Former White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives building on Jackson Place in Washington, D.C.
President Barack Obama greets and thanks members of the President's Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships during a drop by in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, March 9, 2010.
The White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, formerly the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (OFBCI) is an office within the White House Office that is part of the Executive Office of the President of the United States.
of these grants were distributed through state agencies to local organizations in the form of formula grants (GAO 2006:17).
Under Barack Obama
President Barak Obama renamed the office and appointed Josh DuBois as its head. He also established an advisory council for the office. The Advisory Council is composed of religious and secular leaders and scholars from different backgrounds. Each member of the Council is appointed to a one-year term. The members of the Council include:
- Diane Baillargeon, President & CEO, Seedco, New York, NY
- Anju Bhargava, Founder, Asian Indian Women of America, New Jersey
- Bishop Charles E. Blake, Presiding Bishop, Church of God in Christ, Los Angles, CA
- Noel Castellanos, CEO, Christian Community Development Association, Chicago, IL
- The Rev. Peg Chemberlin, President-Elect, National Council of Churches USA, Minneapolis, MN
- Dr. Arturo Chavez, President & CEO, Mexican American Catholic College, San Antonio, TX
- Fred Davie, Senior Adviser, Public/Private Ventures, New York, NY
- Nathan Diament, Director of Public Policy,Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, Washington, DC
- Pastor Joel C. Hunter, Senior Pastor, Northland, a Church Distributed, Longwood, FL
- Harry Knox, Director, Religion and Faith Program, Human Rights Campaign, Washington, DC
- Bishop Vashti M. McKenzie, Presiding Bishop, 13th Episcopal District,African Methodist Episcopal Church, Knoxville, TN
- Dalia Mogahed, Executive Director, Gallup Center for Muslim Studies, Washington, DC
- Rev. Otis Moss, Jr., Pastor emeritus, Olivet Institutional Baptist Church, Cleveland, OH
- Dr. Frank S. Page, President emeritus,Southern Baptist Convention, Taylors, SC
- Eboo S. Patel, Founder & Executive Director,Interfaith Youth Core, Chicago, IL
- Anthony Picarello, General Counsel ,United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, DC
- Nancy Ratzan, National President,National Council of Jewish Women, Miami, FL
- Melissa Rogers, Director, Wake Forest School of Divinity Center for Religion and Public Affairs, Winston-Salem, NC
- Rabb iDavid N. Saperstein, Director & Counsel, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, Washington, DC
- Dr.William J. Shaw, President ,National Baptist Convention , USA, Philadelphia , PA
- Father Larry J. Snyder, President, Catholic Charities USA, Alexandria, VA
- Richard Stearns, President, World Vision, Bellevue, WA
- Judith N. Vredenburgh, President and Chief Executive Officer,Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Philadelphia, PA
- Rev. Jim Wallis, President & Executive Director, Sojourners, Washington, D.C.
- Dr. Sharon Watkins, General Minister and President, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Indianapolis, IN
According to ABC News, the office would seek "to expand the role of this office as it relates to policy issues where religious and local leaders can be effective. DuBois will coordinate with faith-based and community organizations on social service outreach and will work to utilize these organizations' efforts to advance the administration's policies, with a primary focus on poverty."
