47. Isma Chaudhry

The Pakistan-born physician has made quite a life for herself on Long Island. Isma Chaudhry, a mother of two from Manhasset, volunteered for Westbury’s Islamic Center of Long Island for more than two decades before her appointment as the first-ever female president of the respected mosque and community center. For years, Chaudhry has focused on interfaith efforts and trying to establish a dialogue between people of different faiths and varying backgrounds, to much success. Her outreach efforts began when her children began attending private school, which only had six Muslim students at the time, including her own. She developed a program that educated teachers on their culture and religious practices. Soon, public schools began asking for similar programs. Chaudhry continues her interfaith efforts at the ICLI, and is also overseeing the mosque’s multi-million dollar renovation—an expansion of the existing building that will allow the ICLI to hold more events and accommodate even more visitors. Chaudhry’s ascension comes amid heightened Islamophobia in America, an issue she aggressively combats through multi-ethnic and interfaith dialogue.