Our do'ers profile: in our do'ers profile, we highlight some of the hardworking and talented individuals in public human services. This issue features Ismael Ahmed, director of the Michigan Department of Human Services.

Name: Ismael Ahmed

Title: Director, Michigan Department of Human Services

Years of Service: Since September 2007

Rewards of the Job: The job affords opportunities to improve conditions for millions of Michigan residents struggling to make ends meet during tough economic times. It also allows me to help carry on the efforts begun by President Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty and Dr. Martin Luther King's Poor People's Campaign to reduce the effects of poverty and maximize economic opportunities.

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Accomplishments Most Proud Of: My administration has implemented a variety of child welfare system reforms, including establishing a consortium of Michigan Schools of Social Work to perform research and train and evaluate social workers; public-private partnerships to enhance child welfare services; and a task force dedicated to developing measurable outcomes for foster care, adoption, juvenile justice and homeless and runaway youth.

I am also proud of the fact that, for three consecutive years, I have been a guest speaker on U.S. and Arab relations at the Foreign Ministers Meeting of the League of Arab States.

Future Challenges for Public Service Delivery: We will continue to address the challenges of meeting an increasing need for services with significantly limited staff and fiscal resources. This means we must also reaffirm our commitment to educating the public, state and federal legislators, and the media about the critical nature of the programs we administer and their extreme importance as investments in Michigan's social and economic future.

Little Known Facts About Me: After high school, on and off into my twenties, I worked on overseas freighters going around the world. I started in the engine room and then became an able-bodied seaman. That gave me a chance to visit most of the Third World countries in Asia, Africa and South America and see first hand what life was like in those places.

Outside Interests: I've always believed that music, arts and culture have the power to change communities. In the 60s, I did rock concert fundraisers for anti-war causes. In the 70s, I was involved in "Rock Against Racism." For 20 years, I hosted three radio programs in Detroit featuring music from all over the world. I have also been involved with the Concert of Colors, one of the largest music festivals in the United States, which brings ethnic communities together to work toward positive changes in communities of color.