What inspired you to join this interfaith board?
Many years ago, I attended the candlelight service recalling Hiroshima and was deeply impressed. Later, I participated in other public events sponsored by IPP and saw the value of thoughtful interfaith work. When I returned to Louisville after over 20 years, I looked for IPP events again and was glad to see the organization still thriving. So, when asked to serve on the board, I jumped at the opportunity.

What does “peacebuilding” mean to you?
Peacebuilding starts in the heart—I must long and pray for peace before I can invite others to join. True peacebuilding requires many hands and hearts working together to live out principles like “love your neighbor as yourself.” It cannot be just a discussion around a table; it must reach out, create opportunities for engagement, and inspire conviction. Over the years, I’ve seen IPP model this—from cleaning a mosque to holding a prayer service for Ukraine, to floating candles on a lake in remembrance of Hiroshima. As a board member, I want to continue encouraging public opportunities for peacebuilding.

What do you think is the biggest misconception about interfaith work?
Many believe interfaith work is too difficult or that faith traditions are too rigid to engage with one another. People may fear sharing deeply personal beliefs or think differences will create division rather than understanding. In reality, IPP offers a safe, respectful space for anyone seeking faith or wanting to share their tradition, welcoming everyone on their own spiritual journey.

What inspired you to join this interfaith board?
I was drawn to IPP because of its compelling vision to cultivate peaceful and socially conscious communities. Their commitment to uniting people through collaborative action to create meaningful change deeply resonates with my values and aspirations.

What does “peacebuilding” mean to you?
Peacebuilding is about advancing compassion within organizations, communities, and society at large. In a time when tribalism dominates our cultural landscape, and communities face profound challenges—like racial discrimination, gun violence, and systemic injustices—I see compassion as a necessary force for healing and transformation.

What’s one small act of peacebuilding anyone could do today?
Practicing compassion in everyday interactions—listening, understanding, and responding with care—can be a small but powerful act that contributes to healing and building stronger, more peaceful communities.

What inspired you to join this interfaith board?
I gratefully accepted when asked to join the IPP board because it was a chance to live the words I find most inspiring—peace, love, mending the world—with like-minded people. Together with my new colleagues, we can give our words new strength and purpose.

What does “peacebuilding” mean to you?
Peacebuilding is putting words into action. People must do more than read the words that touch them; they must speak them, share them, and live them. Words, like people, molder when left alone. Only through action can we move beyond our self-erected silos and live the best lessons of all faiths.

What’s one small act of peacebuilding anyone could do today?
Take action on the words that inspire you. Speak them, share them, and live them—because that is how we give our words, and ourselves, power to create change.

What inspired you to join this interfaith board?
I’ve been part of Interfaith Paths to Peace for over 30 years, ever since it was the Council on Religion and Peacemaking. I helped in the decision to split the Council into several nonprofits, including IPP, and I’ve stayed involved because I believe in the work we do. 

The world around us reminds me of a story often told as a Cherokee parable: a grandfather tells his grandson about two wolves inside each of us—one representing love, generosity, kindness, and empathy, and the other anger, hatred, greed, and resentment. When the grandson asks which wolf will win, the grandfather simply says, “The one I feed.” I have chosen to be part of IPP to help feed that better part within myself, within others, and within our traditions that urge us to do justice, to love mercy, and to love our neighbors.

What does “peacebuilding” mean to you?
Peacebuilding, to me, is about feeding the part of ourselves that seeks love, justice, and mercy. It’s about learning from our faith traditions and our most human experiences so that we can keep alive the hope for a better, shared future for all of us.

Can you share a moment where you witnessed the power of interfaith collaboration?
I have participated in many of IPP’s events and actions over the decades, and one that stands out was sitting on the stage at the Yum Center while the Dalai Lama spoke to Louisville. Being there, surrounded by people from so many faiths, was a powerful reminder that interfaith collaboration is not just about dialogue—it is about shared experiences that nurture compassion, understanding, and hope.

What inspired you to join this interfaith board?
I lost trust in the Catholic Church and found myself longing for a more personal, authentic spiritual path. That search led me to explore other faiths and ultimately to Interfaith Paths to Peace. Through IPP, I met incredible people, experienced new cultures, and discovered a sense of belonging I didn’t know I needed. Volunteering here deepened my journey and gave me the understanding that I matter, that I belong, and that my spiritual path can be so much more rewarding.

What does “peacebuilding” mean to you?
Peacebuilding, to me, is creating spaces where people of all traditions can explore, connect, and support one another on their spiritual paths. It’s about building understanding, belonging, and the knowledge that we are all part of something larger than ourselves.

Can you share a moment where you witnessed the power of interfaith collaboration?
Through IPP, I worked with Terry Cozad Taylor to create a program called “What If God Was One of Us?” hosted at Unity of Louisville. For a year, I engaged with people of many faiths and discovered that nearly all traditions share the Golden Rule—and that our differences are far fewer than I imagined. That experience showed me that interfaith collaboration is about recognizing shared values and learning from each other’s spiritual journeys.

In one word, how would you describe our organization?
Belonging.

What inspired you to join this interfaith board?
I’ve always felt a natural inclination to actively build peace and unity across different walks of life, cultures, and beliefs. Growing up in the Bahá’í Faith, I was taught to honor all world religions, recognizing that their founders were messengers sent by God, each bringing a message suited to their time and place. Serving on the Board of Interfaith Paths to Peace reinforces that belief and provides a tangible way to foster unity and harmony, working alongside like-minded members of our Board.

What does “peacebuilding” mean to you?
For me, peacebuilding is captured by the quote: “The well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established.” Building and maintaining peace begins with each of us and how we interact with others whose lives, ideas, or beliefs may differ from our own. True peacebuilding—rooted in unity in diversity—means recognizing our shared humanity while celebrating the unique qualities of individuals and cultures.

What do you think is the biggest misconception about interfaith work?
A common misconception is that interfaith work is simply about tolerance. In reality, it is about finding common ground and working together to advance society. Interfaith collaboration values the richness that diversity brings, seeking harmony and shared purpose within our differences. In the Bahá’í Faith, this principle is often compared to a beautiful garden, where flowers of many kinds, fragrances, sizes, and colors enhance the overall beauty when they grow together.

What inspired you to join this interfaith board?
Before connecting with IPP, I achieved a professional promotion I thought would bring fulfillment—but instead, I felt indifferent. I decided to focus on opportunities that stirred my spirit, grounded in purpose, compassion, and community impact. One of those “yeses” led to a conversation with IPP Executive Director Al Klein, which eventually became an invitation to join the board. Saying yes felt like stepping into alignment with my values, faith in humanity, and hope for a more just, compassionate world.

What does “peacebuilding” mean to you?
Peacebuilding is creating space where people feel seen, heard, and connected across difference. It’s choosing empathy and curiosity over fear or assumption, and showing up for struggles that may not directly affect us—because true peace can’t exist until it is shared by all.

What do you think is the biggest misconception about interfaith work?
That you have to be religious to participate. Interfaith work isn’t about converting beliefs—it’s about building bridges, uniting people of all faiths and no faith around shared values like compassion, justice, and human dignity.

What inspired you to join this interfaith board?
Being a Muslim American, I saw the power of people of other faiths standing up for our community in times of need, which aligns directly with our own faith traditions. I started to understand that there weren’t walls between different faiths, only assumptions that “maybe we’re not welcome” because our beliefs differ. The more I connected with people of other faiths, the more curious and hungry for understanding and connection we all became. Joining an organization focused on tearing down these silent barriers through collaboration felt like the perfect place to create new interfaith experiences for others while expanding my own.

What does “peacebuilding” mean to you?
It’s a cross between self-reflection, accountability to the greater good, and finding peace by creating peace for yourself and others—mixed with looking at structural challenges throughout society and holding conversations to collaborate and improve outcomes for the betterment of all, including anti-violence efforts and increasing purpose-driven possibilities for our youth and the generations to come.

Can you share a moment where you witnessed the power of interfaith collaboration?
In 2015, our River Road Islamic Center was vandalized with anti-Muslim and anti-Arab hate speech written in red paint all over the building. The next morning, I created a simple flyer to organize a cleanup day, which got shared thousands of times on Facebook. The day of the event was a beautiful sight: people rode in from a nearby park, stood in line in the heat, waited their turn to add a brushstroke of white paint to help cover the hateful messages, and then passed the brush to the person behind them. I had never seen such a strong showing of interfaith community in one moment as I did that day.

Q4: In one word, how would you describe our organization?
Faithful