Ahmed M. Hassan ( so, Axmed Xasan, ar, احمد حسن) is a

Somali American Somali Americans are Americans of Somali ancestry. The first ethnic Somalis to arrive in the U.S. were sailors who came in the 1920s from British Somaliland. They were followed by students pursuing higher studies in the 1960s and 1970s, by the lat ...

businessman and politician. He is a member of

Clarkston, Georgia Clarkston is a city in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 7,554 as of the 2010 census. The city is noted for its ethnic diversity, and is often referred to as "the most diverse square mile in America" and "the Ellis Islan ...

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

, the first Somali to hold the position.

Personal life

Hassan hails from the Somaliland region in northwestern

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...

. He later moved to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, settling in

. For his post-secondary education, Hassan received a BA from the

State University of New York at Old Westbury The State University of New York College at Old Westbury (SUNY at Old Westbury) is a public college in Old Westbury, New York, with portions in the neighboring town of Jericho, New York. It enrolls just over 5,000 students. History The State Uni ...

. He also studied at

Mercer University Mercer University is a private research university with its main campus in Macon, Georgia. Founded in 1833 as Mercer Institute and gaining university status in 1837, it is the oldest private university in the state and enrolls more than 9,000 s ...

's Stetson School of Business in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, where he earned an MBA in finance. Additionally, Hassan holds a master's degree in accounting and financial management with an emphasis on CPA from the Keller Graduate School of Business at

DeVry University DeVry University () is a private for-profit university with its headquarters in Naperville, Illinois. It was founded in 1931 by Herman A. DeVry and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. DeVry is predominantly an online educator but ...

. Hassan is married, and has three sons.

Career

Early career

Hassan has more than two decades of experience in corporate and small businesses. He is a prominent member of the Somali American community of Atlanta. Hassan has also worked on a volunteer basis for Clarkston's wider immigrant population and for the public cause.

Clarkston City Council

In 2013, Hassan ran for a seat on the Clarkston City Council. The municipal government presides over one of

DeKalb County DeKalb County may refer to one of several counties in the United States, all of which were named for Baron Johan DeKalb: * DeKalb County, Alabama * DeKalb County, Georgia * DeKalb County, Illinois * DeKalb County, Indiana * DeKalb County, Missour ...

's youngest and most ethnically diverse cities. On 5 November 2013, Hassan emerged as one of the top three candidates in the five-way race, winning 19.6 percent of total votes. He defeated fellow candidate Birendra Dhakal by 18 votes, with 215 votes for Hassan and 197 votes for Dhakal. The other two vacant City Council positions were secured by incumbent Dean Moore and Robert Hogan, who received 22.8 percent and 22.3 percent of votes, respectively. The victory makes Hassan the first Somali to be elected to the Clarkston City Council.

References

External links

New Vision For Clarkston
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hassan, Ahmed M. Living people Ethnic Somali people State University of New York at Old Westbury alumni DeVry University alumni Mercer University alumni Somalian emigrants to the United States American businesspeople Georgia (U.S. state) city council members People from Clarkston, Georgia 21st-century American politicians Year of birth missing (living people)