Nimai Agarwal is from Maryland and has been practicing Vaishnavism, a monotheistic tradition within Hinduism, since his childhood.
Chandru Acharya
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.
Mustafa Abdel-Halim
Mustafa Abdel-Halim is a London-based broadcast journalist and lecturer at the University of Westminster.
Jim Wiggins
Jim Wiggins, Ph.D., joined Syracuse University’s Department of Religion after completing his graduate work in 1963. He served on virtually all departmental committees, including director of graduate studies in religion (1975-80), and was elected by his colleagues as chair of the Department for five four-year terms (1980-2000). His academic field is Western religion and culture, with interests in the history of Christianity and Christian thought, religious/cultural diversity, death and dying, interpretive theory, mysticism, and narrative and religion. His book Religion as Story appeared in 1975; he is co-author of Foundations of Christianity (1972), Christianity: A Cultural Approach (1987), and In Praise of Religious Diversity (1996). From 1983 until 1992 he served as executive director of the American Academy of Religion. From 2002 until 2010 he was executive director of InterFaith Works of Central New York, a multi-purpose agency with a staff of two dozen. Jim is a trustee of North American Interfaith Network.
Lawrence Lerner
Lawrence Lerner is a Wiccan priest, venture capitalist and President of Pagan Pride in Western Washington State. An active member of the Washington state business community, Lawrence is passionate about promoting economic development by investing in and nurturing new businesses. Lawrence is active in the interfaith and social justice communities. He’s a requested speaker across a wide range of topics and was asked to speak at this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos.