Cleveland, Ohio
Melaak Rashid is Director of Development at Smart Development, a nonprofit serving refugee and immigrant populations. She is also an Independent Nonprofit Consultant at United Funding Consulting leading in organizational development, compliance, and grant and fund development raising over $15M focusing on minority-led organizations. Melaak has a deep commitment to community impact and serving at-risk populations, as she is a proud daughter of Palestinian-Muslim immigrants. Melaak obtained both her Bachelor’s degree majoring in Political Science and International Politics, and her Master’s in Public Administration with a Nonprofit Management and Urban Planning Certificate at Cleveland State University. She started her professional career as a Human Resource Coordinator, which led her to becoming a freelance grant writer and consultant. Melaak has led grassroots efforts in the Arab, Muslim, and immigrant community of Northeast Ohio for years through continuous volunteerism. Melaak was awarded the Ned Nehusel Award by the Ohio CDC Association, and also was a 2021 recipient of the Movers and Shakers 25 under 25 Award by the Cleveland Professional 20/30 Club. She is an advisory board member of The Refugee Response and ClevelandVOTES, a board member of CAIR Cleveland, and a member of the Leadership Council at JumpStart.
