Andrew Watts

President, Chair

Andrew Watts is a managing director at the global investment firm Oaktree Capital Management. His work in global investing led Andrew to an interest in geopolitics, particularly issues related to Palestine. In 2014, he traveled as a mentor with a group of college students to Israel and Palestine. They visited with Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb in Bethlehem and toured occupied Hebron and the bombed ruins of Bir’im. Inspired by that visit, he became more actively involved in Bright Stars and joined the board in 2016. His mission is to broaden awareness of and support for the hopeful work of Mitri Raheb, all those in the Dar al-Kalima University community, and all in Palestine who work for equality, hope, and peace.

Ed Cunnington

Treasurer

Ed Cunnington is a retired president and COO of Tescom, now a division of Emerson Electric. Ed also volunteers for Living Waters for the World, where he serves as the coordinator of a team installing clean water systems across Cuba. As an elder in the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis, Ed made his first trip to Palestine in 2010. The time in Bethlehem led to a partnership and a signed covenant with Christmas Lutheran Church, Dar al-Kalima, and Westminster. Ed worked with Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb to arrange an investment fund for Dar al-Kalima University through the Presbyterian Foundation, as well as additional funding for investments in Jericho and Ramallah. Ed serves on the advisory board for the College of Science and Engineering at the University of Minnesota. He lives in suburban Minneapolis with his wife Karayn.

Linda Edens

Vice Chair

Linda Edens is a retired speech pathologist, having had her own private practice. She was a member a neurodevelopment diagnostic team in Chicago. In 2016, she visited Palestine with her Palestinian-born pastor, and was introduced to Mitri Raheb and the hope in action at Dar-al-Kalima University. This moved her to become involved with Bright Stars of Bethlehem, and joined the board in 2018. She holds the position of Authentic Travel Liaison for the board, committing to assisting individuals and groups interested in traveling to Palestine. Linda represents Bright Stars by speaking to groups about the current situation in Palestine. She fully commits to advocating for human rights for all, and participates in various social justice efforts in Chicago. Linda is currently working on an advanced degree in Trauma Informed Leadership to further support her work with those in Chicago, and Palestine. She lives in downtown Chicago with her husband Ed.

Mark Leinweber

Secretary

Mark Leinweber is the retired co-founder and co-owner of Phoenix-based Stevens Leinweber Construction. As an elder at Pinnacle Presbyterian Church in Scottsdale, Mark first traveled to Palestine in 2018, where he met Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb. This trip inspired him and his fellow travelers to create the Pinnacle Presbyterian fund, an endowed scholarship for Dar al-Kalima University. Mark has served in leadership positions with Teach for America and public school programs in Arizona and has provided consulting for Harmony Ministries’ school programs in Haiti. He has also served as board chair for Westminster Village, a nonprofit retirement community in Scottsdale.

Jim McDowell

Jim McDowell is the retired CEO of AAA Arizona and has held senior positions within AAA for forty years. He has also held management positions at Ford Motor Company and the National Highway Traffic Administration/USDOT. A member of the finance committee at Pinnacle Presbyterian Church in Scottsdale, Jim became involved in humanitarian aid to Palestine after a trip there with his wife in 2018. This experience led Jim and his fellow Pinnacle travelers to create a $100,000 Pinnacle Presbyterian endowed scholarship for students at Dar al-Kalima University. Jim and his wife Joanna live in Scottsdale.

Albert Asfour

Albert Asfour is a retired mechanical engineer. Albert’s professional life involved developing new concepts in the aerospace, construction, and automotive industries. Relating to International Business and Market Development, Albert supported start-up companies in China, India, Australia and South America. He served on the board of Americans for a Vibrant Palestinian Economy, an organization that connected Palestinian industries to U.S. industries. Upon retirement, Albert started his own engineering consulting firm serving mostly far east companies in product improvement and in developing components to meet Western automotive guidelines. An avid biker, gardener, and old car enthusiast.

Deacon Susan Lindberg Haley

Deacon Susan Lindberg Haley is an ELCA Minister of Word and Service who is passionate about building space for all people to live freely, fully, and bravely as the unique individual God creates them to be. Susan has traveled to Israel and Palestine three times since 2017. She has witnessed the oppressive conditions under which the Palestinian people live and the hope and joy that Dar al-Kalima University offers students. Susan is committed to working for peace and justice in Palestine and Israel through raising awareness of the facts on the ground. Susan works to dismantle racism in the church through her work on the New England Synod Antiracism Advisory Board. She has served in local congregations and in disability ministry. She served as board chair for ProGente Connections, an ecumenical and cross-cultural organization in Framingham, MA that supports Brazilian immigrant families. She serves on the Human Rights Committee for the Worcester Recovery Center and Hospital. Susan lives in Holliston, MA with her spouse John.

Rev. Rafael Malpica Padilla

The Rev. Rafael Malpica Padilla serves as the John Damm Chair on Leadership at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago and as the director for the Latine Ministry and Theology program. He is the former Executive Director for the ELCA Division for Global Mission ( 2003-2021) and the Service and Justice Home Area (2021 until his retirement on May 1, 2023). The Service and Justice Home Area fosters and facilitates the ELCA’s engagement in service, promotes efforts to call and act for justice, and supports the freedom of Christians to love and serve their neighbor globally and locally. Within the Lutheran Global Communion, Pr. Malpica Padilla served as a member of the Lutheran World Federation Council. In the United States he served as a member of the board of directors for Lutheran World Relief, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services, The Deaconess Community, and Lutheran Services of America. He also served on the board of directors for Church World Service.Pr. Malpica Padilla has served the ELCA as bishop of the Caribbean Synod (1987-1993). He holds a Master of Divinity from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia and six honorary doctorates from theological education institutions in the United States, India, and Mexico.

Joanne Cummings

Joanne Held Cummings serves as Director of Middle East Studies and Lecturer in Political Science and the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core specializing in Middle East and international policy dynamics. She retired from a career as a Foreign Service Officer of the U.S. Department of State in 2020, having led a U.S. diplomatic mission, political and economic units, and served as advisor to senior military commanders in Iraq, Afghanistan, and in the broader Middle East. She led U.S. humanitarian programs on displacement in Iraq. Prior to the State Department, Ms. Cummings advised institutions across the Middle East on education and development through her offshore company in Cyprus. She was awarded numerous State Department and Department of Defense awards, including Foreign Policy Advisor (POLAD) of 2019 and the U.S. Department of the Army Superior Civilian Service Award.Joanne has traveled across the world, and she lived in Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan, Jerusalem, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Cyprus, Ethiopia, and Micronesia. She was raised in Beirut, lived in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, and finished high school in Tehran, Iran. She studied regional political and religious dynamics at the American University of Beirut (BA cum laude, History) and the Middle East at the University of Texas at Austin (MA Geography), and she studied Theology at the Protestant Seminary in Cairo, Egypt. She is a licensed Lay Reader in the Church of England and served as Interim Pastor and Lay Minister at the church of St John in Maadi, Egypt. Joanne led the Episcopal congregation in the International Zone, Baghdad. She has served in church councils, vestries, and synods in various US and international churches. She is a Deacon at Lake Shore Baptist Church.

John Lindner

John Lindner has been retired for a decade. During his retirement, he has continued his 50 years of travel and involvement with Palestine. Before retiring, he served as Associate Dean for External Relations at Yale Divinity School for twelve years. He provided leadership for international, ecumenical, and interfaith programs of the PCUSA, the National Council of Churches (NCCCUSA), and the World Council of Churches (WCC) for over 25 years. He was a writer for the NCCCUSA’s Middle East Policy and directed its program of US-USSR Church Relations. He also served the WCC as director of planning and development for the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey. His most significant volunteer commitment is with Bright Stars of Bethlehem. Some of the highlights of his involvements include co-leading four Leadership Seminars in Palestine, launching a "Peace Doer's" Blog for a year as part of a project to grow social media capacities, helping coordinate the Jerusalem Conference in Houston, Texas, assisting staff with special events and development initiatives, developing the Women of Vision endowed scholarship, and organizing a special program for the BSB’s Executive Director in Palestine in 2023. He continues to be active in programs supporting initiatives for justice and peace, including with the Palestine Museum US. Lindner resides in a condo on Wooster Square in New Haven, CT. He is the treasurer of his condo association board and chair of the condo landscape committee. With two grandchildren (ages 8 and 12) living nearby, he keeps busy with frequent overnights and adventures!