Speakers
(in alphabetical order)
Sami Awad is the Executive Director of Holy Land Trust, a Palestinian nonprofit organization, which he founded in 1998 in Bethlehem.
Thomas Culhane, a Mid-east sustainability expert and urban planner, founded the NGO “Solar CITIES”, which provides solar panels and biogas digesters to developing communities in the Middle East.
Jordan Elgrably, a Los Angeles-based writer, editor and designer, co-founded Levantine Cultural Center during the summer of 2001.
Ambassador Henry S. Ensher, current U.S. Ambassador to Algeria. He most recently served as the United States Senior Civilian Representative in southern Afghanistan; prior to that, Amb. Ensher was Director of the Office of Afghanistan Affairs in the Department of State.
Reverend Canon Charles Gibbs, founding Executive Director of the United Religions Initiative, has worked with religious, spiritual and other leaders in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific.
Dr. Dick Hoffmann retired in 2007 from the Navy after 20 years of service as a SEAL officer. Currently, he is a defense research analyst at the RAND Corporation.
Gulten Ilhan, a philosophy professor at Saint Louis Community College-Meramec, is an active speaker on Muslim issues and in the St. Louis interfaith community.
Dr. Douglas Johnston, president and founder of the International Center for Religion and Diplomacy, is considered the “father of faith-based diplomacy.” He was a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and holds a Ph.D. in political science from Harvard.
Mana, an Iranian-American hip-hop artist who performs in both Farsi and English, lives in the Washington, D.C. area, and is a member of the group “Lipstick Revolt.”
Dave Oakes, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Center for Ecological Living and Learning (CELL), organizes life-changing sustainability education programs for students who believe that they can make a difference in the world.
Manal Omar, author of Barefoot in Baghdad, is the Director of Iraq, Iran, and North Africa Programs at the U.S. Institute of Peace.
Tom Quiggin, a court-qualified expert on terrorism and a veteran of 20 years in the intelligence community, is a senior researcher at the Canadian Centre of Intelligence and Security Studies at Carleton University.
Rabbi Dale Schreiber has served for the past seven years as a Jewish chaplain at Barnes Jewish hospital and is an active member of the Central Reform Congregation.
Mark Siljander, former U.S. Congressman and U.N. Ambassador, is now the Chairman of the NGO “Trac5, A Bold Path to Peace” working with leaders in global conflict resolution.
Dr. Yehuda Stolov, Executive Director of the Interfaith Encounter Association, works from Jerusalem for sustainable peace and coexistence.
Zainab al-Suwaij, co-founder of the American Islamic Congress, is a native Iraqi, whose grandfather is the leading cleric in Basra. AIC promotes interfaith tolerance and individual rights, at home and throughout the Muslim world.
Travis Thomas, creator of Direct Life Coaching, and the Jove Improvisation, is a coach, performer, and teacher, based in St. Louis, Missouri.
Sandy Wilder, Chief Listening Officer and founder of Educare Unlearning Institute, has decades of experience in personal transformation and leadership.
Dr. James Zogby is the founder and president of the Arab American Institute and author of Arab Voices: What They Are Saying to Us and Why It Matters.
Plus, introducing our inaugural class of Warriors for Peace® – ten inspiring young citizen diplomats working and innovating in communications, healthcare, trade, politics, diplomacy, and democracy.
