On Wednesday, October 29, 2008, NCIA's Vice President of Program Development, Earl El-Amin, received the Baltimore City NAACP's 2008 Freedom Fund Award. This award is given as a way to recognize and celebrate those that have made major contributions to the community over time in the spirit of promoting unity.

Imam Earl S. El-Amin, a native of Baltimore, Maryland, was educated in the public schools of the Baltimore metropolitan area. He is a graduate of Morgan State University and Sojourner Douglass College, and is an adjunct faculty member at the latter institution. He is the co-founder of the African American Men's Leadership Institute.

Mr. El-Amin is currently the Vice President for Program Development at the National Center on Institutions and Alternatives (NCIA) in Baltimore. For the previous eight years, he was the Deputy Director for the Office of the Independent Juvenile Justice Monitor, the Maryland Governor's Office, State of Maryland.

As an innovative leader, Imam Earl S. El-Amin joined the National Center on Institutions and Alternatives (NCIA) previously as Executive Director for the NCIA Youth Residential Program and was responsible for managing 13 group homes and over 90 employees. Earlier in his career, he served as a Deputy Director of NCIA and assisted with the closing of the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services, Montrose School.

For over 25 years, he has served in various capacities of leadership in the Muslim community as well as the community at large. He has conducted numerous workshops, forums and trainings throughout the United States and abroad to educators, theologians, social workers and human service practitioners. He is recognized throughout the country as one of the experts in developing character in African American at risk boys. As a volunteer he was one of the persons known throughout Baltimore in the 1980s and 1990s to develop and present "Rites of Passage" sessions and trainings to young boys who were transitioning from boyhood to manhood. Mr. El-Amin has served as a panelist with Dr. William "Bill" Cosby in both Baltimore, MD and Philadelphia, PA.

Formerly, for many years he served as co-host of the popular two-way talk show "Dialogue with the African American Male" on WEAA, Morgan State University's public radio station. He has made numerous guest television and radio appearances on "The Bottom Line," "To the Point," "Newsnight," "Interfaith Roundtable," "Xchange," "The Marc Steiner Show," and many more. His years of volunteer and community service have garnered him myriads of awards and certificates, including: recipient of US Congressman Kweisi Mfume's Congressional Achievement Award, the Baltimore City Department of Education "Friend of Education Award," the Stanley Sollins Humanitarian Award, and the San Egidio Humanitarian Award, Rome Italy.

Imam El-Amin currently serves on the Executive Committee for the Call to Action Board, Baltimore City Human Relations Commission, Baltimore, MD. Under the direct recommendation of Mayor Sheila Dixon, he was most recently noted for his outstanding leadership role of mobilizing along with other strong males over 15,000 husbands, fathers and men encouraging them to step up and become better husbands, fathers and men (Baltimore Convention Center, June 15, 2008).

Mr. El-Amin's volunteer community and civic affiliations include: President of the Ashburton-East Arlington Neighborhood Association, WYPR Community Advisory Board, Black Mental Health Alliance Inc., Maryland Interfaith Legislative Committee, Juvenile Advisory Council, US Congressman Elijah Cummings Roundtable, Governor's Task Force of Black Males, Maryland Interfaith Coalition, Islamic Affairs Council and member of the Greenmount School Board.

Earl is married to Donna, and he is the proud father of three children and proud son of the late Flan Couch and Ruby K. Couch.

Please join us in congratulating Earl on receiving this award!