Zainab Chaudry, Pharm.D. is the Maryland Director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, America’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization. She is the first Muslim to be appointed to the Maryland State Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights – an independent, bipartisan agency established by Congress in 1957 that is charged with advising the President and Congress on civil rights matters. She is a Fellow of the American Muslim Civic Leadership Institute and the Maryland Public Policy Conflict Resolution Fellows Program at the University of Maryland Carey School Of Law.
She was a ‘Nominated Changemaker’ at the White House Summit on the United State of Women, and has been recognized by the Baltimore Sun as ’25 Women to Watch.’ She has been recognized by the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s office for supporting underprivileged communities. In 2022, Zainab was recognized with a Trailblazer Award by the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights.
Zainab has served on various taskforces, commissions and advisory board, including the Baltimore County Women’s Commission, Maryland Attorney General’s Hate Crimes Prevention Commission, Howard County Racial Equity Taskforce, Maryland Attorney General’s Civil Rights Advisory Board, Interfaith Action for Human Rights, and Tarbiyah Academy. She also served on the task force of the Bilal Initiative, which was launched to expand conversations within American Muslim communities on building a multiracial, multigenerational, and women-friendly society.
In 2023, Zainab coordinated the inaugural #PowerUp2023 Young Muslims Executive Leadership Tour, featuring a tour of the White House and executive level meetings for young Muslim leaders in Maryland nominated and selected during a competitive process to participate in the program.
Zainab has received a Community Service Award by Maryland Governor Larry Hogan and the United Maryland Muslim Council. She was a featured speaker alongside the Mayor of Baltimore, members of Congress, and other dignitaries at the Baltimore Women’s March 2018, addressing thousands gathered at Baltimore City Hall.
In 2018, Zainab co-founded and served as a steering committee member of United for Muslim Mental Advocacy and Health (UMMAH) – an initiative launched in partnership with Maryland area activists and mental health experts to address the mental health crisis within the state’s Muslim communities. Zainab has extensively been involved in interfaith initiatives and youth leadership programs. She was recognized by the Governor of Maryland for organizing the state’s first Muslim Youth Leadership Symposium.
She is a recipient of the Governor’s Service Award for her work in interfaith communities across Maryland, and regularly comments on social justice and women’s rights issues as well as the American Muslim perspective on national and global affairs. She has been recognized as a ‘Community Quarterback’ for the National Football League’s Baltimore Ravens team. She has completed emergency preparedness training from the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security/FEMA,and was recognized for her community work with an Honorable Mention in FEMA’s ‘Individual and Community Preparedness’ awards.
In partnership with the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights and the Governor’s Office on Community Initiatives, Zainab coordinated Maryland’s first statewide emergency preparedness summit for interfaith leaders featuring experts from the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Department of Homeland Security and other federal, state, and local agencies.
In 2017, Zainab presented two TEDx talks. At TEDxMtHebronWomen, she presented on the idea of crafting social currency for social change. Later, she presented at TEDxUniversityofBaltimore on the role of media and activism in dispelling stereotypes about Islam and Muslims.
She has appeared or been quoted extensively in international and national media outlets including TIME, CNN, BBC, MSNBC, Huffington Post, PolicyMic, The Guardian, New York Times, Mediate, Washington Post, Al-Jazeera, BBC, Reuters, CCTV, AP, VICE, and others. Prior to switching career tracks to nonprofit work, Zainab earned her Doctorate in Pharmacy at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy.
Zainab was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland.