Berkley Center

Dr. Emad Rahim is an award-winning author, entrepreneur, and educator. He is a genocide survivor of the Cambodian Killing, where he lost his brother and father to the Khmer Rouge. Growing up in poverty and around violence as a refugee in Brooklyn and Syracuse, NY, Rahim overcame great adversity to find his way in higher education, Islam, and entrepreneurship. He was recognized for his social entrepreneurship work at UN headquarters as an Empact100 Honoree and was invited to participate in an entrepreneurship summit hosted by the White House and the U.S. Chambers of Commerce. Rahim’s personal story is told in a short documentary titled Against the Odds and was adapted into the theater production, Tales from the Salt City, written and directed by award-winning playwright Ping Chong. He currently serves an assistant dean of business at Strayer University, entrepreneur-in-residence at Oklahoma State University, and visiting scholar at Rutgers University.