Speaker & Facilitator Bios

Over 29 years serving in Washington and travel to nearly 130 countries along with deep engagement of the Abrahamic faiths led Mark to develop a unique paradigm for the peaceful resolution of conflict successfully applied in several challenging areas. These methods are outlined in his bestselling and award winning book, A Deadly Misunderstanding, which deals with building bridges to the Islamic world and strategies to thwart the growing threat of terrorism.

Safi Kaskas has over 35 years of executive experience in the corporate world with emphasis on strategic management.  He has led large corporations and trading companies, and has pioneered numerous successful start-ups' consulting engagements for clients in the United States and Saudi Arabia, in the areas of trade and industry. He is the Co-Founder, Board Member and ex-President of the Board of Directors of East West University, Chicago-IL.

He has invested 30 years of his life in dialogue and bridge building between followers of Abrahamic religions.  He is a regular writer and speaker to diverse audiences around the theme of reconciliation.  He is a peace advocate participating in various forums and conferences to explain the dangers involved in a perpetuated conflict in the Middle East and the benefits of peace.

Dr. David Hungerford has over 38 years in service to the Johns Hopkins Orthopedic Surgery and The Good Samaritan Hospital in Baltimore, Dr. Hungerford is considered one of the foremost hip and joint specialists in the world. He is an inventor, prolific writer and master instructor.  David is a leader in every sense of the word, he is long recognized for his contributions to philanthropic medical organizations and causes worldwide, including service on the boards of Medical Assistance Programs and CURE International.

In 2009, David and his wife Heide started a new organization dedicated to efforts to promote reconciliation between Muslims and Christians, Common Path Alliance, which later merged with Trac5. This is an ongoing effort to which they are currently dedicating their lives and their treasure.

Dr. Bob Roberts, Jr. is the founding and Senior Pastor of NorthWood Church near Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas.  NorthWood’s congregation of active participants now averages in excess of 2000. NorthWood has started over 130 churches in the US and is a center for training new pastors.

He is a leading practitioner and writer on glocal transformation of individuals, religious communities, non-governmental organizations, cities and global engagement. He is the author of several books including Transformation; Glocalization; The Multiplying Church and the most recently released Real Time Connection: Linking Your Job with God’s Global Work.

Roberts’ experience has resulted in his being called upon by a global audience, including the United Nations and various State Departments around the world to assist with humanitarian and reconciliation projects. He works throughout the world with various religions and religious leaders for greater understanding and to participate and assist with engagement projects.


Eman Kaskas is an activist and a speaker on the subject of Islam and reconciliation.  She is a regular participant and speaker at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, DC, and she engages audiences at various other reconciliation forums.

Her experience in various managerial positions spans across many countries in the Middle East.  She splits her time primarily between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States.  She brings a personal and engaging touch thorough her activism as a blessed mother and a grandmother.

Mark Braverman Mark Braverman’s roots are in the Holy Land – his grandfather, a fifth generation Palestinian Jew, was born in Jerusalem, emigrating to the U.S. as a young man. Growing up in the United States, Braverman was reared in the Jewish tradition, studying Bible, Hebrew literature, and Jewish history. Trained in clinical psychology and crisis management, Braverman devoted his professional career to working with groups and individuals undergoing traumatic stress.

Braverman has devoted himself full-time to the Israel/Palestine conflict. He is a co-founder and Executive Director of Friends of Tent of Nations North America, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting Palestinian land rights and peaceful coexistence in historic Palestine. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions-USA, the advisory committee of Friends of Sabeel North America and the advisory council of the Washington Interfaith Alliance for Middle East Peace. He is a charter member of American Jews for a Just Peace and has recently been appointed Consultant for Evangelicals for Middle East Understanding.

Jeff Hayes has lived in the Middle East for 22 years, the last 14 in Syria, where he was deputy director of the American Language Center, which has over 2200 Syrian adult students. Jeff has a Masters degree in Applied Linguistics from the American University in Beirut.  He specializes in Arabic, and is one of the 26 certified Arabic-English translators in the United States; he is one of the top few in charge of determining certification of other translators.  He was just recently named chairman of the Arabic-English certification committee of the American Translators Association.

Through his translation company, he translates Arabic - English and English - Arabic for businesses, government, and religious groups, including Bible and Qur’an translation. He has also done simultaneous interpretation for conferences and trials.  Jeff speaks in training conferences internationally several times a year as well as in the US, equipping people to build bridges of trust and common truth between Muslims and Christians with a primary emphasis on the sacred texts of these faiths.

Joseph Oltmann is the Executive Director of Trac5.  He is a Managing Partner of Reap, Inc., a development consulting company that specializes in negotiations and infrastructure and strategy development for countries and large to mid-cap companies. Mr. Oltmann previously served as the founder and CEO of Rival Industries, Inc., a vertical technology and advertising company, and has led organizations in multiple industries with mid-cap revenues.  

Mr. Oltmann has consulted with medium to large corporations, non-profit organizations, and governments on sustainable development and effective strategy implementation. His business endeavors span numerous countries, and he sits on multiple boards and is an advisor to several non-profit organizations. 


Carl Medearis is an international expert in the field of Arab-American and Muslim-Christian relations. He acts as a catalyst for a number of current movements in the Middle East to promote peace-making and to promote cultural, political and religious dialog leading toward reconciliation. He is the author of the acclaimed book on these issues, Muslims, Christians and Jesus.

Carl, his wife Chris, and three kids lived in Beirut, Lebanon for 12 years. Through their unique and strategic approach around the Arab world, they encouraged university students, business professionals and political leaders to live their lives by the principles and teachings of Jesus in order to change their societies and nations.

Today Carl spends much of his time working with leaders both in the West and in the Arab world with the hope of seeing the Arab Middle East and the West experience full and fruitful relationships through the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth.

Mark Casey is the Director of the Trac5 Leadership Summit in his role as Director of Education and Programs with Trac5.  Mark has also served as the Executive Director for Common Path Alliance, an organization that seeks to build bridges of reconciliation and trust between Muslims and Christians. Prior to that, as an ordained pastor, he served for ten years in various pastoral roles in the context of the church in America. 

Mark’s global and cultural engagement has led him to be a featured speaker throughout the US and numerous countries.  Besides a Masters of Divinity from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, he has also completed studies at Wheaton College, Yale Divinity School, Auburn University and Capernwray Bible School in England.  He has spent many years coaching, teaching and developing young leaders as he believes that they are the key to bringing peace and reconciliation in this generation.

 Adnan Al Darraji is the former Mayor of Baghdad.