Judge David Shaheed

Judge David Shaheed serves as Midwest Coordinator for American Coalition for Good Government. Judge Shaheed has a rich legal career spanning more than 30 years, including 20 years as a judge in both criminal and civil courts. In 2005, Judge Shaheed launched Marion County’s Re-entry Court, only the second re-entry court in the State of Indiana. Shaheed was named “Judge of the Year”in 2007 by The Indiana Correctional Association for his work with ex-offenders and defendants seeking recovery from substance abuse.

Shaheed is familiar with cases involving police and young black men. Shaheed spent eight years as co-counsel in the wrongful case of the Estate of Michael Taylor v. The City of Indianapolis, ultimately winning a $3.5 million-dollar verdict in 1996 for the mother of a sixteen-year-old African-American youth found dead while hand-cuffed in police custody. Although the police department claimed Taylor committed suicide by shooting himself in the head while in the back seat of the patrol car, Shaheed and legendary civil rights attorney, John Moss, convinced an all-white jury to award damages for the wrongful death of the teenager. 

Shaheed is an associate professor at Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA) in Indianapolis. He is also a member of the American Bar Association’s Commission on Lawyers Assistance Programs (CoLAP).

Amirah S. Salaam, Esq.

Amirah S. Salaam, Esq.

Vice President, Government Relations and Public Policy
Virginia Union University

Formerly, Lobbyist and Program Director, National School Boards Association; Senior Director of Public Policy, NAFSA: Association of International Educators; Director of Outreach and Advocacy for Government Relations, American Dental Education Association; Senior Advisor and Communications Director, Office of the late Congressman Donald M. Payne, Sr.; Legislative Counsel, Office of Congressman Andre Carson; Congressional Liaison, Congressional Black Caucus Foundation/Office of Congressman Kendrick Meek; Judicial Law Clerk, Judge Thurman H. Rhodes, District Court of Maryland (District 6), and Analyst, U.S. Department of State (top secret clearance).

Ms. Salaam brings close to two decades of combined federal legislative, executive branch and trade association experience to her current position, which is Vice President, Government Affairs & Public Policy at Virginia Union University (VUU). Prior to joining VUU, she served as a Federal Lobbyist and Program Director, National Advocacy Programs for the National School Boards Association (NSBA). At NSBA, she was responsible for managing the organization’s 501 (c) (4), National School Boards Action Center (NSBAC), and representing the organization on Capitol Hill. Prior to joining NSBA, Ms. Salaam was Senior Director of Public Policy for NAFSA – Association of International Educators, where she developed a federal advocacy agenda to advance immigration and higher education priorities on Capitol Hill and at the White House.

In Washington, D.C., Ms. Salaam is known to be a highly motivated, multi-faceted senior government relations professional with a demonstrated track record of working effectively with Republican and Democratic Members of Congress and their staff. As a former Capitol Hill senior staffer and lobbyist, she has managed all aspects of federal relations activities, including supervision of policy staff and policy development. Recognized as a strong communicator with high- level relationships, Ms. Salaam possess a keen understanding of the intersection between policy, effective message development, and strategic engagement. From policymaking to crisis communications, online advocacy, and coalition building to grassroots engagement, she understands how to create winning solutions to garner champions at the national level to influence policy outcomes.

Ms. Salaam is a former Congressional Representative to the European Union and Middle East. She served as a Representative to the Republican and Democratic National Conventions and the U.S. Presidential Inauguration Committee for Barack Obama. She is a recipient of the Bill Gates Millennium Scholarship, Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and NAACP “Black Excellence” Awards, and is currently a member of the Zeta Chi Omega Chapter, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.

Education: Ms. Salaam holds a law degree from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, Bachelor of Arts from George Mason University, and an Honors Designation from New College, Oxford University, United Kingdom. Ms. Salaam recently earned a certificate in Nonprofit Executive Management from Georgetown University, 2017, and completed the prestigious Yale University Women’s Campaign School program this summer.

Ameenah Karim-Capers

Ameenah Karim-Capers received her Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering in 1998 from Howard University and her Juris Doctor of Law in 2001 from Howard University School of Law, both in Washington, DC. Ameenah is currently working as the Deputy General Counsel and Bid Manager for Banneker Ventures, LLC. She is a strong advocate for the community and serves as Treasurer for Soulful Muslims, a non-profit organization serving the Muslim Community primarily in Maryland and the District of Columbia. Ameenah is also interested in starting a school for Muslim children in the Prince Georges County Maryland area. Her professional interest focuses on contract law, employment law, litigation and family law and she is currently a member of the New York State Bar, District of Columbia Bar and the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States. Ameenah is the mother of two children, Jalil and Linah.