Emgage Foundation Announces Launch of the North Star Policy Initiative

Leading National Muslim American Civic Engagement Organization to Spearhead Policy Thought Leadership and Engagement

Washington, D.C. – July 22, 2025 – Emgage Foundation, a leading Muslim American civic education and engagement organization, today announced the launch of the North Star Policy Initiative. This strategic expansion reflects Emgage’s commitment to advancing policy thought leadership and engagement on issues critical to Muslim American and allied communities and U.S. interests. 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.

NSPI will be 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.

“We are thrilled to launch the North Star Policy Initiative,” said Wa’el Alzayat, CEO of Emgage. “NSPI represents our commitment to elevating Muslim American voices in critical public and global policy discussions that shape our nation’s future. Adham’s experience in national security and public service at the highest levels, as well as his former service on Emgage’s national board, makes him the ideal lead for this project.”

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.”

The launch of the North Star Policy Initiative comes at a time of growing Muslim American policy engagement and representation, amid broader calls for more democratic governance and policy discourse accessible to all Americans. Through NSPI, Emgage Foundation aims to contribute substantive policy research and engagement that informs public discourse, advances the civic leadership of Muslim Americans, and serves the broader national interest.

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.

About Emgage Foundation

Emgage educates and mobilizes Muslim American voters in support of policies that enable our communities to thrive and democracy to flourish. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., Emgage has state chapters in Florida, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia.

Contact:
Emgage Press Office
press@emgageusa.org