Murad Awawdeh

Nationally acclaimed strategist and organizer, Murad Awawdeh has been leading the charge for immigrants across New York & the nation. Murad, the son of Palestinian immigrants, has dedicated over two decades of his life fighting for low-income communities of color. As the President and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), he leads the nation’s oldest and largest immigrant rights organization.

Through his work, he has successfully expanded rights and protections for New Yorkers and delivered over $10 billion in community reinvestment. Murad has been tapped by Governor Hochul to support post-COVID Recovery efforts to pave a new way forward for our city and state. Over the past two years, he has worked to welcome tens of thousands of recent arrivals, advocate for their needs, and strengthen the ecosystem of community organizations serving immigrant communities. Murad has successfully led electoral, legislative, and policy campaigns at the federal, state, and local levels and mobilized hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers at demonstrations against anti-immigrant policies.

As the President and CEO of NYIC Action, the NYIC’s sister 501(c)4 political advocacy and action organization, he has successfully run grassroots electoral campaigns to elect progressive candidates. Murad has been featured in the New York Times, Vice, Washington Post, and various other outlets. He serves as a member of the Justice 2020 Committee, as a board member of the National Immigration Law Center, Race Forward, Advocacy Institute, National Partnership for New Americans, Fair Immigration Reform Movement, ImmigrantArc, and as Commissioner of the New York City Civic Engagement Commission.