CAN Staff

Eli Johnson joined the CAN staff as its first Executive Director in June 2022. A lifelong activist and organizer, Eli has held positions with the Guatemala Human Rights Commission, Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch, and the American Friends Service Committee, leading federal advocacy on immigration, trade and US policy toward Latin America. 

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A founding member of Sanctuary DMV, Eli has trained thousands of people in the DC region and planned dozens of protests and other actions. They hold a masters in public administration from the University of Washington and a BA in international trade from Western Washington University.

Contact Eli at info@congregationactionnetwork.org.

CAN Cluster Structure

The Washington, DC, Metro region spans the District as well as the Maryland and Virginia suburbs. Each of these jurisdictions has its own government and community structures. Because much of CAN's work is local - within each of these communities - the Network has formed four congregational clusters to most effectively act in solidarity with immigrant communities and individuals. 

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The four clusters and cluster leaders are as follows:

• Washington, DC - Rev. Sharon Stanley-Rea

• Montgomery County (MoCo), MD - Jerry Kickenson

• Prince George's County (PG), MD - Martha Wells

• Northern Virginia (NOVA) - Mary Lareau

CAN Board of Directors

CAN's interim Board of Directors, named in June 2022, is made up of CAN cluster leaders and other faith leaders dedicated to CAN's mission. :

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• Omar Angel Perez, former CAN leader organizer, and member of Faith in Action's national staff

• Rev. Dr. Sharon Stanley-Rea, Dir. of Refugee & Immigration Ministries, Disciples of Christ Refugee and Immigration Ministries

• Jerry Kickenson, congregant at Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation and Principal Engineer at SWIFT

• Martha Wells, member - member of Iglesia San Mateo; and Ward 6 Council member, Town of University Park, MD 

• Pastor Julio Hernandez, Dir. of Family Ministries, Christ Crossman United Methodist Church, Falls Church, VA

• Rev. Alexis Kassim, Dir. of Racial Equity Initiatives, Interfaith America

• Mary Lareau, Dir. of Communications, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax, VA