Our Team
Meet our leadership team and Interfaith Action board members.
If you would like to contact a member of our team, please email us at swmichinterfaithaction@gmail.com with the team member’s name in the subject line.
Rev. Dr. Fran
Lane-Lawrence, Director
The Rev. Dr. Fran Lane-Lawrence current serves as the Executive Presbyter for the Presbytery of Lake Michigan.
Early in her ministry, she was part of a group that worked on justice issues for the LGBTQIA. Specifically, within the PCUSA, there was a lot of work to assure that people who were gay and lesbian were able to be ordained to ministry and to assure marriage rights. That work, of course, is always ongoing, but the focus has shifted to assuring rights for people who identify as transgender.
I also worked many years as a chaplain for an organization addressing issues of domestic violence and rape. As part of that organization, she taught interfaith clergy about the dynamics of domestic violence and rape, as well as served as a court and hospital advocate for survivors of rape and domestic violence.
Rev. Dr. Sid Mohn, Founder and Director Emeritus and Coordinator Interfaith Relations and Public Theology.
Rev. Dr. Sid Mohn is ordained clergy in the United Church of Christ and is professed in the Order of Ecumenical Franciscans. For 35 years he served as President of the global human rights organization, Heartland Alliance for Human Needs and Human Rights and provided leadership in the areas of poverty, migration, social marginalization, health care, housing, and trauma and torture.
Rob Burgess, Treasurer
Rob is a supporter of Emergency Shelter Services, Episcopal Peace Fellowship, Benton Harbor Soup Kitchen and Berrien Immigrant Solidarity Network. He is a retired CFO of Lakeshore Public Schools, Opinion writer for the Herald Palladium, and Coordinator of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program for Berrien and Cass Counties.
Rosalie Plechaty, Coordinator - Van Buren County
Rosalie Plechaty moved to South Haven in 2009 with her husband, Walt. A cradle Catholic, she always dreamed of walking to church, but never imagined she could walk across the street to attend St. Basil's Catholic Church. Fast forward to today, she describes herself as a wandering (wondering?) Christian, comfortable attending many churches. She discovered and fell in love with Interfaith Action a couple of years ago, and with a heart of social and restorative justice, looks forward to this new county wide role.
Vicki Schroeder:
Justice Liaison for Gun Violence Prevention
Vicki has been part of Interfaith Action of SW Michigan since moving to Berrien County a few years ago. She provided leadership on Gun Violence Prevention efforts and was the Co-Leader for The Common Good. She is one of the founders of Episcopalians of SW Michigan Committed to Social Justice. She is an advocate for social justice especially in the area of gun safety. She has a career in national healthcare including strategy, policy and leadership development.
Eugene (Gene) Schoon, Coordinator of Policy & Justice
Eugene (Gene) Schoon is a lawyer with over 40 years of experience, 37 with the international law firm Sidley Austin. Gene is a member of the Shiver Center on Poverty Law board of directors and participates in other organizations focused on racial and economic justice. He dabbles at farming his 80 acres in Buchanan. Gene has a BA degree from Calvin University, an MA in history from Indiana State, and a law degree from Valparaiso University. His wife and he attend services at First Presbyterian in Benton Harbor.
Steven Slaubaugh, Operations Coordinator
Steven Slaubaugh has worked in a variety of ministry settings in Michiana and beyond, since receiving his M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary in 2017. Steven enjoys working with religious leaders, educators, and community leaders to promote awareness that leads to faith-based action. He and his partner Samantha are the parents of two wonderful kids.
Pat Robinson, Lead Advisor - Anti-Racism and Communities
Pat Robinson serves as Superintendent of Buchanan Community Schools. She has worked in the field of education for almost 25 years. Her career began in Benton Harbor Area Schools as a first-grade teacher at Stump Early Childhood Center in 1997, and her last position with the school district as assistant superintendent in early 2020.
Clark Gilpin, Lead Advisor for Promoting Pluralistic Democracy
Clark Gilpin is the Margaret E. Burton Professor, emeritus, at the University of Chicago Divinity School, where he served as dean from 1990 to 2000. He lives in Stevensville and attends the Berrien Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, where he and his wife Nancy co-chair the Social Justice Committee. Clark studies the history of modern Christianity, especially in relation to literature, and he recently published Religion Around Emily Dickinson(Penn State University Press). His most recent writing project explores the letter from prison as a genre of religious literature, The Letter from Prison: Writing Resistance in Early Modern England.
Bobbie Gaunt,
Lead Adviser - Inclusion & Participation
Bobbie Gaunt was the first woman to enter Ford Motor Company’s Sales & Marketing Management Program in 1972. Twenty-nine years later she retired as a corporate vice president and President & CEO of Ford of Canada, a 16,000-employee global affiliate where she was the first woman at Ford to lead a national operation.
Since retiring almost 20 years ago, Gaunt has relished her renewed “gift of time”. She enjoys living in Saugatuck where she and her husband Bob, before his death in June of 2020, have been able to advocate for the importance of the ideas of “leadership that is at the same time courageous and tender”; “thinking globally and acting locally”.
Gaunt graduated from the University of Pittsburgh Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in education.
Nevine Khalil, Lead Advisor - Interfaith Collaboration & Action
Nevine Khalil grew up in Egypt and the UK, and traveled around the world as a political journalist for a Cairo-based newspaper. She now lives in the US and is fully invested in moving forward conversations on social justice, equity and religion. As a Muslim, she encourages dialogue about her faith and is keen on building bridges between different faith communities.
David Lewis, Communications Coordinator
David is active in the Episcopal Church of the Mediator in Harbert, MI, where he serves the church as their volunteer communications coordinator and web master, and former warden/vestry member.
The Rev Darlene Kuhn, Liason to Episcopal Migration Ministries
Laura Hicks: All Are Welcome Congregations Leader
Francis Bergius: Green Faith Congregations Leader
Donna Dumke: Green Faith Congregations and Great Waters Leader
Naomi Ludman: Advisor, Cass County: provides insight and input into state/local policy issues at play in the county.
Carol Higgins: Advisor, St. Joseph County: provides insight and input into state/local policy issues at play in the county.
Don Olindorf: Advisor, Allegan County: provides insight and input into state/local policy issues at play in the county.
Rev. Sue Greenwood,
Co-Facilitator
Sue serves as the pastor of First Congregational United Church of Christ of Coloma. A graduate of Chicago Theological Seminary, she has a passion for justice issues including the environment and loving all of our neighbors.
Zahid Saleem,
Co-Facilitator, Islamic Society of SW Michigan
Lou Price,
Co-Facilitator
Lou is a lifelong member of The First Hebrew Congregation. As his father before him, he has served as a Board member, Vice-President, and President of FHC. He often leads religious events at the synagogue, and has served as assistant Cantor since he was sixteen. He is a teacher of drama and communications with Mattawan Consolidated School for the last eighteen years, and has taught for 37 years. He is active in local community theatre in the Kalamazoo area, and has performed professionally on stage and local commercials. Lou is the father of Sam Price and Rachel Miller-Price, and has two grandsons, Gabriel and Hunter.
Our Board
Nevine Khalil,
Board Member
Michael Nixon,
Board Member
Jharony Elisabet Fernández-Gibbs,
Board Member
Laura Kovnat,
Board Member
Tatiana Reinoza,
Board Member
David Ball,
Board Member
Ma. Guadalupe,
Board Member
My name is Ma. Guadalupe Sanchez, I was born in Guadalajara Jalisco, Mexico. I came to Michigan in 2004, I am an active member of St. Mary's Catholic Church - Hispanic community in Niles.
I belong to the migrant ministry, visiting farm workers for more than 10 years, providing them with basic needs.
I'm currently an organizer in Southwestern Michigan with We The People Michigan. Organizing the Hispanic community to obtain driver's licenses for all regardless of immigration status, seeking dignity and integrity for all in our migrant community.