Ali Noorani

executive director, National Immigration Forum

In March 2008, the Board of the National Immigration Forum selected Ali Noorani to be Executive Director. Prior to joining the Forum, Ali was Executive Director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA), an organization he joined in 2003. Under his leadership, MIRA more than tripled its staff and programs, and greatly increased its capacity to advocate for the rights and opportunities of immigrants and refugees. Before taking helm at MIRA, Ali worked on a variety of community health and social justice issues. At the Health Services Partnership of Dorchester, Ali served as the Director of Public Health, managing efforts ranging from HIV/AIDS to youth development for two large community health centers in Dorchester, MA. Born in California, Noorani is the son of Pakistani immigrants and one of the few national leaders of Muslim heritage. Ali is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and received his Masters in Public Health from Boston University. Recently, he received the Alfred L. Frechette Award from the Massachusetts Public Health Association for exceptional leadership in promoting social justice and received the 2007 Boston University Young Alumni Award.