A leading National Muslim American Civic Engagement Organization to Spearhead Policy Thought Leadership and Engagement.
The North Star Policy Initiative (NSPI) will serve as a bridge between policymakers and constituencies committed to thoughtful and principled policies that expand representation and strengthen national security.
About the North Star Policy Initiative
The North Star Policy Initiative (NSPI) seeks to champion thoughtful and principled policymaking in Washington by elevating contributions from policy experts from Muslim Americans and allied communities on issues critical to the United States. By serving as a premier hub for policy thought leadership and engagement, the North Star Policy Initiative informs public discourse and advances the interests of our communities and country.
Team
Adham Sahloul, Senior Advisor and Coordinator.
NSPI is led by Adham Sahloul, a U.S. foreign policy expert with government, think tank, and policy advocacy experience. He was most recently a special advisor in the Biden Administration, where he served at the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). He will be joined by an advisory council that includes policy experts and former senior U.S. officials from Muslim American and allied communities.
Adham is a dedicated public servant. His experience at the Pentagon, State Department, and USAID spanned the 3 ‘Ds’ of foreign policy–defense, diplomacy, and development. At the Pentagon, he served as a special assistant in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. At USAID, he worked in the Office of Policy, focusing on China and strategic competition. Adham began his career in the humanitarian field, where he focused on civilian protection and aid access in Syria. His work has appeared in numerous publications, including Foreign Affairs, War on The Rocks, The Diplomat, Lawfare, Axios, and the Chicago Sun-Times. He holds a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University. The University of Illinois honored him as the 2025 Young Alumni Award recipient.
Adham was an ally of Emgage’s Million Muslim Votes campaign during the 2020 national campaign cycle, when he was a foreign policy advisor to Pete Buttigieg’s presidential campaign and later the Biden-Harris campaign. He was previously a national board member for Emgage Foundation (2021-2022).
“I am honored to rejoin Emgage Foundation at this pivotal moment for our communities and country,” said Sahloul. “The North Star Policy Initiative will serve as a vital platform for advancing thought leadership and consensus-building on hard policy challenges facing our nation. I look forward to working with the talented and committed public servants at Emgage to build bridges between communities and policymakers.”