Life & Work with Dr. Kerri Cissna

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Kerri Cissna.  

Hi Dr. Cissna, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Dr. Kerri Cissna, and I am the Executive Director at The Interfaith Center in Oxford, Ohio. 

I grew up (mostly) in Decatur, Illinois, where my parents were both ministers at People’s Church of God. We did move to Oklahoma and Texas for a few years while my parents worked at Mid America Bible College but then moved back to Illinois for church ministry. I spent a lot of time at church, as you can imagine, and one thing that always bothered me… was how segregated churches are. 

Because of my upbringing, I wanted to serve humanity and minister to people… but wanted to find a place that brought people together across difference for social change. I moved to Oregon for College and then California for Grad School. My first job was at Asbury University near Lexington, Kentucky, where I worked for three years developing leaders. I moved back to CA and took a job as Leadership Development Coordinator at Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA (where I also worked as Director of Housing & Residence Life, adjunct professor, and Assistant Vice Chancellor). I spent over 20 years on the West Coast learning about various cultures, religious perspectives, and faith traditions… noticing our shared values for social change. 

As I was finishing my Ph.D. in Global Leadership and Change from Pepperdine University, I started adjunct teaching for the MBA program at Cal State Long Beach while I was running a non-profit called Leadership Long Beach. Once I graduated, I got a postdoc role at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, where I designed and taught courses in entrepreneurship with the Program for Leadership and Character. 

I moved to Oxford, Ohio to work for Miami University’s Farmer School of Business in 2021 and began teaching a course entitled Creativity, Innovation, and Entrepreneurial Thinking to first-year business students. 

I learned about the Interfaith Center in Oxford and started watching their online programs. When an opportunity came open to help run the center, I thought it would be a great opportunity for me to get more involved in the community, to serve in an area that I am passionate about, and to learn more about interfaith work. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Our biggest challenge right now is figuring out how to best utilize our space. We have a beautiful building that is centrally located in Oxford (with parking!), which is utilized a few times a week for programs and community groups that meet. 

In the past, we have rented our space out to organizations (The Haven and Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation), and we are currently looking for tenants who align with our organizational mission. Our mission is to unify people through relationship-building, dialogue, and social action. 

It has been difficult for us to re-imagine possibilities, examine community needs, and explore ways to generate revenue with our space. We really liked having tenants who offered mental health services because that is a great need and aligns with our mission. 

If you know anyone who would be interested in renting our space, let us know! We have a lot of empty office spaces that can be reconfigured for various uses. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I currently work with four student interns at Miami University to develop programs for our community and beyond that will educate, inspire, and instigate social action for change. We are a justice-focused organization, and we want to be a safe space for all groups to feel included. 

I teach interfaith workshops to academic courses that invite me in as a guest lecturer. 

We create content online and host programs in person. If you would like to explore some of our previous programs that were recorded, you can visit our YouTube page (found on our website). 

We are always open to partnering with other organizations and/or people who want to share their research, programs, and services that align with interfaith work. We are simply trying to learn from our differences and identifying shared values that lead to social innovation, action, and change. 

It is important to note that no one is trying to change anyone’s personal belief systems. We are just trying to connect and come together. That is the beauty of interfaith work. 

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Interfaith work is powerful and has the ability to transform our world. By bringing people together in a safe space, we can learn from each other’s faith and humanistic traditions and perspectives, identify shared values and work together for social justice, equity, and progress. 

We are one human race riding along on the same spaceship named Earth🌏🚀. 

It’s important that we work together to fix some of the broken parts of our spaceship, upgrade antiquated systems that do not serve everyone and begin to explore new universes together. 

Rather than focusing on what divides us and arguing over our differences, we need to come together as a human race to learn from each other, identify best practices across the globe, and focus on shared values and experiences. Then together, we can place the focus on innovation and social change. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.oxfordinterfaithcenter.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oxfordinterfaithcenter/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/interfaithcenteratmiamiuniversity/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/26190416/admin/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0pq08p9H2y0IrqtVyAUUWQ

Image Credits
Ada Pynkala