Sabina Islam

Co-Founder/Secretary/Executive Director

Sabina Islam is an entrepreneurial spirit and co-founded the Aaron Barnett Foundation with the help of Zeina Ammar to empower & support the K12 students to pursue their careers in Cyber Security and Technology, keeping the legacy alive of her dear friend and mentor Aaron Barnett.

The idea of establishing the Aaron Barnett Foundation came up one day in conversation with Aaron when Sabina shared, and Aaron expressed his support, excitement, and joy listening to the idea a few months before his death. 

After Aaron’s memorial service on December 06, 2018, Sabina shared the idea with Zeina Ammar to develop a foundation in Aaron’s name. Zeina was very excited to hear the concept as she fosters many projects to bring changes in the young generation's lives in the USA and globally. This idea of establishing the foundation encouraged Tim Kelly, Donna Woods, Steve Thornton, and David Cumbow to join the board. Technical leaders like the CTO of San Bernardino County, David Thurston, the CTO of Riverside County, Eric Calderon, Carl Fong, the CTO of Orange County Department of Education, the CITE Executive Director, Andrea Bennet, welcomed and inspired this foundation immediately. 

Later this foundation received enormous support from educational leaders and built strong teamwork among board members to fulfill the mission of the Aaron Barnett foundation. 

Sabina Islam is humbled to volunteer as an Executive Director with her years of expertise in digital marketing and web technology to Aaron Barnett Foundation. As a co-founder, Sabina Islam also wears many hats to nurture this baby tree and grow bigger, making a difference in the lives of the young men and women who thrive on being cyber leaders. She is dedicated and confident to create the foundation a success with the help of her President Zeina Ammar and experienced members of the board. 

She is enlisted as the Secretary of this Foundation with the State of California. 

Hands-on digital and technical marketing strategist with 17+ years of experience in marketing management, Sabina is instrumental in developing ABF’s web architecture which is highly compatible with the industry. With her plan and strategy, she helped build the following robust applications -. 

• Scholarship application system
• Donation system
• Receipt system
• Email marketing system
• Student ambassadorship system 
• Cultivated the idea of the young women cybersecurity award
• Launched an article competition & reward program
• Expansion of scholarship programs in Orange County and San Diego County 

She is also building a solid network by communicating with technical and educational leaders in the industry for the foundation's future growth. 

With her years of experience in hands-on training in desktop publishing and video editing, she is responsible for managing ABF’s all creative projects, such as video editing, custom graphics, marketing materials, event planning, and social media marketing. 

She obtained an MBA in Technology Management, a 2-year degree in Digital Art & Visual Communications, and is a Google Certified Digital Marketer. 

Sabina has been passionate about helping young women be financially independent working in technology.

She teaches young girls how to push the envelope to reach their goals toward a solid career path to be independent financially. 

While in Bangladesh, from the age of 17, she had been involved in philanthropy work in several non-profit organizations with her mother, Taufica Mahmood, the founder of Dhaka Women College, working on several missions to combat young women trafficking, women’s education in health and hygiene, child labor, workplace sexual oppression, women rights in jobs, child molestation, spousal abuse, dowry, and enforceable early arranged marriages.

She also worked at some American nonprofit agencies in Los Angeles and San Diego. She received several awards from the Mayor's Office of the City of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles City Council District 13 for her efforts in motivating women in technology to share in the community.

In her spare time, she likes to listen to Western and Indian classical music. She also knows how to play Indian instruments such as Sitar, Harmonium, Tabla. She also likes to cook, paint, dance, decorate, and garden. She loves outdoor activities like kayaking, hiking, boating, and bowling. 

She has one daughter who is a UCLA graduate and pursuing a medical career. She has a Siberian Husky named Yesi who likes to talk. She loved her dearly and her few loyal friends and family. 

She welcomes everyone's ideas and feedback, and healthy criticism to make this foundation grow.

Thank you all for believing in ABF!