As we continue to grow our mission of bringing educational resources to Metro Detroit in order to foster better understanding between religious communities, educate the Metro Detroit community about the spiritual and religious practices of our neighbors in order to build a more beloved and resilient community, the Detroit Interfaith Leadership Council welcomes four noteable members to its board:

• Rev. Gerald Cardwell is an Ordained Itinerant Elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church and is an Associate Minister at Oak Grove A.M.E. Church in Detroit. He is the former pastor of Community A.M.E. Church in Ecorse; St. John A.M.E. Church in River Rouge; and Quinn Chapel A.M.E. Church in Flint. He served as Chair of the Metropolitan Christian Council of Detroit and Windsor Advisory Board and served on the board of the International Christian Education Association of Michigan. He is the former Director of Clergy Relations for Michigan Faith in Action, a social justice organization headquartered in Flint. Rev. Cardwell is also a Retired Major serving in the United States Army Reserves. He is a former accountant, field service manager and national dealer auditor for the Cadillac Division of General Motors and has worked as a new and used sales and leasing consultant for Detroit Area Cadillac Dealerships. Rev. Cardwell lives in Southfield, Michigan and has been married to his wife Betty for forty-nine years. Together they a son and a daughter and three grandchildren.
• Venkatesh Hollabbi is a community leader and a long-term resident of Canton Michigan. He has been a Balavihar Teacher (Sunday School for children) for over 25 years for Hindu culture and Self Unfoldment for high schoolers in Michigan. He holds several adult study groups in SE Michigan. He is a founder member of Canton Balavihar (Sunday School for children). He is well known in the Hindu community in Michigan and with many temples and religious faith communities. Hollabbi holds a Bachelor Degree in Mechanical/Aerospace engineering and an MBA. He has held various Managerial positions for 25 years in the areas of Product Planning and program Management, Product Development in Ford Motor Company and the Boeing Company. Recently, Hollabbi completed a two-year Residential Vedanta course (detailed study of Hindu philosophy) at Sandeepany Sadhanalaya in India and in the Himalayas. Venk and his wife Veena left a lucrative career at the Boeing Company and Public Library jobs to pursue Vedic studies full time.
• Asim Khan is a board member of Michigan Muslim Community Council (MMCC). Khan is originally from India and did his MSEE and MBA from Wayne State. He is involved in Diversity and Inclusion efforts in Farmington Area Interfaith Group and also at Ford Interfaith Network. He is the founding member of Tawheed Center Mosque and Chair of the Outreach Committee there. He has also served on the board for MCM/ICA – Michigan Community Mosque/Islamic Cultural Association in Farmington Hills and has also served on the board of Islamic Huda School in Franklin, Michigan. A cost engineer at the Ford Motor Company, he lives with his wife and three children in Farmington Hills.
• Lisa Mason is Vice President of Program Partnerships at Greater Detroit Area Health Council. With over a decade in healthcare management, Mason serves as head of IFLC’s healthcare committee, informing clergy about mental and physical healthcare resources for them and their congregants. Lisa enjoys contributing her time and talents to the community, currently serving as a board member of Common Ground, an Oakland County crisis intervention and support services agency and Partners for Health, a product of Neighborhood Services Organization aimed at helping the most vulnerable patients with complex medical needs. Lisa is a long-time volunteer at the Detroit Institute of Arts, where she has served in a number of leadership positions, and at Manna Meal, a soup kitchen in Detroit. Lisa resides in Royal Oak with her husband; they have three adult children and three teen-age grandsons.