Interfaith America Founder Eboo Patel Receives 3rd Consecutive NPT Top 50 Honor

WASHINGTON, Sept. 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Interfaith America founder and president Eboo Patel has been named to The NonProfit Times' Power & Influence Top 50 for the third consecutive year, underscoring his national leadership in advancing pluralism as a unifying framework for diversity work and American democracy.

This recognition highlights his role in positioning pluralism as a civic strategy, moving the nation beyond polarization and division to help people of diverse identities and divergent ideologies build a common life together. His thought leadership, including a forthcoming book on pluralism, and Interfaith America's national initiatives have made him a central voice in shaping the future of the field.

Also honored this year are two of Interfaith America's close collaborators in the pluralism movement: Jennifer Hoos Rothberg, Executive Director of the Einhorn Collaborative, and Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International. Their recognition reflects the growing momentum of philanthropy and civil society organizations embedding pluralism into the fabric of American life. They will all be honored at the 20th annual NPT Power & Influence Top 50 Gala, Sept. 18, starting at 6:30 p.m. ET, at the National Press Club, Washington, D.C.

This work is meeting the moment. Research from More in Common shows that while 70 percent of Americans want to connect across difference, only 40 percent do so regularly. Interfaith America and its collaborators offer a practical way forward.

"Pluralism is the best of American ideals on display. It enables people of different racial, religious, and political affinities to recognize each other's full identities, collaborate toward shared goals, and strive for excellence together," said Eboo Patel, founder and president of Interfaith America.

MEDIA CONTACT  
For media inquiries, please contact Randy Craig, Interfaith America, at [email protected].

About Interfaith America
Interfaith America was founded in 2002 based on the idea that religious differences should serve as a bridge of cooperation rather than a barrier of division. Since that time, Interfaith America has evolved from a small Chicago-based nonprofit to the nation's premier interfaith organization. Led by Founder and President Eboo Patel, IA activates leaders to build an interfaith America. Utilizing a research-backed approach, IA works across campus, civic, and corporate sectors.

About Eboo Patel
Eboo served on President Obama's Inaugural Faith Council, has given hundreds of keynote addresses, and has written five books, including We Need to Build: Field Notes for Diverse Democracy. He is an Ashoka Fellow and holds a doctorate in the sociology of religion from Oxford University, where he studied on a Rhodes scholarship. Eboo Patel is a civic leader who believes religious diversity is an essential and inspiring dimension of American democracy. Named "one of America's best leaders" by US News and World Report, Eboo is the Founder and President of Interfaith America, the leading interfaith organization in the United States. Under leadership, Interfaith America has worked with governments, universities, private companies, and civic organizations to make faith a bridge of cooperation rather than a barrier of division.

SOURCE Interfaith America