SFCG-USA Staff Directory

Rob Fersh
Executive Director
(202) 777-2229
rfersh@sfcg.org

Rob Fersh was named Executive Director of Search for Common Ground-USA, effective July 1, 2004. In that capacity he oversees the programs conducted in the United States by Search for Common Ground (SFCG). He also directly manages the current projects relating to the U.S. Consensus Council and U.S.-Muslim Engagement. Previously he directed the 30-month project on Health Care Coverage for the Uninsured. Prior to joining SFCG, Rob served twelve years as President of the Food Research and Action Center, a leading non-governmental organization advocating policies and programs to alleviate hunger in the United States. Before that, Rob served on the staffs of three Congressional committees and in the Carter Administration, in each case in positions relating to the issues of hunger and poverty in the United States. He also had prior experience as counsel and policy analyst for a leading non-profit organization involved in U.S. domestic social welfare issues, the American Public Welfare Association. He was a 1994 recipient of the Prudential Foundation Prize for Non-Profit Leadership. Rob holds a law degree from Boston University and an undergraduate degree in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University.

Yonce Shelton
Program Director
(202) 777-2204
yshelton@sfcg.org

Yonce joined Search for Common Ground as Program Director for Search-USA in August 2007. His focus is on national policy consensus building and projects promoting better political discourse in Washington. Yonce spent five years as Senior Policy Director at Sojourners/Call to Renewal, a media and advocacy organization in Washington (led by Jim Wallis) focusing on the intersection of faith, politics, and culture. He managed the organization’s public policy initiatives, led efforts to build and maintain relationships with Members of Congress and the Administration, and shaped advocacy strategies. Yonce also worked with a range of national organizations and churches - many focused on low-income policies - to build bridges across the political and theological spectrums. His introduction to politics was as an aide to U.S. Representative Rick Boucher (Virginia). He is a graduate of Wesley Theological Seminary (Washington, DC), holding a Master of Theological Studies in Christian Ethics, and earned his Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the College of William and Mary. Yonce shares leadership and preaching duties at the Community of Christ ecumenical congregation in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood of Washington, DC, and is passionate about vocationally mentoring young adults.

William Belding
Senior Fellow
(202) 777-2230
bbelding@sfcg.org

William Belding is a Senior Fellow at Search for Common Ground – USA working on the U.S.-Muslim Engagement Project. He is also an Adjunct Professor at American University in Washington, DC. Prior to joining Search for Common Ground – USA, Mr. Belding was President and CEO of Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation, an international humanitarian organization that co-founded the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, the winner of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize. He also served as Chief of Staff of Common Cause. Mr. Belding is an attorney and practiced real estate law in California before becoming fully engaged in the non-profit world. He holds a B.A. in Economics from Yale and a JD from the University of California’s Hastings College of Law and served as a Navy SEAL in Vietnam.

Tom Dunne
Senior Fellow
tdunne@sfcg.org

Tom Dunne was an originator of the U.S.-Muslim Engagement Project. Tom has assisted U.S. communities in resolving local issues through cooperative problem solving, provided organization development and training services to several federal government agencies, and developed a labor-management program for the IRS to foster cooperative problem solving, both internally and with taxpayers. For his leadership of this initiative Mr. Dunne was presented with the agency’s highest award. He has taught conflict-resolution skills for the U.S. Department of State, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center and other organizations. After studying for the Catholic priesthood he received his B.A. in philosophy and sociology from De Paul University and his M.A. in the history of political thought and international relations from Georgetown University. A former U.S. Navy officer, Mr. Dunne commanded the Underwater Demolition Team detachment in Vietnam and the Western Pacific area. He later served with a reserve Navy SEAL team.

Junnaid Javed
Fellow
(202) 777-2247
jjaved@sfcg.org

Prior to joining the US- Muslim Engagement Project, Junnaid was member of the provincial steering committee on EPI and Polio Eradication with the World Health Organization in Pakistan. Based in the North West Frontier Province and Tribal areas of Pakistan, he coordinated disease surveillance data analysis and monitored house-to-house Polio vaccination campaigns. He holds a graduate degree in Jurisprudence and Political Science from the University of Peshawar, Pakistan; a graduate honors degree in law from Pakistan and a Master of Laws from the George Washington University Law School. He is a member of the editorial team of American Bar Association, International Merger & Acquisitions and Joint Ventures Sub-Committee newsletter and has conducted extensive research on Just War Ethics in Islamic law.