AZ), and is trained in personal growth and development. He works as a kidney doctor with an emphasis on holistic healing and is Board Certified in Lifestyle Medicine. “I have been participating and volunteering with Good Tree for the last few years, because I feel that it is one of the few organizations in the country that share traditional knowledge in a platform that is relevant. We live in a time where people are in need of a spiritual discourse that connects them powerfully to the Divine and supports their needs as they are meeting life challenges. Good Tree provides this through keeping alive the core values of discovery, listening, beauty, creativity, safe space and generosity.” |
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Maryam Abdul-Wahid, IT Support Maryam provides IT support for Good Tree. She is native to Phoenix and grew up attending the Phoenix Metro Islamic School in Tempe. She studied electrical engineering at the University of Arizona and has worked as a software engineer. Now she focuses on user experience design and app development. Maryam likes hiking, cycling, horseback riding, and playing basketball. And she is an avid fan of the U.S. women’s soccer team and loves to support women’s sports. Maryam attended her first Good Tree event, Quran & Me, in the beginning of 2019. “I was in awe seeing everyone connect to each other and to the words of Allah throughout the discussions, and I felt blessed with feeling the connection.” Since then, Maryam has participated in many more Good Tree programs and is one of the coordinators of the Sadeeq Mentorship program. “Good Tree has become a safe, open space for me to connect with Allah, myself, and others. And I want to help expand Good Tree’s reach to those looking for the same thing inshaAllah.” |