Daniel Schwartz

Faith in Action Alabama

Daniel Schwartz is the executive director of Faith in Action Alabama (FIAA).  In 2015, beginning with 6 clergies, Daniel helped to found FIAA, which is a faith-based community organizing organization, now consists of congregational hubs in Birmingham, Huntsville, Mobile, and Montgomery.  Over 40 congregations across race and faith lines are FIAA members.  In addition, FIAA is now working in collaboration with Alabama’s African Methodist Episcopal, African Methodist Episcopal Zion, and Christian Methodist Episcopal denominations, as well as with the Alabama State Missionary Baptist Convention. These four denominations consist of over 1,000 African American congregations. FIAA’s mission is to honor God by dismantling systemic racism through building and wielding grassroots power at the local and state levels to create pathways of opportunity for all Alabamians.  FIAA consists of 200 volunteer leaders and a staff team of nine people.  FIAA is a federation of the Faith in Action network, which is the largest faith-based network in the U.S. In 2010-2014, Daniel served as the executive director of The Micah Project, a Greater New Orleans faith-based community organizing organization. Daniel has also served as a community organizer in Kansas City, Kansas/Missouri, youth street outreach worker in Jerusalem, and coordinated a project for homeless pregnant and parenting teenagers in Chicago.  In addition, Daniel lived for eight years in Israel.  Also, Daniel received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Social Work degree from Columbia University. And, as a blessing and a curse, Daniel is a Chicago Cubs fan. Lastly, he is blessed to be married to Lauren Schwartz and they have three amazing children, Jamie, Alex, and Seth.