Feryal Salem is an educator, academic, author, and chaplain who has dedicated her life to training Muslim chaplains and ambassadors. She began her education at Wayne State University in Michigan, studying anthropology, before moving to Chicago where she studied at the University of Chicago and ultimately received a Master’s Degree in Middle Eastern Studies. She received her Phd at the University of Chicago in Islamic Studies from the school’s department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations.  Feryal’s research, and much of her professional career has been dedicated to studying Islamic philosophy and theology in the post classical period and interfaith dialogue. She began her career teaching at Hartford Seminary as an Assistant Professor of Islamic Scriptures and as the Co-Director of the school’s Islamic Chaplaincy Program, where she helped for train spiritual counselors for colleges, hospitals and prisons. Currently she is the Director of Master of Divinity in Islamic Studies and Muslim Chaplaincy Program at the American Islamic College.  Feryal has published a number of books and academic works, including her first book “The Emergence of Early Sufi Piety and Sunni Scholasticism”. CNN names her one of 25 Influential American Muslims for her work in the field of education.