Meet the Team
Dr. Vanessa Avery
Executive Director
For over 25 years, Vanessa has been a pioneer in interfaith engagement, interreligious literacy, and building pluralistic communities of care and civic trust. Her work has been widely recognized for its innovation in designing educational and community programs that strengthen connection, reduce polarization, and seed peace at the grassroots level.
Vanessa holds a PhD in Religious Studies and serves as Lecturer in Interfaith Engagement at Yale Divinity School and Fellow at Hartford International University for Religion and Peace. She is also the author of numerous articles on world religions, peacebuilding, and interfaith understanding.
Meagan Picard, MPA
ICP Program Director
Meagan is a community engagement specialist with more than 25 years of experience helping communities build understanding across differences and shape shared visions for the future. She has worked with state, regional, tribal, and local governments, as well as community organizations across the U.S.
Meagan holds a Master’s in Public Administration from The Evergreen State College and was recently honored with the Colorado Alliance Center’s Commit to Action Award for her work in democracy and civic collaboration. She lives in Fort Worth, TX, where she also co-leads a project supporting individuals healing from trauma.