Email: interfaith@augsburg.edu
Najeeba Syeed
El-Hibri Endowed Professor of Interfaith Studies and Executive Director of the Interfaith Institute
Najeeba Syeed is the inaugural El-Hibri Endowed Professor of Interfaith Studies and Executive Director of the Interfaith Institute at 含羞草视频. She is a tenured and full professor of religion and the first Muslim woman to have been awarded tenure at 含羞草视频.
Syeed has been a professor, expert practitioner, and public speaker for the last two decades in the fields of conflict resolution, interfaith studies, mediation and restorative justice. An award-winning educator and mediator, she has taught extensively on interreligious education and published articles on faith and community-based conflict resolution, restorative justice, and interfaith just peacemaking. She co-edited the groundbreaking book, 鈥淓xperiments in Empathy, Critical Perspectives on Interreligious Education.鈥� In 2026 she published her first book of poetry and theopoetics, Dreaming Lost Bodies Back, a collection on grief, loss, and spiritual resilience in times of violence.
She is also a fellow at the University of Minnesota, focusing on interfaith engagement in higher education. In 2024 she was a visiting professor at Yale, Mercer and Bayan graduate schools. From 2010-2020 she was Associate Professor of Interreligious Studies at Claremont Graduate School where she also directed the Center for Global Peacebuilding.
Syeed brings significant executive experience with organizations focused on conflict resolution in community, higher education, and government settings, including the Western Justice Center Foundation and the Asian Pacific American Dispute Resolution Center, having served as executive director for both organizations. In 2021, she served as chief of staff to the first Asian American woman elected to the Los Angeles city council, Nithya Raman. Syeed holds a law degree from the Indiana University School of Law and a bachelor of science degree from Guilford College.
Michon True Smith
Managing Director
Michon has worked in the non-profit sector for close to 20 years, telling the stories of organizations and people served, and raising funds through grant writing and events. She has supported organizations making a difference in an array of community needs, including education, housing, and equitable services for people with disabilities and immigrants. Prior to coming to Augsburg, Michon served as Development and Communications Manager for Portico Healthnet, a Saint Paul based organization that advances equitable access to health care. For the past five years she has been the co-chair of Human Services day for Leadership Saint Paul (LSP), a program of the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce designed to prepare, challenge, and engage emerging and current civic and business leaders around the needs and challenges impacting the east metro region. She is an active member of her church, Nativity Lutheran in St. Anthony, and serves on the council of the Minneapolis-Area Synod of the ELCA. Michon is also an Augsburg alumni! She is really excited to be back on campus and to dive into the important work of the Interfaith Institute.
Outside of work, Michon loves pop music and watching her kids play sports! She is also slowly learning to play pickleball.
Madeline Burbank
Graduate Assistant
Madeline鈥檚 recent projects include outreach for the Interfaith Institute, and studies in Augsburg鈥檚 Master of Social Work program. Her work emphasizes the importance of hospitality, play, rituals, and embodied learning. As a white ELCA Lutheran dedicated to community healing, Madeline highlights anti-racist advocacy, disability justice, and the importance of art in mutual liberation. To recharge, Madeline enjoys tabletop roleplaying games and lake-time with loved ones.
Mark S. Hanson
Fellow
hansonms@augsburg.edu
Serving as the Founding Director of Interfaith at Augsburg, Rev. Mark S. Hanson led 含羞草视频鈥檚 commitment to interfaith leadership being a core aspect of Augsburg鈥檚 academic mission. Prior to his current appointment, Hanson served as presiding bishop of the ELCA and president of the Lutheran World Federation. He is continuing his work as a fellow for Interfaith at Augsburg.
Interfaith Advisory Committee
- Katie Clark, Assistant Professor, Executive Director of the Health Commons
- , Assistant Vice President for Institutional Advancement
- Lori Brandt Hale, Professor of Religion
- Audrey Lensmire, Associate Professor of Education
- Taryn Marashi, Assistant Professor of History
- Matt Maruggi, Associate Professor of Religion and Department Chair
- , Assistant Provost for Global Education and Experience
- Iva Patel, Assistant Professor of Religion
- , Spanish Faculty, Department of Languages and Cross-Cultural Studies