REV. MARK E. FOWLER

Rev. Mark Fowler oversees all of Tanenbaum’s program areas and works with operations, fund development and communications. As CEO, Mark is responsible for program development, project management, design and implementation of all Tanenbaum trainings, and the expansion of Tanenbaum programs nationally and internationally.

Mark has been involved in New York City’s education community for over 20 years and is a skilled facilitator/trainer who has worked with teachers, counselors, administrators and students.

He is a sought-after keynote speaker and facilitator in all of Tanenbaum’s core areas, and has addressed organizations globally on issues of equality in race, gender, sexual orientation and religion. Mark has presented at the National Council on the Social Studies, National Association of Multicultural Education, Teaching Tolerance, the YMCA of Greater New York, Partnership for Afterschool Education, Asia Society, National School Board Association, the United Nations, the Newseum, the Power of Women Institute, the Return on Inclusion Summit, the OutNEXT Summit, and the Forum on Workplace Inclusion regarding prejudice reduction, conflict resolution, bias and bullying.

As architect of Tanenbaum’s Corporate Membership Program, Mark has conducted trainings at GSK, Merck, Turner Broadcasting, PwC, The Walt Disney Company, CVS Health, Aetna, Bloomberg, Sodexo, Google, Moody’s, Bank of America, Walmart, and Target, among others. Mark earned a B.A. in English and Education at Duke University and was trained as a Mediation and Conflict Resolution Specialist with the NYC Department of Education. Mark also is a graduate of the One Spirit Interfaith Seminary and is an ordained Interfaith/Interspiritual minister.

RABBI MELINDA ZALMA

Rabbi Melinda Zalma is the Manager of Programs at Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding. Melinda provides support and direction for all of Tanenbaum’s programs including content creation, evaluation, expansion, and growth. She has presented on topics of interreligious understanding to Mastercard, Hearst, USB, and Dartmouth University, among others.

Melinda previously served as Program Director at the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York (JCRC-NY). In her work there, she brought together diverse people and organizations to build bridges and strengthen the community. Now at the rank of Captain, she has served as a chaplain in the US Navy Reserve Component for over 20 years. Melinda was ordained from the Jewish Theological Seminary where she also received her Masters in Midrash (stories and interpretations of the Jewish Bible). She obtained her Bachelors of Science in electrical engineering from Northwestern University.

DANIEL DEL NIDO

Daniel received his BA in Philosophy and Religion from Swarthmore College in 2010. He completed his Ph.D. in Religious Studies at Columbia University in 2017. His dissertation examined how theories of habit and habituation in modern French philosophy could increase scholarly understanding of the lived practice of religious ethics. While completing his doctorate, he served as a Rapporteur for the Columbia University Seminar for Comparative Philosophy, which sought to advance dialogue between Indian, Chinese, and Western philosophical traditions, and as a Preceptor for Columbia University’s Core Curriculum. Daniel continued to work with the Core Curriculum after completing his Ph.D. as the TOMS Core Faculty Fellow in Contemporary Civilization, a course introducing students to fundamental issues in understanding human communities and the values that define them.

ÉLIE KHOURY

Élie Khoury is the Senior Coordinator of the Peacemakers in Action Network at Tanenbaum. Tanenbaum's Peacebuilding Program oversees the Peacemakers in Action Award process, produces the Peacemakers in Action case studies, and brings together its members for in-person Working Retreats. Élie has a Masters in International Relations from the French Institute of International Relations and Strategy (IRIS’ Sup). An abridged version of his Master's thesis on the South China Sea was published by the French think tank IRIS. Before Tanenbaum, Élie worked at the New York French Institute, the U.S. Embassy in Paris and in private geopolitical consulting.

HOLLY WEISS

Holly Weiss is an effective, patient and persistent mediator and arbitrator. Her ADR practice is focused on employment and employee benefits disputes, including workplace discrimination and harassment claims, contract disputes, compensation disputes and wage and hour claims. Ms. Weiss is an Adjunct Professor at Cardozo Law School in its Mediation Clinic. Ms. Weiss is a member of numerous rosters and panels, including the mediation panels of the District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, the Supreme Court of the State of New York (Commercial Division), the National Rosters of Arbitrators and Mediators of the American Arbitration Association, FINRA's Roster of Arbitrators, and the CPR Panel of Distinguished Neutrals. Before pivoting to ADR, Ms. Weiss spent nearly three decades practicing employment and employee benefits law at the highest level at two top tier law firms in New York City. Ms. Weiss is the founder of Stand Up! Girls, a non-profit focused on empowering girls through stand-up comedy, and is a longstanding board member of the Tanenbaum Center.