Omar Ahmad (American politician)
Encyclopedia
Omar Ahmad was an American
Internet entrepreneur
and politician
. Ahmad formerly served as the Chief technology officer of Napster
in addition to many other positions and ventures in in Silicon Valley
. In 2007, He was elected to the city council of San Carlos, California
. He served as Mayor of San Carlos from November 2010 until his death in 2011.
in Ohio
. His parents, Dr. Iftikhar and Nadira Ahmad, became American citizens on July 4, 1976. The family moved to Palatka, Florida
, where Ahmad was raised. He received a bachelor's degree
in materials science engineering from the University of Florida
.
In 1991, Ahmad ran unsuccessfully as a candidate for the Gainesville City Commission. He soon left Gainsville, Florida, to take a position with the Discovery Channel
in suburban Washington D.C.
before moving to Silicon Valley, California in 1998 during the height of the dot-com bubble
. His early ventures included positions at the now defunct @Home Network
, GrandCentral
(which is now Google Voice
) and Netscape
.
Ahmad then joined Napster as chief technical officer
(C.T.O.). As Napster's C.T.O., Ahmad was responsible for shutting down the file sharing
site after a series of court rulings against the company.
He went on to establish several other Dot-com companies and Internet startups. He co-founded and served as CTO
of TrustedID, an identity theft
protection company, and Logictier. His most recent venture was the launch of SynCH Energy Corp, a company whose goal is to covert greenhouse gases released from sewage treatment plants into fuel for automobile
s.
of American Muslims Intent on Learning and Activism
(AMILA). Ahmad was also a contributor and speaker at TED
during its conferences.
of San Carlos, California
, in 2007. He was chosen as Mayor of San Carlos by the city council in November 2010, serving in that office until his death in 2011.
Ahmad is credited with helping to eliminate San Carlos' $3.5 million budget deficit in 2010. At the time of Ahmad's death, the city had a $400,000 budget surplus in May 2011, ending eleven years of cuts and deficits.
In addition to elected office, Ahmad served as the vice chairman of the board of directors
for Caltrain
, the commuter rail in the San Francisco Bay area
, and a board member of SamTrans
.
Omar Ahmad suffered a heart attack at his home in San Carlos, California, on the morning of May 10, 2011. He was taken to Sequoia Hospital, in Redwood City, California
, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival at the age of 46. He was survived by his parents, Dr. Iftikhar and Nadira Ahmad, and two sisters, Leah Berry and Fataima Warner.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Internet entrepreneur
Internet entrepreneur
An Internet entrepreneur is an entrepreneur that applies innovation to create new businesses on the Internet.Internet entrepreneurs are part of the more general category of digital entrepreneurs...
and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. Ahmad formerly served as the Chief technology officer of Napster
Napster
Napster is an online music store and a Best Buy company. It was originally founded as a pioneering peer-to-peer file sharing Internet service that emphasized sharing audio files that were typically digitally encoded music as MP3 format files...
in addition to many other positions and ventures in in Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a term which refers to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations...
. In 2007, He was elected to the city council of San Carlos, California
San Carlos, California
San Carlos is a city in San Mateo County, California, USA on the San Francisco Peninsula, about halfway between San Francisco and San Jose. It is an affluent small residential suburb located between Belmont to the north and Redwood City to the south. San Carlos' ZIP code is 94070, and it is within...
. He served as Mayor of San Carlos from November 2010 until his death in 2011.
Biography
Omar Ahmad was born to immigrant parents from PakistanPakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. His parents, Dr. Iftikhar and Nadira Ahmad, became American citizens on July 4, 1976. The family moved to Palatka, Florida
Palatka, Florida
Palatka is a city in Putnam County, Florida, United States. The population was 10,033 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 10,796. It is the county seat of Putnam County and includes East Palatka. Palatka is the principal city of the Palatka...
, where Ahmad was raised. He received a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in materials science engineering from the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
.
In 1991, Ahmad ran unsuccessfully as a candidate for the Gainesville City Commission. He soon left Gainsville, Florida, to take a position with the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
in suburban Washington D.C.
Internet entrepreneur
Ahmad spent five years working at the Discovery ChannelDiscovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
before moving to Silicon Valley, California in 1998 during the height of the dot-com bubble
Dot-com bubble
The dot-com bubble was a speculative bubble covering roughly 1995–2000 during which stock markets in industrialized nations saw their equity value rise rapidly from growth in the more...
. His early ventures included positions at the now defunct @Home Network
@Home Network
@Home Network was a high-speed cable Internet service provider from 1996 to 2002. It was founded by Milo Medin, cable companies TCI, Comcast, and Cox Communications, and William Randolph Hearst III, who was their first CEO, as a joint venture to produce high-speed cable Internet service through...
, GrandCentral
GrandCentral
Google Voice is a telecommunications service by Google launched on March 11, 2009. Google Voice had some 1.4 million users in October 2009, 570,000 of whom used the service 7 days a week...
(which is now Google Voice
Google voice
Search by voice is a branded name for a technology to "search by voice on your [digital device]", such as a mobile phone or PC, i.e. have the device search for data upon entering information on what to search into the device by speaking....
) and Netscape
Netscape
Netscape Communications is a US computer services company, best known for Netscape Navigator, its web browser. When it was an independent company, its headquarters were in Mountain View, California...
.
Ahmad then joined Napster as chief technical officer
Chief technical officer
A chief technology officer is an executive-level position in a company or other entity whose occupant is focused on scientific and technological issues within an organization....
(C.T.O.). As Napster's C.T.O., Ahmad was responsible for shutting down the file sharing
File sharing
File sharing is the practice of distributing or providing access to digitally stored information, such as computer programs, multimedia , documents, or electronic books. It may be implemented through a variety of ways...
site after a series of court rulings against the company.
He went on to establish several other Dot-com companies and Internet startups. He co-founded and served as CTO
CTO
CTO may refer to:* Cancelled-to-order, a postage-stamp cancelled by the postal administration before sale to stamp-collectors* Cape Air Transport, Australia * Caribbean Tourism Organisation* Central Telegraph Office, London UK...
of TrustedID, an identity theft
Identity theft
Identity theft is a form of stealing another person's identity in which someone pretends to be someone else by assuming that person's identity, typically in order to access resources or obtain credit and other benefits in that person's name...
protection company, and Logictier. His most recent venture was the launch of SynCH Energy Corp, a company whose goal is to covert greenhouse gases released from sewage treatment plants into fuel for automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
s.
Philanthropy
Ahmad's philanthropic causes included the National Youth Science Foundation. He served as the executive directorExecutive director
Executive director is a term sometimes applied to the chief executive officer or managing director of an organization, company, or corporation. It is widely used in North American non-profit organizations, though in recent decades many U.S. nonprofits have adopted the title "President/CEO"...
of American Muslims Intent on Learning and Activism
American Muslims Intent on Learning and Activism
American Muslims Intent on Learning and Activism is an American Islamic organization founded in 1992. The acronym "AMILA" means "to work" or "to act" in Arabic.- Goals :...
(AMILA). Ahmad was also a contributor and speaker at TED
TED (conference)
TED is a global set of conferences owned by the private non-profit Sapling Foundation, formed to disseminate "ideas worth spreading"....
during its conferences.
Political career
Ahmad was elected to the city councilCity council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
of San Carlos, California
San Carlos, California
San Carlos is a city in San Mateo County, California, USA on the San Francisco Peninsula, about halfway between San Francisco and San Jose. It is an affluent small residential suburb located between Belmont to the north and Redwood City to the south. San Carlos' ZIP code is 94070, and it is within...
, in 2007. He was chosen as Mayor of San Carlos by the city council in November 2010, serving in that office until his death in 2011.
Ahmad is credited with helping to eliminate San Carlos' $3.5 million budget deficit in 2010. At the time of Ahmad's death, the city had a $400,000 budget surplus in May 2011, ending eleven years of cuts and deficits.
In addition to elected office, Ahmad served as the vice chairman of the board of directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
for Caltrain
Caltrain
Caltrain is a California commuter rail line on the San Francisco Peninsula and in the Santa Clara Valley in the United States. The northern terminus of the rail line is in San Francisco, at 4th and King streets; its southern terminus is in Gilroy...
, the commuter rail in the San Francisco Bay area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
, and a board member of SamTrans
SamTrans
SamTrans is a public transport agency in and around San Mateo, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. It provides bus service throughout San Mateo County and into portions of San Francisco and Palo Alto...
.
Omar Ahmad suffered a heart attack at his home in San Carlos, California, on the morning of May 10, 2011. He was taken to Sequoia Hospital, in Redwood City, California
Redwood City, California
Redwood City is a California charter city located on the San Francisco Peninsula in Northern California, approximately 27 miles south of San Francisco, and 24 miles north of San Jose. Redwood City's history spans from its earliest inhabitation by the Ohlone people, to its tradition as a port for...
, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival at the age of 46. He was survived by his parents, Dr. Iftikhar and Nadira Ahmad, and two sisters, Leah Berry and Fataima Warner.