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.

Cannon holds an MDiv from North Park Theological Seminary, an MBA from North Park University’s School of Business and Nonprofit Management, and an MA in bioethics from Trinity International University. She received her first doctorate in American History with a minor in Middle Eastern studies at the University of California (Davis) focusing on the history of the American Protestant church in Israel and Palestine and her second doctorate in Ministry in Spiritual Formation from Northern Theological Seminary. Her work has been highlighted in The New York Times, CNN, Chicago Tribune, Christianity Today, Leadership Magazine, The Christian Post, Jerusalem Post, EU Parliament Magazine, Huffington Post, and other international media outlets.

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.

Alison Glick

Director of Development

Alison lived and worked for six years in the Middle East, including three years in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and three years in Yarmouk Camp near Damascus, Syria. In Palestine she taught at the Quaker-run Friends Schools in Ramallah and worked as a human rights researcher for an NGO in Gaza City during the first Palestinian intifada.

Alison recently served as Assistant Director of Georgetown University’s Center for Contemporary Studies and as international program officer for a whistleblower support and advocacy organization, where she helped build an international network of anti-corruption and transparency advocates. Her development experience includes serving on and working with Boards of Directors, managing grants and donor relations, and planning crowdfunding initiatives. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Temple University with a bachelor’s degree in Middle East history, and has been working for justice, equality and dignity for all in Israel/Palestine for many years.

Katie McRoberts

Director of Communications

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.

Elli Atchison

Donor Ambassador

Elli Atchison’s love for Jesus initially brought her to the Holy Land on a pilgrimage in 2012. But it is her love for all of God’s people that has continued to send her back every year since. The friendships she has made with Israelis and Palestinians over the years inspire her to work as an advocate for just peace.

As an educator and a mother, Elli is motivated to help improve the lives of children living in the region. She has volunteered with World Vision, sponsored projects for children in Palestine, and currently helps lead an interfaith ministry for peace with justice in her community. She is proud to serve along side the staff of CMEP, volunteering as the Ambassador of Donor Engagement and a Regional Coordinator. Elli and her husband primarily live in Orlando, where they stay busy homeschooling their three children, traveling, and volunteering in their community.

Anna Baker

Bulletin Coordinator & Heads of Communion Support Admin

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 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.

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.

Aware that travel has shaped her connection to humanity more than any other, Heather began a career in purposeful, socially conscious tourism. She works to make her opportunities available to others, to build bridges with broader impact, and to foster understanding and connection in more formal ways. She has found partners in both MEJDI Tours and Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) and currently serves as an Outreach Coordinator for both organizations. Heather lectures in houses of worship and community centers and has taught history, religion and theology, and language courses for both sectarian (Catholic, Protestant) and secular universities. She has conducted research in various museums, archaeological collections, and departments of antiquity throughout the Middle East and Europe, while managing all travel logistics for her and her teams. She has also worked in Cultural Heritage Preservation. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the American Schools of Oriental Research and is the founder and former president of the Colloquium for Biblical and Near Eastern Studies.

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.

Ambassador Warren Clark Fellows

Andrew Wickersham

Ambassador Warren Clark Fellow

Andrew Wickersham serves as a CMEP Ambassador Warren Clark Fellow. He previously served as the Government Relations Intern during the fall of 2017 after recently completing his MA in Middle East Studies from the University of Chicago. As a history student with interests in nationalism, identity, and minority rights, Andrew has been interested in the Middle East politics for many years. His stay in the West Bank with host families during the fall of 2014 prompted him to become engaged on the issues surrounding the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict. His passion for politics led him to look for ways to advocate for a just and peaceful resolution to Palestinian-Israeli Conflict in Washington, D.C after graduating.

Volunteers

Celia Riley

Volunteer

Celia is a volunteer with the CMEP Communication team. She has a B.A. in Political Science and a Master of Public Administration, moving to Washington, D.C. in 2009 to work as a Research Analyst on Capitol Hill. After returning from a 2011, dual-narrative trip to the Holy Land, Celia searched for ways to become involved with advocacy. For three years, she led teams from National Community Church to Bethlehem to learn from organizations and local peacemakers that pursue justice and reconciliation. Upon return, she connected team members to CMEP’s advocacy work and approach to holistic policy.