The new members include The Honorable Edwin Meese, III, the 75th Attorney General of the United States. Mr. Meese is the author of With Reagan: The Inside Story (Regnery Gateway) and holds the Ronald Reagan Chair in Public Policy at The Heritage Foundation. "Ed Meese brings his formidable public policy expertise to the Board of ICRD, along with his extensive experience and wisdom from his time as the President's chief policy advisor (1981-1985)", said Dr. Douglas Johnston, President of ICRD.
Other new ICRD Board members are:
The Honorable Robert J. Murray, President and CEO of CNA, a non-profit research and analysis organization devoted to independent and objective analysis of public issues. Following a long distinguished career in government, which included service as Under Secretary of the Navy in the Carter Administration, Murray served on the faculty of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, where he also directed the School's National Security Program;
Mr. Richard Poirier is a Member of TREGA Partners LLC, a privately held investment firm. He is a former General Partner and Managing Director of Lazard Freres, LLC and a Managing Director of Prudential Securities, Inc. in New York City. In Mr. Poirier's volunteer work with the Fellowship/International Foundation he cofounded the CEO/Business Leaders Forum of the National Prayer Breakfast; and,
Dr. S. Gerald Sandler, one of the world's leading hematologists who serves as Professor of Medicine and Pathology, and Medical Director of the Transfusion Service at the Georgetown University Medical Center. Dr. Sandler is also a member of the Medical Advisory Committee for the Israeli Red Cross in Tel Aviv.
"ICRD is honored to add such an impressive array of talent to our Board. Each of these individuals is committed to helping us utilize religious reconciliation to minimize the occasions in which we are forced to send our sons and daughters into harm's way. In addition, they are dedicated to helping the ICRD create a stable global environment that will support the kind of economic growth that can benefit an expanding percentage of the world's population," said Board Chairman Harold Jacobi.
Dr. Johnston further stated, "ICRD recognizes the potential of faith and religious leaders to prevent and resolve ethnic, tribal and religious conflicts as a means to achieve peace. As we continue to bridge the gap between politics and religion in foreign diplomacy, it is important that we increase policy-makers' awareness of--and receptivity to--the potential contributions of religious peacemakers. And we're doing that, with amazing results."
Since its inception in 1999, ICRD has worked quietly, behind the scenes, using shared religious values to bridge differences between adversaries for the purpose of reconciling relationships and stabilizing volatile political environments. Among its many accomplishments to date, ICRD: (a) helped end the 21-year civil war in Sudan; (b) eased religious tensions between the Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist regions of Kashmir; (c) opened backchannel communications to promote improved relations with Iran; (d) played an instrumental role in securing the release of 21 Korean missionaries held hostage by the Afghan Taliban in 2007; and, (e) over the past 7 years, has engaged more than 2,700 Pakistani madrasa leaders in reforming the curriculums and pedagogy of their religious schools to develop critical thinking skills among the students and to inspire greater adherence to the principles of religious tolerance and human rights.
Among its current involvements, the Center is working with Syrian opposition leaders (at their request) to help them resolve their differences through a process of faith-based reconciliation.
Media Contact: Jennifer Crumpton 917.456.2222 jenni@icrd.org ###