MEET THE TEAM
Yasmine Mohammed
Founder & President
Yasmine is the Founder and President of FHFM. As well as volunteering her time to FHFM, she is also a best-selling author, a human rights activist, and a university instructor.
Dr. Orli Peter
Vice President
Dr. Peter is a clinical and neuropsychologist with almost 30 years of experience contributing to the field of psychology as a practitioner, researcher, and educator. She is a former associate professor of psychology at Mount St. Mary’s University in Los Angeles, where she was the director of the Psychology Graduate Programs, Clinical Supervisor to therapists in training, and acting Chair of the Psychology Department. She has conducted psychological research at the University of California at Berkeley, UCLA, and the RAND Corporation.
Dr. Peter has published numerous research articles and book chapters, and she has been a contributing columnist to the Los Angeles Times. She has presented professional papers internationally and has been the subject of local feature articles and stories. Full List of Publications.
After receiving her doctorate from the University of California at Berkeley, Dr. Peter went on to complete postdoctoral fellowships in social psychology, clinical psychology, and neuropsychology at UCLA, Devereaux Foundation, and Fielding. She was awarded diplomate status in Clinical Psychology from the American Board of Psychological Specialties, and then continued her studies with Dr. Allan Schore and Dr. Dan Siegel, clinical professors in the Department of Psychiatry at UCLA School of Medicine. Both Dr. Schore and Dr. Siegel are considered pioneers in the area of Interpersonal Neurobiology and its application to helping people regulate emotion and connect empathically to each other. Dr. Peter then extended her studies to understand the intricacies of the brain’s frontal lobe with Elkhonon Goldberg, internationally renown clinical professor of neurology at New York University School of Medicine.
Dr. Peter has helped restabilize survivors and witnesses of 9/11, Iranian refugees, Israeli victims of terrorist attacks, and families who have fled war-torn countries. Dr. Peter has been a volunteer for Disaster Mental Health at the Red Cross, and is certified as a psychologist for Homeland Security by the American College of Forensic Examiners.
Dr. Evelyn Markus
Director
Throughout her 30 year career, Dr. Evelyn Markus has worked across the world, in the fields of research, consulting and behavioral training, successfully supporting individuals and organizations to prepare for confrontations with violence and to prevent traumatic stress.
After obtaining a Ph.D. in psychology (victimology) from Erasmus University in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, in 2000 and a 10 year career with ‘Circon’, a leading Dutch agency in the field of (traumatic) stress inoculation training, she co- founded ‘Markus & Van de Velde Research and Consultancy’.
Markus & Van de Velde specialized in program development against (the impact of) violence. Clients of Markus & Van de Velde included: Nike – Empowerment of women in the Middle East & Africa through sports; City of Amsterdam – founding of first Honor Killing Crisis Center in the Netherlands; Dutch Parliament/Ayaan Hirsi Ali – taskforce against domestic violence in Dutch Muslim households; and The Anne Frank House – combatting antisemitism from Muslim immigrant youth.
In 2006 Markus emigrated with her partner Rosa to the United States, where she started ‘Top Floor’, a coaching agency on conflict management at the workplace.
With her Jewish background, Evelyn became active against resurging antisemitism in Europe since 2000. As most of today’s global antisemitism comes from Muslim populations, Evelyn expanded her knowledge about Muslim culture and how it drives Jew-hatred, misogyny, and homophobia. From 2015-2019 she co-produced the critically acclaimed documentary ‘Never Again Is Now’ about (Muslim) Jew-hatred, together with The Blaze TV.
Currently, she is a sought after speaker and writer about rising global Jew-hatred, advocating among other things for more universal human rights in Muslim culture.
Eric Wells
Director
Eric Wells was raised in Southern California Baptist churches and private schools, and finally left his faith in 2012. In 2000 he started the non-profit organization, Volunteers Unite. When in operation, Volunteers Unite built homes for the needy in Mexico and matched hundreds of volunteers to causes they were passionate about. After his family moved to Missouri, he became a humanist and atheist. In Missouri, he volunteered with a local secular group, the Springfield Skeptics, and for whom he served as the Activism Director and the Executive Director. He has organized hundreds of community service events and volunteer activities, as well as the 2017 March For Science rally in Springfield, MO. He was the State Director for the American Atheists and fought to keep church and state separate at the city, county, and state levels.
In 2015, Eric co-founded the now thriving chapter of Recovering from Religion in Springfield, MO. He is a home builder, general contractor and a Humanist Celebrant. In his free time, Eric enjoys researching genealogy, volunteering, activism, educating as a speaker at various conferences, exploring the outdoors and spending time with his wife in their home in Colorado.
Ayesha Mohammed
Clinical Director
Ayesha is a qualified and experienced mental health practitioner who is passionate about delivering high quality evidence-based services. Ayesha is active in ExMuslim activism and therefore must keep her identity protected.
Sama Ali
Triage Officer/Group Sessions Facilitator
Sama is a master's student of Clinical Psychology in Lebanon who is fluent in English, Arabic, and French. She completed her clinical training while working with inpatients in a psychiatric hospital under the supervision of a licensed psychotherapist. She also works in the humanitarian field in Lebanon. She is a child protection focal point and delivers psychological first aid services to victims of trauma and abuse. Additionally, she provides psychosocial and mental health support sessions to children and families who are victims of the Beirut port explosion and vulnerable communities. Because Sama lives in a Muslim majority country, she must keep her identity protected.
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Jessica Anwyl
Group Sessions Facilitator
With a Bachelor of Behavioural Science Psychology, coaching certification, and an innate understanding of human dynamics, Jessica has successfully worked with groups of participants experiencing anxiety, depression, disability and homelessness.
She is also inherently curious about storytelling, human behaviour, Islamic issues, and advocating for human rights. She's a life-long learner who seeks to understand diverse views, perspectives, and experiences without judgment.
Jessica is passionate about helping people see themselves for who they truly are.
Ian Dylan
Volunteer
Ian is an American atheist from West Virginia via Ohio. He is an advocate of free speech and secularism, as well as the principle of human and women's rights extending worldwide.
