Frank Islam and Debbie Driesman Foundation

Indian-origin entrepreneur in US Trade Committee

Close on the heels of his appointment three months ago as a member of the Advisory Board of the Export-Import Bank, Indian American entrepreneur and investor Frank F Islam has been appointed as a member of the Obama Administration’s Industry Trade Advisory Committee on Small and Minority Business.

Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and US Trade Representative Ron Kirk, in a jointly-signed letter said his appointment would be for four years, said, “We look forward to working with you in developing and implementing trade policies that serve your industry and the national interest.”

The ITAC jointly administered by the Commerce Department and USTR- provides a public-private forum “to ensure that industry has a voice in formulating the trade policy of the United States.”

Islam told rediff.com that “I am just elated, honoured and humbled to serve on this Committee because it is a great opportunity for an Indian American in the private sector to offer advice on and be a part in helping to shape trade policies of the Obama administration.” Read More

AMU made me what I am today: Frank Islam at foundation ceremony of complex named after him

Noted entrepreneur and AMU alumnus, Frank F Islam, Chairman and CEO of FI Investment Group, USA and his wife Debbie Driesman on Friday laid the foundation stone of Frank and Debbi Islam Management Complex to be built near Sir Syed House inside the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) campus.

At a press conference following the foundation stone laying ceremony, Frank Islam showered praise on his alma mater and said that he is in AMU because of a common commitment and a shared belief with the rest of the AMU community.

“Without AMU, I would not have been where I am today,” Frank Islam said while stating that his donation of US$ 2 million to build the new School of Management Complex and endow a ‘Chair for entrepreneurship and innovation at AMU’ is his way of paying back to AMU.

He added that Sir Syed Ahmad Khan once said that ‘from the seed which we sow today there may spring up a mighty tree’ and with the quote, Islam assured the gathering that this Management Complex will one day become that tree and its branches will spread everywhere.

Islam said that this is a kind of university we can build and expand together and one day the students of this Management Complex will be future leaders. “However, all of this was not possible without the support and determination of AMU Vice Chancellor, Lt General Zameer Uddin Shah (retd)”, he said. Read More

Frank Islam releases 1.5 crore rupees to AMU

ALIGARH May 22: A US based non-profit organization “The Frank Islam and Debbie Driesman Foundation” (FIDDF) has released a sum of Rs. 1.5 crore as the first installment to the Aligarh Muslim University for the construction of a new Management Complex which will house Frank and Debbie Islam Department of Management and Faculty of Management Studies and Research. Mr. Frank Islam is an alumnus of this University.

AMU has already earmarked three acres of land near its founder’s house. The total project including the establishment of an endowed chair for entrepreneurship, innovation, corporate responsibility and business etc is estimated to cost 3 million dollar of which one million dollar will be contributed by the Aligarh Muslim University and two million dollars will be contributed by FIDDF in nine installments. The Aligarh Muslim University has already signed a Memorandum of Understanding with FIDDF to this effect.Read More

Frank Islam and Debbie Driesman International MBA Scholarship

In a rapidly changing, global marketplace, the Smith School is preparing savvy business leaders who think critically and creatively, work collaboratively and improve the markets and communities they serve. It’s home to outstanding faculty with real-world experience, cutting-edge research and lots of connections. Your support helps the school challenge students to become entrepreneurs and to open them to a world of opportunities, such as an internship at a Fortune 500 company, a startup, one of its respected research centers on campus or a D.C. consulting firm. Smith School students graduate ready to become agents of economic prosperity and social change.

Frank Islam and Debbie Driesman Foundation Awards $15,000 Grant to Montgomery College Foundation for Athenaeum Symposia

The Frank Islam and Debbie Driesman Foundation is providing a $15,000 grant to the Montgomery College Foundation to support the 2013-2014 Athenaeum Symposia, an annual lecture series held at the Germantown Campus. The grant funds will enable the College to bring nearly a dozen nationally known experts to talk about timely issues in international affairs, the arts, politics, and economics. To recognize the generous support of the foundation, the lecture series will be named the Frank Islam Athenaeum Symposia for the 2013-2014 academic year.

Islam will give the first lecture, “Working the Pivot Points: To Make America Work Again,” at 7 p.m. on September 10, 2013, and will be followed by a reception. The lecture will take place in Globe Hall located in the High Technology and Science Center.Read More

Entrepreneur Frank Islam honored by TwoCircles with Philanthropy Leadership Award

Entrepreneur Frank Islam was honored with Philanthropy Leadership Award by TwoCircles.net (TCN) during the news organization’s ten-year anniversary celebration in Boston, on May 22.

While Islam could not be present to receive the award personally, he sent a statement that was read on the occasion which described the distinction as “special” due to of the nature of the manner in which TCN gives “voice to the voiceless, hope to the hopeless, and [stamps] out the stereotypes that others may have of Muslims.”

Islam said that he see his philanthropic activities as “strategic investment in the future” rather than simply as charity.

“I engage in philanthropy not only to pay back for what I have been given but also to pay it forward so that others can give as well,” he stated in the speech that was read by proxy at the ceremony.

Islam has been involved in civic and political issues affecting India. Earlier this year he donated $2 million to Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) to build a new School of Management Complex and endow a “Chair for entrepreneurship and innovation at AMU.” It currently stands as biggest donation AMU has received in its history.

“TCN takes its name from Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar, who said: ‘I belong to two circles of equal size, but which are not concentric. One is India and the other is the Muslim world.’ As I read that quote, I thought that I belong to three circles, India, the Muslim world, and the United States of America,” Islam further elaborated.

“The statistics on Muslims in poverty and without education here are stunning,” he continued. “Many of your Muslim brothers and sisters need assistance. Your commitment to helping make things better for them could make a difference for a lifetime – both for them and for you.”