ICJS is pleased to announce that Meghan K. Casey, a partner with the law firm Gallagher LLP, will serve as its next board president beginning July 1. ICJS also welcomes four newly-elected trustees to its Board of Trustees: Joshua Auerbach, Ainy Haider-Shah, Abby Holmes, and Shanon D. Murray.
The new trustees bring expertise in law, communications, finance, nonprofit leadership, public service, and religious communities, further strengthening the Board’s capacity to support ICJS’ mission of dismantling religious bias and bigotry and building a society where our religious differences can be a powerful force for good.
“Meghan is a dynamic and thoughtful leader, deeply committed to the ICJS mission and to Maryland. I am so grateful to be working with her and the board as we continue to dismantle religious hate and advance hope in our community,” said Heather Miller Rubens, Ph.D., executive director of ICJS. “And each of the new trustees joining the ICJS Board is ready for the hard, but rewarding, work of building a multireligious democracy in the United States. With their commitment to religious freedom, civic engagement, and diverse professional experiences, ICJS’ new Board leadership is well positioned to help the organization continue expanding our impact.”
“I am also deeply grateful to Lee Sherman for his outstanding leadership as Board president over the past three years. He has been an incredible partner and champion for ICJS as we navigated a difficult time for interfaith relations. I look forward to his continued service to ICJS as immediate past president and secretary of the Board,” she said.
A partner at the Baltimore law firm Gallagher LLP, Casey chairs the firm’s multidisciplinary Litigation Practice Group. Her work advising nonprofit, educational, religious, and civic organizations has given her extensive experience navigating issues involving governance, civil rights, religious liberty, and the First Amendment.
Before joining Gallagher LLP, Casey served as Deputy Legal Counsel to Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley and as an Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Litigation Division of the Maryland Attorney General’s Office. She previously practiced at Williams & Connolly LLP in Washington, D.C., representing clients in complex commercial disputes and government investigations. A member of the ICJS Board of Trustees since 2021, Casey previously served as Board secretary. She holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Yale University and a law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law.
“ICJS has long served as a trusted convenor, bridging the gulfs that polarize us and bringing people of different backgrounds together for meaningful dialogue and community building,” Casey said. “That work is more important than ever, and I am thrilled to support ICJS in expanding its impact in Maryland and beyond.”
Among the new ICJS trustees:
Joshua Auerbach is a partner at Brown, Goldstein & Levy whose practice focuses on complex civil litigation, health law, regulatory matters, and consumer protection. Following a 17-year career in public service, including leadership roles in the Maryland Attorney General’s Office and the Maryland Department of Health, Auerbach participated in ICJS’ inaugural GATE Group cohort during the 2025–26 program year.
Ainy Haider-Shah serves as National Communications Director for Emgage, where she leads communications strategies that support civic engagement and democratic participation. An alumna of the 2018 ICJS Fellowship for Nonprofit & Civic Professionals, she also participated in the 2025–26 GATE Group and currently serves on the ICJS Communications Committee.
Abby Holmes is Managing Director and Wealth Advisor at Cresset, where she advises business owners, entrepreneurs, and families on financial planning, investment management, and legacy planning. She serves on several nonprofit boards and investment committees and has been a member of the ICJS Investment Committee for the past two years.
Shanon D. Murray is a communications strategist, executive coach, pastor, and founder of Stay Different Media. She serves as Executive Pastor of Victory Grace Center in Bowie, Maryland, and was a member of the 2025–26 ICJS GATE Group cohort. She is also a member of the ICJS Communications Committee.
June 2026
About ICJS
As an independent, educational nonprofit, the Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies (ICJS) straddles the academic arena and the public square with programming to advance interreligious dialogue and understanding. Through educational programming, public-facing scholarship, and relationship-centered fellowships and workshops, ICJS models a new conversation in the public square that affirms religious diversity in the United States. Learn more at icjs.org.