The Rev. Eric C. Shafer, a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), is Global Refuge’s “Pastor-in-Residence.”  (Global Refuge is the new name for Lutheran Immigration and Refuge Service).  He recently retired after more thaneight years asSenior Pastor at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church in Santa Monica, CA. There he helped open the Students4Students Shelter at Mt. Olive, the first shelter for homeless college students in the USA.  For this work he has received awards from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the Santa Monica Rotary Club, and the Westside Coalition for Housing, Hunger, and Health.” His previous positions include Senior Vice President for Odyssey Networks in New York City and Director of Communication for the ELCA in Chicago. Shafer has taught in South Africa and Madagascar and made multiple trips to Jerusalem and the West Bank.  He is the host of the YouTube program Hope Matters and a regular contributor to the Church Anew website.

Sid Mohn is Director of Interfaith Action of SW Michigan, a peace and justice collaborative of more than thirty faith-based communities. As a non-profit leader, he has focused on human rights advocacy, especially migrant rights and child rights. He was President and CEO of Heartland Alliance for Human Needs and Human Rights for thirty-five years (1980–2015), launching such initiatives as Neon Street Center for Homeless Youth, International Children’s Centers for Unaccompanied Minors, Kovler Center for the Treatment of Survivors of Torture, and Mexico-US Advocates Network. He also worked closely with the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement. For twenty-five years, Sid oversaw Heartland Alliance’s unaccompanied child migrant programs, working with governmental, legal, and social service organizations. Further, he coordinated the second sanctuary church in the U.S. (Wellington Ave United Church of Christ, Chicago), providing safe haven to refugees from El Salvador. His awards include: Executive Director of the Year (United Way of Chicago), Wright Award for Human Rights Leadership (Chicago Commission on Human Relations), LGBT Hall of Fame of Chicago, Founder’s Award (Illinois Coalition on Immigrant & Refugee Rights), and Human Rights Leader’s Award (Centro Romero).

Karla Leitzman has served as a Philanthropic Advisor with Global Refuge/ LIRS for two and a half years. A native Minnesotan who lives in St. Paul, Karla is responsible for connecting with donors in the Midwest and Southern California to solicit and steward support for the missions and ministries of Global Refuge. In addition to her work, Karla is also an endorsed candidate for Word and Sacrament in the St. Paul Area Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and is a senior Master of Divinity Student at Luther Seminary. She is currently serving as a part time vicar/ pastoral intern at Faith Lilac Way Lutheran Church in Robbinsdale, MN, a northern suburb of Minneapolis. Karla is passionate about the church’s role in justice- and peace- making around the world, and she is grateful for the multiple hats she is fortunate to wear during such a tumultuous time.