The 2025 festival theme
Compassion through action: standing together for the greater good
Main
Exhibition
12:30 - 4:30 PM
Xavier University's Cintas Center
2025 Festival leadership
Alycia McClurg
Alycia McClurg is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She serves as Assistant Director of Communication for the Ohio Cincinnati Coordinating Council and as an organist for the church. She has been involved with the Festival of Faiths since its inaugural year, first as an exhibitor and subsequently as co-chair of the music/entertainment committee. She is also a member of the Women’s Interfaith Network of Cincinnati. Alycia is a graduate of Brigham Young University with a degree in Administrative management. Alycia is a native New Yorker who has lived in Cincinnati since 1997. When not busy with interfaith work, she is a busy amateur musician, playing in several musical groups and in pit orchestras for community theater groups throughout the area.
Andrew Musgrave
Andrew Musgrave has served as the Director of the Catholic Social Action Office for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati since 2019. The CSA Office empowers Catholics to celebrate the Gospel call for life, human dignity, and care for creation. In addition to work on multiple matters of justice, the CSA office works on rural life, ecumenical and interfaith projects, faithful citizenship, and global solidarity. Andrew earned his B.A. in Theology from the University of Notre Dame and his M.A. in Public Service & Nonprofit Management from Marquette University, and he is a proud husband to Ana – a hospice social worker – and father to Layla (17) and Juliet (10). Prior to coming to Cincinnati, he worked in Milwaukee for 15 years, both in the nonprofit and faith sectors. He has focused his career on community building, food systems, education, social services, housing, and community organizing, and his passions include racial justice, immigration advocacy, interfaith collaboration, and caring for God’s creation.
2025 Honorary Co-Chairs
Becca Desai
Bakhtavar “Becca” Desai is a Zoroastrian leader serving as President of the Zoroastrian Association of KY, OH, & IN and Co-Chair of Interfaith Activities for the Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America. A former public accountant, she has dedicated the past 25 years to volunteer service in her faith and broader community. Becca and her husband Fred led the effort to establish a Zoroastrian House of Worship in Cincinnati, now becoming a Dar-e-Mehr. She actively promotes interfaith understanding, climate action (through Faith Communities Go Green), hunger relief (as a board member of Shared Harvest Food Bank), and global community development (via Restore Hope Liberia). She also supports youth through groups like Friends for Good. A founding member of the Festival of Faiths Steering Team, Becca is honored to serve as a 2025 Festival Co-Chair and is passionate about fostering love, respect, and peace across all communities.
Fred Desai
Ervad Dr. Fred N. Desai was ordained a Zoroastrian priest in childhood in India and now serves as the leading priest of the Zoroastrian Association of KY, OH, & IN. After earning a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering and completing post-doctoral research, he moved to Cincinnati 32 years ago to work in R&D at Procter & Gamble. Passionate about environmental stewardship, he is active in Faith Communities Go Green, introduced EcoChallenge to P&G employees, and serves on the Winton Hill Business Center Sustainability Champions Team. Fred volunteers for causes including human rights, hunger relief, climate action, and interfaith dialogue. He and his wife Becca have raised three daughters and enjoy time with their grandchildren. He has supported the Cincinnati Festival of Faiths since its inception and looks forward to continuing his involvement.
Aruni Marapane
Aruni, based in Cincinnati with roots in Sri Lanka, is a Buddhist Chaplain specializing in spiritual care for those in long-term care, hospice, and hospitals. She holds a Master’s in Gerontological Studies and is trained in therapeutic massage, Healing Touch, grief support, and insight meditation.
Guided by her belief that no one should die without love, she offers meditation, education, and compassionate support to diverse communities. An accomplished memory artist, Aruni’s paintings draw from her Sri Lankan heritage and global travels, celebrating the strength and resilience of women worldwide while honoring their struggles and triumphs.
Rev. Dr. John Ivey
Pastor John B. Ivey is a lifelong resident of Cincinnati. Dr. Ivey holds both a Doctor of Theology and Doctor of Divinity degree. He is married with three adult sons. He has been the proud pastor of the Beulah Baptist Church for over thirty years. Dr. Ivey is drawn to causes that support equal justice, the underserved in our community, religious growth and youth. He has participated in various roles within the Cincinnati Public School system, the Valley Ministers’ Conference, the Collective Empowerment Group and A Mighty Stream. He is dedicated to making this world a better place for all people.
FESTIVAL PLANNING COMMITTEE
Jan Armstrong Cobb
Bekky Baker
Mary Anne Bressler
Dr. James Buchanan
Jake Campbell
Mimi Chamberlin
Cynthia Cummins
Teresa Davis
Becca Desai
Sandra Driggins-Smith
Lauren Goldberg
Michael Hawkins
Adam Hayden
Rev. Dr. John Ivey
Miriam Jackobs
Rabbi Meredith Kahan
Sandy Kaltman
Danya Karram
Aasees Kaur
Justin Kirschner
Karen Martin
Aruni Marapane
Minda Matthews-Smith
Alycia McClurg
Andrew Musgrave
Rev. Dr. Jim Newby
John O’Keefe, Ph.D.
Penny Pensak
Sr. Christine Pratt, OSU
Terrie Puckett
Riz Raj
Lisa Rosner
Amy Rubenstein
Rabbi Samantha Schapera
Samantha Searls
Bruce Seidel
Jan Seidel
Sandhya Shenai
Rev. Melanie Slane
Jeremy Spiegel
Nalini Tandon
Joey Taylor
Deborah Vance. Ph.D.
Steve Vance
Autumn Wheeler
Rabbi Gary Zola, Ph.D.
Faith communities represented in EquaSion’s Cincinnati Festival of Faiths since its first year (2018)
Baha’i
Buddhism
Christianity
African American Episcopal (AME)
African American Episcopal Zion (AME Zion)
Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME)
Church of Christ, Scientist
Disciples of Christ
Eastern Orthodox
Episcopal/Anglican
Evangelical Lutheran Church of America
Friends/Quakers
Maronite Catholic
Mennonite
National Baptist Convention
Non-Denominational
Presbyterian
Roman Catholic
Swedenborgian
Syro-Malabar Catholic
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
United Church of Christ
United Methodist
Center for Spiritual Living
Church of Scientology
Hinduism
Indigenous/Native American
Islam
Jainism
Judaism
New Thought Unity
Paganism
Rastafarianism
Sikhism
Unitarian Universalism
Zoroastrianism