C.S. Pearce is an author and writer whose work appears in the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post’s On Faith, and other media outlets. She was formerly Director of Media Relations for Claremont School of Theology and Claremont Lincoln University.
Jennifer Peace
Dr. Jennifer Peace is the assistant professor of Interfaith Studies at Andover Newton Theological School (ANTS). In addition, she co-directs the Center for Inter-Religious and Communal Leadership Education (CIRCLE), a joint initiative between Hebrew College and ANTS. Having worked as an interfaith organizer for more than 15 years, Dr. Peace was a founding board member of the United Religions Initiative, part of the initial leadership team for the Interfaith Youth Core, and a founding member of the Daughters of Abraham, a book-group model for Muslim, Jewish and Christian woman that has grown into a national movement. Dr. Peace is co-editor of a new collection of interfaith narratives, My Neighbor’s Faith: Stories of Interreligious Encounter, Growth, and Transformation (2012).
Dan Pawlus
Dan Pawlus, vice president of communications at Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC), oversees all media efforts, website communications, thought leadership, and branding initiatives. Dan’s been a communicator on several “stages” throughout his career with an eclectic background in the entertainment business that includes professional performing in Broadway tours, theme parks, cruise ships and Wild West stunt shows as well as extensive work in television development and production with award-winning artists and producers. He currently co-hosts "30 Good Minutes," a weekly interfaith talk show, on WTTW 11(PBS) in Chicago. Always involved in the faith world, Dan has been active in music ministries at various churches across the country. His favorite production, however, is his family that includes his wife Leanna, son Luke, and beautiful twin girls.
Charles Randall Paul
Charles Randall Paul (PhD, University of Chicago, Committee on Social Thought, 2000; M.B.A., Harvard University, 1972) is board chair, founder, and president of the Foundation for Religious Diplomacy. He has lectured widely and written numerous articles on healthy methods for engaging differences in religions and ideologies, and he is currently completing two books: Fighting about God: Why We Do It and How to Do It Better and Converting the Saints: An American Religious Conflict. He is on the board of editors for the International Journal of Decision Ethics. Dr. Paul has also had a professional career in the commercial real estate business, receiving the Phoenix Skyline Award for Excellence in Urban Development. He has been married to his wife Jann for more than forty years, and they have five children.
Eboo Patel
Eboo Patel is the founder and executive director of Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC), a Chicago-based institution building the global interfaith youth movement. Eboo’s core belief is that religion is a bridge of cooperation rather than a barrier of division. He has spoken about this vision at places like the TED conference, the Clinton Global Initiative, and the Nobel Peace Prize Forum, as well as college and university campuses across the country. He writes regularly for The Washington Post, USA Today, and The Huffington Post. Author of the award-winning book Acts of Faith: The Story of an American Muslim, the Struggle for the Soul of a Generation (2007), he holds a doctorate in the sociology of religion from Oxford University, where he studied as a Rhodes scholar. In 2009 Eboo was named by US News & World Report as one of America’s Best Leaders of 2009.
Ana Patel
Ana Cutter Patel is the executive director of Outward Bound Peacebuilding, an international non-government organization that uses the Outward Bound approach of experiential education in the outdoors to challenge and inspire leaders from divided communities to build peace together. Check out upcoming programs, including Peace Matters: An Expedition in InterFaith Dialogue, at www.outwardboundpeace.org.
David Parks-Ramage
Rev. David Parks-Ramage, Sensei is a United Church of Christ minister with 30 years experience teaching interfaith contemplative practices. He is a Zen teacher trained in koan practice at the Pacific Zen Institute and has been educated in Spiritual Direction at the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation. He is the pastor of the First UCC in Santa Rosa, California.
David's contemplative teachers over the years have included John Tarrant, Henri Nouwen, Gerald May, Tilden Edwards and Rosemary Dougherty. With his deep training in Christian Contemplative practice and Zen he finds value and teaches in each tradition. Currently, he is working on the sayings and doings of Jesus as Christian koans.
Jin Y. Park
Jin Y. Park is associate professor of philosophy and religion and founding director of the Asian Studies Program at American University. Park specializes in East Asian Zen and Huayan Buddhism, Buddhist Ethics, East-West comparative philosophy, and Buddhist encounters with modernity in East Asia. She is a founding co-chair of the International Society for Buddhist Philosophy and also serves on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Religion. Her book length publications include Buddhism and Postmodernity: Zen, Huayan and the Possibility of Buddhist Postmodern Ethics (2008), Buddhisms and Deconstructions (ed. 2006), Makers of Modern Korean Buddhism (ed. 2010), Merleau-Ponty and Buddhism (ed. 2009), and Comparative Political Theory and Cross-Cultural Philosophy (ed. 2009). Her most recent book, Reflections of a Zen Buddhist Nun: Essays by Zen Master Kim Iryŏp (2014), is a translation of a book by Korean Buddhist nun-thinker Kim Iryŏp.
Michael Pappas
Michael G. Pappas was born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey. He graduated from Dickinson College in 1983, after which he successively worked as a lobbyist, regional field director for a presidential campaign, and investment banker for the oldest municipal bond firm in New Jersey. In 1987, he left the world of politics and finance to enroll at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, where he graduated with honors. As an ordained priest of the Greek Orthodox Church, he served parishes in Illinois and California. During his sixteen-year ministry, he was a prolific writer, contributing articles to numerous religious and secular periodicals.
As well, Michael devoted energy to work with the homeless and further ecumenical/interfaith relationships. After transitioning from parish ministry in 2007, he was selected by the San Francisco Interfaith Council to the newly created administrative post of executive director. As executive director, Michael has helped increase the Council’s budget and programs substantially; strengthened existing and cultivated new relationships with civic leaders, NGO’s, judicatories and congregations; and significantly projected the SFIC through expanded use of technology.
His previous/current board memberships include: Mayoral appointments to the San Francisco Disaster Council and San Francisco Office of Civic Engagement's 2010 Census Complete Count Committee; San Francisco Assisi Sister City Committee, and San Francisco Human Rights Commission. Recently he was elected to serve as a trustee on United Religion’s Initiative’s Global Council.
The father of two sons and a daughter, Michael is a congregant at Grace Episcopal Cathedral in San Francisco, CA.
Parker J. Palmer
Parker J. Palmer is a writer, educator, activist, and founder and senior partner emeritus of the Center for Courage & Renewal; his latest project is The Growing Edge. His books include Healing the Heart of Democracy and Let Your Life Speak. His latest book is On the Brink of Everything: Grace, Gravity, and Getting Old.
In 1998, The Leadership Project, a national survey of ten thousand educators, named Palmer as one of the thirty “most influential senior leaders” in higher education and one of the ten key “agenda-setters” of the past decade. Since 2002, the Accrediting Commission for Graduate Medical Education has given annual Parker J. Palmer “Courage to Teach” and “Courage to Lead” Awards to directors of exemplary medical residency programs around the U.S.. In 2005, Living the Questions: Essays Inspired by the Work and Life of Parker J. Palmer was published, with essays from practitioners in a wide range of professions. In 2010, Palmer received the William Rainey Harper Award, whose previous recipients include Margaret Mead, Elie Wiesel, and Paolo Freire. In 2011, the Utne Reader named him one of 25 Visionaries on its annual list of “People Who are Changing the World.” In 2017, the Shalem Institute in Washington, D.C., gave him its annual Contemplative Voices Award.
Jonathan Oskins
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.
Mark Novak
Mark Novak is the founding rabbi of Minyan Oneg Shabbat: A Sanctuary for the Soul - Washington, DC’s Jewish Renewal community. He received ordination in 2012 from Reb Zalman Schacter-Shalomi and ALEPH, and serves on the ALEPH faculty as a mashpia, a Jewish spiritual guide. Mark is a rabbi (RebMarko.com), professional musician/composer (TheMarkNovakBand.com), storyteller (Jewishstorytelling.com), and co-founder of the MultiFaith Storytelling Institute. He is a devoted practitioner and teacher of mindfulness practice through a Jewish lens. He and his wife storyteller/juggler Renée Brachfeld have served as Artists in Residence at over 150 synagogues throughout the US and Canada, and have been featured performers and teachers at storytelling festivals in the U.S. and UK. He can be reached at MultiFaithStorytelling@gmail.com.
Cody Nielsen
J. Cody Nielsen is Founder and Executive Director of Convergence and Executive Director of the Wesley Foundation, a Boston Cambridge Ministry of Higher Education. Cody previously served as Expert in Residence for Religious, Secular, and Spiritual Initiatives at NASPA and is former President of the National Campus Ministry Association. Cody’s passion is integration of higher education with religious, secular, and spiritual identity diversity work. Cody is pursuing a Ph.D in Higher Education Administration at Iowa State University and holds Master’s degrees in Mental Health Counseling from the University of Northern Iowa and Divinity from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington D.C. He frequently blogs and offers consultation for universities regarding strategic thinking around religious, secular, and spiritual identity. His 2013-2015 study Multifaith in the Public University, a Louisville Foundation funded initiative, explores over 25 public and private universities in the United States and Canada regarding their policies, practices, and initiatives to support campus climates.