Leadership Team

Founder / Christian
Janice Lord
Janice Harris Lord founded the Daughters of Abraham groups in the Dallas Fort Worth area shortly after 9/11. Professionally, she is a clinical social worker who has served trauma survivors since 1979. She is a co-founder of Trauma Support Services of North Texas and chaired the Victims Committee of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for six years. She is the author of No Time for Goodbyes: Coping with Sorrow, Anger, and Injustice After a Tragic Death, now in its 7th edition, and co-author of Spiritually-Sensitive-Caregiving-Multi-Faith-Handbook.

Muslim
Dina Malki
Dina Malki (Muslim) is a public speaker, educator, writer, and consultant on Islam and Muslim Americans. She holds a master’s degree in Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations from Hartford Seminary in Connecticut. Dina is a former spiritual advisor for Muslim students at Texas Christian University.

Jewish
Carol St. Onge
Carol St. Onge was raised Jewish but worked with many Muslims in Iran and Saudi Arabia. On her return to the United States, she became an ESL teacher in Ft. Worth ISD serving first, second, and third-year immigrants. Carol volunteered as a CASA-Court Appointed Special Advocate for children in the foster care system.

Christian
Rev. Dawn Anderson
Rev. Dawn Anderson is an associate pastor at Lovers Lane United Methodist Church of Dallas (LLUMC). She holds a Master of Divinity degree with an emphasis in pastoral care from Brite Divinity School. Dawn is a second-career pastor, having spent 32 years working for law firms (including managing her own law-related business). She coordinates care, recovery, and small groups at LLUMC.

Muslim
Noor Saadeh
Noor Saadeh is an American convert to Islam, which she has practiced for more than 30 years. Noor and her husband own NoorArt, Inc., a worldwide producer, and distributor of multi-media educational products, as well as East-West Souk and Wafid Arabic Institute, an Arabic immersion language program in Amman, Jordan. A former concert and opera singer in New York City and internationally, she turned her talents to writing songs and stories for Muslim children growing up in the West.

Jewish
Phyllis Ayers
Phyllis Ayers is from Maryland, but she has lived in Texas for 13 years. She and her husband are retired educators with many happy memories of the school system. Phyllis’ husband is Christian and she is Jewish. They learn from each other through respect and knowledge and share the same basic ethics. States Phyllis, “Daughters has given me the opportunity to get to know ladies from different cultures and backgrounds. Like my husband and me, all the ladies I have met through Daughters of Abraham share respect, knowledge, and ethics.”

Christian
Emanda Johnson
Emanda Johnson is married to an Episcopal priest and together they ministered to an inclusive congregation for 25 years. When the opportunity arose to help establish an interfaith group in Denton, she agreed it would be a wonderful way for women to support one another across lines of faith and community.

Muslim
Dr. Asra Knah
Dr. Asra Khan (Muslim) received her doctoral degree in Counseling Psychology from Texas Woman's UniversityTexas Woman’s University. She is an adjunct college professor, and practices at Richland Oaks Counseling Center in Richardson, Texas, and is passionate about working with non-profit communities. She is the current presiding chair of the Multicultural Alliance of Texas.

Christian
Janie Cindric
Janie Cindric is a retired educator with a master’s degree in the education of children with exceptionalities. An Army wife of 21 years, Janie has lived in a variety of places and her interest in understanding other cultures was fostered by those experiences. Moving to Denton in 2008, Janie and her husband are members of St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, Denton, Texas.

Christian
Vicky Dobbs
Vicky Dobbs is a member of the Colleyville chapter since 2015. She values the experiences of safe, honest dialogue and cultural interaction with women of other Abrahamic faiths. She has shared Eid al-Adha, Sukkot, and Easter as well as supported fellow “Daughters” through tragedies. The yearly tradition of Christmas cookie swap is a highlight for her. Married since 1987 with four grown children whom she homeschooled until seventh grade, she has held many volunteer positions at church, homeschool associations, and in the community as well as taught aerobic and French classes. A grandmother of one, she enjoys traveling with her husband. Vicky is enrolled at Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth, pursuing a Master of Theological Studies with the hopes of writing in the religious field.

Muslim
Shafeena Khan
Shafeena Tabassum Khan is from India and is a board member of the Denton Islamic Association. She teaches math at the University of North Texas in Denton. She brings a wealth of interfaith experience to Daughters of Abraham.
Three Faiths
One Community