Our Team
Executive Director
Nina M. Fernando serves as Executive Director of the Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign: Standing with American Muslims, Advancing American Ideals, a multifaith coalition of religious denominations and faith-based organizations committed to countering and preventing anti-Muslim discrimination and violence in the United States by building a society where all are treated with dignity and respect. She first joined the Shoulder to Shoulder team in 2017.
Nina holds a Master of Arts in "Interreligious and Cultural Studies" from Claremont School of Theology and a Bachelor of Arts in "Social Change through Music and Religious Studies" from the Johnston Center for Integrative Studies at the University of Redlands. Previously, she worked as a LankaCorps Fellow through The Asia Foundation in Sri Lanka supporting research on interreligious and intercultural conflict and coexistence at the International Centre for Ethnic Studies. Prior to that, she worked as a Faith-Rooted Organizer, educating, organizing, and mobilizing faith leaders to stand in solidarity with workers and immigrants at Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice in Southern California.
Nina's intersectional identities have informed her work as a multifaith community organizer, activist, vocalist, and songwriter. As a OneBeat Fellow in 2018, she joined a global network of emerging civically engaged musical leaders from around the world, she was named as one of the “21 Faith Leaders To Watch in 2021" by the Center for American Progress and she is a current member of The Religion and Society Program at the Aspen Institute's Racial Justice and Religion Collective. Nina shares a piece of her parent's story in her Teen Vogue op-ed published in the lead up to the Supreme Court hearing on the Muslim Ban.
Nina lives in Southern California with her spouse, Rev. Noel Andersen, and their children, Aiyan and Ashani.
Development and Outreach Specialist
Uzma Sabir is a Washington DC native and dynamo for advocacy and activism in the DMV region. For over a decade she has helped organizations and campaigns exceed their development and outreach goals. In addition to her work in Development and Outreach for Shoulder to Shoulder, she is also the Outreach Director for the Campus Election Engagement Project, a national nonpartisan effort to engage US college populations with federal, state, and local elections.
Previously, Uzma has worked on a variety of high-level event planning, political and marketing efforts domestically and internationally. In each of her roles, whether as an organizer, development consultant, educator, or engagement strategist, Uzma has drawn on her passion for mobilizing America’s diverse communities in service of the greater public good. Inspired by the work of other bridge-builders in the face of new and evolving challenges, she looks forward to continuing her work at the intersection of public service and community engagement.
Uzma has a Bachelor of Arts in Integrative Studies, with a specialization in Marketing and Advertising from George Mason University.
Local Partners and Program Coordinator
Becca Tyvoll serves as Shoulder to Shoulder's Local Partners and Program Coordinator, and previously served as the Operations and Local Partnerships Manager. Before joining Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign full-time, Becca also worked with Peace Catalyst International in the Washington, DC area, helping to form Christian peacebuilders through bridge-building with their Muslim neighbors, and through deepening engagement on conflicts and issues locally and abroad, including Israel-Palestine. She holds a Master of Arts in International Peace and Conflict Resolution and a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from the School of International Service at American University.
Before working with Peace Catalyst, Becca served as an Ecumenical Accompanier in the West Bank with the World Council of Churches, accompanying Palestinian farmers and school children. While pursuing her Arabic language minor in college, Becca studied abroad in Jordan and lived with a Muslim host family, which first opened her heart and mind to the beauty of multifaith relationships. Becca also spent a few years working in campus ministry to college students. She serves on the U.S. Board of Musalaha, a faith-based organization that teaches, trains and facilitates reconciliation, mainly between Israelis and Palestinians from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds. Becca’s faith informs her passion for countering all forms of oppression and discrimination, including anti-Muslim discrimination, both in the U.S. and abroad.
Email Becca.Tyvoll(a)s2scampaign.org
Communications Specialist
Rebecka Green contributes to Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign’s communications strategy, products, and digital awareness. Her career in communications, with a focus on multi-faith and religious organizations, spans eight years and three states, beginning in small-town Iowa, then the Twin Cities in Minnesota, and now in Washington, DC. Before coming to Shoulder to Shoulder, she served for three years as the communications manager for the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, a research organization focused on research pertinent to American Muslim communities to build understanding and counter misinformation. Before ISPU, she worked for Islamic Resource Group in Saint Paul, MN, crafting presentations and honing communications strategy for religious education specialists across the Upper Midwest.
Rebecka holds degrees in English and religious studies from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. She comes from a family of educators and activists, several of whom also work in the multi-faith space, and make this work all the more meaningful for her. She currently resides in and works from Washington DC.
Volunteers
Ramadan Outreach and Engagement Volunteer
Brent Okada is serving as a Ramadan Outreach and Engagement Volunteer with the Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign. Brent is native to the suburbs of Washington D.C., where he currently resides. He currently works as an international development professional with a background in supporting civil society, governance, and peacebuilding programs across Africa and South Asia. He holds a degree in Middle Eastern History from George Mason University in Fairfax, VA.
Through his work, Brent has developed a passion and ability for cross-cultural communication and understanding, particularly with diverse muslim communities in places like Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Somalia, Sri Lanka, and Sudan. Brent is excited to put those passions and skills to use with Shoulder to Shoulder in order to combat anti-muslim discrimination and foster community peacebuilding through open and constructive dialogue and cultural exchange.
Young Fellow
Salma is a sophomore at Holton-Arms School in Bethesda, Maryland. She serves as the Treasurer for the class of 2025. Salma runs on the Varsity Cross Country and Track team at her school. She also writes for her school newspaper, the Scribbler. She has been a member of her Girl Scout troop since the age of four, and she is currently working on her Gold Award. In her free time, Salma enjoys dancing on the Rythematia dance team, volunteering, painting, reading, baking her famous chocolate chip cookies, and binge-watching Netflix.
Young Fellow
Zaky is a Pakistani Muslim American leader with a goal of celebrating religious diversity and promoting teen involvement in interfaith. Since a young age he has been interested in Islam and finding similarity with others on the basis of religious values. As a minority within his school, Zaky is a part of his school’s DEI committee member where he advocates for policies that celebrate religious diversity. Additionally, Zaky plans and speaks at diversity events within his school where he seeks to educate his peers on DEI. Outside of school Zaky is an avid fencer who frequently competes on the regional and national level. In the future, Zaky hopes to combine his passion for DEI with his passion for health to solve public health issues pertaining to minority groups in the U.S.