Advocating with Intelligence
Misinformation, extreme bias, and rising hate-motivated incidents in California mirror troubling national trends, highlighting the urgent need for a coordinated, evidence-based response.
As a non-partisan organization, Intelligent Advocacy Network (IAN) empowers communities with the tools, resources, and strategic support needed to drive effective advocacy. By fostering collaboration and trust across diverse groups, IAN strengthens connections, maximizes reach, and advances solutions rooted in shared purpose.
Together, we can build a more informed, safer, and resilient California.
Leadership Team
Susan George, CEO
Matthew Finkelstein, Founding Board Member At Large
Julie Marzouk, Founding Board Member & Secretary
Susan brings over 30 years of experience in nonprofit management, advocacy, and grassroots organizing to IAN. She has led multiple initiatives across diverse sectors, including health, housing, the arts, peacebuilding, and anti-discrimination. Susan also has a background in music, specializing in opera, musical theater, and choral performance. She lives and works in the beautiful San Francisco Bay Area.
Julie Marzouk, Founding Board Member & Secretary
Matthew Finkelstein, Founding Board Member At Large
Julie Marzouk, Founding Board Member & Secretary
Julie Marzouk is an attorney, author, and activist with over fifteen years of experience in both private and nonprofit sectors. She began her legal career at Bingham McCutchen before directing the Immigration Unit of the Public Law Center. Julie also served as an Associate Law Professor at Chapman University, leading the Family Protection Clinic.
A published author, Julie's work has appeared in local, international, and Jewish media outlets. She holds a BA in Political Science from Brandeis University and a law degree from UC Berkeley School of Law.
Matthew Finkelstein, Founding Board Member At Large
Matthew Finkelstein, Founding Board Member At Large
Matthew Finkelstein, Founding Board Member At Large
Matthew is a development and sales professional in San Francisco with extensive experience in community advocacy and organizing. He serves on the executive board of multiple civic engagement organizations and regularly leads regional advocacy efforts.
With a background in musical performance, public speaking, coalition-building, and grassroots organizing, Matthew works to amplify underrepresented voices and drive meaningful change, bringing a bold approach and a disarming sense of humor to his work.
IAN In the Media
By Julie Marzouk
On Sept. 11—the 23rd anniversary of terror attacks—the U.S. House of Representatives received bipartisan approval for the markup of H.R. 9495, a bill that would terminate the tax-exempt status of terror-supporting organizations. The bill specifies how the Department of Treasury would evaluate a nonprofit’s material support for terrorism using legal standards outlined in 18 U.S.C. 2339B, which have been in place since 1996.
Continue reading here.
Julie Marzouk is an attorney, author and board member of the Intelligent Advocacy Network.
November 24, 2024 / American Spectator
By Julie Marzouk
If you listened to the hysteria from the floor of the House of Representatives on November 21, 2024, you might believe that the bill HR 9495 entitled “Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act,” is a radical bill designed to give President-elect Trump unchecked powers to label all of his political enemies terrorists. The reality is that the same legislation designed to target non-profits who support terrorism passed the House with bi-partisan support in April of 2024.
Continue reading here.
Julie Marzouk is an attorney, author, and board member of the Intelligent Advocacy Network.
December 16, 2024 / New York Post
By Susan George
A bill that would choke off funding for terror-supporting nonprofits has stalled in Congress — amid the lies of its potential targets.
The Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act, HR 9495, passed the House last month.
Critics have labeled the legislation a “nonprofit killer,” intentionally misleading both the public and lawmakers about its specifics in an effort to derail it.
Continue reading here.
Susan George is the CEO of Intelligent Advocacy Network.
March 14, 2025 / New York Post
By Isabel Vincent
A Muslim charity with links to Hamas was awarded more than $7.2 million in taxpayer cash, which has now disappeared, according to a watchdog group.
An “immediate investigation” needs to be launched into The Council on American-Islamic Relations’ (CAIR) California chapter’s use of funds, according to the watchdog, who sent a complaint to the Department of Justice Thursday.
According to the Intelligent Advocacy Network (IAN), a California-based, non-partisan advocacy group, the money was given to the chapter to help re-settle impoverished immigrants in California between 2022 and 2024.
In what appears to be a sleight of hand, the money – $7,217,968.44 — was sent to CAIR-Greater Los Angeles and not to CAIR-CA, which was the only group eligible to receive it, according to the complaint.
Continue reading here.
Isabel Vincent is a senior reporter at the New York Post.
March 17, 2025 / San Diego Jewish World
By Donald H. Harrison
SAN DIEGO – A San Francisco-based nonprofit organization, the Intelligent Advocacy Network (IAN), has filed a letter of objection with the U.S. Department of Justice challenging the Council of American Islamic Relations-California as an agency qualified to help Afghan refugees to settle in the United States.
IAN CEO Susan George of San Francisco and Board Member Julie Marzouk of Irvine signed a 10-page single-spaced typed complaint on Thursday, March 13, requesting that the DOJ conduct a forensic audit to determine how CAIR-California accounted for millions of dollars in public funds it previously administered in the program.
Before DOJ recertifies CAIR-California as an administrator for the refugee program, it should also determine whether CAIR’S outspoken verbal support of Hamas is in the public interest, Marzouk told San Diego Jewish World.
Continue reading here.
Donald H. Harrison is publisher and editor of San Diego Jewish World.
By John Baker
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has faced scrutiny for receiving over $7 million in taxpayer money intended for humanitarian efforts in California. The Intelligent Advocacy Network (IAN) filed a complaint with the Department of Justice, calling for an investigation into the CAIR California chapter’s management of these funds. The complaint alleges that the Greater Los Angeles chapter improperly received the funds.
Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) stated, “CAIR’s leadership has a long history of spewing vile antisemitism and anti-Zionist rhetoric, including openly praising the Hamas terrorists that brutally attacked Israel, murdering, raping, and kidnapping more than 1,200 people on October 7 [2023].”
Continue reading here.
John Baker covers U.S. politics & news for content partner Modern Newsstand LLC.