Team
In April 2023, she was presented with the esteemed "Light for Israel" award by the Consul General of Israel to the Southeastern Region, acknowledging her significant contributions to fostering positive relations between the United States and the State of Israel. She is an alumna of the Philos Leadership Institute and a certified religious leader.
In 2023, he was honored with the distinguished NAACP Beloved Community Award in Terrebonne Parish, recognizing his outstanding work in revitalizing Black-Jewish relations, expanding global education opportunities for minority students, and promoting interfaith social justice initiatives.
Apart from work, Wendell enjoys cooking Louisiana cajun-creole cuisine and spending time with family. He also is also a leader with the Morehouse-Israel Covenant Program and the newly relaunched National Center for Black-Jewish Relations at Dillard University.
Prior to working at the Philos Project, Matthew worked with a nonprofit where he mentored dozens of college students as well as spoke in front of hundreds of people at college campuses and conferences on issues relating to Israel and antisemitism.
In his free time, you can find Matthew spending time with his wife, traveling, playing video games, or cracking the occasional dad joke.
Hailing originally from the beautiful hills of the Shenandoah Valley, VA, James now serves The Philos Project in the DC area. Outside of The Philos Project, you can find James playing guitar or soccer, pretending to train for a half marathon, writing essays and poetry, or reading history, philosophy, or a good novel.
Girien has previously served in various leadership capacities which include Director of Development at SAGU, a private Christian university, minister at Hope City Church (Ciudad de Esperanza), Executive Director of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC) and the Faith and Education Coalition, volunteer board member for the Latin American Heritage Society, president of the City of Houston Super Neighborhood 34, board member for San Antonio Parks and Recreation, minister at El Tabernaculo Church, and a governor-appointment by Greg Abbott to the OneStar National Service Commission Board.
He received a Bachelor of Science in Church Ministry and a Master of Arts in Theological Studies from Southwestern Assemblies of God University and is in the dissertation phase of his Doctor of Philosophy in Leadership Studies from Dallas Baptist University. He was honorably discharged from the United States Navy Reserves after eight years of enlisted service as a Religious Programs Specialist (PO1).
Although Hailey considers the countryside of northern California her home, she currently resides near Portland, Oregon. She loves hiking, weight training, and spending time with friends in her free time. She also enjoys tackling various DIY projects and taking photos of scenic places she visits.
You can find her talks, publications, and podcast episodes on her website www.culturalgypsy.com.
Before joining the Charles Malik Institute, she worked as a reporter covering topics in religion, ethics, and politics in a wide variety of publications including Newsweek, Religion News Service, and Religion Unplugged. During her tenure, she was awarded the Chandler Award from the Religion News Association, an EPPY Award from Editor & Publisher, as well as awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, Associated Church Press, and others. She is an alumna of the Humanities at Hertog and the Philos Leadership Institute.
He is a co-founder of In Defense of Christians.
He has published extensively on U.S. foreign policy and human rights in the Middle East.
He is an Army veteran and attorney.