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Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon is the executive director of Churches for Middle East Peace and an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC). Cannon holds an MDiv from North Park Theological Seminary, an MBA from North Park University’s School of Business and Nonprofit Management, and an MA in bioethics from Trinity International University. She received her first doctorate in American History with a minor in Middle Eastern studies at the University of California (Davis) focusing on the history of the American Protestant church in Israel and Palestine and her second doctorate in Ministry in Spiritual Formation from Northern Theological Seminary. She is the author of several books including the award-winning Social Justice Handbook: Small Steps for a Better World and editor of A Land Full of God: Christian Perspectives on the Holy Land. Her work has been highlighted in The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, Chicago Tribune, Christianity Today, Leadership Magazine, The Christian Post, Jerusalem Post, EU Parliament Magazine, Huffington Post, and other international media outlets.
The Rev. William Young IV is the eighth pastor of Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ, where he began his ministry with them on April 1, 2020. He is a member of the Boards of Churches for Middle East Peace and Bright Stars of Bethlehem, the Western support body of Dar al Kalima University in Bethlehem. Ecumenically, Rev. Young has been active with the World Council of Churches and the Council for World Mission. As an activist he has regularly spoke to churches and social justice organizations throughout Scotland on slavery and racism and was a member of the Church and Society Committee of the URC National Synod of Scotland. Rev. Young received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the American Baptist College in Nashville, Tennessee, an M.Div from Vanderbilt Divinity School, an M.A. Birmingham University in England, the Master of Theology from Edinburgh University in Scotland, and the Master of Philosophy from Glasgow University in Scotland. From 2006-2007, he was an assistant minister at St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh and served under the Chaplain to the Queen. Classically trained as a tenor, William was a member of the world-renowned Edinburgh Festival Chorus from 2006-2021 and currently sings with The Washington Chorus.
Rev. Dr. Nathan Hosler serves as a bivocational pastor at the Washington City Church of the Brethren, focusing on advocacy and community engagement. He directs the Office of Peacebuilding and Policy (the Washington Office for the Church of the Brethren denomination. Nate has a BA in Biblical Language, MA in International Relations focusing on religion and peacebuilding, a PhD in Theological Studies (Theological Ethics), and a Professional Certificate in Macroeconomics. His writing focuses on the social and theological ethics in peacebuilding, international relations, and public policy. In addition to articles, he has published, Hauerwas the Peacemaker? Peacebuilding, Race, and Foreign Policy. Nate serves on the boards of the National Council Churches USA, Heifer International, Churches for Middle East Peace, National Farm Worker Ministry, and Creation Justice Ministries as well as the steering committees of several other organizations. Nate likes to run long distances, bike commute in DC, cook and try foods from around the world, and create and/or collect art.
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Lauren Draper is the Middle East and Communications Coordinator at Churches for Middle East Peace. Lauren studied Arabic and Middle East studies at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. After working in youth ministry and community building in the UK, she moved to Jerusalem where she spent over a year as a Middle East Fellow with CMEP, working throughout the West Bank and Israel to further partnerships in the region. She now serves as CMEP's Middle East and Communications Coordinator based out of East Jerusalem. Her work centers around ensuring Middle Eastern voices are elevated through CMEP's advocacy and educational efforts in the US. Lauren is also a part of research projects around Muslim and Christian heritage sites in the Old City of Jerusalem.