As Park51 eagerly awaits gaining official nonprofit status from the Internal Revenue Service, Chairman El Gamal Sharif and the organization’s other board of directors are already selecting members for its advisory board. “We’re already in business [as a nonprofit], and we have the power to conduct business as a charity in New York State [granted] by the state attorney general,” said Park51 Spokesperson Larry Kopp.
So far, they have secured firm commitments from a former U.S. ambassador, a prominent Imam, a rabbi, a celebrity and a publishing mogul, according to Kopp. The 15 or 20 advisors, whose names will be publicly announced in the coming weeks, will help formulate Park51’s mission and programming.
