Board of Directors
Percy Bell , Reformed Jewish
Percy Bell is the chairperson for the environment committee of Beth Emet Synagogue in Evanston, Illinois. Percy has been active with Faith in Place since its founding. He has a myriad of experience as a senior executive in management, and is a member of the Round Table Group. This group has over 3,000 international speakers on subjects such as law and business.
Rev. Dr. Laurie Hogetsu Belzer , Zen Buddhist Priest
Rev. Dr. Laurie Hogetsu Belzer is a clinical psychologist in private practice and on staff at the Counseling Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she also received her PhD. Her professional interests include multicultural and gender issues, relationship concerns, and Zen Buddhist and eastern approaches to well-being. Laurie Hogestu is an ordained Soto Zen priest and serves at the Ancient Dragon Zen Gate sangha in Chicago.
Cynthia Bowman , United Church of Christ
Cynthia Bowman is a consultant and teacher specializing in tax preparation, financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and faith-based community development. She has held positions with major corporations, including Touche Ross, Sara Lee Corporation, GATX and Trinity United Church of Christ.
She earned a Master's in Community Development from North Park University, a Bachelor's in Accounting, Management and Entrepreneurship, from the U. of Illinois, and is an alumnus of Harvard University's Summer Leadership Institute.
Cynthia is a published author, an avid art collector, loves to travel and experience new cultures, and is passionate about issues relating to politics, social justice and authentic empowerment. She is a member of Trinity United Church of Christ and a native of Chicago's Bronzeville community.
Dr. Suzanne Canfield , Episcopalian
Dr. Suzanne Booker-Canfield is a writer, editor, and educator who has worked in the fields of communications and finance. As Vice Chairman of National Affairs and Legislation for The Garden Club of America, she covers climate change issues. She also chairs the U.S. Mentoring Program for Linacre College, Oxford. At Christ Church, Winnetka, Suzanne serves as a lay Eucharistic minister and co-chairs the green committee. With a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Asheville (summa cum laude) and an M.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she was a Richard M. Weaver Fellow at Linacre College, University of Oxford and received her Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Dr. Paul Heltne , Lutheran
Dr. Paul Heltne is the Senior Research Scholar at Center for Humans and Nature where he is the Director of its "Cities" project. Paul completed his PhD at the University of Chicago, specializing in primatology. He taught at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and is President Emeritus of the Chicago Academy of Sciences. He was instrumental in development of the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. He is a member of St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood.
Alison Gerlach , Presbyterian
Alison Gerlach is a commercial account executive with Wachovia Insurance Services where she works to meet the insurance and risk management needs of architects and engineers. A docent for the Chicago Architecture Foundation, Alison appreciates and shares her enthusiasm for the vibrant urban landscape that is Chicago. She is a graduate of St. Olaf College and received her Masters in Liberal Studies degree from the University of Minnesota, where she wrote her thesis on the development and influence of the architectural profession. A life-long Presbyterian, she is a member of Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago where she is a deacon and chair of that congregation’s Care of Creation Committee.
Rashmi Ramaswamy , Hindu
Rashmi Ramaswamy is a principal at Shed Studio in Chicago, a new architectural and sustainable design collaborative. She has worked as an architect in Chicago for 12 years, and has a diverse background in architecture, education , public housing and environmental issues. Rashmi worked for 9 years at McBride Kelley Baurer as project manager and senior associate prior to opening Shed Studio with Mike Newman. She has also been involved in several projects for non-profit clients including a campus for at-risk teens, a transitional shelter for women, HUD 202 senior housing and a day care facility. She has also worked on an assortment of projects for faith based clients. Rashmi is a LEED professional, and a USGBC member.
Cyrus Rivetna , Zoroastrian
Cyrus Rivetna is principal architect at Rivetna Architects, Inc. His portfolio includes municipal buildings, commercial, hospitality, multi-family housing and high-end single-family homes, and a new Zoroastrian center in the Dallas area. He previously worked in Ahmedabad, India as a senior architect at Sangath, the office of noted architect Shri. Balkrshina Doshi. There he gained a profound understanding of traditional building techniques to naturally cool a building. Cyrus studied at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. An avid photographer, his photographs have been published in the Chicago Tribune and exhibited in art galleries. Cyrus is an active member of the Zoroastrian Association of Metropolitan Chicago and is on the board of directors for Sacred Space International.
Debbie Ross , Roman Catholic
Debbie Ross has worked in social work, real estate, and the book business. She serves as a member of the Environmental and Forestry Commission of Winnetka, the Women’s Board of the Field Museum, and as an honorary trustee of the Josselyn Center for Mental Health. In 2006, she was co-chair of a symposium on Global Warming. Debbie is president of the Garden Guild of Winnetka as well as the former chair of Garden Guild’s Conservation Committee. She is a member of Sacred Heart Parish in Winnetka.
Kimberly Wasserman Nieto , Roman Catholic
Kimberly Wasserman Nieto is the coordinator of the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO). LVEJO works with families, coworkers, and neighbors to improve the environment and people’s lives in Little Village, a neighborhood that is home to a vibrant Mexican-American community as well as major toxic industries and coal-burning power plants. LVEJO works to make the air healthy to breath, water safe to drink, and to free the earth from poisons to grow healthy foods. Kimberly participated and facilitated trainings with Community Toolbox, U.S. EPA, and local popular education programs, as both a trainee and later a facilitator. Her biggest accomplishment to date is raising three community organizers ages 10, 4 and 6 months.