Audrey E. Kitagawa, JD, is President and Founder of the International Academy for Multicultural Cooperation, President of the Light of Awareness International Spiritual Family, and the former Advisor to the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary General for Children and Armed Conflict at the United Nations. She is a United Nations Representative for the United Religions Initiative, Chair Emerita of the NGO Committee on Spirituality, Values and Global Concerns, and the author of dozens of chapters in a variety of publications on a range of topics from multiculturalism to Asian women to globalization to religious and ethnic conflict to cultural diversity, identity, world affairs and the transformation of consciousness. She has been listed in Who’s Who of American Law, Who’s Who of American Women, Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in The World, and Prominent People of Hawaii. She is the recipient of the Spirit of the UN Award, given to outstanding individuals who have demonstrated the vision and spirit of the United Nations as expressed through the UN Charter, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Haneen Khalid is a 2020 Obama Foundation Scholar with an MA in International Development and Policy, and a Pearson Certificate in Global Conflict, from the University of Chicago. She received the Emerging Young Woman Leader of Pakistan Award from Nobel Peace Laureate Tawakkol Kirman in 2017, was a UNESCO High Level Summit Panelist on Futures of Conflict and Diplomacy, a Voices for a World Free of Nuclear Weapons Communications Consultant, and is a Ph.D. student at Princeton University.
Dr. Kurt Johnson has worked in professional science and comparative religion over 40 years, and is ordained or certified in five religious traditions. He is author of the influential book The Coming Interspiritual Age (2013) and two award-winning books in science: Nabokov’s Blues (2000) and Fine Lines (2015) (Brian Boyd Prize for scholarly writing, 2019). Kurt is the founder of The Interspiritual Dialogue Network, has served on the faculty of New York’s One Spirit Interfaith Seminary for 12 years and, for 25 years was associated there with the American Museum of Natural History. He is host for the Convergence radio series on VoiceAmerica, a series featuring global change-makers, and an editor of three magazines: The Convergence, Light on Light, and Conscious Business. Kurt has a PhD in Evolution and Ecology, is author of over 200 scientific articles and seven books, and a member or founder of The Evolutionary Leaders, The Association of Transformational Leaders, the International Contemplative Alliance, the Gaiafield and Subtle Activism Networks, the UN NGO Committee on Spirituality, Values and Global Concerns, the NGO Forum 21 Institute, the UN Committee for International Yoga Day, and is President of the Friends of the Institute of Noetic Sciences. (www.isdna.org, www.lightonlight.us, www.unity.earth)
Xiye Bastida Growing up in a town stricken by both drought and floods, it didn’t take Xiye Bastida long to understand the perils of climate change — or to decide to do something about it. She was born and raised in San Pedro Tultepec, a small town southwest of Mexico City, and moved to the US after a three-year drought in her hometown was broken by devastating floods. She began her career as an environmentalist soon after. Now a climate justice activist based in New York City, she is one of the lead organizers of Fridays For Future, the youth climate strike movement founded by Greta Thunberg. She also sits on the administration committee of the People’s Climate Movement, where she brings a voice to existing grassroots climate organizations.
Swami Tyagananda is a monk of the Ramakrishna Order and head of its branch in Boston since 2002. He joined the Order in 1976 after graduating from the University of Mumbai in India. Besides Mumbai (1976–80), he served in the monasteries at Belur Math (1980–82), New Delhi (1982–83) and Chennai (1983–1997) and was assigned to the Ramakrishna Vedanta Society in Boston in 1998. He is the Hindu chaplain at Harvard and MIT since 1999. Tyagananda was editor of the English journal Vedanta Kesari for 11 years (1986–97) and has written, translated and edited twelve books—including his latest Knowing the Knower: A Manual of Jnana Yoga. He has presented papers at academic conferences and he gives lectures and classes at the Vedanta Society as well as at MIT, Harvard and, on invitation, other colleges and religious groups in North America.
Philip Goldberg is an Interfaith Minister, public speaker, and author whose numerous books include the award-winning American Veda: From Emerson and the Beatles to Yoga and Meditation, How Indian Spirituality Changed the West; The Life of Yogananda: The Story of the Yogi Who Became the First Modern Guru, and the forthcoming Spiritual Practice for Crazy Times: Powerful Tools to Cultivate Clarity, Calm and Courage. He blogs on Elephant Journal and Spirituality & Health, cohosts the popular Spirit Matters podcast, and leads American Veda Tours to India. His website is www.PhilipGoldberg.com.
Dorothy J. Maver, Ph.D. is an educator and peacebuilder whose keynote is inspiring cooperation on behalf of the common good. Dot was founding President and is a Board member and Trustee of the National Peace Academy USA, is a co-founding board member of the Global Alliance for Ministries and Infrastructures of Peace, and was the founding executive director of the River Phoenix Center for Peacebuilding. Her work in education, politics and grassroots community organizing is focused on applied peacebuilding utilizing a shared responsibility and shared leadership model. She is co-author of the book Conscious Education: The Bridge to Freedom; is a Fellow with the World Business Academy, and serves on the boards of Lifebridge Foundation, River Phoenix Center for Peacebuilding and Garden of Light. Dot also serves on the United Nations International Day of Peace NGO Education Peace Team, the International Cities of Peace Advisory Council. She also co-facilitates monthly webinars focusing on the UN Sustainable Development Goals and is a co-founder of the Global Silent Minute.
Joe Weston is an international workshop facilitator, coach, author, and advocate for lasting peace. He is the founder of The Weston Network, Executive Director for the Fierce Civility Project, author of Mastering Respectful Confrontation, and Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University teaching a masters level course: Body-Based Skill Building for Navigating Stress and Confrontation. Growing up in a pugilistic environment led Joe on a quest to deeply understand the roots that underlie conflict, studying diverse traditions, learning from masters in the martial arts, and working with women’s rights and other humanitarian organizations in the Middle East and the US, focusing on empowerment and leadership, reframing power/masculinity, and overcoming gender-based violence.
Jon-Luc Maclean, a youth peacebuilder with inclusiveness and equity at the center of his focus, is co-founder and director of outreach at Different, Just Like Me.
Robert Shetterly is an American artist best known for his portrait series, “Americans Who Tell the Truth,” a project begun in response to U.S. government actions following the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Towers in New York City. Shetterly undertook the project as a way to deal with his own grief and anger by painting Americans who inspired him. He initially intended to paint only 50 portraits, but by 2013 more than 180 portraits were included in the series. Portions of the series tour widely across the United States, being shown in schools, museums, libraries, galleries and other public spaces. A book titled “Americans Who Tell the Truth,” written and illustrated by Shetterly, was published by Dutton Juvenile Press in 2005 and reviewed favorably by Kirkus. It won the International Reading Association’s Intermediate—Nonfiction award for 2006, and the nonprofit Children’s Book Council listed it among the “2006 Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People,” saying it is “sure to inspire debate and further research.”
Chloe Maxmin is a native of Nobleboro, Maine who fell in love with the Maine woods at age 12. For her, the natural world provides a sense of personal purpose and a professional mission. “[W]e must do everything in our power to protect what we love the most,” she says. At age 12, she began working with others to protect what she loved when she learned about the threat that climate change presented to the woodlands of Maine and to the whole planet. When she started high school, she founded the Climate Action Club. As a sophomore at Harvard, she co-founded Divest Harvard because the university was profiting from ExxonMobil. Now in the Maine state legislature, she has introduced a bill that would bring the Green New Deal to Maine and pushing the United States to tackle climate change through aggressive policy prescriptions and the rapid expansion of the green energy and green technology industries.
Dr. Peter Blaze Corcoran is Professor Emeritus of Environmental Studies and Environmental Education at Florida Gulf Coast University. He has been a Faculty Member at College of the Atlantic, Swarthmore College, and Bates College in the United States and has held appointments as a Visiting Professor at universities in Australia, the Netherlands, Fiji, Malaysia, and Kenya. New posts since his recent retirement include appointments as Research Fellow at the Earth Charter Center for Education for Sustainable Development at University for Peace in San Jose, Costa Rica; Senior Fellow at Forum 21 Institute in New York City; and Senior Advisor at Unity Earth Center in Melbourne, Australia. His recent books include Envisioning Futures for Environmental and Sustainability Education, Wageningen Academic Publishers (2017), and Intergenerational Learning and Transformative Leadership for Sustainable Futures, Wageningen Academic Publishers (2014).
Francisco Morales is an Indigenous writer, founder of the Circle of Writing and Indigenous Orality, a Global Trustee and a Facilitator in training for the young people of United Religions Initiative. He is a member of the Aymara community in Argentina, a social science student and writer on issues of Indigenous worldview and Latin American thinking, and currently an advisor to social organizations on issues of interreligious dialogue and diversity in conflict situations.
Tahil Sharma, URI Regional Coordinator for North America, is translator for Francisco.
Practice Presenters
Adeola Fearon is a practitioner of Yoruba Traditonal Spirituality; an intuitive healer, artist, coach and author with a passion for empowering individuals and all humanity. Her journey has allowed her to serve as an advocate for interfaith dialogues, human services, and in various aspects of community development. She is the founder of the Charlotte Red Bench Cooperation Circle whose purpose is to grow individual and communal capacities for love, forgiveness and compassion.Adeola Fearon is the Chair of the URI North America Leadership Council and Ex-Officio Trustee.
Samina Sundas is the founder and Executive Director of the American Muslim Voice Foundation, which strives to build meaningful relationships with multifaith groups and diverse communities. Samina is committed to healing America and all Americans by focusing the interfaith/inter-community dialog on peace and beloved community building by fostering friendships among all Americans. www.amuslimvoice.org
BK Sister Mary Friedland is an avid practitioner of Raja Yoga Meditation. She resides in Chicago, where she coordinates activities of the Brahma Kumaris for Chicago and the Midwest, and teaches courses in meditation and practical spirituality. She is on the Core Team of Transformation365.org, a group of passionate contemplatives who produce free online meditation practices. Mary enjoys applying spiritual principles to unravel life’s knotty problems, and sharing what she learns with others. www.brahmakumaris.org.
Felora Ziari is an author, business coach, and international speaker on leadership and self-mastery. Her recent transformational leadership book is called “The CODE- How to Unlock your Inner Genius for a life of Equanimity.” With 25 years of corporate and non-profit experience, Felora offers her expertise to startups, companies, and individuals seeking optimal performance through a tangible system of exploration and discovery. She was an engineering manager for over 16 years in the nuclear/aerospace industry before starting several ventures and non-profit organizations. She is the founder of Crimson Academy, a global platform for 360 transformative developments for entrepreneurs and leaders, and the founding member of a global non-profit organization, Peace Through Commerce, for which she led international entrepreneurial and leadership training programs striving for sustainable peace.
Fran Tar and the Breaking Walls Youth Arts Program. Breaking Walls, founded by Fran Tar, is an international youth empowerment and development movement that uses creative writing and theatrical performance to build global peace and acceptance. By empowering young people to discover their voices and offering them a platform on which to share it, Breaking Walls activist approach allows participants to create an alternative community modeling inclusive and peaceful cohabitation as well as social interaction built on empathy and acceptance based in arts education. Their diverse group of young people represents many cultures, religions, and socioeconomic situations from all over the world. Young people join Breaking Walls because they see it as an opportunity to create a better version of themselves, as well as the world they live in.
Abigail Jones currently works in commercial film production in Los Angeles and is a content creator and performer for children’s entertainment. She is a certified early childhood music specialist, singer-songwriter, and educational writer and holds an MFA in Acting. Abigail serves on the board of Contemplative Life, an online hub that connects people and communities with transformative practices, and volunteers as a consultant for DreamLine, an extracurricular program to move students around the world in the direction of their dreams.
Kate Sheehan Roach has served as an editor with St. Martin’s Press, founding editor of Contemplative Journal and as managing editor of the Spirituality channel at Patheos.com. She is currently Director of Content for ContemplativeLife.org and a founding member of Transformation365.org. Kate is a certified Centering Prayer facilitator who serves on a national service team with Contemplative Outreach, and she’s a member of the North America Leadership Council for the United Religions Initiative. She holds a BA with honors in American Studies from Mount Holyoke College and an MA with high honors in History from the University of Connecticut.