A healthy American democracy requires a healthy civic sector that embraces pluralism and religious liberty. When American citizens and the institutions that represent them feel their voices and their faiths are welcome, they feel secure to cooperate towards common good, rather than turning inwards and building walls.
“In these turbulent times it is of utmost importance that lines of direct communication and partnerships are created and maintained. This fellowship will give me the opportunity to further those relationships and create opportunities for partnerships.”
– Haris Tarin, Muslim Public Affairs Council
Faith leaders in the civic sector represent a powerful source of potential change towards a potluck nation – a nation where each group brings their special values and beliefs to the table to create a whole that’s greater than the sum of its parts. Civic organizations and leaders can make impact across society – wielding influence both upwards towards our political systems, and downwards towards everyday citizens. If faith leaders in the civic sector model and integrate pluralism and religious liberty in their work, they can spread these values throughout our society – inviting conversation, cooperation, and participation in our shared democracy.
“I’d like to learn new approaches for fostering connection across differences beyond the ones my organization employs in our programming.”
– Joseph Bubman, Urban Rural Action
Interfaith America is bringing together 16 diverse faith and civic leaders for a 9-month Fellowship from October 2025 through June 2026. Selected from over 70 applicants, the fellows are a politically diverse group representing nine faiths and worldviews.
The Interfaith Civic Pluralism Fellowship (ICPF) supports faith-based civic leaders who are looking to learn and collaborate together to demonstrate what a potluck nation looks like in practice. The fellows will strengthen their institutional understanding and commitment to religious liberty and pluralism and partner with others who are committed to cooperating across differences and model interfaith cooperation as a way to solve problems and strengthen civic cohesion.
This project is made possible through generous funding from Lilly Endowment Inc.
“This fellowship is about connection and the chance to forge genuine trust with faith leaders, to understand and be understood.”
– Jake Via, American Humanist Association
Through an in-person convening, virtual sessions, shared media projects, and grants for joint projects, the program will:
- Equip fellows to integrate a pluralism framework into the paradigms and programming of the organizations they lead.
- Connect fellows to organizations, networks, and opportunities for interfaith and cross-partisan cooperation that models and demonstrates the impact of cooperation across difference.
- Amplify fellows’ voices in the public square to support messaging that religious liberty and pluralism are key elements of America’s historic, present, and future identity.
“I’m looking for opportunities to strengthen our institutional culture of pluralism, and to deepen my understanding and commitment to religious liberty and pluralism.”
– Maha Elgenaidi, Islamic Networks Group
We are honored to introduce the 2025-26 Interfaith Civic Pluralism Fellows:
- Shana Bloom, Repair the World
- Phil Bowling-Dyer, Intervarsity Christian Fellowship
- Chris Butler, Center for Christianity and Public Life
- Joe Bubman, Urban Rural Action
- Zachary Davis, Faith Matters
- Maha Elgenaidi, Islamic Networks Group
- Bryan Epps, Sojourners
- Nina Fernando, Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign
- Napp Nazworth, American Values Coalition
- Rabbi Rori Neiss, Jewish Council for Public Affairs
- Katie Qutub, Muslim Americans in Public Service
- Suhag Shukla, Hindu American Foundation
- Yael Steiner, Civic Spirit
- Haris Tarin, Muslim Public Affairs Council
- Tom Walsh, Trinity Forum
- Jake Via, American Humanist Association
Shana Bloom
Chief Program Officer, Repair the World
Shana Bloom is the Chief Program Officer at Repair the World, where she is launching a bridgebuilding strategy to foster connections across religious, political, and ideological differences.
Prior to Repair, Shana spent eight years at UJA-Federation of New York, launching initiatives to strengthen nonprofit organizations. A clinical social worker by training, she began her career as a trauma-informed family therapist, developing a deep understanding of vulnerable populations and infusing her clinical skills into all of her organizational leadership roles. Shana holds a B.A. in Jewish Studies from New York University and an MSW from Hunter College. She is an Avodah Justice Fellowship graduate and resides in the Bronx with her family.
Phil Bowling-Dyer
National Director, Intervarsity Christian Fellowship
Phil Bowling-Dyer serves as the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship’s National Diversity Director and National Diversity Fellow. He has also worked with hundreds of churches, colleges, and organizations, enabling them to relate more effectively and easily in diverse and “difference” situations. He’s a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and the Berkeley School of Divinity. He’s a Certified Diversity Executive© with The Institute for Diversity Certification (IDC), and a certified trainer with both Cultural Intelligence (CQ) and Technology of Participation (ToP). He bakes, hikes, sings, and community organizes in his hometown of Oakland, California with his family and friends.
Joe Bubman
Executive Director, Urban Rural Action
Joe Bubman is the Founder and Executive Director of Urban Rural Action, a national grassroots movement that brings Americans together across divides to tackle our nation’s most urgent challenges. He is the Director of UR Action’s Uniting for Action on Housing and Homelessness in Central Arizona program. He has served as the Co-Director of UR Action’s Department of Homeland Security-funded “Uniting to Prevent Targeted Violence” programs in southeast Wisconsin and south-central Pennsylvania. Joe was a 2021 Gen2Gen Innovation Fellow and the co-recipient of the 2020 Melanie Greenberg U.S. Peacebuilding Award of Excellence. He was identified by Time Magazine in 2020 as one of “27 People Bridging Divides Across America.”
Chris Butler
Director of Christian Civic Formation, Center for Christianity and Public Life
Chris Butler is a pastor, community organizer, and political strategist with over 25 years of experience at the intersection of faith and public life. He serves as Director of Christian Civic Formation at the Center for Christianity and Public Life, where he equips Christians for thoughtful civic engagement rooted in spiritual formation. Chris pastors Ambassador Church in Chicago and is the co-author of “Compassion (&) Conviction: The AND Campaign’s Guide to Faithful Civic Engagement”. His background includes leadership in electoral campaigns, advocacy, and grassroots organizing. Chris holds degrees in Civic Engagement and Theology and lives in Chicago with his wife, Aziza, and their six children.
Zachary Davis
Executive Director, Faith Matters
Zachary Davis is the Executive Director of Faith Matters and the Editor of “Wayfare Magazine”. He is also the host of the podcasts “Article 13,” “Writ Large,” and “Ministry of Ideas”. He is the recipient of two John Templeton Foundation grants. He is a graduate of Brigham Young University and Harvard Divinity School and lives in Somerville, Massachusetts with his wife, Mariya and their three children.
Maha Elgenaidi
Executive Director, Islamic Network Groups
Maha Elgenaidi is the Founder and Executive Director of the Islamic Networks Group (ING), passionately championing cross-cultural dialogue and inclusion. She has authored outreach handbooks and spearheaded training programs to build cultural literacy across religious and ethnic communities. Maha holds an M.A. in Religious Studies from Stanford and a B.A. in Political Science and Economics from the American University in Cairo. Her work spans universities, corporations, government entities, healthcare systems, and community organizations, addressing Islamophobia and contemporary Muslim identity. She has been honored with accolades such as the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award, NAACP-Silicon Valley’s Dorothy Irene Height Community Award, and more.
Read Maha’s Piece: What Charles Kirk’s Death Teaches Us About Pluralism and American Democracy
Bryan Epps
Chief of Program and Strategy, Sojourners
As Chief Program and Impact Officer at Sojourners, Bryan Epps leads the strategy and execution of the organization’s programs, ensuring their work advances justice through a faith-rooted lens.
With nearly two decades of experience in nonprofit leadership, organizing, and policy, Bryan has dedicated his career to advancing equity and systemic change. Before joining Sojourners, he led The Malcolm X & Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center and served in public policy roles at the local level.
Bryan grew up in Newark, New Jersey, and attend Bethany Baptist Church, an experience that deeply informs his work in abolition, education, food security, economic equity, and queer justice.
Nina Fernando
Executive Director, Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign
Nina Fernando serves as Executive Director of The Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign: Standing with American Muslims, Advancing American Ideals, a multifaith coalition of religious denominations and faith-based organizations committed to countering and preventing anti-Muslim discrimination and violence in the United States by building a society where all are treated with dignity and respect. She first joined the Shoulder to Shoulder team in 2017.
Previously, she worked as a LankaCorps Fellow through The Asia Foundation in Sri Lanka supporting research on interreligious and intercultural conflict and coexistence at the International Centre for Ethnic Studies. Prior to that, she worked as a Faith-Rooted Organizer, educating, organizing, and mobilizing faith leaders to stand in solidarity with workers and immigrants at Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice in Southern California. Nina holds a Master of Arts in Interreligious and Cultural Studies from Claremont School of Theology and a Bachelor of Arts in Social Change through Music and Religious Studies from the Johnston Center for Integrative Studies at the University of Redlands.
Nina’s intersectional identities have informed her work as a multifaith community organizer, activist, vocalist, and songwriter. As a OneBeat Fellow in 2018, she joined a global network of emerging civically-engaged musical leaders from around the world, and she was named as one of the “21 Faith Leaders To Watch in 2021” by the Center for American Progress. Nina lives in Southern California with her spouse, Rev. Noel Andersen, and their children, Aiyan and Ashani.
Napp Nazworth
Executive Director, American Values Coalition
Napp Nazworth, Ph.D., is Executive Director of American Values Coalition. He previously worked in academia for six years, teaching courses in U.S. government, Congress, and religion and politics. For 8 years, he was a journalist, opinion editor, and politics editor for The Christian Post. His 2006 dissertation from the University of Florida was on the Christian Right.
Rabba Rori Picker Neiss
Senior Vice President, Jewish Council for Public Affairs
Rabba Rori Picker Neiss serves as the Senior Vice President and Rabbi in Residence at the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA). Prior to that, she was Executive Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis after previously serving as a member of the clergy team at Bais Abraham Congregation. Rori 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 serves on the Board of Directors for HIAS Foundation and the Parliament of the World’s Religions. Rori is married to Russel Neiss, a software engineer, and they have three children.
Katie Qutub
Director of Operations, Muslim Americans in Public Service
Katie Qutub is the Director of Operations for Muslim Americans in Public Service. She was with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for fifteen years, in organizational effectiveness and program management roles and as a Health Officer for Southeast Asia and the Western Hemisphere. From 2021-2025, she was President of USAID’s Muslim Employee Resource Group. She previously implemented projects for USAID and other donors and U.S.-based programs in early childhood health and education. Katie has a BS in Public and Nonprofit Administration and a Master of Public Health. She has a PMP, a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, is Certified in Public Health and is a Certified Supply Chain Professional.
Suhag Shukla
Executive Director, Hindu American Foundation
Suhag Shukla is the Executive Director and co-founder of the Hindu American Foundation (HAF). She holds a BA in Religion and Economics and a JD from the University of Florida. Under her leadership, HAF has become a leading voice for education and civil rights. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and other prominent outlets. She has served on boards and advisory councils for Interfaith Philadelphia, the National Museum of American Religion, YWCA Minneapolis, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Humane Society. She is part of the First Amendment Center’s Religious Liberty Committee and the United Nations Women’s Gender Equality and Religion platform.
Yael Steiner
Senior Director of Programs, Civic Spirit
Yael Steiner is the Senior Director of Programs at Civic Spirit, where she leads civic education initiatives for faith-based schools nationwide. She previously worked at Prizmah: Center for Jewish Day Schools and at RAVSAK, running leadership development, community engagement, and educational programs for day school leaders, educators, and students. Yael has also taught at SAR Academy and Beit Rabban Day School. She holds a BA and teaching certification in social studies from the University of Michigan, and a dual MA in Education and Jewish Studies from New York University, where she was studied as a Jim Joseph and Wexner-Davidson Graduate Fellow. She lives in New Jersey with her family.
Haris Tarin
Vice President, Muslim Public Affairs Council
Haris Tarin is the Vice President of the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC). He previously served in the Biden Administration as Senior Policy Advisor to the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) and as Senior Director in DHS’s Office of Partnership and Engagement, building public-private partnerships with civil society, law enforcement, and industry. As Chief of Staff of Operation Allies Welcome, he led the U.S. interagency effort to resettle Afghans after the fall of Kabul. Before government service, Haris produced more than 30 policy papers on national security, civil rights, and civic engagement, and was a frequent commentator and writer in national media.
Jake Via
Organizing Director, American Humanist Association
Having spent his career in non-profit and cause-driven work with the YMCA and Playworks, Jake Via is now the Organizing Director for the American Humanist Association. He oversees a national network of over 200 local communities, helping them develop deeper connections and take action on issues of local and national importance. Jake believes that the most powerful change happens when people move past old skepticisms and discover the power of working together to make tomorrow better than yesterday. An avid traveler who has lived everywhere from Brazil to a sailboat, he now happily calls Milwaukee home with his wife and three dogs. Jake has a BS in Business Administration.
Tom Walsh
Vice President of Operations, Trinity Forum
Tom Walsh is Vice President for Operations with the Trinity Forum, a faith-based nonprofit in Washington D.C. He was previously in London with Global Solidarity Fund, a startup philanthropy working with the faith, business, and development sectors for vulnerable people. Before that, Tom was part of the Gates Foundation’s work to promote international health and development.
Tom served in the State Department with the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), including as deputy head and as acting head for five months during the 2009 transition. He previously worked at the Senate Finance Committee on domestic health policy. He holds degrees from Duke, Texas, and Harvard, and was on “Jeopardy!”.
The Opportunity
At Interfaith America, we believe religious diversity and religious liberty are foundational American strengths. We activate leaders to build an America that embraces those strengths to cooperate across differences for the common good. We often use the metaphor of a “Potluck Nation” where our differences are not barriers but invitations for each particularity or identity to contribute its unique “dish” to a vibrant communal feast. Faith-based institutions and leaders have an invaluable role to play in promoting religious liberty and pluralism to build the potluck nation. As our CEO, Adam Phillips recently wrote: “We have an invitation to remember and put back together again what truly makes America great — the ability to build a home together, neighbor to neighbor, welcoming even the strangers in our midst.”
In partnership with IA, selected civic leaders will amplify stories and narratives about the intersection of religious liberty and pluralism within their respective fields and faith traditions. Interfaith America will provide each fellow with a stipend and funding for joint projects to engage their communities and the broader public in viewing these complementary values as a place from which we can challenge polarization, strengthen civic cohesion, and build the potluck nation.
