Hiroshi Ishida is the Executive Director of the Caux Round Table Japan. Preceding the CRT Japan, he worked at the Industrial Bank of Japan (IBJ) for 10 years. After resigning from IBJ in 2000, Ishida was appointed as the Coordinator of CRT Japan, and now he has been working as the Executive Director of CRT Japan.
Hiroshi Ishida is the Executive Director of the Caux Round Table Japan. Preceding the CRT Japan, he worked at the Industrial Bank of Japan (IBJ) for 10 years. After resigning from IBJ in 2000, Ishida was appointed as the Coordinator of CRT Japan, and now he has been working as the Executive Director of CRT Japan.
Lisa-Raine Hunt is a Community Coordinator working between local and central government. In London, she facilitates programmes with faith, race, disability, LGBTQ and gender focus groups to map and understand the context of extremism as well as enable grass roots community action that counters extremism in all forms. In the national Special Interest Group for Countering Extremism (SIGCE), she monitors the changing shape of extremism in the UK and shares best practices of prevention with government authorities.
Omar Alshogre is a Syrian refugee and prison survivor who currently lives in Sweden. He moved there in 2015 during the refugee crisis. Omar fled Syria at the age of 22 after being arrested and imprisoned for participating in rallies and demonstrations against the Assad regime. During his time in prison Omar and others formed the "University of Whispers”, a secret and highly dangerous information and knowledge sharing community. With the help of his mother and a lawyer, Omar was finally released from prison at the age of 22.
Tinotenda Mhungu is a Social and Economic Justice Activist in Zimbabwe. He serves as the National Spokesperson for the Youth Advocacy for Reform and Democracy, a Youth group from Zimbabwe focussed on advocating for better conditions and opportunities for young people and also taking focussed action towards building the bridges between politically polarised communities. He is a member of Initiatives of Change team in Zimbabwe.
Being the Vice President of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the Executive Director of Armanshahr Foundation founded in 1996, Guissou Jahangiri is a human/women’s rights pioneer and a cultural activist. She worked for 15 years as a journalist for the French Courrier International covering Iran, Afghanistan & Central Asia. Ms. Jahangiri spent 5 years in war-torn Tajikistan as the Human Rights Watch researcher and acting head of the UN Office for Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Born and raised in Tunisia, Mounir Beltaifa spent 17 years in Sousse before heading to Paris in 1981. Mounir graduated from Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées as a Civil Engineer in 1988 and from Ecole des Ponts Business School in 2008 with an Executive MBA. Mounir founded Bridgers One, a consulting company focusing on accelerated development strategies for SMEs in the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa). Mounir has been active in the civil society in both France and Tunisia after Arab Spring.
Elaine Williams is from Richmond, Virginia and has a deep passion for social justice. She is experienced in advocacy and research in housing, homelessness, Mass Incarceration, Education, Trauma Healing, Racial Healing and Equity. Elaine has a B.A. in Social Work, is an alumna of the Community Trust Building Fellowship (2018) and serves as a facilitator for The Ginter Urban Gardeners Program. She co-facilitated the Racial Healing and Equity Dialogue Series in 2019, which focused on encouraging relationship building, personal storytelling and trust building.
Kelly Carter Merrill is a professor of communication studies at Randolph-Macon College and nonprofit studies at the University of Richmond, USA. She facilitates difficult conversations about racial healing, diversity and inclusion, leadership and self-discovery. She works with Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation, IofC USA, Ben Franklin Circles, Courage & Renewal, and the White Ally Toolkit. Kelly has over 25 years of experience in higher education, authored five book chapters, five research journal articles and national presentations.
Joshua Ballew holds a degree from George Mason University's School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution and is a General District Court certified mediator. Most recently, he ran the statewide mediation program for Virginia state employees and also designed and implemented conflict resolution trainings. Before that, he worked for the Virginia Attorney General's Office resolving disputes between businesses and consumers. He now works with local, national, and international organizations to create healthy work environments, address difficult subjects and foster trustbuilding.