Cassandra Lawrence

Rev. Cassandra Lawrence has worked in interfaith spaces for over ten years as a researcher, community organizer, trainer, and writer. She is currently the Director of Strategic Communications with the Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign, a multifaith coalition addressing anti-Muslim discrimination through engaging faith communities. She is a commissioned Deacon in the United Methodist Church, serving as the Gender Equity Co-Chair for the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference. Cassandra teaches negotiation and conflict resilience as a mediator, community trust builder, and interfaith and racial justice community organizer.

Previously, she worked with the diplomatic community to identify and address training gaps to improve engagement with religious and community peacebuilders. She has a BA in Religious Studies from the University of British Columbia and a master’s degree in comparative ethnic conflict from Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland. She has a master of divinity at Wesley Theological Seminary with honors and received the Excellence in Public Theology Award.

Sparrow Etter Carlson

Sparrow Etter Carlson (she/her) has spent 24 years alongside her unhoused neighbors. She is the Founder and Co-Executive Director of Sacred Streets. Prior to that, she Co-founded Aurora Commons, the Safe, Healthy, Empowered (SHE) Clinic and the Green Bean Coffeehouse (a non-profit cafe). She is perpetually learning alongside her good teachers at the Poor People's Campaign , is a member of the Democracy and Belonging Forum and remains deeply committed to the discipline of hope and the practice of moral imagination. She resides with her family outside Seattle, WA in the foothills of Mount Rainer.

Maurice A. Bloem

Maurice A. Bloem is the interim President/CEO of the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities (JLI), a learning network of researchers and practitioners. JLI builds fair and equitable spaces to create and share evidence on religions in development and community work and it aims to strengthen partnerships between and amongst faith and non faith actors, internationally and locally.

In 2011, Bloem started the 100-mile Walk, to raise awareness of issues around hunger and poverty. As part of the annual effort, Bloem Walks 100 miles in a single week, visiting programs supported and funded by CWS. More recently, as he needed to walk alone during the 2020 100-mile campaign, he started a podcast called Walk Talk Listen, so that he could still walk virtually with a number of guests. Now, he speaks on a weekly basis with leaders, including young and emerging ones, from different walks of life. The objective is to connect people around the world and to show that everyone’s perspective is true, albeit partial. Connecting might lead to listening and talking and even to walking and/or taking actions to make this world a bit better.

Justin Almeida

Rev. Justin Almeida is a Unitarian Universalist minister and hospital chaplain who lives and works on the unceded land of the Duwamish and Coast Salish peoples (Seattle, WA). They hold a Master of Divinity in Chaplaincy from Seattle University and is affiliated with University Unitarian Church. Rev. Justin serves with the Center for Ecumenical and Interreligious Engagement, and is on the board for End of Life Washington.

Marium Mohiuddin

Marium F. Mohiuddin has been a community organizer and communications expert for more than 25 years. From working at the Muslim Public Affairs Council to founding CAIR-Austin to leading the Communications team at the American Red Cross Los Angeles Region, she has devoted her career to education, crisis response and the Muslim American identity.

As former Director of Communications at American Red Cross Los Angeles Region, Marium led a team of talented writers and designers to create and implement effective marketing and communication strategies for one of the largest humanitarian organizations in the world. With more than 20 years of experience in the communications field, Marium has a passion for serving people and telling stories that inspire action and change.

Marium is an accredited public relations professional and a MBA graduate with a specialization in nonprofit management. She have a proven track record of developing compelling and clear content for diverse audiences and platforms, including websites, blogs, social media, and publications. She has also won multiple awards for my design and headline-writing skills and successfully handled media relations and crisis communication during emergencies. Marium is always looking for new ways to enhance the organization's online presence and reputation and to engage with its stakeholders and supporters.

Zack Ritter

Dr. Zack Ritter has spent more than 16 years in higher education across Southern California with a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusivity. He is currently a Lecturer at UCLA and Cal State Dominguez Hills, teaching courses on Equity in Higher Education and Civic Engagement Service Learning Capstone courses. He was Associate Dean of Students at CSU-Dominguez Hills, helping run the Office of Community Standards restorative justice department and Basic Needs housing and food insecurity program. He was also the Associate Dean of the Office of Institutional Diversity at Harvey Mudd College and University of Redlands. He also was Vice President of Leadership Development at the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles and Vice President of Advancement at Jewish World Watch. He has co-edited three books with titles such as Whiteness, Power, and Resistance to Change in Higher Education and and Emancipatory Change in Higher Education. He also runs a consulting business with Marium Mohiuddin, called Isma-Shema Consulting, focusing on Islamophobia and Antisemitism in the workplace. Dr. Ritter received his PhD from UCLA, focusing on East Asian international students, racial stereotypes, and American media promulgation of globalized race/class/gender hierarchies.

Mohammed Jibriel

Mohammed Jibriel is a 4th-year PhD student in Public Health with a concentration in Community Health Education at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. His research explores the intersections of minority stress, religion/spirituality, and mental health outcomes. He also investigates how religion, gender, and the environment function as determinants of public health. In addition to his academic pursuits, Mohammed is an active interfaith leader. He co-founded the Belk Chapel Muslim-Jewish Interfaith Initiative and serves as co-chair of the Charlotte Black/Jewish Alliance. Mohammed just completed an Interfaith Innovation Fellowship with Interfaith America, where he led efforts to build bridges and understanding among diverse communities. Mohammed holds an M.Sc. in Biohazardous Threat Agents and Emerging Infectious Diseases from Georgetown University and a B.S. in Molecular Biology from Queens University of Charlotte. He was recognized as a North Carolina Scholar of Global Distinction by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for his globally focused academic work and intercultural experiences.

Zachary Dar

As a student who was brought up Jewish, Zachary Dar has always found spirituality and the arguments of theology to be incredibly fascinating! While he never pursued an education in ministry or theology, he appreciates the culture and history of spirituality and religion. Zachary chose to work as a Student Affiliate to help students at Seattle University become more engaged in campus-life and interreligious cultures. 

"Everyone is just as important as the person next to them. We all deserve to have our own opinions and distinct views of the world."

Devin Barney

Devin Barney (they/he) is a queer, Indonesian/Papuan American from Missouri now living in Southern California. They are a scholar, an advocate, and consultant living with bipolar on a continuous learning journey of self-discovery and compassion. He cares very deeply about science and inquiry as well as equity and access. 

Devin has a BA in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, an MA in Psychology from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, and is currently a PhD candidate in Community, Cultural, and Developmental Psychology at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa. Their work spans topics such as: alignment in cross-cultural communication, the development of immigrant children, digital community-building and healing from loneliness and social isolation, and cultural change management in communities and institutions.

Hannah Hochkeppel

Hannah Hochkeppel has more than 10 years of experience in a variety of education and program development spaces and is deeply invested in the work of youth empowerment, advocacy, and peacebuilding. Most important to her is centering youth voices and youth leadership as an integral piece of this work. As a non-profit and education professional, she has a passion for interfaith partnership, supporting social justice movements, and developing strategy for conflict resolution and peacebuilding around the world.

In addition to her non-profit work, she has also previously worked in the fields of mental health counseling and religious education. She holds a B.S in Psychology from Virginia Tech, a M.A in Religion and Theology from Seattle University.

Hannah currently serves as the Director of Youth Engagement for Paths to Understanding. In the past, she has served as the Global Programs Director for Kids4Peace International and the United States Country Director for Seeds of Peace. Her work has focused specifically on creating interfaith and intercultural peacebuilding programs for K-12 students. She has worked with youth in the United States, along with youth globally in Western Europe, South Asia, and the Middle East (with a special focus on Israel and Palestine).

Hannah implicitly trusts the power that youth hold to change the world and hopes that even amidst the messiness of navigating conflict and injustice, upholding the gifts and wisdom that youth bring to this work of building peace is integral to moving our communities forward.

Kara Markell

Rev. Dr. Kara Markell is a gifted educator and public teaching theologian dedicated to creating spiritually grounded and academically enriching opportunities within the many stages of faith formation. Kara earned her Doctor of Ministry degree steeped in the Ignatian tradition from Seattle University’s School of Theology and Ministry with a focus on discerning the linkages between congregational identity and the capacity for communities to adapt in a quickly changing religious world. Her theological roots are nourished by feminist and liberation studies, ecumenical and inter-spiritual exploration, Celtic Christianity and Eco-Spirituality. She seeks opportunities to learn from wisdom traditions, gaining new fluencies in religious literacy and interreligious connections.

Today, Kara’s research and writing in adaptive leadership explore the wild edges of religious expression and the intersectional nature of adaptive change. Kara earned her Master of Divinity from Brite Divinity School and is ordained in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). She leaves a position as senior pastor in her community and continues to serve on several regional and national boards and committees. Kara is a life-long educator, earning her BS in Teaching from Minnesota State University and a Master of Music from the Conservatory of Music at University of Missouri – Kansas City.

As an educator, Kara excels in curriculum development and implementation. She is a gifted mentor who delights in nurturing future leaders. As a systems-thinker she brings creativity, curiosity and skill to developing and implementing learning opportunities, spiritual gatherings, liturgical resources, retreats and academic programs. Kara is a regular consultant and coach for religious communities seeking new ways to adapt to today’s religious landscape.

Suraj Arshanapally

Suraj Arshanapally, MPH, is an Indian-American storyteller and public health advocate. He started The Multicultural Man to celebrate cultural diversity and healthy masculinity through storytelling. He is also the Managing Editor for the CDC Yellow Book, an international travel medicine publication at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Suraj received his MPH in Social and Behavioral Sciences from Yale University. He believes multiculturalism and interfaith cooperation are crucial to building a healthy and peaceful society.  

Chris RayAlexander

After a decade in higher education as a professor of Spanish-language literature, history, and culture, Chris RayAlexander completed an MDiv at Emory’s Candler School of Theology in 2023 and dove into a new career in interfaith relationship building. His current research focuses on the intersection of pluralism and practical theology of religions. He is passionate about creating a more humane and unified world through interfaith advocacy, education, and community cultivation. He is Program Coordinator at Interfaith Children’s Movement, a Board Member of Interfaith Atlanta, and Support Chair for its youth organization, Interfaith Atlanta Youth (IAY). Chris serves as an interfaith consultant in his community, and in his free time he translates philosophy as a member of the French Metaphysics Translation Project. He lives in Atlanta with his partner, their son, and a pile of philosophy and theology books that constantly remind him of his own mortal finitude.

Claire Thielens

Claire Thielens is a student of Political Science and English at Seattle University. She grew up an active participant in her Episcopal congregation in Milton, Georgia, and she now brings a philosophy of intentional inclusion to her ongoing Jesuit education.

Amar Peterman

Amar D. Peterman (M.Div., Princeton Seminary) is an author and scholar working at the intersection of faith and public life. He is the founder of Scholarship for Religion and Society LLC, a research and consulting firm working with some of the leading philanthropic and civic institutions, religious organizations, and faith leaders in America today. Amar is also a Program Manager at Interfaith America. His first book, which focuses on the common good, faith formation, and love of neighbor, is forthcoming with Eerdmans Publishing Company. 

Betsy Woodman

Betsy Woodman’s Jana Bibi trilogy of novels, set in India, earned the affection of readers across the globe. She was a writer and editor for the award-winning Library of Congress documentary series, Experiencing War, and is currently working on a novel set in New Hampshire and France during World War 1. She lives in New York’s Hudson Valley, but is a frequent guest speaker on Zoom to the Kearsarge Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship in Andover, New Hampshire.

Diana Whitney

Diana Whitney is a global social entrepreneur. She is founder and president emeritus of Corporation for Positive Change, a global consulting cooperative; a founder of the Taos Institute, an international think tank dedicated to relational processes in business, education, families and communities; and a founding advisor to the United Religions Initiative, a global network of 530 interfaith cooperation circles working for peace and social justice.

Dr. Whitney is a positively powerful keynote speaker, whose messages of hope, positive change, and the call for appreciative leadership offer practical guidance for new ways of working, living and being. Diana’s unique style of ‘interactive storytelling’ inspires audiences from 50 to 1500 at national and international conferences and leadership symposiums in Asia, Africa, Europe and North America. Diana’s presentations are rich tapestries of experience, research and innovative practices that transform leadership and enliven relationships.

Diana is a prolific, provocative and practical author. Her award winning books on Appreciative Leadership and Appreciative Inquiry, the revolutionary process she helped to develop, have been translated into over a dozen languages and are used as text books in business schools, universities and corporate learning centers around the world. The International Organization Development Network (ODN) honored Diana’s written contributions to the field with the Larry Porter Award.

As a master consultant, Dr. Whitney’s work spans the globe.  Diana consults with executives and their teams in support of strategic planning and organization development, organization culture creation and transformation, and leadership capacity building. With over thirty years of experience, her clients include British Airways, Verizon, Johnson & Johnson, Merck SA, City of Regina, Calgary Health Region, UVA Health System, Idaho Department of Education, and the Sisters of Good Shepherd. The American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) recognized her Appreciative Inquiry work at GTE (Verizon) with their award for Best Organization Culture Change.

Diana serves as Distinguished Consulting Faculty with Saybrook University, and a Ph.D. advisor with the Taos Institute. She is Expert Faculty for the NCR Picker Patient Centered Care Institute and a Fellow of the World Business Academy.

Dr. Whitney received her Ph.D. from Temple University in Organizational Communication. Her research on the dissemination of educational innovations was funded by the National Institute of Education and used to create an agenda for the development of educational R&D laboratories in the United States.

Diana Whitney’s legacy is apparent in the hundreds of thousands of people worldwide who work, live and lead using Appreciative Inquiry. She is described as one of the top five thought leaders in the field, forging a positive revolution that is radically transforming knowledge, understanding and practices in human organizing, leadership, and management – for the good of the people.

Audrey Kitagawa

Audrey E. Kitagawa, JD, is the President/Founder of the International Academy for Multicultural Cooperation, the President of the Light of Awareness International Spiritual Family, and the former Advisor to the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary General for Children and Armed Conflict at the United Nations.

She is a co-facilitator of the United Religions Initiative UN Cooperation Circle and Chair Emerita of the NGO Committee on Spirituality, Values and Global Concerns.

She has been enstooled into the royal family as the Nekoso Hemaa,  (i.e. Queen Mother of Development), of Ajiyamanti in Ghana, West Africa, and has a school which she helped to build named after her in her African name, the Nana Ode Anyankobea Junior Secondary School.

She wrote the chapter, Crossing World Views, The Power of Perspective in the Hawaii Japanese American Experience, which was published in a book about multiculturalism, communication and Asian women entitled, Learning In The Light. Her chapter, Globalization As The Fuel For Religious And Ethnic Conflict has been published in the book, Globalization And Identity, Cultural Diversity, Religion and Citizenship.  Her article, The Role Of Identity In The Rise And Decline of Buddhism In Hawaii, The 50th State Of The United States Of America, has been published in Sambhodi, a Buddhist Journal. She published articles in World Affairs The Journal Of International Issues, entitled, The Power of Om: Transformation of Consciousness, and Practical Spirituality. She wrote the chapter, The US In Foreign Affairs: Source of Global Security, Or Source of Global Fear? in the book, America & The World The Double Bind.

She has been listed in Who’s Who Of American Law, Who’s Who Of American Women, Who’s Who In America, Who’s Who In The World, and Prominent People of Hawaii.

She is the recipient of the Medal “Pride of Eurasia” and a Diploma from the Republic of Kazakhstan Ministry of Education and Science L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University for her outstanding contribution to the development of spiritual culture and education in Eurasia.

She is the recipient of the Spirit of the UN Award which is given to outstanding individuals who have demonstrated the vision and spirit of the United Nations as expressed through the UN Charter, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

She was conferred an Honorary Interfaith Minister degree by the New Seminary.

David Callaway

David Callaway is the Religious Freedom Specialist for the Freedom Forum, a non-profit fostering First Amendment freedoms for all. David oversees the Freedom Forum’s religious freedom work acting as a resource for educators, journalists, and the general public on the role of religious freedom and religious literacy in a pluralistic democracy. David specializes in religion and public schools and has trained thousands of educators and administrators on how to teach about religion constitutionally and academically.

Hannah Santos

Hannah Santos is the Religious Freedom Program Coordinator at Freedom Forum. She holds a Masters of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School and a Bachelors in Religious Studies and History from Brown University.