Mahnaz Shabbir

Mahnaz Shabbir is president of Shabbir Advisors, an integrated strategic management consulting company focusing on planning, marketing, public relations, diversity transformation and website design on a national basis. Over the last five years, Shabbir has given over 100 lectures, locally, nationally and internationally to organizations interested in knowing more about diversity issues. She has been the subject of dozens of articles, both locally and nationally.  In March 2005, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius appointed Shabbir to the REACH Health Care Foundation Community Advisory Committee, a $100 million foundation. Shabbir is also on the faculty at Baker University teaching strategic planning and marketing classes in the school of Professional and Graduate Studies, Park University teaching classes in health care administration and at Avila University teaching diversity classes. She is frequent lecturer at the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth and Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

Prior to forming her own company, Shabbir was the Vice President for Strategic Planning and Business Development at Carondelet Health, a Catholic health care system in Kansas City. She had been with the organization for over 18 years. In this capacity, Shabbir planned $40 million projects like the four story medical mall at Saint Joseph Health Center. She has a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration and a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Missouri- Kansas City. 

Shabbir is very involved in community activities that range from the Central Exchange, Boy Scouts of America and Overland Park Rotary to being a leader amongst the Muslim community in the greater Kansas City. Shabbir is a board member of the Greater Kansas City Interfaith Council, Boy Scouts of America, CRES (Center for Religious Educational Studies) and University of Missouri-Kansas City Women’s Center Board. She is also the past president of the Heartland Muslim Council and past board member of the Crescent Peace Society.  She recently became the Kansas Political Chair for the Greater Kansas City Woman’s Political Caucus.  Her work has been featured nationally in Family Circle (April 2005) and Entrepreneur (July 2005) magazines and other local and regional media outlets.

Her article, “I am an American Muslim Woman” appeared in the Kansas City Star and was syndicated throughout the United States. She has also written articles for Kansas City Voices, Kansas City Jewish Chronicle, and Ingram’s Magazine.  Her articles are found in national publications such as New Light, the National Catholic Reporter and Boomer Market Advisor. She is also the founder of Community Praying for Peace.

Shabbir was featured in the CBS special “Open Hearts, Open Minds” in October 2002 and interviewed in 2003 on Voice of America. In February 2005, she presented an hour-long program on the radio show, Voice of the Cape that aired in Cape Town, South Africa to 150,000 listeners. In May and July 2008, Shabbir was interviewed on Channel Islam International broadcasting to 150 countries worldwide from Johannesburg, South Africa.

Shabbir was the Kansas City Press Club Journalist of the Year for 2003 and received other Journalism awards in 2005 and 2007.  She was also recognized by The Women's Foundation of Greater Kansas City: A Celebration of Women in June 2003.   In October 2003, Shabbir received the award for Community Image from the Heartland Muslim Council.  In March 2004, she received the YWCA award for the Gold Honoree in the category of Racial Justice.  Shabbir Advisors was nominated as “Minority Professional Service Firm of the Year” at the US Small Business Administration annual regional meeting in November 2004.  In November 2005, Shabbir received a special recognition award from the Crescent Peace Society for her contributions in community service. On September 11, 2006, Shabbir received the Human Rights award from Church Women United. She received the ACLU Liberty Award for Racial Justice and honored at the CRES annual Thanksgiving dinner in 2007.  In 2008, she received the Humanitarian Award from Harmony.

Shabbir is the mother to two adult sons and two young sons. She is also a certified tree farmer.

MOST REQUESTED TOPICS:

I am an American Muslim Woman

Learn first-hand and share the experiences of a United States citizen who is a member of a religious minority. In her presentation, Mahnaz explores how many Americans confuse cultural practices with the Muslim faith, such as expelling the myth that Islam is oppressive to women. For example, Muslim women were the first women in the world given the right to divorce and own property in their own name over 1,400 years ago. Shabbir often wears a hijab (traditional scarf) while presenting and draws upon her real-world experiences to break down barriers and educate on the true meaning of more than 7 million Muslims in the United States.

Working to Make the World a Better Place

Mahnaz knows  how to tell her story in a way that invites other people to think about their own stories. She uses techniques that have the audience learn more about other people and their cultures.  She challenges them as Gandhi would say, “We are the change we wish to see in the world”. 

Diversity Training Workshop-Putting Thoughts into Action

Participants will examine their own filters regarding diversity issues via exercises in order for them to train others in the field of diversity. The following are examples of these exercises:

    * Listening To and Being Each Other

    * Horatio Alger Exercise:

    * Diversity via Venn Diagram Exercise

    * My Cultural Assets Exercise

    * I want You to Know Exercise

Understanding People of Faiths: A Global Perspective

Participants will explore major religions and have a better understanding via the following discussions:

    * What is Pluralism and Religious Pluralism

    * Why is this important

    * Why should this be important to you

    * Understand 14 Faith groups represented in the Greater Kansas City community

    * What can you do

Strategic Planning

Mahnaz Shabbir will outline the process of developing a strategic plan for businesses.  She focuses her presentation on the importance of developing a mission, vision and values statement for the organization so that organization will focus its attention on the most effective strategic directions. She uses real-world practical planning and implementation systems of a strategic plan that has proven results for her clients. The key to this process is the tracking system so that all members of the team produce results to achieve the organizational goals.  

Marketing Planning Process

Mahnaz Shabbir will outline the process of developing a marketing plan for businesses.  She focuses her presentation on the importance of the 4 p’s of marketing (product, price, place and promotion). She uses real-world practical planning and implementation systems of a marketing plan that has proven results for her clients. The key to this process is the tracking system so that all members of the team produce results to achieve the organizational marketing goals.

Project Management

From Thought to Action

This workshop outlines the concepts of project management with real world experiences in order for developing and implementing a successful project. Please bring with you a current project so that you can start the ground running when you get back to the office.