Dr. Suzy Ismail

Dr. Suzy Ismail is the Founding Director of Cornerstone, a nonprofit, faith-based communication intervention organization with several locations around the world that focus on youth, family, marriage, identity, socioemotional wellness, and relationship rebuilding. She is the author of many books including “Modern Muslim Marriage,” “9 to 5,” “When Muslim Marriage Fails,” and several other works. She specializes in educating and empowering women, youth, and vulnerable populations by presenting a range of workshops, lectures, programs, diversity seminars, and corporate trainings both nationally and internationally. As a Visiting Professor for over a decade in the Communication Departments of Rutgers University and DeVry University, Dr. Ismail has researched, written, and presented extensively on the intersectionality of education, faith, communication, and culture. She has also served for many years as a student adviser, teacher, and board member of a local private school. Dr. Ismail has been interviewed on numerous media outlets and is often featured on talk shows, radio and television broadcasts and podcasts regarding her work. She has presented on the topics of marriage, family, parenting, identity, and teens at many public and private universities around the world such as Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Columbia, NYU and many more, as well as at the World Meeting of Families during Pope Francis’ first visit to the US. She has traveled to the border of Syria to work in refugee camps with women, families, and orphans and continues her work with resettlement and relief agencies providing integration intervention. For many years, Dr. Ismail has served as an executive officer and director on several nonprofit boards, commissions, and organizations. Her humanitarian work has been recognized with numerous awards including the Ambassador for Peace Award and the Visionary Muslim Award. She holds an MA in Communication and in Human Services and a PhD in Family Studies & Intervention Strategies. Dr. Ismail currently resides in Princeton, New Jersey with her husband and three children.