aboutAbout CSN

Our Organization

Since 1989 CSN has been making America a safer place for children to live.  Our mission is to reduce the likelihood of children becoming victims of abuse, abduction, exploitation and injury.  We accomplish our mission by developing and implementing educational safety programs on a global basis.  CSN acts as a true "network" when it comes to implementation.  We have worked with the world's largest service organizations as well as local, state and federal agencies to accomplish our mission.  Over 250 U.S. representatives including the office of the President have endorsed CSN's efforts in writing.


Our Founder

Ward E. Leber, Founder Child Safety Network: Mr. Leber is responsible for all activities regarding CSN. Over the past 20 years, Mr. Leber has developed a wide variety of programs and services for charitable purposes that have been recognized and recorded in the Library of Congress. Some of those projects include work with The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, The U.S. Department of Transportation, The National Highway Traffic Safety Association, The U.S. Department of Justice, The U.S. Postal Service, The United Nations, The House and Senate, along with various other local and national charitable organizations.

Mr. Leber has been given special congressional recognition on 46 separate occasions for his innovation and expertise on pediatric injury prevention and child advocacy work. He has testified before Congress as an expert witness on the use of Federal funds for missing and abused children. Mr. Leber was formerly appointed by (then) Senator Pete Wilson to the U.S. Attorney General's Advisory Board on missing and exploited children. He has also developed a number of award winning public service announcements for radio, television, and print using nationally recognized celebrities and leaders in government, including past U.S. Presidents.

Currently, Mr. Leber has launched statewide and national cooperative child safety educational campaigns and written a number of publications of safety distributed to millions of parents.

The topics Mr. Leber writes and speak about include:

"Peer Pressure, Tolerance, Bullying, Gangs, Drugs and Alcohol, Bike Safety, Skateboard Safety, Skates, Scooter Safety, Traffic Safety, Motor Vehicle and Pedestrian Safety, Violence Prevention, Vandalism, Graffiti, Internet Awareness and Safety, Gun Safety, Parental Rights and Responsibilities, Communication between the parent and teen, Disaster Preparedness, Stranger Danger, Home Safety, How to choose a child caretaker, Homeland Security, Fire Prevention, Poison, Immunizations, First Aid (urge parents to become certified in Pediatric CPR), Water Safety, Travel Safety."

Our CEO

Azim Noordin Khamisa – an award winning author, peace activist and inspirational speaker – was born in Kenya, Africa and educated in England in mathematics, economics and international finance. A successful international investment banker with over 35 years of global experience. A man always on the go, taking action for societal transformation, he is presently the President of the Child Safety Network (www.csn.org). Azim is also the Founder of the Tariq Khamisa Foundation (www.tkf.org) and the Co-Founder of the Constant And Never Ending Improvement (www.nyap.org/canie) program.

Committing his life to halting the continuing cycle of violence among the youth, Azim became a social activist after his 20-year-old son Tariq was senselessly murdered while delivering pizzas in January 1995 by Tony Hicks, a 14-year-old gang member. Out of unspeakable grief and despair, Khamisa was inspired to transform his loss through the miraculous power of forgiveness. Believing that there were “victims at both ends of the gun,” Azim forgave Tony and founded the Tariq Khamisa Foundation to break the cycle of youth violence by saving lives, teaching peace and planting seeds of hope in their future.

Because of his powerful story and message, Azim is a highly regarded and respected leader and a sought after speaker nationally and internationally. Azim has received more than 65 regional, national and international awards (www.azimkhamisa.com)

He has been recognized by global leaders like President Clinton, Desmond Tutu, the Dalai Lama and many others. In 2004, Azim participated in the Synthesis Dialogues, with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, held at the Pope’s summer residence in Castelgandolfo, Italy. Azim’s profound work has been featured in the likes of The New York Times, Oprah Magazine, People Magazine, Parade Magazine, Washington Post and U.S.A. Today as well as on NBC’s Today Show, Nightly News, CBS’s Early Morning Show and KPBS’ Fresh Air.

A well-traveled, multi-lingual naturalized United States citizen, Azim serves on the Board of Directors of various non-profit and for-profit boards. Azim is excited to be appointed President of CSN on January 1st, 2013. A 20 plus year friend and colleague of CSN’s Founder Ward Leber. Azim served as CSN’s CFO 20 years ago when his son was alive so is intimately familiar with CSN’s vision and mission. Azim shares Ward’s vision of Creating a National Center for Child Safety and Parenting. Having lost his only son to violence he is a consummate child advocate and believes “our children deserve to be safe – it is their right and our duty”.

A resident of La Jolla, California, Azim is also the proud father of Tasreen and the proud grandfather of Khalil, Shahin and Miya.

Says Azim, “We humans continuously confront defining moments in our lives. Sometimes these events are joyous; sometimes they are tragedies. At these moments it’s important to make the right choices. When we do, we’re literally able to manifest miracles and produce transformation in ourselves and others.”

For more information visit www.csn.org.