Jonathan Oskins graduates in May 2013 with his M.A. in the inaugural class of the interreligious Claremont Lincoln University. He has been a Board member with the Academy for the Study of Judaism, Christianity and Islam since 2008. He is also the Media Relations intern for the nonprofit S.A.R.A.H. (Spiritual and Religious Alliance for Hope) as well as I Am Jerusalem. Jonathan currently is Communications Intern for the North American Interfaith Network (NAIN). For two years in a row he was an editor of Epoché, the UCLA Undergraduate Journal for the Study of Religion, and president of the “Bolle Study of Religion Student Organization at UCLA.” Jonathan was TIO’s first Guest Editor, overseeing the March 2013 issue on “From Toddlers to Millennials – Reimagining Interfaith Community.” Jonathan Oskins graduates in May 2013 with his M.A. in the inaugural class of the interreligious Claremont Lincoln University. He has been a Board member with the Academy for the Study of Judaism, Christianity and Islam since 2008. He is also the Media Relations intern for the nonprofit S.A.R.A.H. (Spiritual and Religious Alliance for Hope) as well as I Am Jerusalem. Jonathan currently is Communications Intern for the North American Interfaith Network (NAIN). For two years in a row he was an editor of Epoché, the UCLA Undergraduate Journal for the Study of Religion, and president of the “Bolle Study of Religion Student Organization at UCLA.” Jonathan was TIO’s first Guest Editor, overseeing the March 2013 issue on “From Toddlers to Millennials – Reimagining Interfaith Community.”
Catherine Orsborn
Catherine Orsborn, PhD, is the Executive Director of Shoulder to Shoulder, a national coalition-based campaign of religious denominations and faith-based organizations and communities that are committed to ending discrimination and violence agasint Muslims in the United States by equipping, connecting, and mobilizing faith leaders to effectively take action. She holds a BA from Asbury University in Kentucky, an MA in Religious Studies from University of Denver, and a PhD in the Study of Religion from the University of Denver & the Iliff School of Theology.
Rev. P. Gerard O'Rourke
Rev. P. Gerard O’Rourke, a native of Ireland, was educated there and at Fordham University before being ordained in 1950. He has served as a diocesan priest in Wisconsin, New Jersey, California, Ireland, and Brazil. As a citizen diplomat during the Cold War, he raised funds to fly medical supplies to victims of the Chernobyl meltdown. He was appointed director of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the Archdiocese of San Francisco in 1990, serving more than a dozen years before named emeritus. He played a critical role in creating and promoting interfaith opportunities in San Francisco and beyond, always a champion of inclusivity and forgiveness. His insight, passion, and commitment were critical to groups he helped found and develop – the San Francisco Interfaith Council, Interfaith Center at the Presidio, United Religions Initiative, and Mastery Foundation, on whose behalf he has led annual peacemaking workshops in Ireland and Northern Ireland for the past 13 years.
David Robert Ord
Rev. P. Gerard O’Rourke, a native of Ireland, was educated there and at Fordham University before being ordained in 1950. He has served as a diocesan priest in Wisconsin, New Jersey, California, Ireland, and Brazil. As a citizen diplomat during the Cold War, he raised funds to fly medical supplies to victims of the Chernobyl meltdown. He was appointed director of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the Archdiocese of San Francisco in 1990, serving more than a dozen years before named emeritus. He played a critical role in creating and promoting interfaith opportunities in San Francisco and beyond, always a champion of inclusivity and forgiveness. His insight, passion, and commitment were critical to groups he helped found and develop – the San Francisco Interfaith Council, Interfaith Center at the Presidio, United Religions Initiative, and Mastery Foundation, on whose behalf he has led annual peacemaking workshops in Ireland and Northern Ireland for the past 13 years.
Joran Oppelt
Joran Oppelt is an author, interfaith minister, marketing professional, award-winning producer, and singer/songwriter. He is the founder of Interfaith Week and Integral Church in St. Petersburg, Florida. Joran is author of The Mountain and the Snow (2014) and co-author of Transform Your Life: Expert Advice, Practical Tools, and Personal Stories (2014) and Integral Church: An Interfaith Handbook of Ceremonies and Rituals (2014). He serves as chaplain emeritus at Unity Spiritual Campus, a member of the St. Petersburg Interfaith Association, and ambassador of the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions. He has spoken about marketing and spirituality at campuses and conferences across the U.S., including Building the New World in Radford, VA and South by Southwest in Austin, TX. You can visit Joran online at integralchurch.org or joranslane.com and follow him on Twitter @joranslane.
Jacob K. Olupona
Jacob K. Olupona is Professor of African Religious Traditions at Harvard Divinity School, with a joint appointment as Professor of African and African American Studies in Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences. A noted scholar of indigenous African religions, his books include African Religions: A Very Short Introduction, City of 201 Gods: Ilé-Ifè in Time, Space, and the Imagination, Òrìsà Devotion as World Religion: The Globalization of Yorùbá Religious Culture, co-edited with Terry Rey, and Kingship, Religion, and Rituals in a Nigerian Community: A Phenomenological Study of Ondo Yoruba Festivals. In 2007, he was awarded the Nigerian National Order of Merit, one of Nigeria’s most prestigious honors.
Sheryl Olitzky
Sheryl Olitzky began her career in the field of marketing at Procter and Gamble, the leader in consumer packaged goods. She helped to build a nascent health care marketing firm into a powerhouse where she served as president before the company was sold. Most recently, Sheryl founded Olitzky Whittle, a specialized healthcare consulting company. She is a sought-after speaker, especially in the area of motivational sales.
Sheryl is cofounder of the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom, emerging out of a local women’s group – which she also cofounded – designed to foster abiding relationships that are built on mutual trust, respect and friendship between local Muslim and Jewish women. The Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom is the first national grassroots organization of Muslim and Jewish women committed to living in harmony, developing meaningful relationships who work together to limit acts of anti-Muslim and anti-Jewish sentiment. Sheryl combined her strong leadership, relationship building and organizational skills with her passion to rid the world of hate in starting this organization. She has extensive training and vast experience in identifying unmet needs in the marketplace and in facilitating/moderating group discussion.
Rev. Ellen Grace O'Brian
Rev. Ellen Grace O’Brian is the founding minister and spiritual director of the Center for Spiritual Enlightenment (CSE) in San Jose, California, a 30-year-old interfaith ministry and seminary in the tradition of Kriya Yoga. Rev. O’Brian was ordained in 1982 by Roy Eugene Davis, a personal disciple of Paramahansa Yogananda, who brought the teachings of Kriya Yoga to the west. She is the author of several books on meditation and spiritual practice as well as CD commentaries on classic spiritual works. She is a frequent speaker on the value of meditation and the importance of ethical and spiritual awakening. Rev. O’Brian has received human rights awards from governmental, interfaith, Muslim, and Hindu communities. She serves on the Advisory Council of the Association for Global New Thought and the Executive Board of the International New Thought Alliance, and is a trustee of the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions.