Katie is the Director of Communications. She currently lives in Berlin and works remotely. She has a B.A. in International Affairs in the Middle East from James Madison University and an M.A. in Comparative Religion – Islam from the University of Washington. Previously, she worked at Bellevue Presbyterian Church as their Editor-in-Chief on the Communications Team.
Staff
Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon
Executive Director
Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon is the executive director of Churches for Middle East Peace and an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC). Cannon formerly served as the senior director of Advocacy and Outreach for World Vision U.S. on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC; as consultant to the Middle East for child advocacy issues for Compassion International in Jerusalem; as the executive pastor of Hillside Covenant Church located in Walnut Creek, California; and as director of development and transformation for extension ministries at Willow Creek Community Church in Barrington, Illinois.
Kyle Cristofalo
Senior Director of Advocacy and Government Relations/Special Advisor to the Executive Director
Kyle holds a BA in Peace and Conflict Studies from Messiah College, and a Master of Divinity Degree from Emory University’s Candler School of Theology. Kyle was first introduced to Middle East advocacy work during a semester abroad in Cairo, Egypt. After graduating from college, Kyle spent 10 months serving with the Mennonite Central Committee in Bethlehem, Palestine, where he was seconded to work with Bethlehem Bible College. Most recently, Kyle served as the Program Assistant for Middle East Policy at the Friends Committee on Legislation where he helped coordinate lobbying work on Middle East policy and trained grassroots advocates on how to lobby their Congressional representatives.
Nicole Morgan
Executive Administrator | Event Specialist
Nicole earned her Masters in Theological Studies with an emphasis in Public Policy from Palmer Seminary of Eastern University in Saint Davids, PA. Before joining CMEP, Nicole worked with an educational non-profit near Chicago and as a high school teacher near Atlanta. Nicole believes deeply that the way we love our neighbors says a lot about our love for God. She lives near Atlanta, GA.
Heather Parker
Outreach Manager
A lifelong passion for Middle Eastern culture and history led Heather to pursue a PhD in Near Eastern Studies from Johns Hopkins University. She holds a MAR in Hebrew Bible and Semitic Studies from Emmanuel Christian Seminary and a BA focused on International Business from King University. Her work includes investigating the historical roots of current cultural practices, including religion, politics, and social exchange.
While conducting research in the Middle East, she has enjoyed building connections between her colleagues and friends, including Israelis and Palestinians, as they shuffle her between each other’s homes. At home in the U.S., to the delight of her friends and family, she also shares her stories of devouring Ramadan cookies and coffee at 2am or joining in engagement festivities following Shabbat dinner, and she finds that these stories serve to increase her community’s curiosity around such shared human experiences.
Katie McRoberts
Director of Communications & Operations
Ravenel Khashram
Manager of Middle East Partnerships
Ravenel is the Manager of Middle East Partnerships. She currently lives in Jerusalem and works remotely. She has a B.A. in History from the University of South Carolina and an M.A. in Islamic and Middle East Studies from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Anna Baker
Projects & Communications Coordinator
Anna earned her Masters in International Development from Eastern University in St. Davids, PA. Prior to joining CMEP, Anna taught high school and worked for an educational non-profit focused on supporting survivors of child exploitation. She currently lives near Atlanta, GA and works remotely. Anna believes that when we know better, we can begin to do better, and having access to accurate information is the first step in that journey.
Fayelle Ewuakye
Communications Coordinator
Fayelle earned her B.A. in Humanities at Jacksonville State University, in Jacksonville, Alabama with a concentration in Anthropology and Geography. She's been the Social Media Curator for her local church in northwest Georgia for 2 years and finds the gifts and benefits of social media to be great blessings toward any organization wishing to reach out to the masses. She wants to be a part of some meaningful work, both locally and globally, and believes peace and justice are two things the public at large needs to know more about.
Jessica Tissell
CMEP1835 Coordinator
Jessica holds a Masters in Middle East Security and Politics from Bradford University in the United Kingdom, where she served as a Rotary International Peace Fellow. Jessica has a decade of experience in the disaster management and humanitarian aid sectors, including experience serving refugee populations in the Middle East. Jessica is passionate about God’s love, the gift of curiosity, and building creative partnerships.
Interns
Alexander John Paul Lutz
Outreach and Advocacy Intern
Alexander is a Sophomore at Mercer University majoring in International Affairs, Political Science, and History with a minor in Religion and Public Diplomacy. While at Mercer, Alexander has sought to explore the connection between faith and politics, with a particular emphasis on the role of religion in conflict resolution and peacebuilding initiatives—something that led him to Churches for Middle East Peace, where he now works remotely as an Outreach and Advocacy Intern.
Fellows
Kevin Vollrath
Ambassador Warren Clark Fellow
Kevin is a Ph.D. candidate in Religion and Society at Princeton Theological Seminary, where he also earned an M.Div. His research focuses on the relationship between the Israeli occupation of Palestine and Palestinians with disabilities, and how the occupation produces disability. He is currently waiting to continue fieldwork in Bethlehem until it is safe to do so. In joining CMEP, he is excited to complement his research with advocacy work.
Kevin also earned a BA in philosophy from University of Chicago and has researched how churches can better care for and empower people with various disabilities. He has affiliations with the Evangelical Covenant Church, Vineyard USA, and United Methodist Church. In his spare time, you can find him running, biking, or playing the piano.
