Mrs. Aliya Farooq, Chairperson

Muslim

Aliya Farooq has a degree in Business Administration from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. She was born in Washington DC and raised in Maryland. Aliya moved to Chester, Virginia in 1997, when her husband began his medical practice in Hopewell. She served on the Board of Directors at Iqra Academy of Virginia from 2000 to 2015, in the positions of secretary, vice-chair, chair and consultant. Since then, Aliya has been an active member of several local interfaith organizations such as Richmond Interfaith Climate Justice League and Salaam Shalom. With Richmond Interfaith Climate Justice, she was able to assist in three educational programs regarding urgent climate change issues, held at the Islamic Center of Virginia. She has also contacted other local Mosques and has encouraged them to implement greener practices. Aliya believes that women are the backbone of all societies and have the power to create change within communities.

 

Dr. Laura Hartman, Secretary

Christian

ROANOKE AREA INTERFAITH STEWARDS OF THE EARTH (RAISE)

Laura Hartman was born and raised in Kentucky, where she learned to love trees and find spirituality in the mountains. She studied religion in college and graduate school, earning her Ph.D. in environmental ethics in 2008. She has been an invited speaker on environmental topics in a variety of Christian and non-Christian contexts and has experience with interfaith dialogue. She is the author of The Christian Consumer: Living Faithfully in a Fragile World (Oxford, 2011) and the editor of That All May Flourish: Comparative Religious Environmental Ethics (Oxford, 2018). She has taught in the environmental studies program at Roanoke College since 2018. She lives in Roanoke and loves to sing, ride the bus, and pray for the healing of creation.

 

Rev. Andrew Millard, Treasurer

Unitarian Universalist

Andrew Millard has served the Mission of the UU Fellowship of the Peninsula (Newport News) since 2010.  Born and raised in England, he came to the United States for graduate school in physics; some years later he joined the Sierra Club, the Institute on Religion in an Age of Science, the World Pantheist Movement and the Unitarian Society of Hartford (in that order). He went back to school at Hartford Seminary before transferring to the Iliff School of Theology in Denver. Andrew lives in Gloucester with Allison, their pre-teen daughter and their furry family.

 

Rabbi Daniel S Alexander

Jewish

Ordained a rabbi in 1979 by Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Dan Alexander served nine years as the Executive Director of the B’nai B’rith Hillel Foundation at the University of Virginia. He has taught in the Department of Religious Studies at UVA, for the Chaplaincy Services of the UVA Health System and at churches, schools, and civic organizations. In 1988, he began a 28-year career as rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel in Charlottesville, retiring and becoming Rabbi Emeritus in 2016.
Rabbi Dan earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from the Wesley Theological Seminary in 2002 and completed a two-year training in Jewish Spiritual Direction in 2007. He founded the Interfaith Movement Promoting Action by People in Congregations Together (IMPACT), an organization devoted to social justice in Charlottesville. A lifelong lover of the outdoors, he has served as one of IMPACT’s representatives on the national Steering Committee, Care for Creation. He has also served on IMPACT’s Strategy and Research Committees for the local Care for Creation work.
Rabbi Alexander and his wife have been blessed by their two adult children and four
grandchildren.

 

Dr. Matthew Carter

Episcopal

Dr. Matthew Carter is the national data director for a large firm specializing in direct voter contact. His company’s clients include the League of Conservation Voters and The United Way. He is a postulant for holy orders in the Episcopal Church and a candidate for the M.Div. at General Theological Seminary. After a first career teaching Latin and Greek at the university level he has been active in central Virginia community organizing since 2015. He lives at Lake Monticello with his wife and son. He loves playing the piano and singing bass in choirs.

 

Mr. Steve Fishbach

Jewish

Steve Fishbach is the Litigation Director at the Virginia Poverty Law Center, the state support center for all the civil legal aid programs in Virginia. Before moving to Virginia, he worked for 30 years at Rhode Island Legal Services, the only federally funded legal aid program in Rhode Island. He has served on several boards in Rhode Island and is presently a board member of the Virginia Environmental Justice Collaborative. In Rhode Island, Steve was a founding board member of the Environmental Justice League of Rhode Island and served on the boards of one small community development corporation boards: Good News Housing/Community Land Trust (also a founding board member). He has assisted several organizations with drafting articles of incorporation, by-laws, and applications for tax exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Steve provides legal opinions on matters that come before the board and also advises the Board on laws and legislative proposals related to environmental justice and climate justice. 

 

Ms. Renada Harris

Spiritual

Renada Harris is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, business owner, and fierce community activist. She is the Executive Director of the Brown Grove Preservation Group, which aims to fight industrial gentrification and protect 150 years of community history. Her goal is to bring awareness to EJ communities and engage stakeholders around environmental injustice while navigating cultural differences. She has organized networking events for organizations involved in environmental and reparative justice and isn’t afraid to call out corporate leaders who have contributed to environmental injustice. She is a dynamic leader capable of forming collaborations and developing public education opportunities that support community-led efforts.

Renada has worked with African American Redress Network, a partnership between the Thurgood Marshall Center at Howard University and the Institute of the Study of Human Rights at Columbia University. Climate Action VA, Resolutions Addressing Systemic Racism, Virginia League of Conservation Voters, Africatown, First Repair from Evanston, Illinois, NAMATI, NCOBRA, Virginia Environmental Justice Collaborative, and Sierra Club to name a few.

As a leader in the movement, Renada underscores the importance of bringing the issues of environmental injustice to the forefront of people living in these communities.

 

Ms. Sonal Iyer

Hindu

Sonal Iyer has over 15 years of experience working in non-profit and government sectors in environmental sciences, public health, strategic continuous improvement, spiritual teaching, and k-12 STEAM programs. She is a fellow at Virginia Natural Resources Leadership Institute, holds Master of Science (Biology/Toxicology), Master of Technology (Environmental Science & Engineering), Master of Science (Microbiology), Bachelor of Science (Microbiology) degrees and Six Sigma Lean Black Belt certification. From 2010 till 2020, Ms. Iyer was a teacher at the Chinmaya Mission of Richmond where she led the weekly classes for K-12 students, planned and executed festival celebrations and annual day functions.

As HCPS school Destination Imagination (DI) coordinator and First Lego League team manager, she has led the information and mentoring sessions to expand DI program, recruit adult volunteers, and help with fund-raising while creating awareness for reducing waste and reusing/recycling discarded materials for school projects. Sonal is corporate member at the Hindu Center of Virginia and a life member of the International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). She currently serves on the board of Central Virginia chapter of Destination Imagination. Sonal believes that the true commitment for a cause comes from within and one of the most important ways to get people to commit is to empower them through knowledge.

 

David Arnez Jones was born and raised in Highland Park, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. Rev. He is currently a pastor at the Williams Memorial Baptist in Roanoke, Virginia. Pastor Jones has initiated a broad, progressive agenda for this historic church. He may be heard each Sunday on WTOY radio at 8:30 a.m. on the radio broadcast “Think on These Things.” Rev. Jones has earned the Associate of Divinity from Mid-Atlantic Theological Seminary; the Bachelor of Ministry and Master of Biblical Studies from Jacksonville Theological Seminary; the Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry from the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University in Richmond, Virginia. Dr. Jones is the Political Action Chair of the Roanoke Branch of the NAACP and is involved in several community action groups including the Northwest Faith Partnership, the Equal Justice Group, RAISE (Roanoke Area Interfaith Stewards of the Earth), the Pledge to End Racism, and the Roanoke Gun Violence Task Force.

 

Kim Sudderth

Christian

Kim Sudderth brings over 15 years of extensive experience as a strategic planner and social justice organizer in various sectors, including non-profit, state government, and corporate. Throughout her career, she has effectively united individuals from diverse backgrounds to drive positive transformations within businesses, organizations, and personal lives. Her primary focus has been on equity, advocacy, and leadership development.

Ms. Sudderth holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology with a specialization in Diversity and Inequality from Saint Leo University. Additionally, she has a certificate in Leadership, Organizing, and Action from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. Ms. Sudderth has actively served her community by participating in several boards and commissions, including the Norfolk Planning Commission, which she joined in June 2020. She is also certified as a Planning Commissioner by Virginia Commonwealth University and has served as Vice-chair of the Norfolk Planning Commission since 2022.

 

Dr. Rachel R. Maddux

Baptist

Rachel Maddux earned her PhD in Education with a minor in Public Policy from Virginia Commonwealth University, where she also earned her undergraduate degree in accounting. Her career has provided her with the opportunity to experience all aspects of business operations and management.  Rachel has extensive fiscal and operational management experience, as well as grant writing, policy review, and assessment experience. She served as owner and Executive Director of The Maddux Group, LLC, which focused on nonprofit organizational development and support.  In her retirement, Dr. Maddux provides operational support to Transition Solutions Enterprises, Inc., a nonprofit organization supporting justice-impacted individuals.  Originally from rural Blackstone, VA, Rachel is a supporter of the earth’s natural beauty and spirit; she believes it is our responsibility to care for and respect this gift. She enjoys hanging out with her family and pursuing new undertakings.