Senior Fellows

Dr. Khuram Hussain is Dean and Associate Professor of Education at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. His research and teaching explores grass roots visions for collective social action. His highest aspiration is to re-inscribe public education as a site for culturally responsive and community-oriented democratic learning.
For two decades he has served as an educator and facilitator for schools, universities, city governments, civil rights and community organizations — advocating for transformative community building.

Madeline Lee’s consulting services include individual attention in a variety of disciplines critical to successful non-profit activity, including program development and planning; meeting planning and facilitation; writing and editing; search processes; and individual coaching.

Joseph Kovacs is an independent contractor and consultant to custom woodworking suppliers. He has been in this industry for 40 years, working with architects, designers, and cabinet and furniture manufacturers. He has traveled the world extensively for new sources for the woodworking market. Joe is also an Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counselor intern. As a church elder, his passion is volunteer work including, among others, his role as a board member of Rural & Migrant Ministry.

Wayne’s 60 years of working for Peace and Justice had its roots with his activist parents, Irvin and Anna Alt, and he was greatly influenced by his progressive pastors.

Barbara Deming, noted activist, author and prominent member of the Episcopal Diocese of Rochester, was instrumental in bringing RMM to Western New York over 10 years ago. Barbara has also served as President of RMM, guiding the organization with a thoughtful and constant presence.

Harriet Sandmeier, retired after 15 years of service as the Chief Ecclesiastical Officer [Stated Clerk] of the Presbytery of the Hudson River, is now commissioned to the Presbytery as Commissioned Elder for Preaching and Teaching. She is a regular preacher at churches throughout the Hudson River Valley, and has served as consultant/teacher throughout the (PCUSA) denomination, including serving for one term as the President of the National Association of Stated Clerks.

Librada Paz, born in Oaxaca, Mexico, came to the United States of America at 15, to seek a better future. Librada worked on a farm when she first arrived, then migrated up and down the east coast for 3 years picking fruits and vegetables. She worked on farms for over 10 years while attending school, earning a BA in Mechanical Engineering from the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Librada speaks 3 languages - her native Mixtec (indigenous language from Oaxaca,) Spanish, and English. In 2012 Librada was honored by the Robert F.

Irene (Rene) Thiel was on the Board of RMM for over 20 years, serving on the Resource Development Committee for many of those years. She first became informed about RMM as a church member of Hitchcock Presbyterian Church which has supported RMM since almost the beginning. After going on a delegation to see some of the farms and talking to farmworkers, she became more interested and more involved. "To see with one's own eyes the condition under which farmworkers live and work was enough to make me want to get involved to better this situation."