Divinity over Division: Communicating Spirituality in a Climate of Polarity

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Divinity over Division: Communicating Spirituality in a Climate of Polarity

How can we as religion communicators…

  • bring people together over issues that matter
  • stay above the noise and still be heard
  • rescue a sinking society without getting pulled in

Join the Religion Communicators Council (RCC) and Communicators for Women Religious (c4wr.org) for a special panel discussion to learn how you can make a difference in today’s world.

Tuesday, October 11, 2022
2pm Eastern Time / 11am Pacific
Register Now

Moderators

Our amazing panel will be co-moderated by Ginny Hizer, executive director of Communicators for Women Religious and Rev. Brian Fesler, president of the Religion Communicators Council.

Ginny Hizer ~ Executive Director, Communicators for Women Religious
Prior to joining CWR, Ginny Hizer served as Development Director for Franciscan Ministries, a non-profit human service organization in Greater Cincinnati. In that role, she was responsible for fund- and friend-raising, finding ways to collaborate with individuals, companies and foundations to advance the organization’s programs. She has worked primarily in the non-profit and membership arenas, serving with the University of Cincinnati Blue Ash College, Southwestern Local School District, AAA Cincinnati and Girl Scouts of Western Ohio. Ginny also served as executive director for Pathways to Home, a social service organization with the mission of supporting and educating at-risk families.
Rev. Brian Fesler ~ President, Religion Communicators Council
Rev. Fesler pastors the Church of Scientology in Nashville. He has long been known in the community for his work to bring all people together in celebration of diversity and breaking down barriers between disparate peoples. He served as Treasurer on the Board of the Interdenominational Ministers Fellowship from 2014-2015. From there, he became a fixture on the steering committee which plans MLK Day march and convocation each year for the city. Rev. Fesler is also active in a variety of community issues, from interfaith work to education and literacy. He supports drug-prevention groups around the state and works to improve human rights in Tennessee, chairing the annual Tennessee Celebration of International Human Rights Day. On the national level, he serves as president of the Religion Communicators Council, an interfaith organization for professionals in the field of religion communications.

 

Panelists

Our panelists are renowned religion communication professionals from a variety of faith traditions.

Ibrahim A. Anli ~ Executive Director, Rumi Forum
Ibrahim Anli is a civic entrepreneur with a career record that bridges nonprofit and academic experience. He was a visiting researcher at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 2007-08. Ibrahim joined the Journalists and Writers Foundation’s (JWF) Ankara office as the diplomacy coordinator in 2010. In 2013, he became the secretary-general of Abant Platform, JWF’s Istanbul-based forum of intellectuals. Ibrahim Anli was a lecturer and acting chair at the Department of International Relations and Diplomacy at Tishk International University in Erbil in 2016-17. He is currently a volunteer instructor for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at George Mason University, a member of Braver Angels Scholars Council, and a member of the Public Diplomacy Council of America.
Sr. Joanne Gallagher, CSJ ~ Director of Communications, Sisters of Saint Joseph of Boston
Since 2001, Sr. Joanne’s ministry has been to promote the mission, history, charism, and vision of
the Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston and its associates, agrégées, and partners in mission through facilitating internal and external communications, working with public media, and seeking opportunities to “tell the story” of who the organization is as it moves into the future. She coordinates the Communications Team as it connects with ten congregation ministries, various departments, offices, and committees to enhance print, digital and online communication. This includes working with the team to create a communication plan for congregational print and electronic materials, social media, and web design. Joanne serves as the spokesperson for the Congregation when requested by its president. She is part of the CSSJ U.S. Federation Communicators and the Communicators for Women Religious who work to create a unified vision of telling the story of Catholic sisters and their partners in mission.
Barbara Hecht ~ Director of Communications, Sisters of St. Joseph
Barbara Hecht is Director of Communications for the Sisters of St. Joseph of Baden, PA. During her 22-year tenure, she has worked with five Leadership Teams and previously coordinated the communications efforts of the Congregation’s two sponsored ministries. Barbara began her professional writing career at The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette where she worked in various positions including education reporter and assistant city editor. After 15 years in the newspaper industry, she transitioned into the field of public relations, serving as communications coordinator for a large suburban school district. A past board member of the Communicators for Women Religious (CWR), Barbara formerly
served as co-chair of the Collaborative Communications Committee of the Catholic Sisters Leadership Council of Western Pennsylvania (CSLC). She has been recognized for her work with awards from CWR (magazine), the Sisters of St. Joseph (St. Joseph the Worker), the Pennsylvania Newspaper Publishers Association, Press Club of Western Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania School Public Relations Association, Women in Communications, Inc., and the Dow Jones News Fund.
Joyce Litoff ~ Associate Director of Communications, Baha’i National Center
Joyce Litoff is a life-long resident of Chicago, and a world citizen at heart. She is a communications professional who has won multiple awards for her writing, podcasting, and video work. Joyce sees storytelling as central to all of these efforts and has recently delved into memoir and live-stage storytelling. Joyce works in the Office of Communications at the US Bahá’í National Center. The office is responsible for editing the content of US public website and electronic newsletter, engagement in social media networks, and media relations related to coverage of the Bahá’í Faith in the news. Joyce has worked in a variety of publishing, media production, and public relations positions in the course of her career, both in corporations and in the not-for-profit sector. She holds a degree in Journalism from the University of Illinois.
Brad Pomerance ~ Senior Vice President, Programming & Host, Jewish Life Television
Brad Pomerance currently serves as the Host of “”Air Land & Sea,”” a global travel series broadcasting weekly on the national cable network Jewish Life Television/JLTV, North America’s premiere Jewish-themed television network, available in over 45 million homes through Bell, Comcast, DirecTV, Spectrum and other video providers. Previously, Brad hosted HLN’s “Local Edition” in Los Angeles, reported and anchored for KDOC’s morning news program “Daybreak OC” and reported for LA City View Channel 35’s news magazine “LA This Week.” Brad has been nominated for three Los Angeles-area Emmys. Brad received his Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations, Cum Laude, from The University of Southern California, and his Juris Doctor, With High Honors, from The George Washington University Law School. Brad has also served as an Adjunct Professor at American Jewish University, California State University at Dominguez Hills and Whittier College.

Register Now – Free to Members and Guests

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