JLI Team
Maurice A. Bloem
Maurice Bloem
President/CEO
Main areas of work at the JLI: I'm the President/CEO of JLI at the moment. I am humbled that I am giving this responsibility and my goal is to guide JLI during this change. We've got some big things planned that were discussed during our first Town Hall meeting on February 20, 2025. I'm excited and hope I can make a positive impact.
Location: I've called the US East Coast home for more than 15 years now. I enjoy the deer, groundhogs, squirrels and foxes who visit us almost on a daily basis.
Previous work experience: I used to work for Church World Service (CWS) until recently. I started the CWS Innovation Hub and led the CWS Faith and Partnership Hub. My job was also to let people know how CWS is addressing big global issues, like the SDGs and fighting climate change. I was the person representing CWS at the UN. Before coming to the US, I was working for CWS in Indonesia/Timor-Leste. We did some important work after the natural disasters in 2004 & 2005. I originally come from the Netherlands and got my Master's degree in cultural anthropology from the University of Leyden. In 2011, I walked 100 miles to raise awareness about hunger and poverty. And in 2020, I started my podcast, "Walk Talk Listen", to chat with people and share stories. It's really about connecting. I'm also proud to be on the board of Growing Hope Globally. Last but not least, I am a member of the Advisory Council at the Center for Ecumenical and Interreligious Engagement at Seattle University.
Joined JLI in: I joined JLI on August 1, 2023. But I've been connected to JLI a bit longer, since I joined the JLI Leadership Council in November 2022.
What I enjoy most about working with JLI: Even though I'm quite new to JLI, I've been really inspired. We're trying to bring together religion and science. In a world grappling with the urgency of climate change, wars, and social unrest, our mission resonates now more than ever. As I envision seven generations hence, I passionately hope they remember JLI and its leadership as beacons of transformative change. The way we challenge power asymmetries, champion equitable practices, and facilitate meaningful dialogues between diverse stakeholders epitomizes the synthesis of knowledge and action. I am profoundly honored to be part of a movement that seeks not only to understand our world better but to make it better for all.
What I like to do outside of work: Beyond the professional realm, I find solace and rejuvenation in simple pleasures. I walk a lot. I also play the drums and ukulele. I enjoy soccer, reading, and good food. And whenever I can, I spend time with my kids. They're spread out across the world, so those moments are special.
President/CEO
Rima Alshawkani
Rima Alshawkani
Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Main areas of work at the JLI: As a member of the senior leadership team, I provide strategic direction and executive oversight of JLI's financial management, human resources, and operational systems. I ensure strong risk management practices, including oversight of legal, audit, insurance, and compliance functions. I advise and guide the CEO and Board on the organization's financial and operational strategies aligned with JLI's mission. I also manage programs including contracts, budgets, team projects, consultants and vendors. Finally, I lead team collaboration efforts and cultivate JLI’s organizational culture.
Location: Washington D.C. area
Previous work experience: Prior to joining JLI, I was in Yemen working on development on the ground ranging from illiteracy programs, enriching school and youth activities, and establishing health clinics in remote villages.
Joined JLI in: October 2018
What I enjoy most about working with JLI: Working with a very supportive and high functioning team that encourage one another.
What I like to do outside of work: I thrive on social interaction. I also spend much of my time with my kids doing their various activities, or going on long walks in trails, or drives in backroads. Tennis and basketball are my competitive edge. Travel at any chance I get.
Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Dr. Nora Khalaf-Elledge
Dr Nora Khalaf-Elledge
Senior Researcher & Gender Lead
Main areas of work at the JLI: I support JLI’s project portfolio through strategy, coordination, and technical guidance. I contribute to the development of the State of the Evidence Navigator and lead its gender component. I also support shared research and programmatic efforts, including the Faith and Inner Development Goals Framework, the Faith and Positive Change for Children (FPCC) initiative, and JLI's work on faith and climate-induced migration, and contribute to organizational development through hub coordination and fundraising, contributing to JLI’s broader mission and partnerships.
Location: I’m currently based in the U.S., but I’m originally Egyptian/German.
Previous work experience: I am a gender and development specialist with over 15 years of experience focused on gender equality, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), and gender-based violence (GBV), with particular attention to the intersections of religion, social norms, and power. I’ve worked with UN agencies, governments, INGOs, and academic institutions—bridging research, policy, and practice across the Middle East, Africa, South Asia, Latin America, and Europe.
I hold a PhD in Gender, Religion, and International Development from Goldsmiths, University of London. Alongside my work at JLI, I serve as Working Group Chair at the Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI), where I lead efforts to improve policy engagement on GBV, and as Advisor to Parity Lab, supporting survivor-led efforts to address gendered trauma and violence. My publications include both academic and practitioner outlets, with a focus on the role of religion in gender justice and policy reform. I’m fluent in Spanish, Arabic, German, and English.
Joined JLI in: June 2025, though I have been working with JLI on various projects since January 2020.
What I enjoy most about working with JLI: JLI truly feels like family. It offers a deeply collaborative and values-driven environment. I really appreciate the thoughtfulness, dedication, and shared purpose across the team.
What I like to do outside of work: I enjoy playing board games, tackling escape rooms, doing crafts, going for long walks, traveling, and spending quality time with family and friends. Recently, I’ve been rediscovering my love for theatre and improv, activities I used to do a lot growing up.
Senior Researcher & Gender Lead
Mira Neaimeh
Mira Neaimeh
Program Manager & Regional Coordinator Middle East
Main areas of work at the JLI: I manage and coordinate projects and lead their implementation in the Middle East region. I also engage with the network and hub members for the benefit of the hub’s activities. To that, I also lead research management and mapping on topics related to MEAL and faith, ensuring external communication and coordination. And finally, the effectiveness and efficiency of hub activities and members is ensured through proper M&E and reporting coupled with financial administration.
Location: Lebanon/ Egypt
Previous work experience: I hold a Master’s degree in Translation - Research & Translation Studies from Saint-Joseph University in Beirut. I have started my career in translation while for the past decade, I have various NGO contributions. I served as an Executive Committee member of the WSCF-ME and I have just wrapped up my four-year term as Regional Executive and Global Program Director for Peace Building & Overcoming Violence in the Middle East region. My recent assignment was covering ecumenical trainings and outreach in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Palestine, Sudan, and Egypt; through my past experience, I have always been an active member in the community, serving as an elected member of Ksaibeh city municipality, adding to it my early commitment to the Orthodox Youth Movement to date.
Joined JLI: June 2023.
What I enjoy most about working with JLI: Professionalism and humanistic approach are what attracted me to JLI.
What I like to do outside of work: Reading, nature, sports.
Program Manager & Regional Coordinator Middle East
Sofia Sayabalian
Sofia Sayabalian
Communications and Web Coordinator
Main areas of work at the JLI: At JLI, I focus on communications and marketing activities like developing and implementing communications strategies for JLI, including newsletters, website updates, and social media. I support promotion of JLI’s initiatives, events, and publications.
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Previous work experience: My experience includes working closely with the Center for Ecumenical and Interreligious Engagement at Seattle University, a collaboration I still maintain. I'm motivated by creating meaningful learning experiences for people and supporting mission-driven organizations.
Joined JLI in: September 2025
What I enjoy most about working with JLI: I enjoy JLI's mission-driven and education-forward approach.
What I like to do outside of work: I enjoy taking dancing and pottery lessons, and spending quality time with my family and friends.
Communications & Web Coordinator
Alvin Andanje
Alvin Andanje
Regional Coordinator Africa
Main Areas of Work at JLI: I am the current FPCC Africa Region coordinator. I work closely with Kirsten, Florine, and the tripartite partners including Religions for Peace and UNICEF to enhance faith engagement and mainstream positive change for children, families and communities. I support the knowledge management, stakeholder engagement and M&E of the FPCC initiative in Africa.
Location: I’m based in Nairobi, Kenya.
Previous work experience: Before this role, I have worked as a regional communications advisor at Evidence Frontiers, and as an M&E and communications officer at TAABCO among other positions.
Joined JLI in: September 2022
What I enjoy most about working at JLI: I enjoy working with JLI's vibrant team whose diverse and complementary skills present a great learning opportunity and an even better chance to create social impact globally working with FBOs.
What I like to do outside of work: I read widely, largely about current affairs and I'm a small scale poultry farmer too.
Regional Coordinator Africa
Andrés Martínez-García
Andrés Martínez-García
Regional Coordinator Latin America and the Caribbean
Main areas of work at the JLI: My role revolves around promoting collaboration and advancing faith-based initiatives in Latin America and the Caribbean. One key aspect of my work is leading the development of the LAC Regional Learning Hub, bringing together local and regional partners. I facilitate operations, help members identify research topics, support their studies and dialogues, and assist in publishing findings. An equally important part of my work involves building connections with funding partners to ensure the sustainability of the hub. I also represent JLI’s faith-sensitive mental health and psychosocial support work, connecting it to broader regional and global initiatives.
Another area of focus is the Faith and Positive Change for Children initiative, where I collaborate with UNICEF’s regional office and country offices, as well as global partners such as Religions for Peace and Arigatou International. Together, we work to strengthen faith-based contributions to children´s well-being and community resilience in the region.
Location: Bogotá, Colombia.
Previous work experience: I have more than 15 years of experience in peacebuilding, mental health, and development supporting communities in conflict-affected areas. I began my professional path as a psychologist, providing rehabilitation services to landmine victims and addressing trauma survivors among displaced populations in Colombia.
Later, I transitioned into international program management, designing and leading initiatives that bridge faith, mental health, gender and peacebuilding. At the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), I contribute to innovative projects addressing trauma and displacement. I’ve also worked with organizations like DT Institute, where I designed training programs and strengthened local capacities for peacebuilding, and the Global Green Growth Institute, where I integrated gender-sensitive approaches into sustainable development programs.
At the International Peace and Security Institute, I led the conceptualization and management of conflict resolution symposia. These programs trained hundreds of professional peacebuilders while promoting the development of resilience platforms for U.S. Foreign Service Officers, enabling them to better address stress-related challenges in high-conflict areas.
Joined JLI in: November 2024.
What I enjoy most about working with JLI: What I find most rewarding about my work at JLI is the opportunity to help establish collaborative networks like the LAC Regional Learning Hub, which empower local organizations to take the lead in research and advocacy. Supporting faith-based initiatives like FPCC allows me to see the transformative power of faith communities in action, particularly in addressing the challenges faced by children and families. I am grateful for the opportunity to work in the intersection of peace, faith, and MHPSS.
What I like to do outside of work: I enjoy playing tennis, and love reading a mix of genres. For fiction, I’m into horror, fantasy, and sci-fi, while in nonfiction, I enjoy exploring psychology and political analysis.
Regional Coordinator Latin America and the Caribbean
Noor Ur Rehman
Noor Ur Rehman
Regional Coordinator South Asia
Main Areas of Work at JLI: As Regional Coordinator for South Asia, I steer the Faith and Positive Change for Children, Families, and Communities (FPCC) initiative in the region, aligning JLI, UNICEF ROSA, and Religions for Peace around faith-sensitive social and behavioral-change strategies. My mandate is to forge interfaith partnerships, curate evidence, and secure meaningful religious-actor engagement on child rights, violence prevention, climate action, child protection, and digital transformation for inclusive development.
Within JLI, I oversee stakeholder engagement, capacity-building, and knowledge-management streams that amplify FPCC’s regional impact, while driving advocacy and strategic planning to embed the approach in national systems. I also represent JLI on the Asia Pacific Faith Coalition for Sustainable Development (APFC) collaborating with World Vision, ACT Alliance, Arigatou International, Soka Gakkai, Islamic Relief Worldwide, and other partner and actively contribute to the Global Network of Religions for Children (GNRC)
Location: I’m based in Islamabad, Pakistan
Previous work experience: Prior to joining JLI, I spent over 12 years with Islamic Relief Pakistan (IRP) in various leadership and technical roles. I worked extensively across sectors child protection, education, WASH, gender, disaster risk reduction (DRR), and emergency response bringing a faith-informed lens to each initiative. I led programs such as Channels of Hope and Spiritual Nurturing for Early Childhood Development, and served as a national trainer on child rights, UNCRC, faith and protection, and safeguarding in humanitarian contexts.
As IRP’s focal point for networking and advocacy, I established collaborative partnerships with faith leaders, government ministries, UN agencies, and civil society actors. I continue to be actively engaged in national and regional child rights advocacy as an associate member of the Child Rights Movement (CRM) Pakistan and the National Action and Coordination Group (NACG) for SAIEVAC (the South Asia Initiative to End Violence against Children).
Joined JLI in: May 2023
What I enjoy most about working at JLI: JLI gives me the unique opportunity to harness faith as a force for sustainable social transformation. I am passionate about connecting evidence with action, especially in contexts where faith leaders are key drivers of social norms. At JLI, I find deep meaning in co-creating knowledge with communities and building bridges across sectors and belief systems. I believe children are sacred, and I’m committed to advancing their rights through inclusive, values-based approaches. Working with JLI’s dynamic and purpose-driven team helps me grow both spiritually and professionally.
What I like to do outside of work: Beyond the office, I’m a proud father, husband, and child rights advocate at heart. I love exploring ideas on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook, where I actively engage in digital activism. Hiking, evening walks, cooking, swimming, and quality time with my two children, a son and a daughter, bring me peace and joy. My wife is not just my life partner but also my closest companion and co-dreamer in this journey of service.
Regional Coordinator South Asia
JLI Board of Directors
Abagail Nelson
Abagail Nelson
Executive Vice President, Episcopal Relief & Development
Abagail Nelson is the Executive Vice President at Episcopal Relief & Development. She has worked globally in human development with a technical focus on financial inclusion, economic development and disaster risk reduction for more than 20 years. Abagail takes a systems approach to development challenges, and has led broad coalitions of private, public and faith- based partners to achieve programmatic impact. Before coming to Episcopal Relief & Development, Abagail worked with the government of Ecuador on its coastal resource management program and as a financial analyst for several investment banks. Abagail is a graduate of Harvard College, with an MSc from London School of Economics. She is currently an Officer-at-Large for Corus International, and a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
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Andrea Kaufmann
Andrea Kaufmann
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
AMANI YA JUU
Andrea Kaufmann serves as Executive Director for Amani Ya Juu (Peace from Above). She is an experienced international development professional with a demonstrated history of working in a range of roles in the international non-profit development and humanitarian industry. Andrea is committed to building networks for community and social transformation leveraging skills and experience in global collaboration, program development and execution, partnering, strategy, media relations, and communicating vision and mission.
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Araif Yusuff
Araif Yusuff
Director of Programs, Islamic Relief USA
Araif Yusuff serves as the Director of Programs for Islamic Relief USA (IRUSA). In this executive role, he supports the nonprofit in carrying out its mission of eliminating poverty from the world through programs focused on relief and development. Araif Yusuff has carried out responsibilities as director of programs since 2021, and in this capacity, he has oversight of a $350 million portfolio of disaster relief and development programs in the US and around the world.
Yusuff’s achievements in this role include developing a five-year strategy for increasing IRUSA’s presence in the US, with a particular focus on healthcare, food insecurity, and disaster management. He has also led IRUSA to become active in refugee resettlement. The organization now receives multi-year federal State Department funding to resettle Afghan refugees across the US. Araif Yusuff came to his director position after having previously spent more than four years working with IRUSA. He joined the nonprofit in 2017 as a New Jersey-based US programs coordinator, and later earned a promotion to manager of the Disaster Management Team. Holding this position from 2019 to 2021, he strengthened IRUSA’s relationship with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and stabilized the organization’s Houston Recovery Program to align with best practices for long term recovery. Prior to the appointment of IRUSA CEO Ahmed Shehata, Yusuff also served as interim CEO. Outside of his responsibilities with IRUSA, Araif Yusuff is the board president of New York Disaster Interfaith Services and the vice chair of the New Jersey State Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters. He also maintains a board seat with the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster and is an advisory board member of the New York City Faith Sector Community Preparedness Program.
Before beginning his career, Araif Yusuff graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He remained at the school for his graduate studies, completing a Master of Public Administration in 2016. Four years later, he earned the certified fundraising manager accreditation from Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. Currently, He is pursuing an Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership from the The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
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Dionne Gravesande
Dionne Gravesande
Religion and Development Consultant
Dionne Gravesande has over 25 years of experience in the UK charity sector, much of which has focussed on the humanitarian and development sector working with churches, national and international non-governmental organisations. Currently she is an executive manager and strategic adviser at Christian Aid with a corporate remit for faith partnerships and ecumenical collaborations in the areas of inequalities, peacebuilding, gender and climate. Her graduate education and training embraces theology, international relations, community development and business administration.
Her Pan-African work includes international outreach in USA, Asia, Africa and the Caribbean through the Transatlantic Roundtable on Religion and Race and other forums, more recently she has worked with INGOs as a consultant on strategic leadership and providing change management support. In December 2021 she took up the role of Chair of board at the Joint Learning Initiative.
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Elisa Di Benedetto
Elisa Di Benedetto
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF RELIGION JOURNALISTS
A passionate about communication in all its forms, Elisa Di Benedetto is a freelance journalist and a writer based in north-eastern Italy. Her areas of focus include cross-cultural and cross-religious issues, migration, Muslim communities in Italy, diversity and interfaith dialogue. A founding member of the International Association of Religion Journalists (IARJ), she is currently a Managing Director of the association. Previous positions include Project Manager at the IARJ and trainer at the ICFJ and at NATO Multinational CIMIC Group.
She reported from Afghanistan and Lebanon and in recent years she has also worked as a cultural mediator with refugees. A former recipient of the Henry Luce Fellowship in Washington DC, she is a member of the EU’s Global Exchange on Religion in Society (GERIS) network. She speaks regularly at conferences and events about journalism and religion, migration and interfaith issues.
She graduated in Communication Studies from Alma Mater Studiorum-University of Bologna (Italy) and holds a post-graduate MA Degree in Peacekeeping and Security Studies from RomaTre University (Italy).
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Emma Tomalin
Emma Tomalin
PROFESSOR OF RELIGION AND PUBLIC LIFE
UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS RELIGIONS AND THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT NETWORK
Dr Emma Tomalin is Professor of Religion and Public Life at the University of Leeds. She carries out research into the role of religion in public life in the world today with research interests in Gender, Religion and Society, Religion and Global Development and Buddhism and Hinduism amongst others. She has published multiple books and journals. She is currently working on an AHRC network grant on work a project entitled – Keeping Faith in 2030: Religions and the Sustainable Development Goals which will completed late in 2018. She also works with Public Health Leeds on a project that examines the role of places of worship as Public Health settings in Leeds and Co-Chair of the International Development and Religion Group of the American Academy of Religion. Since 2013, with Drs Caroline Starkey and Jas Singh, she has been carrying out scoping studies on places of worship in Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, Zoroastrian and Bahai traditions in England.
She also co-chairs the new JLI Hub on Anti-Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery.
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Imad Madanat
Imad Madanat
VP for Programs
ADRA INTERNATIONAL
Imad Madanat is the current Vice President for Humanitarian Affairs at ADRA, a role he has
held since October 2023. Previously, he served as the Vice President for ADRA Programs from
October 2013. An ADRA veteran, Madanat has dedicated more than a decade to the agency,
serving in various capacities including Senior Program Finance Manager and Country Finance
Director in Yemen. His extensive experience encompasses new business capture, program
expansion into new countries, and managing a portfolio of innovative projects and teams.
Madanat currently oversees ADRA/International's programmatic efforts and leads the team responsible for responding to natural disasters, providing humanitarian assistance, and driving long-term development initiatives.
Under his leadership, ADRA’s programs team has achieved significant milestones. In the past year alone, they have tripled ADRA’s USG portfolio and expanded operations in the Middle East
and North Africa (MENA), Africa, and Latin America, focusing on the needs of displaced
populations in these regions. Additionally, Madanat played a crucial role in ADRA’s Global
COVID-19 Task Force, addressing the challenges posed by the pandemic and planning for the
recovery phase.
Born in Jordan, Imad Madanat moved to the United States in 1989. He earned a Bachelor of
Science in Biochemistry from the University of Maryland in 1995 and went on to complete a
Master in International Management with a Finance emphasis from the University of Maryland,
University College (now University of Maryland Global Campus) in 1999.
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Jayeel Cornelio
Jayeel Cornelio
ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY
Dr Jayeel Cornelio is the Director of the Development Studies Program and the incoming Associate Dean for Research and Creative Work at the Ateneo de Manila University, The Philippines. He conducts research in the areas of religion, politics, and generational change. He is the author of Being Catholic in the Contemporary Philippines: Young People Reinterpreting Religion (2016) and the lead editor of the Routledge International Handbook of Religion in Global Society (2021). Focused on the Philippines, his recent projects have been on some of the most controversial topics in the country: Christianity and the war on drugs, religion and the LGBTQ+ community, and youth in post-conflict Marawi. Some of his projects have been funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Programme, the UK Economic and Social Research Council, and the Global Religion Research Initiative at the University of Notre Dame. For his scholarship, he received the 2017 Outstanding Young Scientist Award from the National Academy of Science and Technology. Dr Cornelio is Associate Editor of the journal Social Sciences & Missions and a regular contributor to the Thought Leaders section of Rappler.
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Julie Clague
Julie Clague
Lecturer & Associate Academic
UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW
Julie Clague studied Chemistry at Nottingham University, and theology at Heythrop College, London University and Jesus College, Cambridge. Julie works as a theologian with the Catholic development agencies CAFOD and SCIAF, and sits on SCIAF’s Development Policy Advisory Group. She is a member of the Theological Commission of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales agency, Caritas-Social Action. Julie serves on the theological panel of the Centre for Theology and Public Issues at Edinburgh University, and chairs the Ethics Committee of the Assisted Conception Service of Greater Glasgow NHS Trust.
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Katherine Marshall
Katherine Marshall
Senior Fellow, Executive Director
WORLD FAITHS DEVELOPMENT DIALOGUE (WFDD)
Katherine Marshall has worked for some four decades on international development, with a focus on issues facing the world’s poorest countries. A senior fellow at Georgetown University's Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs and Visiting Professor in the School of Foreign Service, she is Executive Director of the World Faiths Development Dialogue.
Her long career with the World Bank (1971-2006) involved a wide range of leadership assignments. She was Country Director in the Bank’s Africa region, first for the Sahel region, then Southern Africa and led the Bank's work on social policy and governance during the East Asia crisis years. In 2000 the World Bank’s president appointed her to a newly created post of liaison with faith-based development charities, with the objective of clarifying shared objectives and building trust and coordination.
Ms. Marshall is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on various boards of non-profit organizations. She served as a core group member of the Council of 100, an initiative of the World Economic Forum to advance understanding between the Islamic World and the West.
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Peter Mandaville
Dr. Peter Mandaville
Professor of International Affairs in the Schar School of Policy and Government and Director of the AbuSulayman Center for Global Islamic Studies, George Mason University
Dr. Peter Mandaville is Professor of International Affairs in the Schar School of Policy and Government and Director of the AbuSulayman Center for Global Islamic Studies (ACGIS) in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS) at George Mason University. From 2024-25 he served as the Director of the Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships and Senior Advisor for Faith Engagement at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). From 2022-24 he was Senior Advisor for Religion and Inclusive Societies at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP). His prior government experience includes serving as a member of the U.S. State Department's Policy and Planning Staff (2010-12) and as a Senior Advisor in the Secretary of State's Office of Religion and Global Affairs (2015-16). He has also been a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, a Visiting Senior Fellow at the Pew Research Center, and has held affiliations with the RAND Corporation and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He is the author or editor of the books The Geopolitics of Religious Soft Power (2023), Wahhabism and the World (2022), Islam & Politics (Third Edition, 2020) and Transnational Muslim Politics: Reimagining the Umma (2001) as well as many journal articles, book chapters, and op-ed/commentary pieces in outlets such as the International Herald Tribune, The Guardian, The Atlantic and Foreign Policy. He has testified multiple times before the U.S. Congress on topics including political Islam and human rights in the Middle East. His research has been supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Henry Luce Foundation.
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Sergio Lopez
Sergio Lopez
Chief of Finance and Operations at Episcopal Relief & Development
Sergio is a mission-driven leader with over 15 years of experience dedicated to scaling global impact through strategic financial stewardship. His trajectory include working on local grassroots youth led organization in Juarez, Mexico to leading global finance teams on international nonprofits organization accomplishing strategic objectives. He offers a valuable perspective on how robust administrative systems fuel programmatic success. He specializes in navigating complex, multi-year, and multi-donor portfolios, ensuring financial integrity and operational agility across diverse and demanding funding environments. A cornerstone of Sergio’s financial management approach is developing partners from the ground up, building local capacity to ensure long-term institutional sustainability.
Currently, as Chief of Finance and Operations at Episcopal Relief & Development, he provides integrated leadership across Finance, HR, IT, and Enterprise Risk Management. By streamlining systems and advising the Board of Directors, Sergio ensures that strategic goals are met while advancing the institution’s core values and organizational capacity.
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Steve Chiu
Steve Chiu
Program Director for Global Partnerships and Youth Development, Tzu Chi Foundation
Steve Chiu is a seasoned advocate and community organizer dedicated to addressing climate justice, disaster resilience, and inclusive development. He currently serves as a Program Director for Global Partnerships and Youth Development and the Main Representative to the United Nations for the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, where he leads global advocacy and partnership initiatives. With a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and a minor in Studio Art from The Ohio State University, Steve blends together scientific rigor with creative problem-solving. Steve has coordinated high-level coalitions and conferences, including partnerships with UNDGC, UNHCR, UNICEF and UNEP and holds leadership roles in a variety of civil society organizations. His projects span disaster relief efforts from Haiti to Kenya, youth leadership development, and interfaith engagement. He is the architect of impactful initiatives such as Ethical Eating Day, which inspired over 1.3 million pledges toward sustainable dietary choices. A skilled communicator and strategist, Steve is deeply committed to community-led solutions that empower the most vulnerable and foster systemic change across local and global platforms.
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Tapiwa Yemeke
Tapiwa Yemeke
Executive Officer, Läkarmissionen/ LM International
Tapiwa Yemeke is the Executive Officer at Läkarmissionen/ LM International. Passionate about peacebuilding, public health and migration challenges. She carries vast experience from engaging with different development challenges at local, regional and global level. Worked to promote Afrocentric solutions to mental health related challenges which include GBV, and related crimes with prison communities, and rural communities. Led organizational advocacy, including partnership management and content creation for movement building. Carries extensive research skills from her academic training in Zimbabwe and Sweden, and working with organizations in Zimbabwe, South Africa and Norway where she gained knowledge on policy advocacy, processes and implementation. Gained media and communication skills during the Covid era creating content around maternal mental health and related thematic areas.
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