His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros (Lambriniadis) of America, Most Honorable Exarch of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, is the eighth Archbishop of America elected since the establishment of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in 1922.  On May 11, 2019, he was elected Archbishop of America by the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and was enthroned at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in New York City on June 22 of the same year.

Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon is the executive director of Churches for Middle East Peace and an ordained pastor in the Reformed Church in America. Cannon formerly served as the senior director of Advocacy and Outreach for World Vision U.S. on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC; as a consultant to the Middle East for child advocacy issues for Compassion International in Jerusalem; as the executive pastor of Hillside Covenant Church located in Walnut Creek, California; and as director of development and transformation for extension ministries at Willow Creek Community Church in Barrington, Illinois. 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. 

Shane Claiborne is a prominent speaker, activist, and best-selling author.  Shane worked with Mother Teresa in Calcutta, and founded The Simple Way in Philadelphia.  He heads up Red Letter Christians, a movement of folks who are committed to living "as if Jesus meant the things he said." Shane is a champion for grace which has led him to jail advocating for the homeless, and to places like Iraq and Afghanistan to stand against war. Now grace fuels his passion to end the death penalty and help stop gun violence.

Rania Ma’ayeh has served as Head of Ramallah Friends School (RFS) since 2021. With more than three decades of experience in education, including senior leadership roles, school administration, and directing major educational initiatives, she has consistently championed equitable access to quality learning, especially for children in fragile and underserved communities. At RFS, her leadership is grounded in the school’s Quaker principles of truth and justice. She is dedicated to nurturing students who excel academically, serve with empathy, and lead with integrity. Through her vision, Ma’ayeh continues to advance RFS’s 155-year mission of transforming challenges into opportunities and upholding dignity through inclusive, values-driven education.

William (Bill) Forbes is the Global Lead of Child Protection and Participation for World Vision International. Bill provides strategic leadership to World Vision's efforts to strengthen local prevention and response to abuse, exploitation and neglect of children as well as strengthening children’s voice and participation in the world's most difficult places. This includes World Vision’s work to address child marriage, child labor, street children, child trafficking, sexual abuse and exploitation of children, children affected by armed conflict, gender based and domestic violence and child safeguarding. Previously, Bill worked for World Vision in Cambodia for 8 years, providing leadership to the Peace and Justice Program, which included a special focus on peacebuilding and on trafficking and sexual exploitation and abuse of children. Bill has Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in International Development from Cornell University and Fuller Theological Seminary.

Dr. Ben Norquist is a researcher and organizer. In addition to his work with CMEP, he directs the Network of Evangelicals for the Middle East. His first book, Every Somewhere Sacred: Rescuing a Theology of Place in the American Imagination (IVP Academic) is due out in fall 2025. In his local community, Ben helps faith communities engage more thoughtfully with Native Americans and come to terms with histories of injustice. Ben holds his Ph.D. in Higher Education from Azusa Pacific University (Los Angeles) and his M.A. in Liberal Arts from St. John’s College (Annapolis). Ben’s dissertation is a qualitative regional case study exploring adaptive Palestinian approaches to pedagogy. In his career in higher education leadership, Ben has experience building international educational partnerships, teaching, and establishing an academic center for applied public research. Ben’s writing has appeared in Religion News Service, The Christian Century, Baptist News Global, and the Christian Citizen among others.

Hannah Hutton earned her B.A. in Humanities from the University of Louisville with a concentration in literature and religious studies. She has been involved in various organizations over the last twenty years that work to create a safe space for dialogue between cultures and religions. Hannah is passionate about people, hearing their stories and amplifying their voices. She is starting her Master’s in Peace and Justice from St. Stephen’s University.  

Fayelle Ewuakye earned her B.A. in Humanities at Jacksonville State University, in Jacksonville, Alabama with a concentration in Anthropology and Geography. She’s been the Social Media Curator for her local church in northwest Georgia and finds the gifts and benefits of digital media to be great blessings toward any organization wishing to reach out to the masses. She wants to be a part of some meaningful work, both locally and globally, and believes peace, justice, and activism are things the public at large needs to know more about.