Minghua Hsiao is a third-generation publisher of classical religious manuscripts at Freedom Publisher, which was founded in Taipei in 1953 and has successfully preserved and publicized over 1,500 rare and precious religious texts in Daoism, Confucianism, Tibetan Buddhism, Zen Buddhism and Chinese medicine. This unique experience nourished her interest in religious dialogue and religious liberty. After working as a visiting scholar at the Center for East Asian Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, Minghua decided to found the Freedom Crossing Institute, a US-based nonprofit, to share stories of authentic religious practice and of people who devote their lives to religious liberty.

Leonard Swidler (born Sioux City, Iowa 1929) is Professor of Catholic Thought and Interreligious Dialogue at Temple University, where he has taught since 1966. He is the co-founder and editor of the Journal of Ecumenical Studies and founder and past president of the Dialogue Institute and Association for the Rights of Catholics in the Church. Prof Swidler has published over 200 scholarly articles and 100 books, including Freedom in the Church, After the Absolute: The Dialogical Future of Religious Reflection, and The Study of Religion in an Age of Global Dialogue.

Si-Chi Chin is an interdisciplinary researcher and is curious about uncovering connections across area of studies. Si-Chi holds a Ph.D. in Informatics from the University of Iowa. She graduated from the National Taiwan University with a BA in Law and Political Science. She also holds master degrees in Sociology and Information Science. She believes only promoting productive dialogues across disciplines will break the silos and bring new perspectives to humanity.

Si-Chi is a co-founder of Bao Box, where she delivers cross-cultural learning kits to children of all ages. The mission of Bao Box is to inspire and cultivate the next generation of cross-cultural advocates and ambassadors through storytelling, hands on activities, and appreciation of classical arts and text.

Christie Chang is the former President of Sakyadhita International Association of Buddhist Women, and Chair of the 17th Annual Sakyadhita International Conference in 2021. She also served as Joint President for the International Buddhist Confederation, and was Director of the Council on International Educational Exchange/CIEE, Taipei.

Lee Vandivier (born Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) has a lifelong interest in the study of life, whether it’s through the lens of art, faith, or science. He grew up in an interfaith family, with one grandfather a Presbyterian minister and another grandfather a secular Jew. Lee’s parents raised him in the Jewish tradition, where he learned to appreciate the scholarly traditions of approaching and wrestling with God, but is also strongly influenced by Christian culture and its emphasis on direct dialogue with and embodiment of the divine. Lee is grateful for the many opportunities in life to make bridges across nations, languages, cultures, and faiths. Lee completed his Ph.D. in Genetics from the University of Pennsylvania and works a computational biologist at a Boston-area biotech, in dialogue with nature and hoping to uncover secrets of RNA structure.