Jeh Johnson
Secretary of Homeland Security

Jeh Johnson served as the fourth United States Secretary of Homeland Security from 2013-2017 in the Obama Administration. He was previously the General Counsel of the Department of Defense from 2009-2012. Currently, he is a partner at the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison as well as a member of the board of directors at Lockheed Martin Corporation.

Tom Perez
Secretary of Labor

Tom Perez served as the Secretary of Labor from 2013-2017 in the Obama Administration. He has served as the Democratic National Committee chair since February 2017. Before assuming a cabinet position, he served as the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. Prior to that, he worked as a consumer advocate and civil rights attorney.

John King, Jr.  
Secretary of Education 

John King Jr. served as the 10th United States Secretary of Education from 2016 to 2017. Immediately prior to that, he served as that department’s acting Secretary. Before assuming a federal position, he served as the New York State Education Commissioner, from 2011-2014. Currently, he is the President and CEO of the Education Trust, a nonprofit organization that focuses on equity in education.

“Your advocacy here at MPAC has been indispensable toward building a better America, an America that's consistent with our ideals.”

Tom Perez, Secretary of Labor

Rep. John Lewis (D-GA)

Representative Lewis has been a Representative for Georgia’s 5th congressional district since 1987. He is also the dean of the Georgia congressional delegation. He served as the chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) as one of the “big six” leaders of groups who organized the 1963 March on Washington. He has been a champion in the Civil Rights Movement and has progressed key pieces of legislation ending racial segregation in the United States. During his time in Congress, he served as Chief Deputy Whip since 1991 and has been Senior Chief Deputy Whip since 2003.

Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA)

Representative Chu has served as the U.S. Representative for California’s 27th congressional district since 2009. She is the first Chinese-American woman elected to the U.S. Congress. She previously served as the Chair of the California Board of Equalization. Before that, she served on the Garvey Unified School District Board of Education, the Monterey Park City Council (with five terms as mayor) and the California State Assembly.

Rep. Andre Carson(D-IN) 

Representative Carson has been the U.S. Representative for Indiana’s 7th congressional district since 2008. He is the second Muslim to be elected to Congress, following Keith Ellison. During his tenure in Congress, he has served on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Originally, he worked as an officer of the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission. He was later employed in the anti-terrorism division of Indiana’s Department of Homeland Security.

Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA)

Representative Beyer is an American businessman, diplomat and politician who has served as the U.S. Representative for Virginia’s 8th congressional district since 2015. Previously, he owned a number of automobile dealerships throughout Virginia. From 1990-1998, he served as the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia.

Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA)

Xavier Becerra has served as California's 33rd Attorney General since 2017. Prior to this position, he was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for California’s 34th congressional district from 1993 to 2017. He also served as the Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA)

Rep. Zoe Lofgren has been a civil servant for over two decades, having first been elected to represent California’s 19th District in 1994. Over the last three years, she has been a steadfast ally for American Muslims on Capitol Hill and an advocate for immigrants.

“You must never give up, or give in, or lose faith. Be hopeful, be optimistic, keep standing up, speaking up, and get in the way.”

CONGRESSMAN JOHN LEWIs

Paul Monteiro
Public Engagement AdvisOr
for the White House

Paul is currently Chief of Staff to the president of Howard University. Previously, he served on the White House staff and played an important role in advancing key initiatives like “ObamaCare”. He was later appointed to be Director of AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) by President Obama, before he served as the Acting Director of the Department's Community Relations Service at the U.S. Department of Justice.

“It's [about] lifting up the enormous contribution and values of the Muslim American community and what that brings to the table, and how that makes a better America.”

Ben Rhodes, DEPUTY NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR TO PRESIDENT OBAMA

Benjamin Wittes
Editor-in-Chief at Lawfare Blog

Benjamin Wittes is an American journalist who focuses on issues of national security and law. He is a Senior Fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution, where he is the Research Director in Public Law. He is also the Co-Director of the Harvard Law School-Brookings Project on Law and Security. Additionally, he co-founded the Lawfare Blog, which is devoted to the discussion of U.S. national security choices. Finally, he is a member of the Hoover Institution’s Task Force on National Security and Law.

VANITA GUPTA
President and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

Vanita Gupta is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. Previously, she was the Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General and acting head of the Civil Rights Division at the U.S. Department of Justice.

HALIMA ADEN
UNICEF Ambassador & model

Is an American fashion model. She is noted for being the first woman to wear a hijab in the Miss Minnesota USA pageant, where she was a semi-finalist. Following her participation in the pageant, Halima received national attention and was signed to IMG Models.

Dr. Debbie Almontaser
ENTREPRENEUR, ACTIVIST, AUTHOR

Dr. Debbie Almontaser is a community activist, advocate, entrepreneur, and educator who works across sectors in New York City. Dr. Almontaser has developed avenues for social exchange to encourage interfaith activism and outreach across the boundaries of race, ethnicity and religion.

Eric Treene
SPECIAL COUNSEL FOR RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION, DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Eric Treene has been a steadfast government advocate for the religious liberties and human rights of American Muslims across three presidential administrations. Treene manages the Justice Department’s efforts to protect Muslims, Sikhs, Arab-Americans and Asian-Americans from discrimination and bias crimes.

“Our very being together on this night, celebrating each other, is living proof that Jews and Muslims have so much more that unites us than divides us.”

Stosh Cotler, CEO OF BEND THE ARC: A JEWISH PARTNERSHIP FOR JUSTICE

KATHERINE COURIC
News Anchor, Producer, and Documentarian

Katie Couric is an award-winning journalist, cancer advocate, documentary filmmaker and New York Times best-selling author of The Best Advice I Ever Got: Lessons From Extraordinary Lives. Couric’s documentaries include: Gender Revolution: A Journey with Katie Couric, for National Geographic; Under the Gun, which aired on EPIX, and Fed Up, which looks at the roots of the obesity epidemic and is currently available on Netflix.