>Safaa Zarzour is a principal of Zarzour Law, LLC. Mr. Zarzour focuses his law practice in the areas of Local Government and Non-Profit Law.
Mr. Zarzour holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Arkansas State University (December 1990), a Masters in Education from the University of Illinois in Chicago (May 1996), and a Juris Doctor degree from DePaul University School of Law (December 2003). He also holds teaching certificates from the States of Louisiana (1993) and Illinois (1994), and a General School Administration Certificate in Illinois (1996).
Mr. Zarzour was named to the Deanโs list for the fall, 2000 semester at DePaul Law School. He also was a semi-finalist in DePaulโs Negotiation Competition in October, 2000, and a finalist in DePaulโs Client Counseling Competition in February, 2001. Mr. Zarzour is a member of the Bars of the State of Illinois, and the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Mr. Zarzour is also a member of the Illinois State Bar Association. Upon his admission to the Illinois Bar in May 2004, Mr. Zarzour joined the law firm of Odelson & Sterk, Ltd., as an associate attorney. For the next three years at the law firm, Mr. Zarzour served as the prosecutor of several local municipalities and represented municipal clients in numerous civil law suits, labor hearings, negotiations, and arbitrations.
Prior to his law career, Mr. Zarzour was an educator for over 12 years. He taught Mathematics for three years in Louisiana and Illinois, and served as a Principal of the Universal School in Bridgeview, IL, one of the largest PreK-12 independent Islamic Schools in the United States. During his tenure, the school tripled its enrollment and became a leader among Islamic schools in North America. Mr. Zarzour continues to serve on the Board of Directors of Universal School today.
Mr. Zarzour has served in various capacities in his village including as a Zoning Commissioner, and an elected public library trustee. He was elected Commissioner of the Bridgeview Park District in 2006.
In addition, Mr. Zarzour actively serves on a variety of non-profit boards. He is the Chairman of the Council on American Islamic Relations in Chicago, the Chairman of the Council of Islamic Schools in North America, Program Chairman of the ISNA Education Forum, Vice Chairman of Muslim Educational Resources, Information, and Training, a member of the Catholic-Muslim Education Project, member of the Board of Advisors of Play for Peace, member of the Board of Advisors of the Bernadine Center at the Catholic Theological Union, and a member of the Board of Advisors of the School of Education at St. Xavier University.
Mr. Zarzour has participated as a presenter at numerous educational conferences in several states in the U.S. as well as in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa. He has conducted workshops on legal as well as educational issues including school governance, legal compliance, curriculum, staff and program evaluation for educators. Mr. Zarzourโs work has been featured in many media including 60 Minutes, PBS Front Line, Chicago Tribune, Time Magazine and many others.
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