Speaker Bios - 2026 Summit

District Director, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (Chicago District); former Legal Director of the Sikh Coalition

Amrith Kaur Aakre serves as District Director of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Chicago District, overseeing enforcement of federal workplace discrimination laws across six Midwestern states. She previously served as Legal Director of the Sikh Coalition, a national civil rights organization, leading litigation and advocacy on employment discrimination, hate crimes, school bullying, racial profiling, and religious discrimination. Before that, she spent more than 11 years as a prosecutor in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, where she led initiatives to expand access to restorative justice and rehabilitative courts. She has also served on the board of the ACLU of Illinois and as the Wasserstein Public Interest Law Fellow at Harvard Law School. She holds bachelor’s degrees from George Washington University and a law degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Law.

Executive Director of Sharing Sacred Spaces

Dr. Vanessa Avery is the Executive Director of Sharing Sacred Spaces, a nonprofit that builds understanding and trust across religious and cultural differences. With an academic background in comparative religion, interreligious understanding, and religion and nonviolence, she develops programs that bring diverse communities together through shared experiences in sacred spaces. Under her leadership, the organization has expanded its Interreligious Communities Project, which pairs visits to houses of worship with training in dialogue, peacemaking, and bridge-building. Dr. Avery is also a Lecturer in Interreligious Engagement at Yale Divinity School and an Executive and Professional Education Fellow at Hartford International University. Previously, she was a Senior Associate in Diversity with Cambridge Hill Partners.

CEO, Islamic Society of North America

Azhar Azeez is CEO of the Islamic Society of North America, the oldest Muslim organization in North America. He previously served as CEO of Muslim Aid USA and spent 16 years as a top executive at Islamic Relief USA. He is past President of the North Texas Islamic Council, which represents more than 60 Muslim organizations in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, and Founder and past President of Masjid Al Rahman in Carrollton, Texas. Committed to building bridges among people of all faiths, he has spoken in more than 600 communities across the U.S. and Canada and has advised three U.S. Presidents. He holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Osmania University and a master’s in business administration.

Area Seventy, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Vice President & Senior Counsel at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty

Elder Eric Baxter is an ecclesiastical leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with responsibility for many congregations in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. He also works as Vice President and Senior Counsel at Becket, a public-interest law firm dedicated to protecting religious freedom. Since joining Becket in 2011, he has represented individuals and religious organizations in major cases nationwide, including as lead counsel in Mahmoud v. Taylor, a U.S. Supreme Court case protecting parents’ rights to opt their children out of public school instruction that conflicts with their religious beliefs. Before joining Becket, he was a partner at Arent Fox LLP in Washington, D.C. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University and his law degree, magna cum laude, from BYU’s J. Reuben Clark Law School.

Chairman of the Board, Religious Freedom Alliance Council

Bill Benac chairs the board of directors of the Religious Freedom Alliance Council (currently in 24 states), co-founded the DFW Alliance for Religious Freedom and Human Dignity, and is a co-founder of Pathway India, which has educated and rehabilitated 40,000 handicapped and disadvantaged Indian youth. Bill serves on the International Advisory Council of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies at Brigham Young University. Before retiring in 2016, he held senior executive positions with global corporations and private equity firms and as an entrepreneur. Bill earned his bachelor’s and MBA degrees from BYU and a law degree from Pace University in New York.

Spiritual Leader, Congregation Beth El Binah; Hospice Chaplain/Bereavement Coordinator for The Legacy at Home

Rabbi Holly Levin Cohn was ordained at Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in 2000 and served congregations large and small across the United States for 18 years. In March 2025, she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity marking 25 years in the rabbinate. She has served Congregation Beth El Binah for nearly 10 years, becoming its Adjunct Rabbi in 2017 and its Spiritual Leader in 2025. She is also Hospice Chaplain and Bereavement Coordinator for The Legacy at Home Hospice. Rabbi Holly enjoys playing drums and singing in a band at The School of Rock North Dallas, trivia, and travel, including serving as Rabbi-in-Residence for Hanukkah on Royal Caribbean cruises.

Professor of Law and Faculty Director, Bech-Loughlin First Amendment Center at UT Austin School of Law

Steven T. Collis holds joint appointments as a tenured Professor in the School of Law, the Bech-Loughlin First Amendment Center, and the School of Civic Leadership (by courtesy). He researches and teaches on religion law, constitutional law, productive discourse, and other First Amendment topics. He is the founding faculty director of the First Amendment Center. Before joining Texas, he was a Research Fellow in the Constitutional Law Center at Stanford Law School and an equity partner at Holland & Hart LLP. His scholarly work has been cited widely. Professor Collis is also the author of four critically acclaimed books, including Habits of a Peacemaker.

Vice President for Education and Director of the Center for Education Advocacy, American Jewish Committee

Dr. Laura Shaw Frank serves as Vice President for Education and Director of the Center for Education Advocacy at the American Jewish Committee (AJC), leading efforts to address antisemitism in K–12 and higher education and promote inclusive learning environments. An educator and Jewish historian, she works with students, educators, and institutional leaders to foster dialogue and deepen understanding of Jewish identity, Israel, and antisemitism. Previously, Dr. Shaw Frank held educational and administrative positions at SAR High School and Yeshivat Maharat and practiced corporate litigation at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP. She holds a Ph.D. in Jewish History from the University of Maryland, College Park, and undergraduate and law degrees from Columbia University.

Board Chair, McKinney Community Development Corporation; former Mayor of McKinney, Texas (2017–2025)

George C. Fuller is a businessman, real estate developer, and philanthropist who served as mayor of McKinney, Texas, from 2017 to 2025. A second-generation developer, he has led residential and commercial construction projects and helped develop Adriatica, a 46-acre mixed-use community. He also owns the Guitar Sanctuary and Performance Academy and the Sanctuary Music and Events Center. In 1992, Mr. Fuller and his wife co-founded the Love Life Foundation, which supports charities serving at-risk women and children, generating millions of dollars in charitable contributions. He serves on the Board of Trustees of Meals on Wheels, and he and his wife share their musical talents to support charitable causes locally and internationally.

Law Student (2L), The University of Texas at Austin School of Law

Alyena Gilani is a second-year law student at The University of Texas School of Law. She worked as a summer associate at McDermott Will & Schulte. Alyena graduated in 2025 from Washington University in St. Louis with a bachelor’s degree in International and Global Studies and Communication Design. At WashU, she served as Finance Director of the Social Programming Board, managing a $600,000 budget, and as Diversity and Inclusion Chair of the Congress of the South 40. As a St. Louis Democracy Fellow with WashU’s Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement, she interned with the League of Women Voters, researching Missouri public school funding and making voting information more accessible. She has also interned with Bhojani Law in Dallas and volunteered with Amnesty International and the Aga Khan Foundation USA.

President, DFW Alliance for Religious Freedom and Human Dignity

Peter Harris is President of the DFW Alliance for Religious Freedom and Human Dignity and serves on its board. He also chairs the board of Sharing Sacred Spaces, serves as the DFW Communication Director for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, chairs the advisory board of the DFW chapter of the BYU Management Society, and serves on the advisory council of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies. In his professional career, Peter currently serves as CEO of a national organization providing specialty nursing services to hospitals, and he has previously held executive roles at more than a dozen private-equity-backed businesses. Peter received an honors undergraduate degree in Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences and Political Science from Northwestern University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy.

Southwest USA Coordinator for the American Clergy Leadership Conference; Pastor Emeritus, DFW Family Church

Reverend Mark Hernandez is a third-generation Texan whose ancestry includes Sephardic Jews, Moorish Muslims, Roman Catholics, Native American spiritualists, and Hispanic Pentecostals. He entered the University of Texas in 1972 on a full scholarship intending to pursue medicine, but at 19 he encountered the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity and became a missionary. After decades of mission work in America and abroad, he served as Senior Pastor of the Houston Family Church and later as Regional Pastor overseeing churches in seven states. He now serves as Pastor Emeritus of the DFW Family Church in Irving and as Southwest USA Coordinator for the American Clergy Leadership Conference, working to bring unity among the Abrahamic faiths. He and his wife, Yuri, have six children and six grandchildren.

Director of Global Theological Education, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University

Dr. Robert Hunt is Director of Global Theological Education at the Perkins School of Theology and Professor of Christian Religions and Interreligious Relations at Southern Methodist University, where he also teaches in the Simmons School of Education and Human Development. A Dallas native, he studied history at the University of Texas at Austin, earned a Master of Theology from Perkins, and received a Ph.D. in History from the University of Malaya, focusing on Bible translation and Christian-Muslim relations. He previously taught World Religions at Trinity Theological College and served as pastor of the English-Speaking United Methodist Church of Vienna. He hosts the Interfaith Encounters podcast and has written numerous books, including Islam in Southeast Asia and Muslim Faith and Values: A Guide for Christians.

Muslim Interfaith Leader

Imam Jaami is a founding member of the Interfaith Council of Thanks-Giving Square, on which he has served for more than 30 years, working with people of various faiths, government officials, and international visitors to promote peace among faiths. He is a board member of the Center for Interreligious Understanding and an Ambassador for Peace, which promotes cooperation in countries around the world. In 2024, he received the Southwest Jewish Congress Lifetime Achievement Award. Following 9/11, Marzuq co-founded Connecting Our Faiths, which offers programs showing how Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are connected. He also helped to organize the first Dallas Kindness Week, which encourages everyone in the Metroplex to perform acts of kindness, and he was instrumental in hosting civil rights icon Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King III, and Imam W. D. Mohammed for the first Dallas Acts Kind Week in 1995.

Imam and Religious Director, Islamic Center of Frisco

Imam Salah Mahmoud serves as the Imam and Religious Director at the Islamic Center of Frisco. A graduate of Al-Azhar University with a bachelor’s degree in Islamic Sciences and Theology, he brings deep scholarship, compassion, and a holistic approach to spiritual care. He is pursuing a master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at the University of West Alabama, integrating mental health expertise with his pastoral work to better support the emotional and spiritual well-being of the community. Certified as a chaplain by the New York Task Force, Imam Salah provides compassionate guidance to individuals and families during life’s challenges. He is also an active member of the North Texas Imams Council, where he helps promote unity and collaboration among faith leaders.

Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer & Chief Legal Officer, First Liberty Institute

Jeff Mateer is Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer of First Liberty Institute, where he oversees legal operations, including litigation, media and communications, and external affairs. He rejoined First Liberty in 2020 after serving as First Assistant Attorney General of Texas, with oversight of more than 30,000 active cases and nearly 800 attorneys. He previously served as First Liberty’s General Counsel and was in private practice in Dallas. Over a thirty-year career, he has represented clients ranging from international organizations to churches and individuals in complex cases involving religious liberty, civil rights, employment, and business matters, and has argued before the Fifth Circuit and Texas appellate courts. He graduated with honors from Dickinson College and from Southern Methodist University’s law school, where he was a law review editor.

Vice President, National Center for LGBTQ Rights

Shannon Price Minter is a transgender man and a longtime executive of the National Center for LGBTQ Rights, one of the nation’s leading LGBTQ legal advocacy organizations. Shannon has litigated dozens of landmark cases, including several victories in the U.S. Supreme Court. He is a national expert on LGBTQ law and has received widespread recognition, including awards from Cornell Law School, Stanford Law School, the Ford Foundation, California Lawyer Magazine, the National LGBT Bar Association, and the U.S. Department of Justice LGBT Pride Group. Shannon is committed to building bridges between conservative religious leaders and groups and LGBTQ people.

Interfaith Leader & Advocate for Diversity & Inclusion

Almas Muscatwalla is a prominent public servant in North Texas, recognized for her leadership in advocacy and policy reform on migrant rights, homelessness, affordable housing, interfaith leadership, domestic violence prevention, and anti-racism. She brings more than two decades of experience in teacher training, curriculum development, and human resource management. Since 2012, she has been active in civic and interfaith leadership as a Muslim woman committed to equity and inclusion. She serves on the board of the Texas Muslim Women’s Foundation and co-founded Faith Forward Dallas at Thanks-Giving Square, where she served as executive director and later chair of its Interfaith Council. Almas holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master of Science in Child Development from Bombay University.

Law Student (3L), The University of Texas at Austin School of Law

JD Newman is a third-year law student at The University of Texas School of Law, pursuing a career as a trial lawyer. Prior to enrolling in law school, JD was a Baptist pastor and hospital chaplain in Brownwood, Texas. He received his Master of Divinity and Master of Business Administration from Baylor University and Truett Seminary. His wife is a prosecutor in Williamson County, Texas.

President, Institute for Global Engagement

Dr. Bob Roberts, Jr. is a pastor and renowned bridge builder dedicated to advancing religious freedom, peacemaking, and civic engagement. He is the founder of GlocalNet, co-founder of the Multi-Faith Neighbors Network, and newly appointed president of the Institute for Global Engagement, which catalyzes freedom of faith worldwide. His work has earned recognition from the United Nations, the U.S. Department of State, the World Economic Forum, and policy leaders worldwide. For over 30 years, he led Northwood Church near Dallas, where he is now Founding Global Pastor. He is the author of six books and host of the Bold Love podcast. He holds a Doctor of Ministry from Fuller Theological Seminary, a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a B.A. from Baylor University.

Associate Area Legal Counsel, Kenya, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Mark Romney is a co-founder of the DFW Alliance for Religious Freedom and Human Dignity. He is currently serving as an attorney for The Church of Jesus Christ in Africa. He previously was the owner of a Texas law firm, where he engaged in international transactions law with an emphasis on Latin American issues and the representation of Latin American clients in the United States. Mark also worked on business-related litigation and alternative dispute resolution. He served for nine years as Stake President of the Dallas Texas Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with oversight responsibility for multiple congregations in the Dallas area.

Law Student (2L), The University of Texas at Austin School of Law

Zaki Salam is a second-year law student at The University of Texas School of Law, where he is a student in the Law and Religion Clinic. He is also a summer associate with Haynes Boone in Dallas. Beyond his legal studies, Zaki has long been active in the Dallas Muslim community, particularly through youth work. He also leads volunteer and fundraising initiatives for the Sabrina Memorial Foundation, a nonprofit that supports education and healthcare for underserved communities.

Partner, McDermott Will & Schulte

Richard Salgado is a partner and head of the Dallas Litigation Practice Group at McDermott Will & Schulte, one of the 25 largest law firms in the U.S. A trial lawyer who represents clients in complex disputes, he also has substantial appellate experience, having handled appeals in all 13 U.S. Courts of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court. Mr. Salgado devotes substantial time to pro bono service, including litigation in support of individuals with special needs and disabilities, the LGBT+ community, and religious freedom. He has taught trial advocacy and appellate practice as an adjunct professor at multiple law schools. He received his undergraduate and law degrees from BYU and clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Regional Director, American Jewish Committee, Dallas Region

Joel Schwitzer has nearly 30 years of experience in Jewish nonprofit management and fundraising. Since 2015, he has led the American Jewish Committee’s Dallas Regional Office, serving North and Central Texas and Oklahoma, where he directs advocacy, leadership development, and fundraising. He has helped build diverse coalitions, including the Community of Conscience, the Jewish/Latino Alliance, and the DFW Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council. Before joining AJC, he held leadership positions with Hillel, the Jewish Federations of Dallas and Durham-Chapel Hill, and the Anti-Defamation League. He serves on the Texas Advisory Committee of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition and the DFW Airport Interfaith Advisory Council. Mr. Schwitzer earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Arizona.

Associate Director, International Center for Law and Religion Studies, BYU Law School

Hannah Clayson Smith is Associate Director of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies (ICLRS) at BYU Law School. She worked for U.S. Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito and, as Senior Counsel at Becket, secured four landmark Supreme Court victories. She has appeared before Congress and on national media and is a sought-after speaker. Hannah received her B.A. from Princeton University and her J.D. from BYU Law School, where she was Executive Editor of the Law Review. Her honors include BYU’s Alumni Achievement Award, the Women-in-Law Leadership Award, and the James Madison Award. She is a Director of the Religious Freedom Institute and serves with her husband, John, on the ICLRS International Advisory Council.

U.S. District Judge, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas

The Honorable Brantley David Starr serves as a United States District Judge for the Northern District of Texas, appointed by President Donald J. Trump in 2019. Before joining the federal bench, he served as Deputy First Assistant Attorney General of Texas from 2016 to 2019, overseeing the civil, appellate, criminal, and law enforcement divisions. He previously held several senior roles in the Texas Attorney General’s Office, including Assistant Solicitor General, and served at the Supreme Court of Texas as a staff attorney to Justice Eva Guzman and law clerk to Justice Don Willett. Judge Starr earned his B.A., summa cum laude, from Abilene Christian University and his J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law, where he was editor-in-chief of the Texas Review of Law & Politics.

Imam and Educator

Imam Azhar Subedar is an Islamic scholar and community leader with more than two decades of experience serving Muslim communities across the United States, with a focus on Islamic education, youth empowerment, and building relationships across faith traditions. He has served as an imam and educator at mosques and Islamic centers, including the Islamic Association of Collin County in Plano, Texas. He is the founder of the O’ People Foundation, which promotes Muslim inclusion in society, and Quran Trek, a mobile app that helps Muslims connect with the Quran. He has served in faith-based advisory roles with the White House and the Florida Department of Education and is co-author of I Am the Other, a book encouraging dialogue about Islam and Muslims.

Senior Rabbi, Congregation Shearith Israel

Rabbi Ari Sunshine joined Congregation Shearith Israel as Senior Rabbi in 2017, bringing a passion for community building, teaching Torah, and a love for Israel. He previously served as Rabbi of B’nai Shalom of Olney, Maryland, from 2006 to 2017, where he was also President of the Greater Olney Interfaith Ministerium and of the Washington-Baltimore Region of the Rabbinical Assembly. He is a Senior Rabbinic Fellow of the Shalom Hartman Institute. From 2021 to 2023, he served as President of the Rabbinic Association of Greater Dallas, and he now serves on the advisory board of the Ackerman Center for Holocaust Studies at the University of Texas at Dallas. He graduated magna cum laude from Brandeis University and studied at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York.

Pastor at First United Methodist Church of Frisco; seminarian at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University

Luke Thomson grew up at Christ United Methodist Church in Plano, where he has served for the past two years as Associate Youth Director while attending seminary at SMU’s Perkins School of Theology. Though he felt called to ministry early in life, he entered Texas A&M University as a political science major. There he became deeply involved in the campus Wesley Foundation, exploring his call through outreach, leading freshman Bible study, preaching at Wednesday services, and serving on the Conference Campus Ministry board. He now serves FUMC Frisco in a half-time role while completing his final year of seminary, mentored by Rev. Don Underwood and collaborating with Christ UMC Senior Pastor Chris Dowd.

Founding Member, Gurdwara Nishkam Seva

Harbhajan Singh Virdee is a member of the Sikh faith and has lived in the Dallas area for more than 35 years. He has been very active in interfaith work and is a member of the Interfaith Council of the Thanks-Giving Foundation and of Faith Forward Dallas. He is a founding member of Gurdwara Nishkam Seva, a Sikh temple in Irving. Harbhajan also helped start the Interfaith Alliance of Irving, a community group that promotes understanding among all faiths and carries out charitable activities for residents of Irving in need.