Board of Directors
The Gaia House Interfaith Center Board of Directors includes up to twenty-five members, including representation from a range of religious affiliations, SIUC students, and at-large community members. Staff directors are ex-officio members. The board has three standing committees with responsibilities over major areas of the Center: program, finance, and building and grounds. There are four officers, elected annually. Current officers are Erika Peterson, president and treasurer, and Brent Ritzel, vice-president.
Kemal Akkaya, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Computer Science Department at SIUC and advisor for Intercultural Student Dialogue Association. He is from Turkey and a member of the Muslim faith.
Aur Beck, an at-large board member, is owner of Advanced Energy Solutions and board president of Southern Illinois Center for a Sustainable Future. A committed advocate for energy efficiency and renewable energy, Aur created Oil Addicts Anonymous International and hosts the radio show, Your Community Spirit.
Pradnya Dharmadhikari, Ph.D., now retired from John A. Logan College, practices and teaches yoga at home and at Gaia House Interfaith Center. Pradnya also enjoys writing a weekly e-newsletter about yoga philosophy and psychology.
Martha Ellert, Ph.D., serves our board on the building and grounds committee and was a founding member of the Labyrinth committee. She is a retired associate professor of physiology at SIUC and the director of University Women's Professional Advancement. Martha is a member of the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
Kathy Frith, Ed.D., a professor in the SIUC School of Journalism, is board president of Sunyata, the Buddhist Center which is housed in Gaia House Interfaith Center.
Michael Frith represents the Sunyata Buddhist Center. Michael, now retired, worked previously in international development.
Millie Hankla is a board president emerita. She is a member of the Cobden First Presbyterian Church and is active at various levels of the Presbyterian Church USA.
Gillian Harrison, Ph.D., MSW, is currently a medical social worker at Memorial Hospital of Carbondale. She is a dharma teacher for the Kwan Um School of Zen, a member of the Providence Zen Center, a member of the Carbondale Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, and a member of the Shawnee Dharma Group.
Lindsay Knaus is a graduate student in Social Work at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
Al Parr is a board president emeritus. He came to attend SIUC in 1968 after serving in the Navy and earned a BS in Education in 1973. A retired SIUC civil service employee, Al spends much of his time photographing the SIUC Campus Lake. He is an elder at First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Carbondale.
Susan Pearlman, Ph.D., has lived in Carbondale for 28 years. She is on the faculty at SIUC in early childhood education and is actively involved with Temple Beth Jacob and the Jewish Federation of Southern Illinois.
Erika Peterson, Ph.D., is our board president and treasurer. A talented writer, Erika is taking time off from her psychology teaching career to be a full-time mother to Cordelia and Clark. She is member of the Church of the Good Shepherd (UCC) in Carbondale.
Brent Ritzel, our board vice-president, is a Carbondale native and local activist involved in many organizations. Brent serves as president of the board of the R. Buckminster Fuller Dome NFP.
Bob Swenson, a board vice-president emeritus, is an architect by profession and teaches architecture at SIUC as an associate professor. Bob was recently honored with an Illinois State Historical Society's Lifetime Achievement Award. He is a member of the Carbondale Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.
Hugh Muldoon served as Gaia House Interfaith Center director for more than a decade. He has worked with the Illinois United Ministries in Higher Education and the National Campus Ministry Association and is a member of the Church of the Good Shepherd (United Church of Christ) in Carbondale.
Yolan Presley served on the board from 2004-2010. Yo is a graduate of the SIUC Design Department, a retired businesswoman, a founding member of the Shawnee Dharma Group, an adviser to the Sunyata Center, and a member of the Carbondale Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.