Robert Nicholson
President & Founder | @rwnicholson_
Robert Nicholson is President and Executive Director of The Philos Project. He holds a BA in Hebrew Studies from Binghamton University, and a JD and MA in Middle Eastern history from Syracuse University. A former U.S. Marine and a 2012-13 Tikvah Fellow, Robert founded Philos in 2014 to stimulate a new generation of religious and cultural exchange between the Near East and the West. Robert serves on the Board of Directors of Passages and the advisory board of In Defense of Christians. His written work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, New York Post, Jerusalem Post, Newsweek, Providence, First Things, The Hill, and The American Interest.
Luke Moon
Deputy Director | @lukemoon1
Luke Moon is the Deputy Director of The Philos Project. Prior to that, Luke served as business manager for the Institute on Religion and Democracy, and, before that, as a missionary with Youth with a Mission for 12 years. Luke has lived, worked, and taught in over 45 countries, and has advocated on a number of human rights issues along the way. He holds a BA in Biblical Studies from the University of the Nations and an MA in Global Politics from Regent University. Luke is also an ordained Southern Baptist minister.
Giulia Nembrini
Advocacy Director
Giulia Nembrini is the Advocacy Director at the Philos Project. She has a degree in Political Science with a specialization in International Relations, which she obtained at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, located in Milan, Italy. After her experience as a humanitarian worker in the town of Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais, Brazil), Giulia decided to continue her studies and moved to New York City, and then to Tel Aviv, where she graduated from the International Master's Program in Security and Diplomacy at Tel Aviv University (TAU). After serving on the Holy See Permanent Observation Mission to the United Nations in New York, Giulia returned to Rome, Italy. Her career has spanned topics such as international diplomacy, geopolitics of the Middle East, religious freedom, human rights of refugees, peacemaking, nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament. In her spare time, she loves to explore New York City, spend time with her husband and puppy, organize trips, and read Italian poetry.
Jesse Rojo
Hispanic Affairs Director | @jssrojo
Jesse Rojo is the Director of Hispanic Affairs at The Philos Project. A native New Yorker of Dominican descent, Jesse holds a BA in Theological Studies from Hyles-Anderson College. He has pioneered bilingual programs to engage and educate the Christian Hispanic community on Israel-related issues, including educational initiatives, alumni networks, and a nationwide leadership conference. In 2016, Jesse founded Israel A Cappella, an initiative to allow Hispanic Christians to connect with the land of Israel through the experiences and testimony of Christian music artists. In addition to his work at The Philos Project, Jesse is a part of Tim Keller’s international church-planting network, Redeemer City-to-City, and is in the process of planting a bilingual church among immigrant and native communities in Yonkers, New York. His work has been published in The Christian Post and Contexto Media.
Kristina King
African American Affairs Director
Kristina King is the African American Affairs Director at The Philos Project. Originally from the San Francisco bay area in Northern California, she currently lives in Chicago. She pioneered the African American Outreach programs for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), and the International Fellowhip of Christians and Jews (IFCJ). She studied at Duke University. Kristina is passionate about drawing connections between the cooperation of the Jewish and African American communities particularly during the civil rights movement and how this can inspire further cooperation today.
Dr. David E. Jackson
Associate Director of African American Affairs | @dejacksonii
A native of Atlanta, GA, Dr. David E. Jackson is the Associate Director of African American Affairs (AAA) at The Philos Project. He provides support to over 700 African American alumni leaders through training events and online programs. Further, Dr. Jackson is working in partnership with the AAA Director to build a premiere Black Christian leadership development organization scheduled to launch in the Summer 2021 in the Southeast US. His areas of expertise are diversity, inclusion, and equity; leader development; curriculum and instructional design; and intercultural competencies. Dr. Jackson’s previous background in law enforcement, non-profit, politics, and ministry has equipped him to speak, train, and consult on topics such as organizational diversity and inclusion, race relations, change management, and criminal justice reform around the nation and abroad. Dr. Jackson is an ordained minister with a BA from Cornell University, a MDiv from Union Theological Seminary of New York, and a DMin from New York Theological Seminary. He is currently a PhD student at Southeastern University studying Organizational Leadership. He is the author of three books, op-ed articles, and journal essays. He resides between New York, Chicago, and Atlanta.
Josefa Gonzalez
Director of Communications | @josefagonz
Josefa Gonzalez is the Director of Communications at the Philos Project. She holds a BA in Communication Arts and Multimedia from Franciscan University of Steubenville. Josefa loves the outdoors and has traveled extensively throughout the US and Europe - including Alaska four times. Josefa’s work experience includes three years of strategy consulting in Washington, DC where she helped federal agencies optimize their communications with clarity, simplicity, and efficiency. Josefa has a passion for learning and loves to read books on theology and articles on Near East politics. In her spare time, you can find Josefa taking photos - she is a photographer with a passion for telling stories and creating meaningful images.
Isaac Woodward
Leadership Network Associate Director
Isaac Woodward is the Leadership Network Associate Director. Prior to his role at Philos, he worked as a philanthropy consultant for political and civil society initiatives across North America. From 2017 through mid-2019, Isaac served as a Public Interest Fellow. During the fellowship, he worked as a research analyst for a network of donors specializing in public policy and political campaigns. During the 2018 election cycle, he conducted research for a political affairs firm. In the wake of the atrocities committed against Christian, Yazidis, and Muslims during the rule of ISIS, Isaac worked as a human rights advocate for an international NGO focusing on humanitarian aid and religious liberty cultivation. During the 114th Congress, Isaac worked in the House of Representatives on a wide range of policy areas while managing constituent correspondence. In 2015, he worked as a program and research assistant for the Education Department at the American Enterprise Institute. In 2014, he served as a Charles Koch Fellow at the American Legislative Exchange Council and as a residential fellow at the John Jay Institute. Isaac graduated from Rutgers University, where he majored in philosophy and political science and minored in classics. He is originally from rural Georgia and now lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife, Katelyn, and their two dogs.
Shannon Walsh
Associate Director of Research & Education
@shannonswalsh
Shannon Walsh is the Associate Director of Research & Education at the Philos Project and holds a B.A. in Political Science with an International Relations concentration from Tulane University. Throughout her undergraduate career, she completed various internships, including with the U.S. House of Representatives, where her boss served on the Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee. During her final year of college, she visited Israel with the Jewish National Fund on a fully subsidized educational program to Israel for non-Jewish student leaders and absolutely fell in love with the country and the region. Shannon is an avid reader and writer and enjoys reading anything she can get her hands on about the Near East. In her free time, she assists a former professor with research on populism and polarization and studies Hebrew. She also loves spending time with friends and family and enjoys being outdoors, traveling, and deepening her understanding of theology as a practicing Catholic.
Rebeca Cruz
Hispanic Affairs Associate
Rebeca “Becky” Cruz is the Hispanic Affairs Associate at The Philos Project. Rebeca was born in El Salvador and moved to the United States when she was seven years old. She attended Valley Forge Christian College, studying social work. In 2010 she Graduated from the Latin American Bible Theological Institute (ITLA), Assemblies of God in Wayne NJ, studying pastoral ministries. Prior to working at The Philos Project, Rebeca served as the Promotion Director Assistant in a Spanish-speaking Christian Radio Station. She is a pastor's daughter and the youngest of four children. Due to her upbringing, Rebeca has forged a passion and love for serving in the ministry and serving in the community. She now resides in New Jersey with her two daughters Annalyn and Elizabeth.
Caroline Walker
Development Associate
Caroline Walker is the Development Associate at The Philos Project. She graduated from The King’s College with a B.A. in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics, minoring in Theology. She has a love for public speaking and performance, having been an active member of mock trial, debate, and dance teams during her time in college. Caroline’s work experience includes serving as Social Media intern at Salem Media, Administrative Assistant and Scholarship Coordinator at The King’s College Admissions Department, Philos Project intern, and Office Administrator for Reclaim New York. Outside the office you can find her binging political podcasts, taking dance classes, attending concerts, or writing music.
George Goss
Communications Associate /@GeorgeGoss4
George Goss is the Communications Associate at The Philos Project. He is a graduate of the Thomas More College of Liberal Arts in Merrimack, New Hampshire, and holds two graduate degrees: a Master’s in Digital Photography from the School of Visual Arts in New York City as well as a Master’s in Journalism with a Business Concentration from the City University of New York. During his time in New York he was an active volunteer with Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity sisters, assisting them to care for and provide fellowship with residents at their shelter for men with HIV in the West Village. His collaboration with Philos began in 2018 when he participated in the Philos Leadership Institute, and that has expanded to include membership in the DC Philos Chapter and a Philos Catholic trip in 2019. Prior to Philos, he was an intern at the White House Photo Office as well as a Poynter-Koch Media & Journalism Fellow. In his free time, he enjoys being with his wife and two-year-old son as well as exploring Arlington, Virginia, by foot and bicycle. One of his favorite weekend pastimes is reading newspapers, especially the latest current events happening in Israel.
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