Deputy Director of Strategic Initiatives
Sukaina Hussain serves as the Deputy Director of Strategic Initiatives at CIPC. She is a community organizer who has worked to build relationships with a focus on equity and justice for over 10 years. Driven by her Islamic values, she uses her background and skills to address systemic issues of injustice through organizing and policy advocacy to improve quality of life for immigrants and all families.
Before joining CIPC, she served as the Deputy Executive Director at the Council on American-Islamic Relations Sacramento Valley/Central California (CAIR-SV/CC), where she worked to build power within the Muslim community on issues related to immigration, civil rights, and racial and economic justice as well as increase civic engagement. She spearheaded outreach to hundreds of thousands of MENA community members during Census 2020. She led multiple voter engagement campaigns and exponentially grew CAIR-SV/CC’s team and organizational budget to increase reach and impact across the region.
Sukaina also served as a Community Organizer with Faith in the Valley, where she worked with interfaith communities to address issues related immigration, housing, police accountability, and environmental justice. During this time, she helped to develop a regionwide rapid response network and led community organizing efforts to create and lead the first Fresno County Legal Defense Fund, which provides free legal services to immigrants facing deportation and helps keep families together.
For her work and advocacy, Sukaina has received numerous awards and appointments, including the Way to Peace Award, and serves on the ACLU NorCal Union Board, the Muslim Power Building Project Advisory Board, the Movement Innovation Collaborative Leadership Council, and the Fresno DRIVE Initiative.
An immigrant from Pakistan, Sukaina grew up in Chicago. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and Biology from Loyola University Chicago and Master of Public Health degree from Benedictine University. She enjoys kayaking, hiking and spending as much time as she can in nature. During her travels, she continually seeks out opportunities for snorkeling and trying new foods!