Joanna Brooks is a writer, strategist, and advocate for knowledge builders and change makers. An award-winning author or editor of ten books on race, religion, gender, social movements, and American culture, she has appeared in global media outlets including the BBC, NPR, the Daily Show, CNN, MSNBC, and the Washington Post and helped lead organizations serving progressive people of faith. She holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of California, Los Angeles, and is a proud fourth-generation Southern Californian.
Patrice Brodeur
With over thirty years of experience in the area of interreligious and intercultural dialogue, primarily as an academic researcher and educator, the highlights of Professor Patrice C. Brodeur’s career include the development of an interdisciplinary research team on Islam, pluralism and globalization at the University of Montreal (Canada), focusing on past and present intra- and inter-religious, as well as inter-civilizational and inter-worldview forms of dialogue. His research includes using video conferencing to network interdisciplinary research teams in 13 predominantly Muslim countries studying the intersection of Islam, pluralism, and globalization. An earlier project mapped interfaith dialogue in the Balkans from 1990 to 2006.
An esteemed author and multilinguist, Prof. Brodeur has received numerous prestigious awards, including fellowships, scholarships, research grants and prizes during his distinguished career. He won 1st Prize for the Social entrepreneurship venture plan competition at the University of Notre Dame Mendoza Business School (2005) and received an "Interfaith Visionary Award" from the Temple of Understanding (2010). Prof. Brodeur’s books include Building the Interfaith Youth Movement: From Dialogue to Action (2006), co-authored with Eboo Patel, and The Pluralist Paradigm: Democracy and Religion in the 21st Century (2006), co-authored with Sondra Myers.
Rev. Thomas Bonacci, C.P.
Rev. Thomas Bonacci, C.P., is the founder and director of the Interfaith Peace Project (IPP) which encourages interfaith peace and mutual respect through small discussion, study, prayer, ritual, and practice. Located in Antioch, California, the Project sponsors hundreds of workshops that open the door to better interfaith relations. A Roman Catholic priest, Tom is a scriptural scholar who has developed adult education and deacon formation programs for San Francisco, Atlanta, New York City, Pittsburgh, and Sacramento. He taught sacred scripture and was campus minister at Carlow University, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he founded The Interfaith Sanctuary for students. Along with his interfaith ministry, Tom is dedicated to serving victims of poverty, people dealing with HIV/AIDS, and those recovering from drugs and alcohol. IPP is The Interfaith Observer’s fiscal sponsor.
Dr. David Brockman
Dr. David R. Brockman, Ph.D., is a nonresident scholar for the Baker Institute’s Religion and Public Policy Program. He is also an adjunct professor at both Texas Christian University and Southern Methodist University, where he teaches various courses in religion and religious studies.
From 2010 to 2012, Brockman served as the project director for the World Conference of Associations of Theological Institutions. He is the author several books, including Dialectical Democracy through Christian Thought: Individualism, Relationalism, and American Politics (Palgrave-Macmillan, 2013) and No Longer the Same: Religious Others and the Liberation of Christian Theology (Palgrave-Macmillan, 2011). His forthcoming publication, Educating For Pluralism, or Against It? Lessons from Texas and Quebec on Teaching Religion in Public Schools, will appear in Religion & Education.
Brockman holds a Ph.D. in religious studies from Southern Methodist University. He received a Master of Theological Studies degree from the Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University and his bachelor’s degree in English and education from the University of Texas at Arlington.
Marcus Braybrooke
Rev. Dr. Marcus Braybrooke is a retired Anglican parish priest, living near Oxford, England. He has been involved in interfaith work for nearly fifty years. He joined the World Congress of Faiths in 1964 and is now president. He served as executive director of the Council of Christians and Jews from 1984 to 1988, is a co-founder of the Three Faiths Forum and patron of the International Interfaith Centre at Oxford. He has travelled widely to attend interfaith conferences and to lecture. Professor Braybrooke is author of over forty books on world religions, including Pilgrimage of Hope: One Hundred Years of Global Interfaith Dialogue (1992), the history of the interfaith movement’s first century. A number of his books address shared worship, prayer, and meditation. In September 2004 the Archbishop of Canterbury awarded him with the Lambeth Doctorate of Divinity “in recognition of his contribution to the development of interreligious cooperation and understanding throughout the world.”
Vanessa Gomez Brake
Vanessa Gomez Brake is the Associate Dean of Religious Life at the University of Southern California. She is the first humanist chaplain to serve in this capacity at any American university. In her role, she works to support and promote university religious and spiritual life broadly conceived, and helps oversee more than 90 student religious groups and 50 religious directors on campus.
By the recommendation of Provost Quick’s Advisory Task Force on Immigration, Vanessa also provides confidential counseling and support to immigrant and international students. In this capacity, she assists members of the university community in navigating and facilitating support resources at USC’s cultural centers, Division of Student Affairs, Office of International Students, Office of Campus Wellness and Crisis Intervention, Student Counseling Center, Office of Financial Aid, Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration, the Pullias Center for Higher Education, and the Gould Immigration Clinic.
Vanessa received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Religious Studies and Psychology from Arizona State University. She received her Master of Science degree in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University. She is currently completing her Master of Divinity degree at the Chicago Theological Seminary (CTS), where she also received the 2018 Rabbi Herman E. Schaalman Interreligious Leadership Award. In 2019, she was the recipient of the Unitarian Universalist Humanist Association – Person of the Year Award. She holds a Certificate in Humanist Studies & Leadership from the Humanist Institute, and is endorsed as a humanist chaplain by the Humanist Society.
Karen Boyett
Karen Boyett is an interfaith leader working locally and internationally since 1999. She is committed to improving religious literacy and to improving community through genuine understanding and inter-personal connections. Since 2005, Karen has been the Executive Director of the Interfaith Council of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas as well as Camp Anytown, a youth empowerment program focused on leadership in a multicultural society. Karen was elected to the Board of Directors of the North American Interfaith Network in 2008 where she continues to serve, making important contributions in developing young adult interfaith leaders. Also, Karen contributes to the international group, Women of Spirit and Faith where she supports the voices and initiatives of young women. Karen teaches Religious Studies, Cultural Anthropology, and Sociology at Regis University and the College of Southern Nevada.
Ben Bowler
Ben Bowler is the Executive Director of UNITY EARTH, a global network building a worldwide movement for unity and peace. In 2006 he and his wife Jildou moved to Thailand to volunteer along the Thai-Burma border. In 2008 they founded Blood Foundation together, a NGO focusing on education projects. In 2008 Ben founded Monk for a Month in Chiang Mai offering men and women the opportunity to experience Thai temple life and temporary ordination.
In 2010, Ben launched Muslim for a Month in Turkey offering guests a first-hand experience of Turkish Islam and Sufism, underneath the spiritually inclusive banner of Rumi. A year later, he launched World Weavers, offering spiritual immersion programs in Tibetan India, Nepal, Cambodia and Ethiopia.
In October 2015, at the Parliament of World’ Religions, Ben launched 1GOD.com, an online platform aimed at countering religious fundamentalism, relativism and western materialism. Since then he has worked to build UNITY EARTH into a global platform that can support and empower the many grassroots movements working towards unity and peace in the world.
Cynthia Bourgeault
Modern day mystic, Episcopal priest, writer, and internationally known retreat leader, Cynthia Bourgeault divides her time between solitude at her seaside hermitage in Maine and a demanding schedule traveling globally to teach and spread the recovery of the Christian contemplative and Wisdom path.
She has been a long-time advocate of the meditative practice of Centering Prayer and has worked closely with fellow teachers and colleagues including Thomas Keating, Bruno Barnhart, and Richard Rohr. Cynthia has actively participated in numerous inter-spiritual dialogues and events with luminaries and leaders such as A.H. Almaas, Kabir Helminski, Swami Atmarupananda, and Rami Shapiro.
Cynthia is a member of the GPIW (Global Peace Initiative for Women) Contemplative Council and recipient of the 2014 Contemplative Voices award from Shalem Institute. She is a founding director of both The Contemplative Society and the Aspen Wisdom School. She continues to contribute to The Contemplative Society in her role as Principal Teacher and advisor.
Cynthia is the author of eight books: The Holy Trinity and the Law of Three, The Meaning of Mary Magdalene, The Wisdom Jesus, Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening, Mystical Hope, The Wisdom Way of Knowing, Chanting the Psalms, and Love is Stronger than Death. She has also authored or contributed to numerous articles on the Christian Wisdom path in publications such as Parabola Magazine, Gnosis Magazine, and Sewanee Theological Review.
Cynthia Bourgeault is currently one of the core faculty members at The Living School for Action and Contemplation.
Julian Bond
Julian Bond has been director of the Christian Muslim Forum since its launch in 2006.
Before joining the Forum, Julian studied Theology and Education at the Universities of Wales and Gloucestershire. After a very brief spell as a Prep School teacher he joined HM Revenue & Customs, with positions in audit, information systems and management consultancy. However, a Civil Service career was excitingly and unexpectedly interrupted by a two year secondment to the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Initiative in Christian-Muslim Relations in 2002. Many years of Civil Service training and experience came into their own as he planned and organized conversations and reflections with Christians and Muslims around the country. He was co-author of the inspiring report of these ‘Listening Exercises’ which proposed, in July 2004, that the Archbishop support the creation of a national Christian Muslim Forum.
Julian is passionate about improving relations between Christians and Muslims in the UK and beyond. “Our religions do not encourage us to be negative about each other. I am excited by the track record and future potential of the Christian Muslim Forum in creating opportunities to meet, understand, and find new ways of living and working together, inspired by a vision of radical friendship.”
William Bole
William Bole is an American journalist who writes about ideas, particularly as they stir in social movements and take shape in the lives of extraordinary people. Much of his writing is situated on the borders between religion, ethics, politics, and intellectual life. He also crosses regularly into other fields of interest, especially education and management.
He writes about theology and politics at TheoPol.com, and about leadership (with Andy Boynton) at Forbes.com. His articles have appeared in publications ranging from the Washington Post and Los Angeles Times to Commonweal, America, Christian Century, and Utne Reader.
Aside from his journalism, Bole has served as an editorial consultant, producing books and other publications on behalf of institutions. These have been mostly educational and other nonprofit institutions such as Boston College, including its Center for Corporate Citizenship, Georgetown University, the Educational Broadcasting Corporation(Thirteen/WNET), and the U.S. Jesuit Conference. Since the fall 2006 semester he has served as Editorial Consultant at Boston College.
Bole has also produced studies on religion and American public life for the Pew Charitable Trusts and Commonweal Foundation; he has done other research and writing for the Lilly Endowment, the Church in the 21st Century Center at Boston College, and the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown, along with several other foundations and research centers.
His website is williambole.com
Habīb Todd Boerger
Habīb Todd Boerger is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at Claremont School of Theology where he is studying spiritual formation in Christianity and Islam. Habīb holds a Master's of Divinity from the University of Spiritual Healing and Sufism where he is also faculty. Additionally, Habīb has a Certificate of Islamic Studies from Bayan Claremont Islamic Graduate School, a master's degree from Texas State University, and a bachelor's degree from the University of Kansas. Habīb's Ph.D. studies focus on neuroscientific understandings of spiritual practice and cross-religious commonalities. He is passionate about promoting a position of religious pluralism and building interfaith bridges.
Ethan Bodnaruk
Ethan Bodnaruk is an Environmental Engineer working in the Syracuse, NY area. He holds an M.S. in both Nuclear Engineering (North Carolina State) and Ecological Engineering (SUNY-ESF).
Broadly interested in subjects of science, spirituality, and ethics he has also spent nine months living at contemplative Trappist monasteries practicing meditation. He is a young adult leader in the organization Religions for Peace, currently holding the position of Co-moderator of its North American young adult organization and Coordinator of the International Youth Committee. His combination of rational analytic thinking and drive for broad understanding, meaning, and spirituality make him an ideal communicator and bridge between science, religion, and spirituality.
Someday he’ll finish that book he’s working on, tentatively titled Beyond Religion: Science and Spirituality Aligned. In the meantime, his website keeps him writing and thinking on these topics.
Ta'Kaiya Blaney
Ta’Kaiya Blaney is from the Tla’Amin First Nation and grew up along the shores of the Salish Sea in British Columbia, Canada. She has spoken at United Nations conferences, environmental events, and classrooms across Canada and internationally. As a singer-songwriter, Ta'Kaiya has performed all over the world in a wide variety of venues. Her music has also been featured in TV and film.
Tony Blair
Tony Blair served as Prime Minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from 1997 to 2007 and chairs The Climate Group International Leadership council. He was a staunch advocate of an interventionist foreign policy, in particular in Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan and Iraq. He trebled the UK’s aid programme for Africa and introduced the first environmental programme in the UK to combat climate change.
Since leaving office Tony Blair has spent most of his time on work in the Middle East, in Africa and on the fight against religiously based extremism. In the Middle East, formerly the Quartet Representative, he is now specifically focusing on building relations between Arabs and Israelis. He works in eight African countries – Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Kenya and Mozambique – through his Foundation the Africa Governance Initiative, helping the Presidents of those countries to deliver change programmes.
He has established a Foundation to combat extremism – the Tony Blair Faith Foundation – which works in over 20 countries with programmes on education and tracking extremism across the world.
He also founded and funds a Sports Foundation dedicated to boosting grassroots sport for young people in the North East of England, which includes the Sedgefield constituency he represented in Parliament.
Sarah Talcott Blair
Sarah Talcott Blair is a third-generation Christian Scientist who became involved in interfaith work during college in 1999. She has worked in the field of interfaith cooperation and understanding ever since. She served as the first Youth Programs Director for the United Religions Initiative (URI) and the coordinator of the URI’s Global Youth Cooperation Circle, involving more than 350 youth activists from 55 countries around the world.
Through her work with young people in the interfaith movement, Sarah has organized and facilitated interfaith youth programs in the U.S.A., U.K., India, Cyprus, Spain, Brazil, the Philippines, and Peru, weaving together interfaith and intercultural dialogue with community service and peacebuilding activities. She is delighted to be a first-time mommy and to have recently completed her Graduate Certificate in Conflict Transformation from Eastern Mennonite University. She served as the URI's Talking Back to Hate campaign coordinator in 2013 and is currently a Restorative Justice volunteer at Montera Middle School in Oakland and a member of URI North America’s Leadership Council.
Adrian Bird
Dr. Adrian Bird currently serves as Chair of Interfaith Partners of South Carolina. He has taught in a variety of international settings, including the UK, Zimbabwe, India and the US, and currently lives with his family in Columbia, SC. Dr. Bird is currently Affiliate Professor of Church History at Union Presbyterian Seminary, Charlotte.
Anju Bhargava
Anju Bhargava is a risk and strategic business transformation management consultant. She is the only Hindu American appointed to President Barack Obama’s Inaugural Advisory Council on Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships and Secretary Janet Napolitano's Department of Homeland Security Advisory Council and was the only Indian-American to serve in the Clinton administration's Community Builder Fellowship initiative. She is the founder of Hindu American Seva Charities, which is becoming a national movement for Hindu faith-based community service programs addressing social justice issues. A Vedantic teacher, she strives to combine philosophy and practice from a contemporary view and is active in interfaith collaboration. She was a founding member of the New Jersey Corporate Diversity Network, former president of Asian Indian Women in America, and a Trustee of Council for a Parliament of World Religions. Bhargava is a graduate of Stella Maris College, Madras University India, and Rutgers University.
Rev. Diane Berke
Diane Berke is the Founder and Spiritual Director of One Spirit Learning Alliance and One Spirit Interfaith Seminary in New York City. Ordained as an interfaith minister in 1988, Rev. Berke has been a widely respected pioneer in developing interfaith ministry education. She is a member of the core faculty of the Institute for Sacred Activism, a founding member of the Community of the Mystic Heart, and a member of the Contemplative Alliance initiative of the Global Peace Initiative of Women. Diane is the author of two books, Love Always Answers and The Gentle Smile, as well as several educational reference manuals. A psychotherapist and spiritual counselor in private practice for over thirty years, Diane is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in the State of New York, a Diplomate of the American Psychotherapy Association, and a workshop and retreat leader on spiritual development throughout the United States and internationally.
Maurizio Benazzo
Maurizio Benazzo grew up in Genova, Italy, where he spent the early part of his adult life working for the local government, creating internationally renowned social centers and writing about education and pedagogy. At an early age he began actively traveling the spiritual path, exploring the practices of Zen Buddhism, Transcendental Meditation, Yoga, Catholicism, and philosophy.
In 1985 Maurizio set out to cross the Atlantic Ocean to reach the United States on the Leudo “Felice Manin,” a 98-year-old Lateen sailboat. The journey took four months and landed Maurizio in New York City. He remained there for 17 years, pursuing a career in television and motion picture production. He has experience in all aspects of production both in front of and behind the camera, including acting, directing, cinematography, and distribution.
In 2008, Maurizio and his wife Ilya founded the Conference on Science and Nonduality, which today sponsors annual gatherings in the U.S. and Europe drawing hundreds of scientists, mystics, philosophers and artists.