Changing Times 2009 is delighted to welcome an exceptional line-up of speakers from around the world. Speakers so far confirmed are:
Siamak Hariri
Siamak Hariri from Toronto is the award-winning architect of the Bahá’í House of Worship for Santiago, Chile which is currently under fabrication. Siamak received his undergraduate degree from the University of Waterloo in 1979 and his Masters in architecture from Yale in 1985. Since 1994 he has been in partnership with David Pontarini with whom he shares values about understated, responsive and quality design, and a strong sense of place and materiality in architecture. They have received more than 35 awards in recognition of innovation, excellence and contribution to the improvement of the urban landscape.
Albert Lincoln
Al Lincoln has served as Secretary-General of the Bahá’í International Community and director of the Office of Israel Affairs at the Bahá’í World Centre since October 1994. After completing his undergraduate studies at Harvard, he earned a degree of Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago and practiced law for 23 years in France and French-speaking Africa. During this time, he served as chairman, vice-chairman, secretary and treasurer of three different National Spiritual Assemblies for a total of 17 years and was twice appointed as Auxiliary Board member.
Joan Lincoln
Joany Lincoln studied music at Mills College in Oakland, California, and, a few decades later, at the University of Abidjan in the Ivory Coast, West Africa. Between 1970 and 1993 she and her family pioneered to France, the Central African Republic, Cameroon and the Ivory Coast. Since 1993 she has served as a member of the International Teaching Centre at the Bahá’í World Centre in Haifa, Israel.
Kishan Manocha
Kishan Manocha studied medicine and subsequently trained as a psychiatrist, working in that field for some six years. He then studied law, qualified as a barrister and practised in the area of criminal and human rights law. One of his major areas of interest is the prevention of genocide and as well as writing articles and book chapters on this subject, he has served a special assistant to the United Nations Advisory Committee on the Prevention of Genocide. He was appointed a Fellow of the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies in March 2009. He served as Secretary of the European Bahá’í Youth Council from 1993-1996, was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United Kingdom in 1998 and has served as its Secretary since April 2005.
Clare O’Brien
Hailing from Alaska, Clare O’Brien started playing football at the age of eight. In 2001, she moved to East Africa to start her degree and became intoxicated by the history of East Africa and the richness of the culture. During her time in East Africa, she became heavily involved with the culture of football. In 2005 she moved to Oxford to carry out an MSc in African Studies, with a specialization in football. She is currently working on a PhD in Medical Sciences and football. She is the editor of http://footballandfaith.org. Claire also serves as the national Junior Youth Group Coordinator for England.
Dr Steven Phelps
Steven Phelps studied Physics and Philosophy at Stanford University between 1989-1993. He then went to Princeton 1995-2000 for doctoral studies in physics. Since August 2000, he has served in the Research Department of the Bahá’í World Centre where he has been translating the holy scriptures of the Bahá’í Faith. He is the author of several articles exploring science and religion and responding to the claims of the new atheists.