Board of Trustees

James A. Lynch, Jr, is a Dharma Teacher as authorized by the lay Buddhist Organization Rissho Kosei Kai. He is an official representative for their outside affairs in the New York City area as well as an official representative for Rissho Kosei Kai to the United Nations.

James is currently the President of the Buddhist Council of New York, which represents more than 750,000 Buddhist in the Tri-State area. James further sits on the Board of Religions for Peace USA which is the largest interfaith peace organization in America today. He has also helped organize the Heiwa Peace Foundation a think tank for peace whose primary work is done in the United States and Asia on behalf of its Founder the Venerable T.K. Nakagaki.

Rev. Dr. Michael Reid Trice is Associate Professor of Constructive Theology and Theological Ethics and the Director of the Center for Ecumenical and Interreligious Engagement at Seattle University. The Center is committed to convening substantial discourses and providing educational opportunities with partners from local to international venues.

Dr. Trice is also the founder of Religica, a popular virtual platform that highlights religious traditions, spiritual pathways and indigenous wisdom as virtuous to public life.

Trice studied at Loyola Jesuit University, Duke University, the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago, and Ludwig Maximillian Universitaet in Munich, Germany. He served as Executive Associate for Ecumenical and Interreligious Dialogue for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and on the Board of Directors for Church World Service; he currently serves on the Board of the Parliament of the World’s Religions.

Trice is an Associate Editor for the Journal in Interreligious Studies and Intercultural Theology, served as a liaison to the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, and presents in local, national and international venues.

For 3 decades Scott Stearman has served as a pastor in the Christian (Baptist) tradition. His experience includes congregations in Athens, Greece and in Paris, France. Most recently he has been pastor in New York City where he represents the Baptist global body at the United Nations (supported by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and the Baptist World Alliance). He is active in helping to lead NGO committees related to human rights and the freedom of religion and belief and has been active in civil societies advocacy at the High Level Political Forum around the UN’s Agenda 2030 (SDGs). Scott holds a Ph.D. in philosophy (Univ. of Oklahoma) and a Th.M. and M.Div (Princeton Theological Seminary and Southwestern Baptist, respectively).

Tarina Ahuja is a senior at Harvard College dedicated to building just institutions grounded in empathy. She is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the nonprofit Young Khalsa Girls, a grassroots organization founded in 2012 with a mission of empowering young girls to serve their communities through selfless service and advocacy. She is also the co-founder of The Greater Good Initiative, a youth-led, youth-run, national policy think-tank working to write and advocate for policy at the local, state, and federal levels in the sectors of economy, public health, education, civil rights, and environment. She is the youth ambassador for the National Democratic Institute’s and Running Start’s DISRUPTHER program, an initiative envisioned to increase women’s political participation around the world. She is a renowned speaker: she has served as the youth keynote speaker at the Madeline Albright lunch and the Foreign Policy HerPower Summit in 2019, delivered a TEDX talk with 23K+ views, represented the Sikh community as one of the youngest plenary speakers at the 8,000 people strong World’s Parliament of Religions in 2023, and many others.

She has worked with Senator Cory Booker, Delegate Suhas Subramanyam, the National Democratic Institute, Amnesty International, the Harvard Refugee and Immigration Legal Clinic, and the Greater Chicago Legal Clinic. She is motivated, determined, and driven to be a person of change as demonstrated by her ability to execute international fundraisers raising upwards of $25K for protesting farmers in India and $15K to support survivors of domestic abuse and various marginalized groups in the South Asian Community through an organization entitled Ashiyaana. She helped in the planning and execution of the 10-year anniversary of the shooting at Oak Creek by running a workshop on youth empowerment with the local community. She went on to launch the Sikh American National Youth Council in August 2023 with the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund. This Council acts as a connecting organ and organizing platform for Sikh youth across the country.

She has also been internationally recognized for her work. She was named as one of the top 100 Sikhs in the world under 30, awarded the inaugural Norman Nimeta Spirit Award at the American Courage Awards. At Harvard, she has been recognized as a John Harvard Scholar representing the top 5% of her class, named a Detur Book Prize Winner, awarded the Eaton Organizing Scholarship, and chosen as a Presidential Public Service scholar. On campus, she has served as the Director of Diversity and Outreach for The Institute of Politics, the Captain of Harvard Bhangra, the President of Harvard Sikhs, and the founder of Harvard Amnesty International. Her work has been featured on CBS News, Comcast, the Milwaukee Independent, Huffington Post, Scripps News, the Associated Press, and more.

Sahar Alsahlani has been on the interfaith scene in NYC for years, in myriad roles that promote interfaith social justice. She is a member of the Community of Living Traditions, an intentional multi-faith community, and co-chair of The Fellowship of Reconciliation, the country’s oldest interfaith organization geared toward peace and non-violence. Alsahlani is also on the board of the Parliament of the World’s Religions and Religions for Peace, USA, United Nations-affiliated NGOs; a fellow at Greenfaith, an interfaith environmental network; and a board member of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR). Alsahlani perceives her work as a way to encourage civic engagement with people from different backgrounds in the five boroughs. She has been involved in justice activism as a representative of CAIR and the broader Muslim community, including environmental justice causes, such as Standing Rock, and racial justice causes, such as Ferguson and Charlottesville

Br. Benedict Ayodi is a Franciscan priest belonging to the order of Friars Minor Capuchins (OFMCap). He originally comes from Kenya and currently serves in the Capuchin Province of St. Mary in New York. He  graduated MA in International Affairs at the New School University in New York, and he is currently a Ph.D. student in Organizational Development at a Manila University. 

Benedict currently works with Franciscans International, an NGO at the United Nations, and with the  Laudato Si Movement, LSM,. Previously, he worked as the international director of Justice, Peace, and Care for Creation (JPIC) for the Capuchin Franciscans in Rome for six years. He was instrumental in initiating and promoting the Damietta Peace Initiative (DPI) across Africa.  Through this project, he helped to build a strong grassroots network that continues to promote interfaith dialogue, reconciliation, and peaceful coexistence among people of diverse faiths and cultures in Africa. More recently, as the programs manager of the LSM in Africa, he worked to create a movement to mobilize the Catholic community to care for creation and achieve climate and ecological justice in collaboration with others. 

Iconic youth leader, global influencer, environmentalist, champion of children’s rights, a Forbes 30 Under 30, TEDx speaker, Climate Reality Mentor, author, musician, peace and sustainability campaigner and a passionate advocate of women’s rights, Kehkashan Basu is a trail blazer who has been challenging the status quo and breaking social strictures and taboos which impede the progress and rights of future generations.

Winner of the 2016 International Children’s Peace Prize for her work on children’s rights and the environment, and the first-ever Voices Youth Gorbachev-Shultz Legacy Award for her work on nuclear disarmament, Kehkashan is a tireless advocate for the UN Sustainable Development Goals. She is a United Nations Human Rights Champion, National Geographic Young Explorer and the youngest ever Global Coordinator for the UN Environment Program’s Major Group for Children & Youth. She was named the youngest recipient of Canada’s Top25 Women of Influence, one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women and is the Council Lead of the Toronto-St. Paul’s Constituency Youth Council.

Kehkashan is the Founder President of the social innovation enterprise Green Hope Foundation, which provides young people in 16 countries a networking platform to engage in the sustainable development process and take actions to mitigate climate change. Her internationally acclaimed work on sustainability has resulted in her being named one of the Top 100 SDG Leaders in the world and one of the Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada. She is the youngest member of Canada’s Women in Renewable Energy forum and the youngest Councillor of World Future Council.

Kehkashan is a 2020 L’Oreal Paris Women of Worth Honouree, and the recipient of the 2019 Innovator of the Year Award for Sustainability Education, the John Muir Conservation Award for Habitat Restoration, the Energy Globe Award, the Turner Prize for Social Change and the Women Super Achiever Award. A powerful voice for future generations, she has spoken at over 200 United Nations and other global fora across 25 countries.

Dr. Julia Berger is an Affiliate Faculty member in the Department of Religion at Montclair State University. She served as Senior Fellow with the Baha’i International Community’s United Nations Office in New York from 2015 to 2022. Prior to this, she served as Principal Researcher for the same office, focusing on human rights, gender equality, and social development from 2004 to 2015. Her 2021 publication, Rethinking Religion and Politics in a Plural World (Bloomsbury Academic), examines the evolving role of religion in the global arena. Between 2002 and 2004, Julia worked as a Research Associate at Harvard University’s Program on Religion and Public Life.

Julia has served as Director of the Association for Baha’i Studies – North America from 2020 to 2022, Co-Chair of the American Academy of Religion Baha’i Studies Unit, and member of the Leadership Team of the American Academy of Religion Women’s Caucus.

Julia holds a PhD in Theology and Religious Studies from the University of Kent, UK, a Master of Education degree in International Development and Education from the University of Toronto, and an Associate Diploma in Piano Pedagogy from the Toronto Royal Conservatory of Music.

In her community of Montclair NJ, Julia is a member of the Montclair Interfaith Clergy Association, the Local Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Montclair, and is a Co-Founder of the Montclair Race Amity Initiative, and serves on the Board of The Mark Montclair, Inc., the non-profit social justice arm of St. Mark’s United Methodist Church in Montclair, NJ.

Julia is a citizen of Poland, Canada, and the United States. She has twin daughters in college and resides in Montclair, NJ with her husband. She speaks English, Polish, and is proficient in French and Japanese.

Debra Boudreaux is a senior volunteer with the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation. She has more than 32 years of experience working on major projects related to charity, medical care, education, and humanitarian aid. Debra was previously the CEO of Tzu Chi Medical Foundation and several community advisory councils for SARS, H1N1, Ebola, and COVID-19. Debra engages with Social Work and Sustainability of Global Environmental Changes among SDG grass roots projects. She leads Buddhist and Catholic interfaith dialogues and serves as a member of the UN Multi-Faith Advisory Council. To this day, Debra has patterned her daily life on the teachings of Dharma Master Cheng Yen: “Gratitude, Respect and Love.” She carries this spirit into communities in need and all over the world.

Nikhil Bumb is a Managing Director at FSG, a non-profit dedicated to advancing strategies for equitable systems change. Based in the Washington, D.C. area, he leads the organization’s Corporate consulting practice where he advises companies, foundations, developments organizations, and NGOs on strategies at the intersection of business and society through social business models (shared value, purpose-led companies), inclusive market systems, and philanthropy. Nikhil works across issue areas including health equity, economic development, financial inclusion, agricultural development, and humanitarian relief with organizations in North America, Europe, Latin America, Africa, and South and Southeast Asia.

Previously, Nikhil helped build and launch Deloitte Consulting’s Social Impact Practice; worked on multiple sustainable and inclusive business projects with Technoserve’s corporate partners as part of the Strategic Initiatives team; and helped Medtronic develop a penetration strategy for a new inclusive business strategy focused on developing and deploying low-cost appropriate medical technology for lower- and middle-income consumer segments in emerging markets.
Nikhil is a practicing Jain and first came to interfaith work in college through his time on Princeton University’s Religious Life Council. Across his faith, interfaith, and professional work, Nikhil believes strongly in and focuses on the combination of analytical, emotional, spiritual, and systems intelligence to develop and support leaders of social change as they work to advance equity and social justice.

Nikhil holds an M.B.A. from Yale University’s School of Management; an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology; and a B.S.E. in Electrical Engineering with a Certificate in Finance from Princeton University. Nikhil also serves on the Board of Directors of the global health NGO International Treatment Preparedness Coalition and is a former Board Member and Co-Chair of the non-profit Clínica Verde.

Lewis Cardinal is a communicator and educator, he has dedicated his life’s work to creating and maintaining connections and relationships that cross-cultural divides. His work has mirrored his personal vision of a socially just and responsive society.

Lewis has received Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for Public Service, the IndSpire Award for Public Service (the highest award given to an Indigenous person by Indigenous people in Canada), the Province of Alberta’s Centennial Medal for his work in Human Rights and Diversity, the Distinguished Alumni Award from Grant MacEwan University, and was recently conferred the Honorary Degree of “Doctor of Sacred Letters” from St. Stephen’s College at the University of Alberta, Canada. 

Lewis is Woodland Cree from the Sucker Creek Cree First Nation in northern Alberta, Canada. His consulting company, Cardinal Strategic Communications, specializes in Indigenous education, communications, and project development. Currently, Lewis is Project Manager for “kihciy askiy–Sacred Land” in the City of Edmonton, Canada’s first urban Indigenous ceremony grounds.

Phyllis Curott is one of America’s first public Wiccan Priestesses, an attorney and author whose groundbreaking books, published in fourteen countries, made Wicca accessible to the world and awakened an entire generation to the Goddess. Named one of the Ten Gutsiest Women of the Year by Jane Magazine, she was inducted into the Martin Luther King, Jr. Collegium of Clergy and Scholars. New York Magazine declared Curott’s teaching the culture’s “next big idea” and her Youtube series on Wicca has more than 1,113,000 views. Widely covered in the international media, Time recently published her challenge to the world’s faiths to lead the way in the fight for the human rights and dignity of women as one of “America’s leading voices.” Curott was the Vice Chair of the 2015 Parliament of the World’s Religions and creator of the historic 2015 Inaugural Women’s Assembly. She is founder of the Temple of Ara, the world’s oldest shamanic Wiccan congregation. Curott received her degree in philosophy from Brown University and her Juris Doctor from New York University. She is currently working on her next book, WICCA, Awaken the Divine Magic Within, out November 2018 for Hay House.

Dr. Dolly Dastoor served as the Vice-chair of the Board of Trustees of the Parliament of World Religions from 2020-2021. She is of the Zoroastrian faith, was the President of the Federation of the Zoroastrian Associations of North America, and Co-Chair of the World Zoroastrian Congress 2000. Currently she is the editor of FEZANA Journal, the quarterly publication of the Federation, she is also a member off ZONTA International , an organization which works for advocacy and empowerment of women. Dolly is a clinical psychologist specializing in the Assessment of Dementia and is Chair of the Education Committee of the McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging.

Nana Firman, a native Indonesian living in Southern California, is dedicated to environmental sustainability with over two decades of experience in advocacy and implementation. Previously, she directed WWF’s Green Reconstruction post-tsunami in Indonesia, developed urban climate initiatives including green economy concepts and strategies, and engaged with Muslim leaders for climate resiliency. She facilitated the launch of Islamic Declaration on Global Climate Change in 2015 and followed by co-founding the Global Muslim Climate Network to connect Muslim climate activists worldwide.

Recognized as a White House Champion of Change by the U.S. President Barack Obama, and awarded the Alfredo Sirkis Memorial Award by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, she mentors youth and women activists.

Featured among 20 Earth Defenders in “One Earth: People of Color Protecting Our Planet” launched in 2020 Earth Day in Canada, and among 28 Green Changemakers in “The World is Our Common Home” launched by the First Lady Emine Erdoğan in 2022 World Environment Day in Türkiye, Nana believes in uniting global efforts against climate change and ecological degradation.

For nearly 10 years, Nana dedicated her time as a Muslim Outreach Director and a Senior Ambassador for GreenFaith, an international grassroots multifaith organization focused on environmental and climate action. She holds a B.S. in Industrial Design from University of Bridgeport, an M.S. in Urban Design from Pratt Institute, an M.A. in Islamic Studies from Bayan Islamic Graduate School and now is pursuing a PhD in Religion and Ecology in Chicago Theological Seminary. Currently, she serves as Vice Chair of Muhammadiyah USA.

Fr. Bob Flannery, a native of Lawrence, Kansas, is a Catholic priest of the Diocese of Belleville, Illinois. He is presently pastor at Saint Francis Xavier Parish in Carbondale, chaplain at the Newman Center at Southern Illinois University, and diocesan ecumenical and interreligious officer for twenty-four years. He is a past president of the Carbondale Interfaith Council, a leader with its Interfaith Dialogues, and a ember of the Metro-East Interfaith Partnership steering committee which collaborates with the Interfaith Partnership of Greater St. Louis.

A past-president of the Catholic Association of Ecumenical and Interreligious Officers (CADEIO), he serves on their Board as well as on the Faiths in the World and Care for Creation committees. He is past co-chair of the Illinois Conference of Churches and co-authored the booklet entitled “An Ecumenical Study of Baptism: Similarities, Differences, and Practices.” He serves as a Regent for the School of Theology and Seminary at Saint John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota.

A past member of the National Workshop for Christian Unity planning committee, Father Flannery was national chair of the gathering in Oklahoma City, local co-chair in St. Louis, and workshop presenter in Chicago. He was a consultor at the meetings of the Catholic bishops’ Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, and the president of the USCCB named him to the Catholic delegation of Christian Churches Together. Over the years, Father Flannery has participated in numerous ecumenical and interreligious formation opportunities in the United States and around the world.

He has also served as president of the National Association of Diaconate Directors chairing their conference in Teaneck, New Jersey. The summer of 2022, he will be keynote speaker coordinating the presenters for the National Diaconate Institute of Continuing Education conference focusing on ecumenical and interreligious awareness.

Father Flannery holds a B.A. and an M.A. from Saint John’s University, and an M.A. from Saint Louis University. Part of his seminary education included studies at The American College Seminary at The Catholic University of Louvain in Leuven, Belgium where he was later asked to serve as spiritual director. He is past president of their alumni association and has been named reunion coordinator for their next meeting in Belgium. Several past reunion speakers have addressed matters regarding ecumenism and
interreligious relations.

David Hales served as President of the College of the Atlantic, Chair and President of Second Nature, the managing organization of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, and as Director of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. He led environmental policy and sustainability programs for the US Agency for International Development. As a diplomat, he has represented the USA in numerous negotiations on climate change, urban affairs and policy, and biodiversity. He served in the Carter administration as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Interior. He was the first American to serve as Chair of the World Heritage Convention.

Formed by his rural Mississippi childhood, the best and worst of the Christian church, and past and present justice movements, Rev. Rich Havard currently serves as a Senior Program Officer for Wayfarer Foundation (WF), a grant-making organization that partners with spiritually rooted and justice-oriented nonprofits to co-create a unified world. Prior to WF, Rich spent six years starting and leading the Inclusive Collective, a diverse spiritual community for college-aged young adults in Chicago.

Rich is currently a member of Mercer University’s School of Theology Alumni Board and the Lighthouse Foundation’s Coalition of Accomplices for Racial Equity. He has also been a University of Chicago Commons Project Fellow, a Forum for Theological Exploration Ministry Fellow, and a member of the Aspen Institute’s Diversity & Representation in Media Cohort.

Rich frequently speaks on the future of spirituality and religion, LGBTQ inclusion, and philanthropy. He has presented at such venues as the Children’s Defense Fund’s Great Preacher Series, the Forum for Theological Exploration, the University of Chicago, DePaul University, Outspoken LGBTQ Storytelling, Lee Arrendale State Prison, and Hopa Mountain’s Strengthening the Circle Conference for Native American nonprofit leaders. He is also a contributor to the book True Colors: Stories of Baptist Inclusion.

Rich is a graduate of Samford and Mercer Universities. He calls the Ravenswood neighborhood of Chicago home along with his partner, is an amateur mystic, and believes that we all have the capacity to co-create a better world.

For over two decades Rabbi Sidney Helbraun has provided his vision to Temple Beth-El, creating a community where opportunities for study, worship and action continue to grow. He is proud that TBE members participate in a wide range of activities and are active leaders in the Chicagoland Jewish community.

Rabbi Helbraun is accessible and engaged in the life of his congregation. He is a caring and compassionate man, who reaches out in times of sickness and health, sorrow and joy. He is a gifted teacher and speaker, who finds fulfillment in bringing the values of Judaism to life, and an active leader, who takes on responsibilities within the Chicagoland Rabbinic community, as well as in Northbrook.

Rabbi Helbraun’s love for Israel has played a central role in his rabbinate, exemplified by Beth-El’s involvement and investment in Israel, through trips, programs, classes, and support.

Rabbi Helbraun was ordained from Hebrew Union College in 1990, and received his Doctor of Divinity in 2015. He is a Senior Rabbinic Fellow of the Shalom Hartman Institute and currently serves as Vice President of the Chicago Board of Rabbis. He is past co-chair of the Rabbinic Action Committee of the Jewish Federation of Chicago, past President of the Chicago Region of the CCAR, and served on the Board of Directors of the CCAR. He is a past President of the Northbrook Clergy Association and has served on the National Council of AIPAC. He is married to Rabbi Deborah Gardner Helbraun and has two children, Rebecca and Jonah.

Dr. Laurel Kearns co-founded the Green Seminary Initiative, and is Professor of Ecology, Society and Religion at Drew Theological School in New Jersey, where she has taught religion, ecology and social justice since 1994. Her research is focused on religious involvement in ecological issues and movements, with a particular interest in environmental justice, climate change, and food. In addition to co-editing and contributing chapters to EcoSpirit: Religions and Philosophies for the Earth, and the Bloomsbury Handbook on Religion and Nature, she has contributed chapters to volumes such as Quakers, Creation Care, and Sustainability, The Oxford Handbook on Climate Change and Society, and Grassroots to Global: Broader Impacts of Civic Ecology. She has served on the board of GreenFaith and the Noyes Foundation. Her decades-long involvement in religious environmentalism has roots in the island where she was born, Sanibel, Florida, which recently bore the brunt of Hurricane Ian.

Bruce Knotts was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ethiopia, worked for Raytheon in Saudi Arabia (1976-80) and on a World Bank contract in Somalia (1982-4), before he joined the Department of State as a U.S. diplomat in 1984.  Bruce had diplomatic assignments in Greece, Zambia, India, Pakistan, Kenya, Sudan, Cote d’Ivoire and The Gambia, where he served as Deputy Chief of Mission.  While in Cote d’Ivoire, Bruce served as the Regional Refugee Coordinator for West Africa.  Bruce worked closely with several UN Special Representatives and observed UN peacekeeping operations in Sierra Leone from 2000-2003. 

Bruce retired from the Foreign Service in 2007 and began directing the Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office (UU-UNO) in 2008.  Bruce founded faith-based advocacy for sexual orientation/gender identity human rights at the United Nations and continues to advocate for the rights of women, indigenous peoples and for sustainable development in moral terms of faith and values.  Bruce is frequently invited to speak on various topics at venues around the world including recently in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, Republic of Korea, Ghana, The Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam.  

Bruce is co-chair of the UN NGO Committee on Human Rights, the chair of the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace and Security, a member of the NGO UN Security Council Working Group, serves on the Board of the NGO UN Committee on Sustainable Development and he was chair of the NGO/DPI Executive Committee which represents 1,400 DPI affiliated NGOs at the UN.  Bruce is a trustee of the Parliament of the World’s Religions and a Commissioner for the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation. 

Mahrukh Motafram is a first generation immigrant from India who arrived in the US to pursue higher education. She graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1984 with a Master’s degree in Bio-Organic Chemistry. Further education included an Associate degree in Business and Marketing from the Waukesha County Technical College, Pewaukee, WI in 2002. She is currently pursuing a certification in Nonprofit Leadership at Seattle University, WA.

Annie McKinney is a dynamic professional specializing in International Religious Freedom (IRF) going on five years in the field. She has experience managing nonprofits, running policy roundtables, mentoring youth, large-scale events management, and nonprofit board experience.

Her first experience in the IRF world came when she had the opportunity to be the Director of Communications and Operations at the IRF Secretariat. At IRF Sec, she orchestrated collaborations among a diverse coalition exceeding 900 organizations, businesses, governments, and religious communities. The coalition, which she moderated, worked on initiatives to combat religious persecution globally across various faith traditions and secular perspectives. Furthermore, this opportunity allowed her to manage the IRF Roundtable’s 13 working groups and supervised segments of the Global Network of Roundtables in countries such as Guatemala, Nigeria, and Pakistan to name a few.

Beyond her professional commitments, Annie remains actively engaged in the foreign policy realm as a Young Professionals in Foreign Policy member. She contributes her expertise as a reviewer for the State Department’s Hubert Humphrey Fellowship Program in their Human Rights fellowship and volunteers with multiple organizations, demonstrating her dedication to advancing global understanding and cooperation.

Annie McKinney exemplifies a steadfast commitment to promoting international religious freedom and fostering impactful collaborations across sectors.

Maharat Rori Picker Neiss serves as the Executive Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of St Louis. Prior to that she was the Director of Programming, Education and Community Engagement at Bais Abraham Congregation, a Modern Orthodox Jewish synagogue in University City, MO. She is one of the first graduates of Yeshivat Maharat, a pioneering institution training Orthodox Jewish women to be spiritual leaders and halakhic (Jewish legal) authorities. She previously served as Acting Executive Director for Religions for Peace-USA, Program Coordinator for the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance, Assistant Director of Interreligious Affairs for the American Jewish Committee, and Secretariat for the International Jewish Committee on Interreligious Consultations, the formal Jewish representative in international, interreligious dialogue. Rori is the co-chair of the North American Interfaith Youth Network of Religions for Peace, a CLAL Rabbis Without Borders fellow, and co-editor of “InterActive Faith: The Essential Interreligious Community-Building Handbook.” She is married to Russel Neiss, a Software Engineer for Sefaria, and they have three wonderful children.

Congressman Bobby Rush is a legendary figure in modern African American politics and an extraordinary leader who served as the U.S. House Representative for Illinois’ First Congressional District from 1993-2023. In 1963, at the age of seventeen, Rush enlisted in the U. S. Army and served honorably until 1968. Later, Rush made history when he formed the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party after having been inspired by the activism of Stokely Carmichael and others. Rush served as an alderman from 1983- 1992 until he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Dr. Nayana Shah is an international scientist –a theoretical quantum physicist– dedicated to living a conscious, compassionate and creative life illuminated by a constant inquiry of truth. Using the quantum laws of physics, her research seeks to understand how different phases and properties of matter emerge in a collection of many particles interacting with each other under different conditions. That quest is also to identify the universalities within the diversity. Taking her scientific approach and experience to exploring and uncovering truths of life has led her to a deep study and practice of spiritual principles, vipassana meditation, yoga, non-violent communication and ahimsic living (rooted in her Jain upbringing), wholistic plant-based nutrition/life-style, regenerative design, and the interconnectedness of all including earth-energy-environment. Her extensive work in different arenas has included research, teaching, mentoring, starting and leading initiatives, grassroots activism, and facilitating groups at different levels involving a range of settings and diverse backgrounds; and through all of it she is devoted to realizing her holistic vision for a harmonious world.  

Dr. Harpreet Singh is a scholar of South Asian traditions and languages at Harvard University. His scholarly interests range from studying the formation of religious identities in the premodern South Asia to the nationalization of religious communities in the modern era. He works with a wide range of sources in Persian, Sanskrit, Classical Panjabi, Brajbhasha, Awadhi and Urdu. His teaching responsibilities at Harvard have ranged from introductory courses on South Asian religions to advanced courses on religious nationalism and literary cultures. He co-founded the Sikh Coalition—the largest Sikh civil rights organization in North America—in the wake of hate crimes against Sikh-Americans after the September 11, 2001 attacks. He received a PhD degree in South Asian Religions from Harvard’s Committee on the Study of Religion and a MTS degree from Harvard Divinity School. Singh currently serves on the Board of Religious, Spiritual, and Ethical Life at Harvard; the Board of Trustees of Parliament the of the World’s Religions; the Board of Trustees at the Sikh Coalition and Sikh Scholarship Foundation; and the Advisory Boards of the Pluralism Project at Harvard, and the Institute for Asian American Studies. As a member of the Harvard Chaplains, he serves the Sikh community through the Harvard Sikh Center that he founded. His HarvardX online course, Sikhism Through Its Scriptures, is open to the public.

Sharan Kaur Singh is the Midwest Deputy Director for the Anti-Defamation League, a nonprofit that fights hate to protect democracy and ensure a just and inclusive society for all. She also consults with SALDEF (the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund) a national Sikh organization based in Washington DC. She is part of SALDEF’s National Speakers Bureau and develops and facilitates cultural awareness trainings. She also develops programs that help to educate, inspire and empower the Sikh community. She led the SikhLEAD program for 3 years, an internship and Leadership Development Program that partners Sikh American high school, college students and young professionals with congressional offices, federal agencies, and Washington, DC-based organizations to provide students with enriching experiences. Sharan is also a learning and development professional who previously worked at Deloitte, Inc. She is an active member of her community and is a board member of Camp Sikh Virsa, a local Sikh Youth organization that trains future Sikh leaders. Sharan’s strongest passion is in working with interfaith communities, advocating for the rights of religious, immigrant and marginalized communities and partnering with congressional offices, federal and state agencies, and coalition partners to address and counter hate-related issues. As a member of the Parliament and many other community relation groups/organizations, she works with government officials and community leaders/members to counter our nation’s problems while building bridges across communities.

Ann Smith is Co-Founder and Convener of Green Tent Circle, Co-Convener of Millionth Circle and serves on the Women’s Task Force of PoWR. She is past Director of Women’s Ministries of the National Episcopal Church and Global Education Associates, and Co-Chair of National Council of Churches Justice for Women Working Group. Working as UNNGO ECOSOC observer for the Anglican Consultative Council, International Public Policy Institute and Earth Child Institute, she has attended 54 international events. She brings the voices of marginalized women and girls to the PoWR.