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
Director of Operations
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
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 in West Africa and south of Atlanta, GA 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.
Interns
Jasmine Curry
Development Intern
Jasmine earned her B.A. in International Relations from The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, VA in 2018. Before joining CMEP, Jasmine worked as an early childhood educator at Tomorrow’s Youth Organization in Nablus, Palestine and for a nonprofit in South Africa. She has worked in nonprofit fundraising in D.C. as well as for a nonprofit in Chicago focusing on intercultural communication. She believes that education and advocacy are powerful tools for creating a more peaceful future.
Audrey Warner
Outreach Intern
Rebecca Schulert
Outreach Intern
Rebecca is currently studying International Relations with an emphasis in Middle Eastern Studies at Point Loma Nazarene University. Her passion for the Middle East started when she spent a semester in Amman, Jordan studying Arabic and Middle Eastern conflict. Before joining CMEP, Rebecca interned with Love Does and Dream Big where she assisted in helping raise funds for schools for children in India, Iraq, and Nepal. Rebecca wishes to continue to fight for human rights and advocate against current injustices around the world.
Andres Leland
Advocacy Intern
Andres recently graduated from the University of Chicago with a degree in Anthropology. He is currently interning with CMEP before going on to complete his Fulbright research fellowship in Morocco. Andres previously engaged in Middle East advocacy in college and has studied abroad in Morocco through a State Department program. He hopes to learn more about NGO work and focus on legislative research.
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.
