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.

 

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. 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.

Dr. Rachel R. Maddux, Treasurer

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.

Hope Cupit

Spiritual

Hope Florence Cupit is the CEO of Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project, Inc. (SERCAP), an organization recognized worldwide for its significant contributions to water and wastewater infrastructure, as well as economic development strategies. Under her leadership, SERCAP is continually improving operations and securing resources to deliver exceptional services to the communities it serves. Mrs. Cupit holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a major in Accounting from James Madison University and has an MBA in Accounting from the University of Phoenix. She is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and serves as a Professor at Virginia Western Community College, where she has taught Financial Accounting for over a decade.

Beyond her professional achievements, Mrs. Cupit is deeply committed to her community. She has served on various committees and boards, such as United Way of Roanoke Valley – Community Investment Team, Virginia Community Action Partnership (VACAP), Virginia Water Advisory Committee, Virginia Council on Environmental Justice, Virginia Air Quality Control Board, Virginia African American Advisory Board, and many more. Mrs. Cupit’s dedication to improving the infrastructure of small rural communities is unwavering. She is passionate about working closely with these communities, learning firsthand about the challenges they face, and advocating on their behalf to create a better future.

 

Albert R. Walker

Christian

Albert R. Walker, III, Th. M, M. Div. serves as a Program and Strategy Officer for the Richmond Memorial Health Foundation in Richmond, Virginia. In this role, Albert leads the Foundation’s general operating support program and stewards a 5-year pilot initiative, Health Equity Action Leadership (HEAL), co-designed with Black and Brown placed-based and policy leaders in Richmond. Albert’s work is the culmination of more than 20 years of working at the intersection of racial and health equity.

His journey began at Charity Family Life, a non-profit organization founded by his parents. He later went on to serve dual appointments as the Community-Academic Liaison at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Center on Society and Health and the VCU Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research. In this role, he helped to establish and support Engaging Richmond – a community-based participatory research team of neighborhood residents and academic researchers. He moved on from VCU to become Director of Healthy Communities for Bon Secours Richmond Health System, the role that he held as a Center for Community Investment Fulcrum Fellow. Albert is passionate about reimagining neighborhoods and cities in a way that improves the Social Determinants of Health for all. He believes doing so requires acknowledging our history, engaging those with lived expertise, and exploring innovative solutions to today’s challenges. When he’s not working, Albert enjoys time with his family, walking his dog, and listening to podcasts.