NEDEA::Alumni Profiles

NED-2010-CHICAGO CONVENTION SPEAKERS & PANELISTS
	SYED AFTAB H. RIZVI NED Civil 1978. After working for Gammons on major projects in Karachi (Steel Mills, Port Qasim, etc), in 1980, Aftab established and successfully ran Continental Associates, an Engineering and Contracting Firm, working on projects like the Saindak Copper Gold Project. In 1998 he migrated to Canada, to escape sectarian prosecution in Pakistan. In Canada, he has set up a successful Development and Construction Business in the Greater Toronto area with international operations. Aftab was very active in extra-curricular activities during his student life. He was he the Literary and Debating Secretary of NED Students’ Union, 1975-76; he also represented NED in debates and over the years won numerous trophies and awards. He has been a regular columnist in different news papers since he was a student, and still writes weekly for Akhbaar – e - Pakistan and quite often for Daily Jang. He was a regular anchor person of Pakistan Television talk and news shows for almost 25 years, including live coverage of two elections in Pakistan. He currently runs a TV show with Rogers TV by the title of "Weekend with Aftab". Aftab is an intellectual, satirist, a short story writer, a columnist and a featured / keynote speaker in different workshops, sessions and cultural and political events in Pakistani Communities in Canada and USA. He lives in the Greater Toronto area, in Richmond Hills, with his wife Sofia (formerly Sofia Jamali, NED CE, 1978) and they have three daughters (two of whom are married) and a son.
	Safwan Shah Ned 1985 Safwan Shah is an industry expert in payments, transaction processing and self-service delivery systems. His current focus is in the area of social media and spends his time in providing strategic advisory and consulting services. From 1999 to 2008, Safwan Shah was the President of Infonox, the market pioneer and leader in delivering multiple, end-to-end, payment services to casinos, banks, retail and money transfer businesses. Under Safwan Shah’s entrepreneurial leadership, Infonox developed and successfully operated financial payment platforms that touch over 100M consumers and settle over $20 Billion annually. In 2008, Infonox, a successful, market leading, company was acquired by TSYS (NYSE:TSS) as the best in class technology platform for expanding their global payment processing and merchant acquiring business. Before Infonox, Safwan held research positions at BioServe Space Technologies (a NASA center for commercial development of space) and was an integral part of a number of landmark experiments that have been flown in the US Space Shuttle Program. His other experience includes positions as a quantitative analyst for a hedge fund and as a Technology Director for an affiliate of IBM. AAs early as 1997, in the pure Internet, social media space, Safwan Shah co-founded Chowk (www.chowk.com). Chowk, which means town square or intersection, remains the premier social website used by English speaking people of India and Pakistan for discussion and dialog on political and social issues. Several million people visit Chowk and it is recognized as the independent voice of reason and peace in a region engulfed in decades of conflict. Safwan has a Masters in Electrical Engineering and Doctorate in Aerospace Engineering from University of Colorado at Boulder. In 2009, Safwan attended the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University and completed the Stanford Executive Program (SEP).
	Ashraf Habibullah S.E. N E D 1969 President & CEO Computers & Structures, Inc. Ashraf Habibullah, engineer, educator and entrepreneur, is Founder, President, and CEO of Computers and Structures, Inc., based in Berkeley, California. Ashraf graduated from the NED Engineering College, Karachi, Pakistan, in 1969 and received his master's degree in structural engineering from the University of California at Berkeley in 1970. In 1975 he founded CSI. Today, CSI is recognized globally as the pioneering leader in the development of software tools for structural and earthquake engineering. Ashraf has been at the forefront of the development of complex software for structural and earthquake engineering for nearly 40 years. In that capacity he has been influential internationally, with thousands of engineering firms and researchers using CSI’s software in the design of buildings, bridges, and other structures in more than 160 countries. Notable projects include the Burj-e-Khalifa in Dubai, the Taipei 101 Tower in Taiwan, the Freedom Tower in New York, the 2008 Olympics “Bird’s Nest” Stadium in Beijing, and the cable-stayed Centenario Bridge over the Panama Canal. Throughout his career, Ashraf has been active as an educator, consultant, researcher and speaker, conducting courses and seminars on a multitude of issues, from cultural topics to analytical techniques and numerical methods.
	MOHAMMED AMIR ULISLAM N E D Civil 1986 President / Owner Jersey Precast Corp. Currently Amir Ulislam is President / Owner of: Jersey Precast Corp., a 30 year old firm specializing in structural pre-cast and pre-stressed elements for infra structure projects. Concrete Safety Systems A 20 year old company engaged in manufacturing of a wide variety of pre-cast products Marmonyx (Pvt) Ltd (Exec. Director/Partner) A first of its kind modern marble processing factory in Pakistan established in 1994m In addition to his BS from NED, Amir has earned a couple of Masters' Degrees in Engineering & Management: Structures, 1988; Construction Management, 1990. he has been Involved with the heavy highway construction industry since 1988. Amir is s a prolific writer and speaker; he represented (and collected victories for) NED in many a debates; was responsible for several of the publications at NED. Amir was a prominent student leader of his time; he was elected and successfully served as Publication Secretary of NED, 1983-84
	ABUL ISLAM, PE, FASCE N E D 1981 Founder & President/CEO AI Engineers, Inc. Mr. Islam is the founder and President/CEO of AI Engineers, Inc., a 100 person consulting engineering/ construction management firm providing services in transportation, transit, bridges, highway, civil engineering and buildings including high performance building projects of various magnitudes. Currently the firm operates from its corporate facility in Middletown, Connecticut with regional offices in New York, NY, Boston, MA, Cranston, RI and Richmond, VA. Mr. Islam has over 26 years of diversified experience in managing large and complex engineering projects. He leads project teams to attain top performance by focusing on managerial, financial and communication skills. He is a strong advocate of sustainability in all infrastructure design, construction and maintenance projects. He believes in restoring vibrancy in our urban centers by investing in physical infrastructure, including transportation/transit projects. He also believes in improving the quality of education from grades K-12 and community colleges for further economic development of our cities and towns. Mr. Islam is also the owner/developer of a new “green” 286,000 SF office tower in Hartford, CT, seeking LLED Certification of Platinum according to the US Green Building Council Rating System. This iconic building is slated to begin construction in 2010. Design plans are underway for this structure which will be the first commercial/office building of its type in Connecticut. This building will also house AI Engineers corporate headquarters.
	MAHMOOD AKHTER N E D 1975 Senior Vice President Environmental Systems Design, Inc. Diverse International Electrical, Mechanical Engineering Design; Construction and Property Management including Contracting and Commissioning Capabilities. A senior vice president electrical engineer and project manager with 29 years experience in a wide variety of design, construction, commissioning, and design build of new commercial, industrial, institutional, waterfront parks, central plants, and data centers. In addition, Mr. Akhter has worked on numerous projects in Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East
	REHAN JALIL N E D President, WiChorus Rehan Jalil is the President of WiChorus – A Tellabs Company. He led WiChorus as a founder and CEO through inception to its merger with Tellabs for about $200 million in cash and stock. Previously, he was chief architect at Aperto Networks, where he led development of broadband wireless silicon and carrier-grade equipment. Rehan also worked for Sun Microsystems, where he contributed in development of one of the industry’s earliest advanced multi-core multithreaded processor for throughput computing and graphics applications. At Siemens, he managed large-scale projects related to system-level design and implementation. Rehan has more than 15 years of technical management and sales experience in telecommunications, networking and multi-core processors. He contributes to social entrepreneurship projects and is a charter member of OPEN Silicon Valley. He holds a Bachelor of electrical engineering from NED University and a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering from Purdue University and has 25 patents pending. He has been named Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist for 2010.
	Farhat Siddiqi Ned 1985 Farhat H. Siddiqi, President, CEO and Principal Engineer of Geo-Environmental, Inc. has over 42 years of experience with an emphasis on foundation design, soil liquefaction studies, earthquake engineering, and design and construction of earth and rock-fill dams. Dr. Siddiqi holds bachelors degrees in Physics, Mathematics, and in Civil Engineering, a Masters degree in Geotechnical Engineering, and a Ph.D. in Geotechnical Engineering. Dr. Siddiqi's expertise includes static and seismic stability analyses as well as geotechnical and seismic instrumentation of earthen dams. He has extensive experience in soil liquefaction evaluation for school, hospital, residential, and commercial sites, as well as power plants. He has worked on many projects involving soft ground improvement. He is adjunct Professor at the University of California, Irvine, and is a member of the University's Civil Engineering Affiliates. Dr. Siddiqi has also taught at the University of California, Davis and California State University at Sacramento. He has received research grants from various organizations including the National Science Foundation. He is a registered professional engineer in California and a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers.
	Waheed Uddin, Ph.D., P.E. Professor of Civil Engineering Director. Center for Advanced Infrastructure Technology (CAIT) Dr. Waheed Uddin received PhD in 1984 in transportation engineering from The University of Texas at Austin, Master’s from Asian Institute of Technology in 1975, and a Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in 1970 from NED Engineering College of the University of Karachi. Dr. Uddin has over 30 years of professional experience in highways, airports, sustainable development, infrastructure asset management, and transportation engineering. Previously, a pavement expert for the United Nations in the United Arab Emirates during 1989-91, he has contributed to airport and highway projects in the U.S., Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, and other countries. Dr. Uddin has published 3 books and 200 papers, discussions, and technical reports. He has made over 140 presentations including 45 invited lectures and keynote speeches at national and international meetings worldwide in 27 countries. Currently, Dr. Uddin is professor of civil engineering and Director of Center for Advanced Infrastructure Technology (CAIT) at the University of Mississippi. CAIT celebrates 10th year anniversary in 2009. He received external research grant award funds over 7 million dollars including a 4.6 million dollars geospatial software gift in August 2009. Other grants were awarded by the National Academy of Science (NAS)/FAA, NAS/USAID, US Department of Transportation (DOT), FHWA, Mississippi DOT, and NASA/Mississippi Space Commerce Initiative. He has directed and completed 3 PhD and 17 MS degrees at the University of Mississippi. Dr. Uddin received the School of Engineering Faculty Service award in 2001 and the 2007 inaugural award of the Deep South Section of Institute of Engineers (ITE) for excellence in teaching. Dr. Uddin is a coauthor of "Infrastructure Management," published by McGraw-Hill in August 1997, Japanese edition published in 2001, and Chinese edition published in 2005. He also contributed a chapter on pavement management systems in the CRC Highway Engineering Handbook published in 2006. He has been the Chief Editor of IJP – International Journal of Pavements since 2002. He served as the Founder President of iSMARTi - international Society for Maintenance And Rehabilitation of Transport infrastructure, 2004-2007. He has been the University of Mississippi representative for the Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Academies since 2004. Since November 2009 Dr. Uddin has been serving as an invited member of the Board of Directors of the Gulf Region ITS. Dr. Waheed Uddin is the US-side PI of Karachi Transportation Management Project.

NED-2010-CHICAGO CONVENTION STEERING COMMITTEE
	Anis Paya Chairman Anis Paya graduated from the Mechanical Engineering department of NED University of Engineering & Technology in 1978. He worked at Kuwait National Petroleum Company, Philips and Karachi Shipyard before moving to America with his wife in 1980 and got an M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Wayne State University, Michigan in 1982. He went on to pursue an M.S. in Engineering Management from Northwestern University in Chicago while working full time. Anis has 27 years experience in project management of MEPFP systems in commercial construction and is currently working as Senior Project Manager in Chicago at Bovis Lend Lease, an Australian based multi national company with offices in more than 60 countries of the world. He has worked on many high profile projects in Chicago such as International Terminal 5 at O'Hare Airport, 600 bed Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Silver Cross Hospital, Christ Hospital, Ingalls Hospital, Museum of Contemporary Art, McCormick Place Convention Center and several high rise commercial and residential projects. Anis has been actively involved with many philanthropic & charitable organizations and is currently concentrating his effort on a new mosque construction project in his neighborhood. Anis lives with his wife, Dr. Vasia Ahmed, a graduate of DOW Medical and an Oncologist/Hematologist along with two children in Burr Ridge, IL. His son, Salman is graduating this year from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a degree in Economics and Finance while his daughter Sehar will be graduating from high school this Spring. Anis has been one of the NEDEA Board of Director and Chairman of NEDEA in 2008 and currently a member of NEDEA Advisory Council as well as the Chairman of the NED-2010-Chicago Convention Steering Committee.
	Afzaal Hafeez Vice Chair & Treasurer Afzaal graduated from NED in 1984 with a degree in Civil Engineering, followed by M.S. in Construction Management from the TU University of Delft, Holland. In the USA, Afzaal worked for various Construction firms and in August 2004, he formed MCLL, a General Contracting and Engineering firm. During his twenty-four years professional career, he has managed and built several outstanding high profile buildings, transportation projects, transit systems and FEMA disaster service projects of over a billion dollars in Illinois. In 2010, he introduced an energy saving program of solar panel construction & installation with cost-effectiveness, predictability & reliability in the United Sates market. He has received several Professional Recognition and Excellence Awards. Afzaal is also active in professional as well as socio-political organizations. He has been: • President IEC - Illinois Engineering Council • Founding Member Illinois Engineers Hall of Fame. • Founding Member and Member Steering Committee, United Power for Action & Justice • Member, Civil Right Committee in Department of Homeland security. • Coordinator, Outreach Committee State Republican Party. • Ethnic Affairs Coordinator, DUPAGE County Republican Party. • Founding Member & Past Chairman, NEDEA and First Chairman of NEDEA Advisory Council. • Past Advisor National Public TV channel WTTW 11. Afzaal is married and lives in Carol Stream, Illinois with his wife Naheed, two daughters, Adeeba and Saba and son Hayan.
	Khawaja Nizamuddin Vice Chair Khawaja Nizamuddin, S.E., P.E. graduated from the Civil Engineering department of NED University of Engineering & Technology in 1983. He received four gold medals from NED University for securing the first position in each of four years of study and was awarded the Aga Khan Scholarship for pursuing an M.S. program in Structural Engineering at the University of California at Berkeley. He also acquired an MS in Transportation from the University of Illinois at Chicago and an MBA in Finance from DePaul University, Chicago. Nizam is a Senior Project Manager with Halvorson and Partners in Chicago and has been responsible for design of a number of high-rises (up to 70 stories) and other significant building projects. A number of his designs received the Best Structure Award from different organizations. He is a Licensed Structural Engineer and a Professional Engineer in Illinois. Nizam is currently the General Secretary and a member of the Board of Directors of the Structural Engineering Association of Illinois (SEAOI). He is the first South Asian person to become the General Secretary of this prestigious organization. He has been a past Chairman of NEDEA and the current Chairman of NEDEA Advisory Council and is a Vice Chair of NED-2010 Chicago Convention Steering Committee. Nizam has been actively involved with many community projects. He provided pro-bono complete Structural Engineering design services for the MEC Mosque project in Morton Grove, IL. He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Nizam lives in Glenview, IL with his wife Shahnaz and three children, Rehan, Imran and Huma.
	Tanweer Alam Mallick Member Tanweer (Tanweer Mohammadi in NED) graduated a Civil Engineer in 1979 and worked briefly in KDA and then NESPAK before coming to America in early 1988. Tanweer was selected a Rotary Scholar and Ambassador of Goodwill by Rotary International and decided to attend the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He earned his MS in Construction Engineering and Management in December 1988. After working in a few reputable Architectural, Consulting and Contracting firms, Tanweer formed, in January 2003, ASR Associates, a firm Partnering in Program, Construction and Project Management Solutions. Tanweer was listed as a Member in the National Register’s Who’s Who in Executives and Professionals 2002-2003. In addition to being a Founding Member of NEDEA and Director on its inaugural Board, Tanweer has been Chairman of NEDEA and Chairman of Advisory Council, NEDEA. Tanweer is married to Samina (BE Elect, 1980). They are blessed with three wonderful children: Ameed (married to Brooke, both Michigan graduates, BBA 2006), Saleha, a Senior at Northwestern University and Rabeya, a Senior at Naperville North High School.
	Haroon Sheikh Member & Nedea Board Chairman Haroon Sheikh graduated from NED University of Engineering & Technology with a degree in Electrical Engineering in 1997 and went on to pursue a Master’s degree at the University of Minnesota. Haroon has been actively involved in both the Pakistani and the engineering communities since his time in Minnesota, where he was the President of the Pakistani Students Association. While there, he also helped create a charitable organization that provided vocational training and medical care to women in various Pakistani villages. Haroon has lived in Chicago since 2003, and has worked at Delta Engineering and OWP/P. Haroon is a member of the Electrical engineering department at OWP/P which merged with Canon Design in 2009. He focuses his practice in corporate, commercial, and education facilities, and has an expertise in data center design. Haroon has been involved in NEDEA Chicago since 2006 and was elected Chairman of the Board in 2009. He lives in Wheaton with his wife Mariam and their three year old son Hamza.
	Rashid Ahmed Member & Nedea Director of Professional Development Rashid Ahmed has a B.E. degree from NED University in Civil Engineering and an M.S. degree in Structural Engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Rashid is a Vice President at Walker Parking Consultants, and has been instrumental in the design of several outstanding parking structures in North America and Europe. Rashid is actively involved with Post-Tensioning Institute (PTI) and holds the following positions: PTI Board of Directors, Member of the Technical Advisory Board, and Chair the Building Design Committee. He is a member of American Concrete Institute and is involved with two ACI Committees: Parking Structures and Prestressed Concrete. He is also a member of Precast Concrete Institute and Structural Engineering Association of Illinois. Rashid has spoken on the topics of Concrete Durability and Post-Tensioned Applications at ACI, PTI, and SE Conferences and given two lectures to the graduate students at Notre-Dame University, Indiana and University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI. Rashid is a licensed structural engineer and professional engineer in several States. Rashid is collaborating and co-authoring a book on “Practical Design Guide for Post-Tensioned Buildings.” Rashid lives in Elgin, IL, with his wife, Ronaq, and two daughters, Abir and Mahhum.
	Imtiaz Rehman Member Imtiaz Rehman, P.E. is the President of Engineering Services Group, Inc., Aurora, IL. ESG, Inc., which provides Consulting Engineering, Construction Management, and Land Surveying services in the areas of Transportation & Traffic Engineering, Civil Engineering and Structural Engineering. Imtiaz is a founding member of NEDEA Chicago and has served as the Chairman of the Board from 2004 to 2005 and also served as a member of the Board from 2000 to 2004. Imtiaz graduated from NED University of Engineering & Technology in 1984 with a B.S. in Civil Engineering and earned his Master's in Civil / Structural Engineering from the University of Oklahoma in 1988. Imtiaz is a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of Illinois and Wisconsin. He is member of ASCE , APWA, American Public works Association and IRTBA, Illinois Road and Transportation Builders Associates where he serves on IDOT / IRTBA Liaison Committee. Imtiaz is Chairman of the Board of Noor Foundation, Inc. a charitable organization benefitting the education and healthcare of the underprivileged children of Pakistan He is married to Rahila and they are blessed with three children, Omer (Junior at Oswego East High), Zahra (Freshman at Oswego East High) and Hibah (Bednarcik Junior High, Oswego). He resides in Aurora, IL.
	Mohammed Yousuf Member & Nedea Director of Social Affairs Mohammed Yousuf is a Senior Engineer at Exelon Nuclear responsible for ensuring that their nuclear reactors are maintained at their highest levels of performance and reliability. Exelon Nuclear maintains high level of performance and safety across its nuclear fleet, which is the nation’s largest electric utility (33,000 MWe capacity) with 17 reactors located at 10 nuclear stations in Illinois and Pennsylvania. Yousuf is currently working at Nuclear headquarter located at Warrenville, IL. Prior to his current assignment he has worked in various leadership positions at Braidwood Nuclear Power Plant. He also serves on the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) Fleet Wide Monitoring steering committee. Before migrating to United States, Yousuf has worked at National Fibers and Bengal Fibers in Karachi, Pakistan. He has a Senior Reactor Operator (SRO) Certificate from Exelon Nuclear. Yousuf’s formal education includes Master of Science (MS) degree in Chemical Engineering from University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degree in Applied Chemistry from University of Karachi, Pakistan. Yousuf is the President of Asian-American Community for Exelon Success (AACES) representing over 500 Asian employees working at Exelon Corporation. During the school years, he was the President of Pakistan Student Association (PSA) at University of Illinois at Chicago. He is a member of the current NEDEA Board and is also part of the NED-2010 Convention in Chicago. Yousuf lives in Naperville with his wife Anjum, daughter Saadia and son Ali. Saadia and Ali are senior and freshman, respectively at Naperville Central High School.
	Khairulbashar Siddiqui Member Khairulbashar Siddiqui (KBS), graduated from the Mechanical Engineering department of NED Engineering College (old campus under Karachi University) in 1971. He completed his Masters in Mechanical Engineering from UIC. He worked at PMTF Karachi for 2 years in machine design department of Rifles and Mortars. In 1974 he moved to Austria and joined the VOEST-Alpine AG in Linz (the proud inventor of LD process of steel production). After working in Linz, Liezen, Gleisendorf, Weiz, and Vienna for almost 8 years, Bashar migrated with his wife Tauqeer Siddiqui to USA. He joined Community Metal Products in Forest Park, IL as the plant manager and worked there from 1983 to 1988. IIn 1989, his love of Pakistan took him back to Karachi. From 1989 to 1991, he worked for Habib Group as the plant manager for Charisma Modular Furniture and then opened his own Company SAS service center (still in business) for installation and maintenance of diesel generators both for domestic and industrial use. In the fall of 1991, he moved back to Chicago and joined Soudan Metals Co, a steel service center, as the operation Manager. In 1999 Bashar decided to launch his own steel service center in western suburb of Chicago and finally settled as an entrepreneur. He was also involved in NEDEA since 1998 and has served on the Board as Director Finance, and chairman in Year 2007. Bashar has a very supporting and caring wife Tauqeer, three very dynamic children, Robaab (MD in OB/Gyn), Shua (CPA at RSM Mcgladrey) and Kaamil (senior at Loyola University).
	Syed Nafis Hyder Member & Nedea Director of Membership and Finance Syed Nafis Hyder graduated from NED University of Engineering & Technology in 1999 majoring in Civil Engineering. He came to USA in 2001 and completed his Masters in Construction Engineering & Management from Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) Chicago and later acquired a MBA degree from the same University. He is working as a Project Engineer with Soodan & Associates in Chicago and involved with major construction and roadway projects. He joined NEDEA in 2003 and since then he has been a permanent member of the organization. Currently he is a member of the NEDEA Board serving as the Director of Membership and Finance. Nafis is also part of the Steering Committee organizing the NED-2010 Convention in Chicago.