After leading the world’s largest grassroots interfaith organization for nearly two decades, the Rev. Canon Charles P. Gibbs has announced his decision to retire in June of 2013.
“This has not been an easy decision to reach,” said Rev. Gibbs, who has served as URI’s Executive Director since the founding of the global network in 1996. “The privilege and challenge of helping to create URI has been a blessing beyond anything I could have asked for or imagined.”
In the 17 years Rev. Gibbs has served as Executive Director, URI has grown to become a worldwide network of more than 500,000 members in 83 countries and 559 member organizations, called Cooperation Circles, dedicated to building peace and ending religiously-motivated violence.
“Charles has enjoyed a pivotal and productive role within URI of which he can justly be proud,” said Kiran Bali, chair of URI’s governing body, the Global Council. “Going forward, we are posed with a challenging yet exhilarating opportunity to shape the future direction of URI with renewed strength and creativity.”
Despite its growth, URI has remained an inclusive, grassroots organization, one in which people of any cultural background, status or faith tradition can make a significant positive contribution to the world by working together at the local level.
“URI brings folks who otherwise would not know each other – and who might view each other with suspicion or even hostility – into communities of mutual affinity and respect,” Rev. Gibbs said. “Each group then has the freedom to address the most urgent, meaningful and compelling issues in its community.”
As URI has grown, Rev. Gibbs’ role as Executive Director has expanded. In addition to overseeing an international staff of volunteers and professionals – a role he now shares with Associate Executive Director Debra Bernstein – Rev. Gibbs has become URI’s traveling ambassador of goodwill, forging new relationships with other interfaith groups and speaking out on behalf of the principles expressed in the organization’s Charter.
“For some of us in the far world, Charles’ presence as the Executive Director was enough to anchor us fully in our work, even in our most challenging daily situations,” said Despina Namwembe, URI’s Coordinator for the Great Lakes Sub-Region of Africa. “He is naturally a peacebuilder.”
The Right Rev. William E. Swing, President and Founder of URI, said Rev. Gibbs’ “keen mind and compassionate heart” had been central to the organization’s growth and development – and would serve as an inspiration in the search for his successor.
“He has taught us to look for someone, first of all, who can live out the soul of URI, can be the voice of URI and embody the character of URI,” Bishop Swing said. “This is an exciting time for URI to see what we are made of.”
Bishop Swing will join URI Global Council Chair Kiran Bali and former Global Council Trustee Rabbi Douglas Kahn as members of a committee to advise the Council on the selection of a new Executive Director. The committee will also include Global Council Trustees Rattan Channa and Elisabeth Lheure and President’s Council members John Weiser and William Fuller.
The committee expects to make its recommendations to the Council by June of 2013, and to welcome URI’s new Executive Director on Sept. 1, 2013.
