Community Advisory Board

Nimo Abdi, DNP, FNP-C., is a Family Nurse Practitioner at Gargar Urgent Care And Clinic.

Miski Abdulle is the Program Manager of the Immigrant Women Advocacy Program at the Brian Coyle Community Center.

Sadiya Hassan is a Registered Nurse and works at Hennepin County Medical Center. She enjoys educating and advocating for her patients. Her favorite part about working in Minneapolis is how diverse her patients and colleagues are. Her goal is to learn as many languages as she could so that she could communicate better with her patients.

Salma Hussein, M.S.W., L.I.S.W., is an experienced school, equity and social emotional learning leader. She has a Master's Degree in Social Work and is passionate about securing resources, transforming school cultures, and implementing effective programs for girls and women. Salma currently works as an SEL facilitator for Minneapolis Public Schools, where she brings compassion, connection, and calm to her work in helping students know their uniqueness, brilliance, and potential.

For over 5 years, Sulekha Ibrahim has worked as a public health nurse and health consultant in various community settings across the Twin Cities. She obtained a bachelor's degree in Nursing from the University of Minnesota and began her profession working at the Masonic Children's hospital with a specialty in maternal and infant health. Sulekha has used her public health nursing role in developing culturally appropriate programs and strengthening initiatives for BIPOC and immigrant/refugee populations.

Mahmud Kanyare is a Muslim Somali-American citizen. He came to the U.S in 2000. He is a husband and a father of three. He is the executive director and co- founder of an activity and educational based non-profit organization called Youth & Family Circle, where he runs a beautiful week-long summer camp every year for youth and families.

He brings over more than a decade of experience of creating and implementing programs and activities for children, youth of all ages as well as parents. He is a mentor and a life coach for many young adults of all ages. He is a speaker/lecturer and has spoken at many different places covering various topics, bridging a gap between many different faith communities in order to bring a mutual understanding.

Mahmud holds an associate degree in Islamic Studies from The Islamic University of Minnesota and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree. He also holds a degree in computer technology from the National American University. He is well recognized by many leaders in Saint Paul as well as leaders across the state as a Young Dynamic Leader. He speaks four languages.

Safi Khalif is the founder and the Executive Director of YIELD (Youth Innovation Empowerment Leadership Development). He started this organization to help young individuals become an essential part of their community through education, tutoring, parent-teacher conference, mentorship pals, training and job-placement, behavioral health services, resources for the homeless, summer camps and competitions, in-class culture orientation and development, and much more. He graduated from Metro State University in 2016, and works with large refugee families in their first five years in the United States, helping them thrive by focusing on their major needs.

Prior to founding YIELD, Mr. Khalif worked as a Student Dean at Minneapolis Public Schools. While at MPS, he created a new program for newly arrived Somali students. Mr. Khalif also started a summer youth program called Horn Tea House in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, which focused on teaching East African youth how to run small businesses, and learn about their culture, poetry, and community.

Ms. Roble recently completed her Bachelor of Social Work degree at Augsburg University. She conducted her field practicum over a 6-month period on SoLaHmo’s Our body, Our Health project, an NIH R01 funded study at the UMN Medical School on Somali women’s sexual health. She is also a SoLaHmo executive committee member providing governance for the SoLaHmo program. Ms. Roble is deeply committed to social, health and mental health equity and is working to open opportunities for communities of color in mental health through her current Master’s in Social Work Studies in the Multicultural Clinical practice Program at Augsburg University. She brings her community and cultural expertise and networks as a Somali community member to this current project.

Nimo’s responsibilities include being a one-on-one mentor, organizing community events, day to day operations, leading support groups on topics such as drug addiction, sexual assault, and mental health. With her background and training in health care, Nimo shines in helping her community and taking care of their needs. Nimo is a Registered Medical Assistant and has been in the medical field for 18 years and is also an instructor for mental health first aid. Her empathy gained by being a nurse further propels her love for others. When she is not working, she is typically hiking, watching the NBA, or spending time with her children and family. 

Hiba Sharif, DNP, APRN, CNM., is a certified nurse midwife who is passionate about providing patient-centered care that is equitable, ethical and accessible. Hiba believes that women are the experts of their own health and is passionate about meeting people where they are at and collaborating with women to talk about making healthy life choices.

Fardoza Yusuf, R.N., works in an acute long time nursing home as a nurse. Most residents are respiratory compromised and depend on a ventilator. Fardoza is also a co-founder of Optimum Health Care Services where she works with residents of different backgrounds. She is also a volunteer at Cycles for change.