Executive Committee (of the Global Council of Trustees)

Eric Roux is currently the President of the European Interreligious Forum for Religious Freedom and the Vice-President of the European Office of the Church of Scientology for Public Affairs and Human Rights. He engaged in advocacy for religious freedom in the 2000s, and never stopped since. Writer of several books and dozens of articles, he always considered that advocacy for religious freedom should be done by multifaith coalitions. He is regularly invited as a speaker at OSCE, Council of Europe, EU Parliament, United Nations, US Capitol, etc. He also works in various interfaith platforms at the European level. He is an ordained Minister of the Church of Scientology.

Mr. Issac S. Thomas is a young leader from Kerala, India. He joined URI at the age of 13 and has been working amongst youth since then. Initially part of the South India Sri Lanka region, he was one of the first young leaders training program (YLP) candidate and later became the Youth Ambassador for the region. He founded Global Youth Movement (GYM) CC in 2017 and joined the Multiregion. Under his leadership, youngsters have grown and thrived as individuals and as a group concentrating on platforms like interfaith, intercultural and intergenerational dialogue, conflict resolution and reconciliation, women and youth empowerment, environmental protection and sustainable development, disarmament of nuclear weapons, advocacy for human rights etc. His vision, work ethics and ability to build bridges have kept him steadfast in his mission as a peace multiplier. He is also the coordinator of ‘One Billion Youth for Peace’ movement by Cosmic Community CC and an active member of the Youth Ministry of Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church. Outside of URI, being a Bachelor of Technology graduate in electronics and communication, he works as a Network Engineer in Doha, Qatar. He strongly believes that URI is a global family and sticks to the motto 'Think globally and act locally.'

Prior to co-founding Kestrel Investment Management in 1993, David spent 12 years at Concord Capital Management where his responsibilities included theme development, investment research, and management of finance, operations, systems and trading. Prior to Concord, David was Director of Investment Systems at American National Bank of Chicago. He was also associated with the Harris Bank’s Management Sciences area in Chicago.

David graduated magna cum laude from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1976 and received his M.B.A. from the University of Chicago in 1979. David serves on the Board of Directors of several non-profit organizations.

Daniel Eror was born in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He obtained formal education at the University of Sarajevo, Master Studies of Economy and Management, with a focus on Human Resources as well as the Master Program of Interreligious Studies and Peacebuilding at the Faculty of Catholic Theology Sarajevo, the Faculty of Islamic Studies Sarajevo, and the Faculty of Orthodox Theology Vasilije Ostroski Foča. He is a member of civil society with 14 years of progressive experience in the field of intercultural dialogue, reconciliation, and peacebuilding, mainly working with young people in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as abroad.

He is a founder and president of Youth for Peace, an organization which has positioned itself as one of the most prominent youth-led organizations in BiH, working in the field of peacebuilding. Daniel has been an active member of the United Religions Initiative network for several years. He has been a URI Global Council Trustee and URI Europe Treasurer since 2018. In Religions for Peace Europe,  he serves as a co-president of the Organization. He is a certified trainer for work with youth, with expertise in the field of conflict transformation, dealing with past experiences, human rights, and discrimination.

His Grace Salika Dasa Adhikari, a Comparative Religionist,  is the Temple President of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Jos, Plateau State. He also serves as Vice-Chairman of the National Council of the ISKCON Movement in Nigeria. A recipient of several national and international awards, His Grace has travelled widely and presented papers at local and international conferences on religion, world peace, development, and environmental degradation. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Leadership, Education and Development (CILED).  He also serves on the Governing Council of the Global Interfaith University.

Fareena Maria is a Computer Science Engineer with a Master's degree in International Business. As a co-founder and CEO of a software company, she specializes in managing large-scale projects and is currently based in the UAE.

With a focus on youth upliftment and women empowerment, she has been the state president of the Human Rights Resource Centre (HRRC) and an active part of URI for a decade. She was the Indian youth representative at the International Association for Religious Freedom (IARF) World congress held in the UK and has participated in multiple youth exchanges to Sri Lanka. Her goal is to change the world one deed at a time.

William E. Swing is the Founder and President Emeritus of the United Religions Initiative. Bishop Swing had the original vision of URI in 1993 in response to an invitation from the United Nations, which asked him to host an interfaith service honoring the 50th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter. Bishop Swing, along with 50 others, shaped the URI purpose (to promote enduring, daily interfaith cooperation, to end religiously motivated violence and to create cultures of peace, justice, and healing for the Earth and all living beings). URI is currently the largest interfaith grassroot organization.

Bishop Swing Bishop Swing served as the 7th Episcopal Bishop of California from 1980 until his retirement in 2006. In that capacity, he was a national and international leader in response to the AIDS crisis, co-founded Episcopal Community Services to address San Francisco’s homeless problem, and co-founded Community Bank of the Bay to support local businesses and the economy.

He is married to Mary Taylor Swing and has two children and three grandchildren.

Books by Bishop Swing: A Bishop's Quest: Founding a United Religions and The Sacred and the Silly: A Bishop's Playful and Eventful Life. Both books are available on Amazon.com; the proceeds of book sales will benefit URI.

Karen Volker was appointed Executive Director of URI and assumed her new role on March 1, 2025.

Karen started at URI in January 2023 as URI’s Director of Partnership and Violence Prevention, and she has delivered on all counts. After 25 years as a U.S. diplomat and ten years at the international nonprofit Cure Violence Global, Karen has earned the much-deserved respect of all her colleagues and the URI Global Council.

Prior to working at URI, Karen’s impressive career included serving as:

• Director of the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) in the U.S. State Department, offering strategic guidance and management of a $530 million assistance program focused on promoting pluralistic and prosperous societies in the Middle East and North Africa.
• The U. S. Coordinator for the Stability Pact for Southeast Europe, responsible for the development of U.S. policy toward the Stability Pact for Southeast Europe and the development of regional assistance programs in the Balkans.
• Vice President of Cure Violence Global, serving as the primary contact for the Board of Directors and introducing the health approach to violence prevention to several new countries and cultural contexts.

As URI’s new Executive Director, Karen will continue to build the strategic vision, collaborating with all URI stakeholders to mobilize resources and expand the contributions of newly integrated regional teams. She brings energy, enthusiasm, and a deep commitment to the purpose and principles of URI.

In Karen’s own words: “I am honored and excited to be taking on this leadership role at a critical time in URI’s history. As we celebrate URI’s 25-year anniversary, we will focus on growing our dynamic network and increasing our interfaith impact so that together we can achieve our vision of a world where peace, justice, and healing prevail.” 

Karen Volker was born and raised in California, currently lives