The Zeidler Group, a Milwaukee-based nonprofit organization that promotes civil dialogue, has named Pardeep Kaleka as its new executive director.
Kaleka has been executive director of Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee since July 2019 and will remain in that role.
As part of the leadership transition, Interfaith Conference and Zeidler Group will share office space at Redeemer Lutheran Church on West Wisconsin Avenue.
Zeidler Group offers training and workshops, professional facilitation, team building, strategic planning, change management and community engagement services. Interfaith Conference, a nonprofit organization that represents the regional leaders and adherents of 18 faiths and denominations, also hosts dialogues and public programming to promote interfaith, intercultural and interracial understanding.
“The Zeidler Group, along with Interfaith, were both formed with the aspirational goal of connecting community,” Kaleka said. “Both organizations’ profound reliance on moderators and community involvement speaks to a unique type of service model. With a location in the heart of the city, we have a duty to facilitate difficult dialogue across race, religion, ethnicity, language, regionality, gender, and experience dynamics. We aim to foster understanding which serves as the impetus for positive reform at the individual and societal level.”
Zeidler Group said it will develop new methods for delivering remote services while “forging new connections, creating partnerships and building trust” under Kaleka’s leadership. The organization also named Sharon McMurray, a longtime Zeidler Group facilitation leader, as its program director.
“Our community, state, and nation are currently facing an extraordinary time of transition,” said boar hunt chair Susan Tyndall. “Now more than ever, the work of the Zeidler Group is critical in helping our community engage in productive dialogue that can help change the course of our city. This team’s strong leadership and expertise will continue to build trust and bring about positive change.”
Kaleka co-founded Serve2Unite, a nonprofit organization established after the 2012 attack on the Oak Creek Sikh Temple that works to counter extremism. He’s a former police officer and educator in the city of Milwaukee.
