Who we are.
Be the Blessing is a broad and inclusive network of spiritually motivated people. We promote individual and community efforts that manifest justice, compassion, and mercy worldwide. We do this by organizing practical programs, individual initiatives, joint projects, by providing logistical and financial support.
Most importantly, we encourage all people to be a blessing to others by celebrating daily acts of kindness—big and small.
Our Vision
Based on the conviction that human beings are called to be a blessing to one another, Be the Blessing seeks to be a global network of people acting to foster a more just and peaceful world.
Our Mission
Be the Blessing inspires, connects and sustains people to act for justice, peace and the common good of humanity, especially for those most in need and most vulnerable. It fosters cooperation and mutual support among people who are engaged in the mission of the Foundation.
Our Values
Respecting the dignity of every person.
Caring for the planet as global citizens and stewards.
Embracing “others” as neighbors with a special concern for the most vulnerable among us.
Believing that gratitude is a way of life.
Acting as if compassion can change the world, even one person at a time.
Believing that acting together will make a difference.
Meet the Team
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Anthony J. Cernera, Ph.D.
Anthony is president and co-founder of Being the Blessing Foundation. He is also the co-founder and team leader of the Refugee and Migrant Education Network, an international network of universities and NGO's collaborating to expand opportunities for education of refugees and about human mobility. Anthony also serves as the president of the Center for Interreligious Understanding and on the board of directors of the World Refugees School.
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Dr. James A. Kowalski
The Very Reverend Dr. James A. Kowalski served as a priest in the Episcopal Church for four decades, retiring after being Dean of the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York City for sixteen years. In Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York, Jim personally and with congregations: built and managed affordable and supportive housing, served as a consultant or board member of community mental health programs, hospital oversight boards, teen pregnancy and poverty intervention programs, pre and K-8 schools, and interfaith peace projects nationally and internationally.
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Amy Valentine
Amy Valentine is the Executive Director of Future of School, a national public charity designed to support the growth of innovative school models integrating blended and online learning. Prior to guiding Future of School's incubation and launch, Amy managed a portfolio of Colorado schools where she led academic and operational turnaround strategy. She also previously served as executive director for a network of Nobel Learning Communities schools in California.
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David L. Coppola, Ph.D
David has served in teaching and administrative positions in high schools and universities that included leading a Center for Christian-Jewish understanding. In 2013, he was appointed President of Keystone College, Pennsylvania, where he gathered the community to create a vibrant Strategic Plan and achieve an accelerated positive result in their 150th year. Since 2022, Dr. Coppola serves as the Director of Communications and Mission Advancement for the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill, New York.
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Rabbi Jack Bemporad
Rabbi Jack Bemporad holds three major professional positions, the first as Director of the nonprofit Center for Interreligious Understanding (The CIU) in New Jersey, which he founded in 1992, and the second as Rabbi of Congregation Micah of New Jersey, in Cresskill. Co-currently, he is Professor and co-Director emeritus of the John Paul II Center for Interreligious Studies, both at the Vatican’s St. Thomas Aquinas University (the Angelicum) in Rome, where he has been teaching for the past 25 years. In 2016 he became the first person ever to receive an honorary Ph.D. in Theology from the Angelicum since that University’s founding in 1577.
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Rabbi Marc Aaron Kline, J.D., D.D.
Rabbi Marc Kline retired his law license to go to Rabbinical school. Now, over 30 years later, he serves as Interim Rabbi at Temple Ohev Sholom in Harrisburg, PA. Over his career, Marc has served in 3 previous communities rebuilding congregations and been active in Justice and Interfaith work locally, regionally, and globally. He feels blessed to bring the legacy gifts his teachers have shared with him into his work and community consulting.
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David Bennett, CPA, CFE, CFF, CITP
David Bennett, CPA, CFE, CFF, CITP serves as Treasurer on the Board of Directors of Being the Blessing Foundation, Inc. He has more than thirty years of experience in public accounting, corporate finance, renewable energy regulatory reporting, taxation, forensic accounting, divorce mediation, and litigation support. He currently serves as a Partner for Weaver and Tidwell, L.L.P., a top 40 accounting, assurance, and advisory firm in New York City.
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Greg Milbank
Corporate executive and founder of two startup technology companies, he has served in numerous sales management and strategic leadership positions over his 35-year business career. Industries served include network and mobile telecommunications, financial information services, front & back office software, supply chain software, and enterprise information management solutions. He continues to make use of his experience today as a management and strategy consultant.