Meet the Cabinet
The Cabinet is the public voice for Interfaith Partnership on matters of religious, moral and ethical conscience. Membership of the Cabinet includes the highest ranking leaders of faith groups or other representative, as appointed. The Cabinet is a unique body that brings together high-ranking leaders in diverse faith groups in order to provide a timely voice on public issues from the religious community in the metropolitan St. Louis area.
You can read some of the Cabinet’s past statements here.
Cabinet
Maharat Rori Picker-Neiss
Rev. Rodrick Burton
Interfaith work is about collaboration with community, and community is where we all reside. Community was created for the greater good and it takes work to make any community good. I am honored to work with others whose hearts are for this shared vision of the greater good.
Imam Ali Bagegni
Imam Council of Metropolitan St. Louis; Imam of Northwest Islamic Center
Bahar Bastani, M.D.
Shia Islamic Education Center in Saint Louis
Professor of Medicine – Nephrology at Saint Louis University School of Medicine.
President Brandon Bezzant
Rev. Kevin Cameron
Pastor, Parkway United Church of Christ
Kevin is a local church pastor serving on the Cabinet on behalf of the Conference Minister of the Missouri Mid-South Conference of the United Church of Christ. The UCC is committed to social justice and social transformation. Kevin is a progressive pastor committed to unity and diversity in our beautifully pluralistic culture.
Swami Chetanananda
Swami Chetanananda has been a monk of the Ramakrishna Order of India since 1960. Before coming to the United States, the swami worked in the Publication and Editorial Departments of Advaita Ashrama at Mayavati, Himalayas, and its branch in Calcutta. He served as the Assistant Minister of the Vedanta Society of Southern California, Los Angeles, from 1971-1978. In 1977-1978 he served as Vice President of the Inter-Religious Council of Southern California. The swami is in charge of both the Vedanta Society of St. Louis and the Vedanta Society of Kansas City.
Rabbi Janine C. Schloss
Janné Grover
Ecumenical and interfaith relationships are important to our mission as a faith movement dedicated to the pursuit of peace on and for the Earth. As a member of the lead missionary quorum of Community of Christ, and field apostle for the Central USA Mission Field, I am pleased to serve with Lana Gilbert McCarty in broadening and deepening interfaith relationships in the St. Louis area. This work is expanded through my involvement with the National Council of Churches as a member of the Christian Education, Ecumenical Faith Formation, and Leadership Development Convening Table.
Rev. Lana Gilbert McCarty
Interfaith relationships are very important to me and my faith movement. All faiths working together can bring positive transformation to our communities. As president of the Metro East Interfaith Partnership, located in Illinois, I have seen this happen many times. I look forward to the opportunities before us to make a difference in the world.
Rev. Jennifer Harris Dault
Interim Pastor, St. Louis Mennonite Fellowship
Rev. Dr. Dieter U. Heinzl
It is my conviction that interfaith work is and will be a defining issue for our lives and the church for some time to come, and I am firmly committed to this work. I take my responsibilities at Ladue Chapel regarding education and faith formation very seriously because I am convinced that I/we can only engage in dialog with people of other faith traditions, if I/we know our own tradition well.
Rev. Dr. Bart Hildreth, Ph.D.
Dr. Hildreth has represented both the current and past Resident Bishop, as well as the churches of The Missouri Conference of The United Methodist Church in ecumenical work for over 13 years. He has been a member of the Interfaith Partnership Cabinet for 7 years, and currently serves as the Senior Pastor of First St. Charles United Methodist Church.
Steve Hinson
Add up all the religions in the world, we are still a minority in the lives of most people. Working together, our chances are better to raise the moral standards of humanity.
Cynthia S. Holmes
I am an attorney and am active in CBF, a network of about 2,000 progressive Baptist Churches. I have served as the elected national moderator and as a deacon at Overland Baptist Church. Baptists historically have championed separation of church and state, and soul freedom. These lead to respect for everyone's right to follow their own faith and interfaith work to foster that respect and freedom.
Bishop Deon K. Johnson
Bishop Deon K. Johnson pursued interfaith work during his ministry in Brighton, Michigan before coming to St. Louis. He has always valued the differences we all bring in approaching the Divine, and he looks forward to developing deeper understanding of each of our faiths through his time with Interfaith Partnership.
The Rev. Laurie Niemann Anzilotti
The Rev. Laurie Anzilotti serves as Cabinet Representative for Bishop Deon Johnson of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri. Within her parish, she has special charge for pastoral support for youth, children, and family ministries, and also works to discern how to better meet the needs of those not well served by church. Her call to the priesthood included a strong desire for interfaith collaboration with other clergy. She is grateful to develop this facet of her ministry with Interfaith Partnership.
Imam Hamid Malik
Imam of Baitul Hafeez Masjid
Dr. Billie Mayo, Ed.D.
Senior consultant, Educational Equity Consultants
Past president of Interfaith Partnership, 2015-2016
Rev. Richard McDuffie
CME Third District
Dr. F. Javier Orozco, Ph.D.
In my professional role, I serve as the ecumenical and interreligious officer for the archdiocese. I enjoy the grace of being in dialogue, learning from others, and discovering common ground in our lives and service to others.
Father Doug Papulis
Protopresbyter, St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church.
Father Michael Arbanas
Presbyter, St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Rev. Gabrielle NS Kennedy, MBA, MDiv
Shima Rostami
President and Executive Director, Gateway Human Trafficking
Jack Sisk
Rev. C. Jessel Strong
Rev. C. Jessel Strong is a retired minister of the African Methodist Episcopal Church where he was superintendent of eighteen churches in the St. Louis/Columbia District. He has served as the past Chair of the Interfaith Partnership Cabinet, immediate past President of the St. Louis Clergy Coalition, and is a member of the AME Ministerial Alliance of the Missouri Conference. In the community, he has held leadership positions such as the Vice Chair of the African American Alzheimer Association Board, and on the Board of Jobs With Justice. Although retired from active ministry since 2013, he came out of retirement to supply a church without a pastor, currently serving as the Interim Pastor of Bethel AME Church in Paynesville, MO.
Dr. Owen Taylor, D.Min.
Community Involvement Team Leader, Churchnet Baptist Network;
Lead Pastor, Sanctuary Fellowship Church
Mufti Asif Umar
Maryl Walters, CSB
Dialogue with people of other faiths always makes me appreciate what their strengths are, as well as what we bring to the table as Christian Scientists.
