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Marites Guingona Africa

In 1998, Marites Guingona Africa was inspired by the United Religions Initiative vision of a better world where people of diverse cultures and beliefs could come together to a common ground to engage in various forms of dialogue in the spirit of mutual respect, understanding and cooperation. In 2000, she and her interfaith friends established the Peacemakers’ Circle Foundation, Inc. in Metro Manila and engaged in the endeavor of building respectful relationships among peoples of diverse cultures and beliefs through various forms of dialogue. They were one of the many founding URI cooperation circles during its Charter signing in June 2000. In 2003, our Peacemakers’ Circle CC began to reach out to grassroots communities in Metro Manila where Muslims and Christians lived together as neighbors. Today, their peace and relationship-building work has deepened and expanded to include training Muslim, Christian and indigenous leaders from the conflict-affected communities in the war-torn southern Philippine region of Mindanao.

Andrew Aghapour

Andrew Aghapour is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Religious Studies at UNC Chapel Hill, where he is finishing a dissertation about religion and the brain. He will begin work this summer as the Science and Religion Consulting Scholar for the Smithsonian. With Michael Schulson, Andrew co-founded and co-produces the Cubit, an initiative of Religion Dispatches that examines the intersections of science, religion, technology, and ethics. Andrew can be contacted at andrewaghapour@gmail.com.

Chandru Acharya

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Chandru Acharya, was raised in India and now lives with his wife Smita and their two teenagers in Canton. He is president of Imetris Corporation, an IT consulting and services company based in Saline, Michigan. Chandru is also a yoga instructor and soccer coach. He teaches Hindu history, heritage and culture at Canton’s Hindu Temple Balgokumal and is regularly invited to speak about Hinduism in nearby schools and colleges. An interfaith activist, he participates in a local Interfaith Community Outreach Group and is a board member of the Interfaith Leadership Council of Detroit and the South Asian American Voices for Impact.

Liliana Aceves

Liliana Aceves was born in Caracas, Venezuela. Her father was Mexican, and she inherited the love for Mexico from him. She is the oldest of 7. She moved to México when she was ten years old, after living for five years in Birmingham, Michigan, and has not left Mexico ever since. She recieved a degree in tourism from the Autonoma University of Guadalajara and later became a licensed tour guide for Mexico. Her years in tourism have given her the opportunity to share her love and passion for her country, showing people from all over the world the wonderful diversity and culture her country offers.

Liliana is married to Luis Barragan, and they have started a company that is dedicated  to the practice and diffusion of the Holistic Thinking, based on the premise that the human being is an inseparable whole: Body-Mind-Spirit. Her travels continue throughout Mexico, but include not only a beautiful country, but also a deeper understanding of ancient wisdom and how we can use it to better ourselves and the world we live in. She recently published Facing the Mirror (2004), a book about her spiritual journey, how our free will is sacred, and we each have the responsibility to guide our own destiny.

Mohammed Abu-Nimer

Mohammed Abu-Nimer is a Senior Advisor to KAICIID and a professor at the School of International Service at American University. ​At the International Peace and Conflict Resolution program he served as Director of the Peacebuilding and Development Institute (1999-2013). He has conducted interreligious conflict resolution training and interfaith dialogue workshops in conflict areas around the world, including Palestine, Israel, Egypt, Chad, Niger, Iraq (Kurdistan),  Philippines (Mindanao), and Sri Lanka. He also founded Salam Institute for Peace and Justice, an organization that focuses on capacity building, civic education, and intrafaith and interfaith dialogue. In addition to his numerous articles and books, Dr. Abu-Nimer is the co-founder and co-editor of the Journal of Peacebuilding and Development.