MEET THE
Board

Rev. Melissa McCarthy serves as canon to the ordinary in the six-county Diocese of Los Angeles. Born and raised in Bakersfield, McCarthy is a 1998 graduate of the University of California, Riverside, with a bachelor of arts degree 
in religious studies. She has worked professionally in the performing arts, including teaching, performing, and arts administration. She has served on the boards of Canterbury USC and Camp Stevens, where she works as a chaplain each summer. In addition, Rev. McCarthy has been a facilitator and mentor for the newly ordained in this diocese for the last seven years.

Ali Tweini is a revenue analyst for the UCLA Health System, a position he has held since 2011. Before that, he was a vice-president in the board of directors at Cedars-Sinai Federal Credit Union. He has long been active in the fight for workers rights and serves as Political Coordinator, Ali Tweini is a revenue analyst for the UCLA Health System, a position he has held since 2011. Before that, he was a vice-president in the board of directors at Cedars-Sinai Federal Credit Union. He has long been active in the fight for workers rights and currently serves as Political Coordinator of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 2010. He is also a member of the Teamsters 2010 Executive Board. He is committed to fighting for workers’ place at the decision-making table..

 

Christopher French is a Senior Asset Manager at Hollywood Community Housing, a non-profit affordable housing developer that provides housing and supportive services for low-income families and formerly homeless individuals.

Izeah R. Chairez is a Political & Community Organizer for the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW), a 18,000 member-led union representing workers in California and Hawaii. Through his work at NUHW, Izeah has advocated for the interests of health care workers, state and federal level. Izeah helped with the passage of SB221, a 2021 landmark bill which NUHW sponsored that requires insurers to provide return therapy appointments within 10 business days unless the treating clinician determines that a longer wait would not be detrimental to the patient. Izeah is also an active layperson at Newsong Church in Santa Ana, which he discovered through his activism within CLUE Justice. His faith calls him to advocate for the needs of the impoverished, the hungry, the misfit, and the “other.” He received his B.A. in History of Public Policy at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He currently resides in Southern California with his wife, Liza and dog, Sunni.  In his free time, Izeah enjoys reading novels and hiking.

Mary Stancavage is an empowered dharma teacher with a deep commitment to engaged Buddhism (which means working towards equality and justice wherever necessary). She has practiced meditation, and cultivated a spiritual practice for more than 30 years.

Rabbi Stephen Einstein is the Founding Rabbi Emeritus of Congregation B’nai Tzedek in Fountain Valley, Orange County. He is the co-editor of Introduction to Judaism: A Sourcebook, which was used for basic Judaism courses throughout North America for over three decades. He is also co-author of Every Person’s Guide to Judaism. Rabbi Einstein is Past President of the Greater Huntington Beach Interfaith Council and an active member of the Catholic-Jewish Dialogue.  He served on the Fountain Valley School Board for six years and on the School District’s Personnel Commission for 27 years. 

David Johnson is an ordained minister and chief philanthropist for his family foundation, The Johnson Family Foundation, and serves on the National and International Committee for the Self-Development of People (SDOP), of the Presbyterian Church. This group consists of individuals who are dissatisfied with poverty and oppression and participate in the empowerment of economically poor, oppressed, and disadvantaged people, seeking to change the structures that perpetuate poverty, oppression, and injustice. Through these efforts and others, David is a member of several non-profit organizations that represent a diverse set of initiatives focused on social justice in the greater Los Angeles community. David earned his Master of Arts in Bible Exposition with a Certificate in Theology from the Talbot School of Theology at BIOLA University.

Rev. Tanya Lopez serves as Senior Pastor of Downey Memorial Christian Church and has been involved in church leadership at the local, regional, and general (national) levels within her denomination, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). She has been active across Los Angeles County with various immigrant rights organizations and community organizing groups as she continues to live into her call of being an active participant in co-creating the Kingdom of God for all. Prior to serving in congregational ministry, she served as an Early Childhood Educator serving children and families in both Los Angeles and Orange County. She was ordained into Christian Ministry in 2022 and holds a BA in Psychology from Cal State Fullerton and a Master of Divinity from Claremont School of Theology.

Rabbi Daniel Mehlman is a spiritual leader and educator who serves as the rabbi of Temple Ner Tamid in Downey, California. In this role, he leads religious services, supports his congregation, and promotes Jewish learning and community engagement. Rabbi Daniel Mehlman works for Temple Ner Tamid of Downey.

A member of CLUE’s Santa Monica Committee since 2015, Andy Moss is an Emeritus Professor from Cal Poly Pomona, having taught for both the English and Modern Languages Department and for the Ahimsa Center, the university’s nonviolence studies center. In working with CLUE, he is grateful to be affiliated with an organization that’s done so much – and

Pastor Bridie Roberts is the Community Organizing Director for UNITE HERE Local 11 and associate pastor for Hollywood United Methodist Church. Pastor Roberts has extensive experience in Faith-Rooted Organizing, (as a former Program Director at CLUE), and staff development and training.

Derek Smith has been a community and political organizer in LA and Orange County for over 20 years.  He has worked on several living wage campaigns in cities such as Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Long Beach, and Anaheim. He was inspired to join the labor movement after witnessing the courage and tenacity of Santa Monica housekeepers fighting for their union at the Miramar Hotel.  Through policy and direct action, he hopes to continue the partnership of low wage workers and community and faith leaders.  Prior to joining UFCW 324, where he serves as political director, he worked with UNITE HERE Local 11 and LAANE.

Pastor Gary Williams was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. He is the pastor of Saint Mark UMC in the heart of South Los Angeles. He’s passionate about congregational revitalization, spiritual transformation, and community engagement. Pastor Gary has a prophetic, progressive, and transformative vision of what South Los Angeles can be.

Rabbi Neil Comess-Daniels is the Rabbi Emeritus of Beth Shir Shalom, the progressive Reform synagogue in Santa Monica/West Los Angeles.  He received his rabbinic ordination and his honorary Doctor of Divinity, from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. “Rabbi Neil” brought original music and pioneering spiritual celebrations to Beth Shir Shalom, intimate Shabbat gatherings weaving a tapestry of music, study and prayer (with innovative texts and translations). Rabbi Comess-Daniels is active in many community organizations, especially those involving communal repair, including Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE), of which he is a founding board member and from which he received a Giants of Justice Award, Muslim Public Affairs Council (Peace Award), Upward Bound House (Community Spirit Award), the National Conference of Community and Justice (Distinguished Merit Award), the Santa Monica Area Interfaith Council, of which he is a past chair, Martin Luther King Jr. Westside Coalition (Community Light Award).

Rev. Sam Pullen (he/him), brings over 25 years of experience in union, nonprofit, interfaith and congregational settings to his role as a Faith Rooted Organizer with CLUE. Sam was trained as a union organizer, researcher, boycott and community organizer by UNITE HERE. He has served as an ordained minister of the United Church of Christ in Southern California since 2013, the Minister of Health Justice with LA Voice Faith In Action (PICO), a faith rooted organizer with CLUE, and as the pastor of LGBTQ+ affirming congregations in Los Alamitos and Woodland Hills. He is a recipient of CLUE’s 2020 Architect of Justice award for organizing to defend immigrants from anti-sanctuary policies in Los Alamitos. Sam holds a Master of Divinity from Claremont School of Theology and a B.A. in Environmental Justice from The Evergreen State College.