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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Aseel Atalla, Youth Director Aseel Atalla is currently a master’s student at Zaytuna College. She has served on the Muslim Youth of North America regional executive committee, and as the Executive Director for the Hira Intensive. During her last year of undergrad at Zaytuna College, Aseel worked as the Northern California Director on the MSA West Board, working primarily with college students on spiritual holistic development. Having grown up with Good Tree from its onset, Aseel values the beauty of learning her faith through love and compassion. Aseel's passion for youth and community work blossomed throughout her high school and undergraduate years, and Good Tree’s focus on spiritual development through the Quran motivated her to continue working with Good Tree's youth community. "I look forward to creating safe and transformational spaces for youth on a local and national level in the coming years, inshaAllah. " |
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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.” |
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Huda Elsaad, Curriculum Facilitator Huda Elsaad is a Respiratory Therapist who graduated from Northern Arizona University with a Bachelor’s in Health Sciences. When she first started with Good Tree in 2014, she was teaching middle school students Arabic and Quran. Now, she is involved in curriculum development and volunteering with Good Tree camps. In her spare time, she likes to crochet, watch TV, and dabble in various forms of arts and crafts. Before Good Tree’s inception, she was taking Quran classes with Dr. Nadia. A couple of years after Good Tree’s inception, Dr. Nadia invited her to be a part of Good Tree, and she has been a part of it ever since. “I have found that Good Tree is a place where I can be myself and feel safe to voice my opinions and thoughts. In Good Tree, there is a conversation, which is what opened my heart to understanding the Quran, and helped me create a stronger connection to Allah.” She looks forward to helping create material that will help everyone understand the words of Allah and become closer to Him as well. |
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Sahar Marawi, Arabic Teacher Sahar has been a part of Good Tree Institute for nearly 10 years and teaches beginner and intermediate levels of Arabic Reading and Arabic Grammar. She’s passionate about what she teaches, because she loves seeing her students relate to the Quran in their daily lives. “I love Good Tree’s unique Arabic curriculum that focuses on learning, reflecting, and connecting to Allah’s words in the Quran.” Sahar, a mother of four, is also a pediatrician and is currently completing a master’s degree in counseling |
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Bushra Warde, Arabic Reading Teacher Bushra Warde graduated with an MA in French Literature at the University of Tennessee, where she taught for 3 years. Originally Lebanese, her journey in teaching Arabic, her native language, began with teaching Arabic to her kids. She then worked at a Sunday school where she helped in assessing students, choosing a good curriculum, and encouraging parents to make sure Arabic is part of their kids' lives. In Arizona, she taught French at the Glendale Community College for two years and taught Arabic at the weekend school for 5 years. Bushra also tutored young kids in Arabic and French for high schoolers at New Horizon Irvine. Currently based in Arizona, Bushra now teaches Arabic reading with Good Tree. Bushra is married and blessed with 4 kids. She loves to read, communicate with people from different backgrounds, learn about new cultures, and dedicate her time to spreading goodness and success in the world. |
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Zayd Ahmed, Arabic Reading Teacher Zayd Ahmed is from Phoenix, Arizona and received his bachelor's degree in Neuroscience from Duke University in 2014. He is passionate about technology infrastructure and is taking classes in information technology at ASU. Joining Good Tree in 2019, Zayd has loved being a part of the community and enjoys giving back to the community through teaching. In his free time, he enjoys weightlifting and spending time with his family. Zayd teaches online Arabic Reading II and III with Good Tree. |
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Diego Salcedo, Seeds of Wisdom Facilitator Diego, a co-facilitator at Good Tree’s Seeds of Wisdom Quranic retreats, is originally from Venezuela and has been a member of the Good Tree family since its early days. Through his professional career, he has gained extensive experience coaching people to high performance & facilitating large group discussions, which have been essential skills for Seeds of Wisdom. A father of 3, Diego enjoys spending time with family and staying active by hiking, traveling, or exercising. |
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