Ali Noorani

Last updated
Ali Noorani
OrganizationBarr Foundation
TitleIncoming President
Websitewww.barrfoundation.org

Ali Noorani (born 1974) is an American nonprofit leader who is the incoming president of the Barr Foundation. [1] He was previously a Program Director at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the chief executive of two separate nonprofits focused on immigration policy. [2]

Contents

Biography

Noorani was born in California in 1974, the son of Pakistani immigrants. [3] He completed a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of California, Berkeley in 1996, and a master's degree in Public Health at Boston University in 1999. [4] [5] Noorani then served as the Director of Public Health for the Dorchester House Multi-Service Center and Codman Square Health Center, two large community health centers in Boston, and worked for the City of Boston coordinating funding and technical assistance to regional environmental projects.

From 2003 until 2008, Noorani was Executive Director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition [6] [7]

From 2008 to 2022, Noorani was the President and CEO of the National Immigration Forum, a Washington, D.C.- based immigration policy organization. [8] Noorani led the Forum through a transition process to broaden its focus on unlikely allies and creative alliance building toward a better for future for immigrants and America. [9] The National Immigration Forum has accreditation from the Better Business Bureau [10] and a four-star rating from Charity Navigator. [11]

Professional activities

Noorani is a frequent voice on immigration policy and politics, [12] and he has appeared on Fox News, [13] CNN, [14] MSNBC, [15] NBC News, [16] ABC News, [17] and various radio and local news programs. He has been quoted in newspapers including the Wall Street Journal, [18] New York Times [19] and USA Today, [20] and he speaks regularly on immigration at conferences [21] and college campuses. [22]

Film

Noorani was featured in the 2009 documentary Papers – the movie. [23] Papers is the story of undocumented youth and the challenges they face as they turn 18 without legal status.

He also appeared in Story 12 of How Democracy Works Now , a 12-part documentary film series that examines the American political system through the lens of immigration reform from 2001 to 2007. The series was directed and produced by award-winning filmmaking team Shari Robertson and Michael Camerini. A cut of the film premiered on HBO in March 2010, under the title The Senator's Bargain. [24]

Select publications

References

  1. Kohli, Diti (August 13, 2025). "Ali Noorani to replace Jim Canales as Barr Foundation president". Boston Globe. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
  2. "Barr Foundation Announces Ali Noorani as Next President". Barr Foundation. 13 August 2025. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
  3. Walsh, Megan (March 27, 2015). "How A Wise-Cracking Liberal Won Over Conservatives - On Immigration". The Daily Dose. Ozy. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  4. "There Goes the Neighborhood: The Challenge of American Immigration". UC Berkeley Homecoming Events. University of California, Berkeley. October 2017. Archived from the original on January 3, 2018. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  5. "Ali Noorani ('99) Named 'Rising Star and Provocateur' for Issue Advocacy Skills". Boston University School of Public Health. Boston University. April 2, 2015. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  6. "Barr Foundation Announces Ali Noorani as Next President". Barr Foundation. 13 August 2025. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
  7. https://miracoalition.org/
  8. Immigration – Times Topics – The New York Times
  9. Forging a New Consensus – National Immigration Forum
  10. National Immigration Forum - Charity Reports - Give.org
  11. Charity Navigator Rating – National Immigration Forum
  12. Ali Noorani, National Immigration Forum, Executive Director | C-SPAN
  13. Lou Dobbs Tonight – Fox Business
  14. Driver's license rules fuel new immigration debate - CNN.com
  15. Monday, July 12th - NBC News - The Ed Show | NBC News
  16. Groups demand action on immigration – First Read
  17. Page 2: Navy Immigrant Recruits Naturalized at Boot Camp Ceremony - ABC News
  18. Evangelical Leaders Urge Immigration Shakeup - WSJ.com
  19. Immigrant Rights Groups Unhappy With Supreme Court's Mixed Decision - NYTimes.com
  20. First group of delayed young deportees approved
  21. Immigration reform is front and center for tech sector — and Obama — Tech News and Analysis
  22. Boston College Front Row - Deportation, Migration, and Human Rights
  23. "Papers the Movie: Stories of Undcoumented Youth". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2012-10-22.
  24. HBO: The Senators Bargain: Home
  25. Noorani, Ali (Winter 2007). "Race, Class, and the Emergence of an Immigrant Rights Movement". The Fletcher Forum of World Affairs. 31 (1): 185–202. Retrieved 28 August 2025.