Rev. Canon Charles P. Gibbs

Reverend Gibbs has overseen the growth of the organization from 83 member organizations in 2000 to more than 500 today, and helped create its award-winning Traveling Peace Academy. During this time, he has worked with religious, spiritual and other leaders around the world, and has written extensively about interfaith peace and cooperation as a key foundational element for tackling poverty, disease, environmental degradation and other critical issues that cross religious, cultural and geographic lines. He and colleague Sally Mahé co-authored a book, "Birth of a Global Community," about the creation of URI. He brings to his leadership role an abiding belief in the sacredness of all beings, a belief that underpins his commitment to the inclusive, grassroots approach that has made URI and its work so successful.

Before coming to URI, Rev. Gibbs served for six years as Rector of the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation in San Francisco. For six years previous to that, he served as the Executive Director of the San Rafael Canal Ministry, an interfaith ministry of service and outreach, primarily among immigrants and refugees, in Marin County, California. Rev. Gibbs taught writing at the University of Minnesota and worked in the theater prior to his ordainment.