COUNCIL of ADVISERS

Melinda Utal-Martinez

Melinda is a veteran fund raiser / writer with an extensive background in nonprofit development for a range of nonprofit organizations (large and small), foundation relations, proposal writing, grants management, and fund raising. One of the most meaningful projects she worked on included creating the grants program for international Holocaust visual history project. Melinda has also Conducted oral histories with Native Americans and others. Her specialities include: nonprofit grants work, strategic planning; prospect research; writing/ editing; work with program officers; foundation, corporate and government grants; business plan development.

Swami Brahmavidyananda

Swami Brahmavidyananda is an American monk of the Ramakrishna Order who joined more than thirty years ago. He has lived for much of his monastic life in Los Angeles, California before coming to Atlanta in January 2009. Having studied the religions of the world along with the universal teachings of Swami Vivekananda (the founder of the Vedanta movement in the West), Swami Brahmavidyananda's interest is in teaching the core principle of Vedanta that every religion is a valid path to the One Truth, along with the underlying laws of spirituality that prevail in all mystical traditions. Swami holds regular classes, talks and meditation workshops, as well as participation in interfaith dialogue.

Swami Shiva Atmatatwananda

Shiva is a Hindu Monk of the Ramakrishna Order of India and currently serves as one of the senior American monks at the Vedanta Center of Southern California. The Swami regularly lectures about spirituality, interfaith, and the ideal of non-violence. Shiva participated in the recent Parliament of the World's Religions, in Melbourne Australia.

Ellen Starr

Ellen Starr excels and advises us on museum/exhibit development and conference/event planning She has participated directly in the creation of museums, aquariums, exhibits, media presentations, outdoor installations, educational programs, and conferences, all of which have connected people to their communities and the world at large in vibrant and exciting new ways. She is the Director for the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, where she has concentrated on developing and realizing four major conferences focusing on design and sustainability. She has also helped design several of the nation's big aquariums including our local Aquarium of the Pacific.


Andre van Zijl

Andre van Zijl is an artist with paintings and drawings in numerous international museums, municipal, university and corporate art collections including the South African National Gallery in Cape Town, Anglo-American Central Holdings, Johannesburg, Dale Carnegie International, Southfield, Michigan and Antioch University in Los Angeles. His considerable teaching experience includes providing programs for LACMA, The Folk Arts Museum, Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department, Palos Verdes Art Center, Platt College, the Academy of Art & Couture, Los Angeles, and the Brentwood Art Center.


Noor-Malika Chishti

Noor‐Malika Chishti became involved in interfaith work as a result of her training as a student of the Sufi way through the Sufi Order International [SOI] over the last thirty‐seven years. Noor‐Malika serves as an authorized Representative of Pir Zia Inayat Khan, head of the SOI. As a member of the Executive Committee for the Los Angeles Chapter of the Council for a Parliament of World Religions [SCCPWR], Noor‐Malika lends energy to unfolding this committee’s work of bringing local interfaith communities together, developing programs for the local community, and looking into the possibility of hosting a future Parliament in Los Angeles. Noor‐Malika also serves as a volunteer interfaith chaplain for Muslim’s in a women’s prison and is a member of The World Council of Muslims for Interfaith Relations.


Debra Kolodny

Debra Kolodny is the Executive Director of an international organization dedicated to inspir(it)ing the Jewish world: ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal. She has been studying and teaching Torah for over a decade, and practicing tai chi for almost as long. She designs and leads ritual, learning experiences, prayer services, life cycle events, holy day celebrations and retreats for groups as small as one and as large as 750. Believing that we pray with our feet (thank you, Abraham Joshua Heschel, of blessed memory, for that notion!) Debra is a veteran of several social justice movements. She has worked with and for faith-based organizations, labor unions, civil rights organizations and other social justice non-profits for over 20 years.


Rev. Janet Bregar

Rev Dr Janet Bregar is the Pastor of Village Church in Los Angeles and an instructor in Comparative Religions at California State University Fullerton. Dr Bregar is the past executive director of the Santa Monica Bay Interfaith Council and a current Board Member. She has been active in interfaith work both in the United States and internationally for over thirty years and is interested in the practical issues of interfaith marriages
and caring for elders in a religiously plural society.


Rabbi T'mimah Ickovitz

Rabbi T'mimah Ickovits deciphers wisdom from Kabbalistic and Hebrew traditions, showing its relevance in life today. Serving as a teacher and Spiritual Guide, Rabbi T'mimah leads classes most weeks, leads custom ritual including traditional and creative prayer. Following an 18-year career as an electronics engineer, Rabbi T'mimah founded Ohr HaMakor; a home for Holistic Kabbalah in Santa Monica, CA. Her inspirations include a ongoing intensive study of texts written by masters of kabbalah and merkavah mysticism, meditation and movement, nature and science. Her most recent writings include Mystery of Seven; Siddur for Shabbat Eve, designed to help receive Shabbat with music, mystery and joy and Hannukah Lights to enhance the Winter festival.


Melanie McKeddie

Melanie McKeddie has extensive experience representing homeowners in homeowners’ association litigation, including disputes concerning directors’ duties, assessments, HOA liens, open meetings, records, enforcement of covenants and restrictions, developer turnover, accounting, attorneys’ fees and elections. Her practice involves both the defense of homeowners in HOA initiated proceedings and in the prosecution of litigation against HOAs. Ms. McKeddie also represents a broad range of clients, from Fortune 500 companies to small businesses and individuals, in the areas of construction litigation, commercial litigation and personal injury.  She has also handled land use matters, landlord-tenant litigation and commercial collections. 


Rosalee Laws

Rosalee Laws is a poet, online media specialist, blogger, photographer and has been involved with multi-religious peace efforts for a number of years. Prior to joining Religions For Peace, Rosalee has as served  as Production Manager and Project Coordinator for Talkpoint Media, Marketing Specialist and Special Assignment Coordinator for the Associated Press, and Head of the Department of Surveillance for Count On Us.  She has most recently served as an Ambassador for the Parliament of the World's Religions and has helped Monks Without Borders in implementing their Online Peace Ambassador Program. She lives in Manhattan.

Rev. Shayna Lester

Shayna has been in practice as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist for over 30 years.  Three years ago, after receiving ordination as an Interfaith Minister from The New Seminary of World Religions in New York City. she became the prison outreach coordinator and the lead volunteer chaplain with the Jewish community at the California Institution for Women, a state prison. Shayna has also created many innovative landmark federal and state programs. Among them a woman's reentry program into higher education. She is also a co-founder of a Jewish/Muslim 'cousins' club for the purpose of dialogue and mutual understanding.

Ruth Sharone

Honored internationally for her interfaith activism, Ruth Broyde Sharone is a documentary filmmaker, journalist, and popular public speaker, She travels frequently to college campuses and religious communities in the U.S. and abroad to lead interfaith programs and screen her award-winning film God and Allah Need to Talk. Currently Ruth is Co-Chair of the Southern California Committee for the Parliament (SCCPWR) in Los Angeles. Last year she served as a Partner Cities Associate for the global Parliament organization to initiate and support Parliament activities in the United States, Latin America, and Israel. In addition, she serves as Co-Director, with Jerusalem peacemaker Eliyahu McLean, of theRodef Shalom School for Peace which teaches peace building skills to clergy and lay people. Her new book, "Minefields and Miracles: My Global Adventures In Interfaith" will be published in 2010.