Leadership

Board of Directors

Darakshan Farber

Darakshan Farber serves as a connecter immersed in emerging spirituality, the arts, community organization, and world travel. He has been a software architect for over thirty years, having developed unique infrastructure technologies for the Internet, and is now working with more personal applications. He is a director of Seven Pillars House of Wisdom, on the Wisdom Council of Elevate Studios, and a graduate of both the Suluk Academy and the Nine Gates Mystery School.

Pir Zia Inayat-Khan

Pir Zia Inayat-Khan, founder of Seven Pillars House of Wisdom, is the spiritual leader of the Sufi Order International, a mystical and ecumenical fellowship rooted in the visionary legacy of his grandfather, Hazrat Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan. Pir Zia is also President of the Suluk Academy for esoteric studies. Pir Zia holds a doctoral degree in religion from Duke University, is a recipient of the U Thant Peace Award, and is a Lindisfarne Fellow.

Halima Thea Levkovitz

Halima Thea Levkovitz is an environmental policy analyst, with experience in nonprofit outreach, communication, and organizational development. She convened the Interfaith Partnership for Religion and the Environment for more than ten years, instituting public policy strategy and values-driven advocacy in the Pacific Northwest and nationally in the U.S. She holds a Masters Degree in Co-evolutionary Biology from Humboldt State University and has served on the Boards of the Washington Wildlife Federation and the National Wildlife Federation. A student of Sufism for more than 34 years, she is a Cherag of the Universal Worship and co-leads retreats for environmental activists. Halima currently lives in Sammamish, Washington.

Dena Merriam

Dena Merriam is the founder and convener of the Global Peace Initiative of Women. Dena has worked to engage women in peace-building activities in conflict and post-conflict regions around the world. She has also organized major international interfaith events and has worked to build a global network of contemplative leaders and practitioners who share the experience of unity at the heart of all the religious traditions. Dena  holds a master’s degree from Columbia University and has served on the advisory boards of the Harvard University Center for the Study of World Religions, the International Center for Religion and Diplomacy, The Interfaith Center of New York, the Manitou Foundation, and the All India Movement for Seva. Additionally, she is an advisor to the board of Dharma Drum Mountain Buddhist Association. 

Deepa Patel

Deepa Patel is passionate about music, young people, fighting injustice and poverty and nurturing equality and creativity in our world. These areas have been the focus of her work.  Her past roles have included work as a music education producer for the BBC, a campaigner on HIV/AIDS for ActionAid, and as a Managing Director of Creative Partnerships (a national UK Government Initiative on creativity in schools). She currently facilitates programs on the art of collaboration and conversation and is Co-Director of Slow Down London, a campaign on how to appreciate and enjoy life at a different pace. Deepa is a member of the Seven Pillars Board of Trustees and lives in England.

Deborah Rabia Povich

Deborah Rabia Povich, a Seven Pillars Trustee, is a seasoned public policy and nonprofit professional, with expertise in social justice, poverty alleviation, organizational development, strategic planning, communications, and resource development. Currently she co-manages a national anti-poverty initiative designed to strengthen state policies that support the economic advancement of low-income working families. She has been a student of Sufism for over 35 years. Deborah lives in the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia where she guides individual and group retreats. She holds a Masters Degree in Public Policy from the University of Maryland.

Staff

Jennifer Alia Wittman

Jennifer Alia Wittman, Seven Pillars’ Director, has a background in public service and volunteerism, founding, directing, and supporting governmental, nonprofit and small business entities. Jennifer founded and directed the Maryland Youth Service Action Committee, led the nonprofit Hands on Baltimore, and served for four years as the General Manager of the independent publishing house and bookseller, Omega Publications. Jennifer now lives in New Lebanon, New York.

Corin Lee Girard

Corin Girard serves as Seven Pillars’ Special Projects Manager, working on event logistics, outreach and communications, website updates and general administrative projects. Corin has a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications and Advertising from Marist College and previously served as Executive Assistant to the President and the CEO of Humbolt Storage and Moving Co., where she organized numerous events, facilitated company-wide initiatives and provided administrative support. She currently lives in Berkshire County, Massachusetts.

Shams Kairys

Shams Kairys is Seven Pillars’ General Editor of online and print media, with a special emphasis on crafting language for a general audience. Shams is a group facilitator, freelance editor, and writer who has worked with innovative organizations and projects dedicated to helping heal the world, including Berkeley Area Interfaith Council, Meeting of the Ways, Creating Our Future, Seva Foundation, Reaching Out Project, EarthSave International and Youth for Environmental Sanity. Shams lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.