Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions
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About Us

Staff

Executive Director

Dr. Mary Nelson

Mary Nelson, the vice chair of the Board of CPWR, is our interim volunteer Director.  She was a successful CEO and has earned a PhD and six honorary degrees.

Mary Nelson has spent the last 40 years working in a faith-based community development on the west side of Chicago, seeking to carry out the asset based community development principles in concrete ways through her leadership of Bethel New Life, Inc.  She is on the national Board of Sojurners (currently  Chair) and Christian Community Development Association.  She is also currently the coordinator of the Loyola University (Chicago) Institue of Pastoral Studies Masters in Social Justice and Community Development.  Dr. Nelson is also the author of Empowerment. 
 
  


Project Coordinator

Ms Molly Horan

Molly brings a fierce interest in social justice to her work as Project Coordinator for the Faiths Against Hate campaign. Molly completed studies in Sociology and Irish Studies, culminating in a B.A. in Communications Summa Cum Laude from DePaul University.
 
While interning in the Parliament of Ireland during the first days of the economic crisis of 2008, she was inspired by the people's collective appeal to keep their elected officials on their sides. Her coverage of a leading health insurance company's communications strategy for Universal Health Care became a day's top recommended story on DailyKos by its editor. Molly's work has been published by Patch, ChicagoNow, and Irish American News.

Contact Molly Horan

 

Office Manager

Stephen Avino

Stephen earned his B.A. in Religious Studies at North Central College and is currently pursuing his Master of Arts at the Chicago Theological Seminary. He hopes to one day teach Religious Studies at the college level and  enrich peoples' understanding of the many beautiful faith traditions our world has to offer. He knows that religious tolerance and interfaith dialogue are some of the key steps to promoting world peace.

Contact Stephen Avino

 

20th Anniversary Coordinator

Ashley Campbell

Ashley earned her B.A in Religious Studies from Macalester College. Her interest in interfaith relations developed during her time serving on Macalester's Multifaith Council and researching her senior capstone on interreligious marriages. Ashley is currently waiting to hear back from graduate schools, where she hopes to continue her study of religion. Eventually, she hopes to work full time in the interfaith community as a religious journalist and professor, or a mediator, striving to establish respectful and harmonious relations between religious traditions through dialogue and education.  

 Contact Ashley Campbell

Volunteer Coordinator

Ms. Connie Sulkin

Connie Sulkin was a preschool teacher and director for over thirty years. She then developed preschool programs at The Field Museum and was an early childhood consultant for the Chicago Public Schools. During much of this time she volunteered for the Parliament and attended many Parliament activities at the 1993, 1999 and 2004 meetings in Chicago, Cape Town, and Barcelona.

Contact Connie Sulkin