Board of Directors

Tina Cherica, Board President

It is my belief that even the smallest effort to understand people and the beliefs that shape their values opens up the possibility for us to face the challenges of our increasingly diverse community. After all, regardless of our personal faith practices, we all have in common the desire to be treated justly and with respect. Project Interfaith provides me the opportunity to be part of the dialogue in our community and I am grateful for the chance to help broaden its efforts.

Emily Moody, Board Vice President

I am proud to be a part of an organization dedicated to promoting interfaith diversity, dialogue, education and understanding in Omaha. Project Interfaith has proven to be a valuable resource for people who are seeking knowledge about cultures and beliefs that differ from their own. In a world where misunderstanding and intolerance can lead to fear and hatred, Project Interfaith is working to create a community of respect and inclusivity. What a wonderful thing for Omaha and the world.

Hillary Nather-Detisch, Board Member

Hillary is currently employed as the Director of Donor Accounts for the Omaha Community Foundation. Her job responsibility includes working with donors in assisting them with their charitable giving and philanthropy. Hillary has been professionally fundraising for various organizations in the Omaha community since 2000. Hillary believes everyone has the right to their own personal faith, spirituality and beliefs. Project Interfaith is helping to conduct much needed programs and dialogues around interfaith diversity which is needed in order for our community to grow.

Michael Alley, AIA, Board Member

My work with Project Interfaith is extremely rewarding, meaningful and a source of great satisfaction. There are few causes more relevant to the times we live in than the work of building understanding, respect and relationships across peoples of all faiths and beliefs. In the United States we are fortunate in to live in one of the most religiously diverse countries on earth where churches, temples, mosques and synagogues have historically enjoyed relatively peaceful co-existence. Sadly, however, the 21st century is emerging as an era of political and social tensions rooted in religious and ethnic differences. Working with Project Interfaith I am especially enriched by diverse friendships I’ve built as we’ve worked to create a community where people of all faiths and beliefs are valued, included and protected.

Bob Egermayer, Board Member

I am pleased to be a part of the dynamic organization of Project Interfaith. Omaha grows more diverse each day. Project Interfaith continues to play an important role of nurturing education and understanding between all faiths in our community. Over the last 32 years of marriage Jan and I have allowed her faith of Judaism and my faith of Catholicism to thrive. In 1977 our mixed religious marriage was unusual, today it is more common. We have had first hand experience of seeing the education and understanding that has come from our casual encounters with people. Jan and I have three children and we were both raised in Omaha. We own Fun Services, a national franchise company that provides entertainment and fund raising for corporate, schools and organizations.

Mary Palu, Board Member, Communications Committee Chair

I’m honored to be a part of an organization that is dedicated to creating ways for people to not only understand, but actively engage and dialogue with those whose background and identity is different than their own.  This is immensely important in creating a community that doesn’t just tolerate people of all faiths, beliefs and cultures – but embraces them in a way that makes all of our lives richer.  In today’s world we need organizations like Project Interfaith that are doing this in a thoughtful, deliberate way.  

Jude Knipper, Board Treasurer, Budget and Operations Committee Chair

John Levy, Board Member

I believe that we should celebrate and accept each person's
uniqueness.  We need to accept differences of beliefs, ideas, and
thoughts.  Being a part of an organization that creates a forum for
discussion is truly rewarding.  Project Interfaith embraces each
person and encourages people to explore their faith and the faith of
others.  I am proud to be a part of this wonderful organization.

Dr. Kaleb Michaud, Board Member

Personal beliefs are precisely that, personal, and spiritual beliefs are often the most private. Yet these beliefs can affect so much of our daily lives, from conversations with colleagues and friends to governing laws and acts of violence. I believe that with increased exposure and respectful dialog and sharing, we can create understanding of others' beliefs while maintaining and enhancing our own individual beliefs.  I am proud to be a part of Project Interfaith which provides an organized structure for not only directly reaching the curious and willing in our community but also the unexposed who may never have thought of how such beliefs could affect their interpersonal life.

Dr. Mohan Mysore, Board Member

I joined Project Interfaith’s Board to participate in an active dialogue on interfaith issues and to bring about a better understanding, respect and acceptance of other faiths/traditions. I am a Hindu by birth but consider myself open to ideas and concepts from other faiths and find that the world’s great religions fundamentally have much more in common than what appears to set them apart from each other. I firmly believe that maturing as a multicultural society will require a greater degree of communication between faiths and PI activities provide a forum for this open exchange of ideas. The training programs for educators and health care providers are novel and innovative and I am proud to be associated with an endeavor that is visionary in concept and execution.

Cyndi Parrott, Board Secretary and HR Committee Chair

I grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska and graduated from UNL. I am retired after working as a human resource professional in several financial service organizations. I am a Christian (Lutheran).My involvement with Project Interfaith provides me with an opportunity to experience diverse cultures and religious beliefs right here in Omaha, Nebraska. I like the fact that Project Interfaith is in the forefront in promoting interfaith issues in our community. It is exciting to be a part of an organization with such potential.

Naushad Qureishi, Board Member

Kael Sagheer, Board Member, Development Committee Chair

Having had an interest in faith, religion, and the reconciliation of my own beliefs with those of others since my teenage years, the opportunity to be involved with Project Interfaith seems like divine intervention. Though most of this "reconciliation" has been both private and personal, I have spent the last 5 years speaking to people, groups and individuals alike, in order to help them understand the similarities and differences between the Abrahamic faiths. As an educator, I have seen firsthand the ignorance, and consequent importance of fostering mutual understanding and respect, in the areas of faith and religion. To borrow the words of my father, "A true multiculturalist keeps both eyes open: one to the see the similarities, the other to see the differences." It is my hope that through Project Interfaith I can help others become thoughtful, discerning multiculturalists, too.

Ari Riekes, Governance Committee Chair

I believe that now, more than ever, there is a need within our community and the world at large to practice tolerance and respect. Faith and religion have been the foundation for so much of what is in good in the world. Yet, unfortunately, the very same has also been a source of conflict and division. I became involved in Project Interfaith because it is committed to advancing a mission of bringing people together through education and celebration of religious diversity.

Dr. Lourdes Secola, Board Member

Dr. Edward Malashock, Honorary Board Member

John Kotouc, Board Advisor

Dr. B.J. Reed, Strategic Planning Advisor