EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Named by US News & World Report as one of America’s Best Leaders of 2009, Eboo Patel is the founder and Executive Director of Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC), a Chicago-based institution building the global interfaith youth movement. Author of the award-winning book Acts of Faith: The Story of an American Muslim, the Struggle for the Soul of a Generation, Eboo is also a regular contributor to the Washington Post, National Public Radio and CNN.  He is a member of President Obama’s Advisory Council of the White House Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, and holds a doctorate in the sociology of religion from Oxford University, where he studied on a Rhodes scholarship.

Eboo serves on the Religious Advisory Committee of the Council on Foreign Relations, on the Board of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and the National Committee of the Aga Khan Foundation USA. He has spoken at the TED Conference, the Clinton Global Initiative, the Nobel Peace Prize Forum and universities around the world, and has written for the Chicago Tribune, the Review of Faith and International Affairs, and the Sunday Times of India. Eboo is a Young Global Leader in the World Economic Forum and an Ashoka Fellow, part of a select group of social entrepreneurs whose ideas are changing the world. He was named by Islamica Magazine as one of ten young Muslim visionaries shaping Islam in America; was chosen by Harvard’s Kennedy School Review as one of five future policy leaders to watch; and along with IFYC was honored with the Roosevelt Institute’s Freedom of Worship Medal in 2009.

After extensive involvement in student leadership in the evangelical Christian community, Kunze joined the Interfaith Youth Core as a volunteer in 2000. Two years later, she became its first full-time staff member and now directs programmatic strategy for the organization as the Vice-President for Programs. Kunze consults with young people, educational institutions and emerging interfaith youth efforts across the world to enhance their work and build partnerships. Her reflections on interfaith youth work have inspired young people across the world and have appeared in over a dozen publications, including Review and Expositor, Interreligious Insight, The Journal of Ecumenical Studies, and Interactive Faith. Another insightful contribution will soon be published in Intergroup Leadership, a forthcoming book from Harvard Business Press. Her professional background is in youth leadership, grassroots community building and organizational development. She is the founder and board chair of The Crib Collective, an organization focused on creating a culture of social entrepreneurship among Chicago youth. A graduate of Carleton College and Public Allies Chicago, Kunze was recently named Public Allies Chicago's Changemaker of the Year.

Charles (“Chuck”) Levesque is the Chief Operating Officer of the Interfaith Youth Core. Prior to joining IFYC, Chuck served as the Deputy General Counsel of the Chicago Housing Authority, where he oversaw litigation and policy matters for the nation’s most ambitious reform of public housing. Chuck has also served as a U.S. diplomat with overseas postings in Sao Paulo, Brazil and Tirana, Albania.  He has a J.D. from Northwestern University, a Master's Degree in Public Administration from the University of Illinois, and a B.S.F.S. from Georgetown University.  In addition to his professional work, Chuck is the President of the Board of Directors of the Aquinas Literacy Center, a neighborhood-based adult literacy center serving non-English speakers, and the founder of Book Kiosk Project, a book distribution and literacy program for children in Chicago. 

As Vice President of Development, Rich leads IFYC’s fundraising staff and operations. In addition to overseeing the development office, Rich is the point person on the executive staff for the organization’s Board of Directors. His responsibilities also include managing relationships with IFYC’s top philanthropic partners, professional and family foundations, and the overall strategy and growth of the annual fund.
Prior to joining IFYC, Mr. Van Hees was the Assistant Dean for Institutional Advancement at IIT’s Chicago-Kent College of Law, where he managed the law school’s Board of Advisors and oversaw its development program. Under his guidance, the law school more than doubled the number of alumni donors over the course of two years. Previously, Rich led the development effort to build the Rem Koolhaas-designed campus center on Chicago’s south side and managed the major gift program at IIT’s Institute of Design. Rich holds an M.P.A. and an M.B.A. in Marketing from the Illinois Institute of Technology, having earned his B.A. in Psychology, with highest distinction, from Indiana University.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS

ZEENAT RAHMAN, Director of Strategic Partnerships

Zeenat is the Director of Strategic Partnerships at the Interfaith Youth Core. In this position she oversees policy initiatives and international programs, as well as strategic media outreach for the organization. She frequently travels abroad to speak about the importance of interfaith youth work in promoting civic engagement and healthy integration amongst youth.
She is a member of the Transatlantic Network 2020 — a program sponsored by the British Council, which seeks to create sustainable, multilateral networks that span engages future leaders from North America, the UK, and the rest of Europe to collaboratively address global issues. She is a 2008-9 Fellow with the American Muslim Civic Leaders Institute at the University of Southern California's Center for Religion and Civic Culture.
Zeenat completed her Master's Degree at the University of Chicago’s Center for Middle East Studies in June 2006. Her thesis work was focused on Muslim youth and the territorializing of Muslim religious institutions in America. Currently, she is one of the co-creators of a play based on Muslim women and their real life experiences, told in monologue format.

Julie, a native of Elmhurst, IL, received her Bachelors of Arts in Theology and Sociology from Elmhurst College in 2002, where she was awarded the Founders Day Medal in 2002 for service to the community and campus. She is the Vice President of Rotaract Chicago and past president of Elmhurst College’s Theta Alpha Kappa Theological Honor Society chapter. Julie joined the Interfaith Youth Core at the end of 2006 and holds the position of Executive Associate, Public Affairs, and manages all incoming requests for the Executive Director. Raised in the United Church of Christ, Julie brings with her vast experience working with youth, as she has held the position of Director of Youth Ministries at First Congregational UCC in Downers Grove since 2002. She continues to engage in service work despite her busy schedule and a highlight of her life was when she volunteered in Durban, South Africa for Habitat for Humanity for the Jimmy Carter Work Project.

Becca received her B.A. from Northwestern University where she studied Philosophy and Religion. She joined IFYC as a Public Interest Program Fellow working in Development and has continued on in the position of Research Associate in Public Affairs. Becca’s Religion Honors Thesis examined the impact of discussion and action surrounding sexual orientation on the personal identities and institutional structures of American Baptist Churches USA. At NU Becca was active in organizing interfaith educational and collaborative projects, including a Day of Dialogue panel, Day of Interfaith Service, and weekly seminars. Before coming to IFYC Becca interned with the African Religious Health Assets Program at the University of Cape Town to map the impact of Faith-Based Organizations on the public health needs of Sub-Saharan Africa. With a deep respect for the prophetic voice in many traditions, Becca strives to live the radical love of Jesus in the pursuit of social justice.

Samantha Kirby joins the Interfaith Youth Core this year as a Public Interest Program Fellow. As an associate in Public Affairs, she works in media relations, policy and international programming. She recently graduated summa cum laude from Northwestern University with a B.A in Religion and Psychology. As an undergraduate, Samantha studied abroad in Morocco; upon returning, she focused her senior honors thesis on applying Martin Buber's dialogical philosophy to the relations between diverse Moroccan religious communities. Instilled with a strong commitment to social responsibility as well as an intellectual curiosity about religion, she appreciates IFYC's grounding in theory which supports the growing interfaith youth movement.
A native of Mountain View, CA, Samantha looks forward to attending graduate school in the future and continuing her study of interreligious relations abroad.

OUTREACH EDUCATION AND TRAINING

CASSIE MEYER, Outreach Education and Training Director

Cassie completed her Master’s Degree at the University of Chicago Divinity School where her work focused on social justice movements in American Christianity.  She has co-taught multiple courses with Dr. Eboo Patel on interfaith leadership and interfaith action at Chicago Theological Seminary and McCormick Theological Seminary, where she is adjunct faculty.  As Director of Outreach Education and Training, Cassie leads a team of religiously diverse trainers who reached 22,000 people during the 2007-2008 school year on college campuses, faith communities and civic organizations around the country and the world.  With IFYC since 2005, Cassie regularly gives talks and trainings at seminaries and campuses on the importance of religious pluralism, and is also the Youth Voices Editor for Interreligious Insight.  A progressive evangelical shaped by her work with Intervarsity Christian Fellowship as an undergraduate at Lawrence University, Cassie is a member and lay leader of Holy Covenant United Methodist Church in Chicago, where she chairs the church’s Green Committee and is a part of its Strategy Team. 

JENAN MOHAJIR, Outreach Education and Training Associate

Jenan Mohajir has been extensively involved with the Muslim community through several grassroots initiatives in Chicago. She currently serves as the program associate for the Outreach Education & Training program at the Interfaith Youth Core, where her primary focus is on building relationships between the Muslim community and the Interfaith Youth Movement. Jenan also frequently speaks at various college campuses nationally regarding the importance of interfaith cooperation among young people, in addition to training youth leaders in organizing local interfaith youth service-learning events.
Prior to joining IFYC, Jenan was a full-time teacher at the Universal Muslim Day School, a private institution serving primarily Arab Muslim students. She worked with the Inner-city Muslim Action Network as their coordinator for the Pillars of IMAN youth program and has also been volunteering with the Nawawi Foundation since 2001. She received her Bachelor’s in Elementary Education from DePaul University in 2002 with a concentration in Islamic Studies. Jenan is originally from India and grew up in Qatar and the United States.

HIND MAKKI, Outreach Education and Training Associate

Hind Makki received her BA in International Relations, focusing on Global Security and Diplomacy, from Brown University. In her native Chicago, she worked extensively within the Muslim community on matters regarding civic integration into American society, interfaith dialogue, education and youth leadership development, and is currently a 2008-2009 Fellow of the American Muslim Civic Leadership Institute. She sits on the board of the Southwest Interfaith Team (SWIFT), representing the Orland Park Prayer Center, where she serves on the Youth Leadership Development and Outreach committees. She has also led youth development and civic engagement sessions in national Muslim and Arab American conferences since 2001.  In the summer of 2007, Hind joined the Interfaith Youth Core as a Program Associate in the Outreach Education and Training program area, traveling to college campuses, congregations and conferences in the United States and Western Europe, offering presentations and trainings on promoting religious pluralism, effective interfaith service-learning and meaningful interfaith dialogues.

HANNAH MCCONNAUGHAY, Outreach Education and Training Associate

Hannah McConnaughay currently serves as a Program Associate in the Outreach Education and Training Department of the Interfaith Youth Core, traveling to college campuses and conferences to promote religious pluralism and offer skills trainings. Hannah graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. in Religious Studies and Economics from the University of Chicago and has previously worked in the fields of rape crisis, social work, and educational enrichment programming. While at the University of Chicago she was a member of the Interfaith Youth Core Fellows Alliance, a group of interfaith campus leaders from across the country. Her childhood in East Asia and service experiences in religious communities like the Mississippi Delta drew her to interfaith work, and the incredible stories of youth peace building she encountered kept her there. Hannah is a Christian, committed to the call to work for justice and commune with all people that her faith has taught her.

MARY ELLEN GIESS, Outreach Education and Training Associate

Mary Ellen Giess, a native of West Chester, Pennsylvania, recently graduated from Harvard Divinity School with a Master’s Degree in Religion, Ethics, and Politics.  Studying the intersection of religion and government through a multidisciplinary lens, Mary Ellen took classes at the Harvard Kennedy School as well as Harvard Law School.   Mary Ellen coordinated community service for the Humanist Chaplaincy at Harvard as well as organized two HDS relief trips to the Gulf Coast funded by the Dean of Harvard Divinity School.  Prior to attending HDS, Mary Ellen graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a B.A. in Religious Studies and Italian.  Raised Unitarian Universalist, Mary Ellen co-chaired the UU Campus Ministry at UNC as well as worked in Student Life in a programming capacity.  Before studying abroad in Florence, Italy, Mary Ellen was a charter member of the Interfaith Alliance at UNC.  She now serves as a Program Associate for Outreach Education and Training, helping to vision the direction of OET, stewarding relationships with young interfaith bridge builders and their allies, and providing administrative support for the team.

LEADERSHIP

MEGAN HUGHES, Leadership Director

Prior to joining the IFYC team in February 2006, Megan spent four years working for the conflict resolution organization, Seeds of Peace, both in New York and in Jerusalem. While there, she launched the Seeds Advisory Council and directed the graduate program. Megan graduated with a B.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, where she earned a certificate in Muslim-Christian Understanding after spending one year at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She is completing an M.A. in Religious Studies at the University of Chicago Divinity School and is particularly interested in the relationship between faith and politics in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. At the Interfaith Youth Core, Megan directs the Leadership Program where she nurtures and networks emerging interfaith leaders.

ERIN WILLIAMS, Media Coordinator

As IFYC’s Media Coordinator, Erin shares the stories of young people building the interfaith youth movement; to this end, she promotes youth stories both online and in the mass media and coordinates IFYC’s media production and youth generated media. This year, Erin organized IFYC’s first Media Training for national youth, focusing on Web 2.0, mass media, and story-crafting and production for audio, video, and print. Previous to IFYC, she worked at Winston & Strawn, The Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions, and Beyond Documentary in Chicago, Barcelona, and Boston. Erin holds a B.A. in Religion from Carleton College and spent her final year of high school in Johannesburg, South Africa on a Rotary Youth Exchange.

AMBER JEAN HACKER, Leadership Associate

Amber received her B.A. in English from the University of North Carolina-Wilmington. She comes to us with four years of combined experience in university student life where she specialized in social, educational, and community programming. Amber was one of twenty students to receive a Senior Medallion award from UNC-Wilmington in 2006, which was presented by the school’s Division of Student Affairs on behalf of the university community for academic excellence and community service. Amber is the twice recipient of the Leadership Excellence Award given by UNC-Wilmington’s Campus Leadership Education and Service office, as well as a member of Phi Kappa Phi, an honor fraternity where nomination is based on class standing. Amber is a Leadership Associate at Interfaith Youth Core where she coordinates the Bridge-builders’ Network, a social networking site that the Interfaith Youth Core is fostering as the gathering place of the interfaith youth movement online. Amber also coordinates the Days of Interfaith Youth Service Campaign and the 2009 Conference on Interfaith Youth Work.

FAITHS ACT FELLOWSHIP

JOEY SHAPIRO, Program Associate

Joey grew up in the Chicago suburb of Evanston. After spending a year in the Middle East, he studied Classics, ancient religion, and Judaic studies at Princeton. He also received a Master’s of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School, focusing on Hebrew Bible and New Testament, virtue ethics, and the formation of religious identity in antiquity. Joining the Interfaith Youth Core in the Fall of 2008, Joey currently works as the Program Assistant for the Faiths Act Fellowship, a joint initiative of IFYC and the Tony Blair Faith Foundation. Joey has formerly managed a bakery-coffee shop, helped maintain the Web site for Chicago Public Radio as a member of the Interactive Media Team, taught Hebrew school, and worked as a production assistant for a local musician. He lives in Chicago with his wife.

DEVELOPMENT

KATYA MASLAKOWSKI, Senior Development Associate

Katya holds a BA in English Literature and Creative Writing from the University of Southern California Santa Barbara as well as a MA from University of Chicago’s Divinity School. She specializes in mythology, ancient languages and American religious history. She comes to IFYC with a professional background in project management, social science research and process evaluation. Katya serves IFYC in the Development Office, were she focuses on donor cultivation, and organizational communication and messaging to IFYC’s multiple audiences. She also serves as IFYC’s social network growth specialist.

DAVID E BRADEN, Foundation Relations Coordinator

David received his BA in International Studies and Community Service Studies from DePaul University in Chicago as well as his MA in Social Work from the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration. He specializes in community development and nonprofit management. David works in IFYC’s Development Office where he focuses on grant writing and stewarding relationships with foundations. He lives on the Northside of Chicago and is actively involved at Holy Covenant United Methodist Church. In 2008 he was elected to serve on the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM) of The United Methodist Church and presides as the Chair of the Committee on Racial and Ethnic Concerns. When he’s not doing churchy things, he loves running along Chicago’s lakefront and meeting friends at a local cafe!

OPERATIONS

ERIC JOHNSON, Accountant

Eric, the accountant, attended Elmhurst College where he received his Bachelors in Accounting.  He graduated Magna Cum Laude and is a member of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society.  Before working at IFYC Eric worked at SmithBucklin, the world-wide leader in association management, doing non-profit accounting and prior to that did accounting at Beacon Funding, a thriving family business.  Eric was raised in a strict Pentecostal Christian Church but now leans more to the Evangelical side. 

MARIA DIMANSHTEIN, Graphic and Web Designer

Maria Dimanshtein is a Graphic and Web Designer at IFYC. She puts her efforts toward enhancing  the interfaith movement through exciting, stimulating and cohesive visuals. She produces print graphic design projects, such as posters, fliers, postcards, toolkits, apparel graphics and is currently working on a new design for IFYC website. While studying for her BFA at University of Illinois at Chicago, Maria spent a semester on a scholarship studying poster design, typography, animation, lithography and etching as well as practicing her German in Lucerne, Switzerland. Before joining IFYC, Maria worked for BrandtnerDesign in Chicago and American Veterinary Medical Association in Schaumburg, among other places. She is also the founder of Green Cow Graphics, dedicated to empowering green businesses through design. She derives her inspiration from nature, pop culture and great ideas of her colleagues and friends. Among other important aspects of her life, Maria has performed with a Latin dance group and has exhibited in Chicago as an abstract-intuitive painter.

MAURYA ORR, Administrative Assistant

Maurya is originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan. She graduated from Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, in 2004 with a degree in Communications and specializing in Media and Social Change in Photography with Youth. She has worked in the field of community development and social change with youth for over 10 years.
Before coming to IFYC as the Administrative Assistant, she was the Office Coordinator for the Michigan Peace Team, an organization in Lansing, Michigan, that provides trainings in active nonviolence, and completed a year-long internship with Tillers International, a sustainable agriculture and rural heritage learning community in Kalamazoo, Michigan.  In her free time, she volunteers for the Crib Collective, working with kids, photography, video production, working with the soil and traveling around doing workshops teaching young agents of social change how to take photographs.  She is also a current team member of Chicago’s roller derby team, The Chicago Outfit, and plays under the name Mo Mentum.