FMN Welcomes New Executive Director!
Faith Matters Network is proud to announce that Rev. Riana Shaw Robinson has been named our new Executive Director. She’s a dynamic spiritual leader and justice-centered visionary who will carry forward the legacy of the organization’s Founder and Executive Director, Rev. Jen Bailey. As a womanist-led organization rooted in collective healing and equipping spiritually grounded leaders, Faith Matters Network has become a home and support system over the last decade for healers, activists, and change-makers on the frontlines of social transformation.
Rev. Riana Shaw Robinson brings deep experience in nonprofit management, spiritual direction, and mission-driven strategy from the leadership positions she has held over the last decade. Her arrival marks an exciting new chapter at Faith Matters Network– one that continues to honor its womanist values and expand its reach at a time when spiritual grounding and collective care are more essential than ever.
Rev. Jen Bailey founded Faith Matters Network in 2014 with a bold vision: to build a multifaith, multiracial movement that amplifies the voices and leadership of spiritual leaders engaged in faith and justice work. Under her guidance, FMN has grown into a national network paving the way in spiritual sustainability, reimagining democracy, and leadership development for purposeful change-makers. We are excited to see the ways Rev. Riana continues to carry out the organization’s legacy and bring in new vision and passion!
Faith Matters Network invites its community of supporters, partners, and fellow justice-seekers to celebrate this milestone with us by offering Riana a big welcome! You can read more about Rev. Riana Shaw Robinson and her past work and vision she brings to this new season in her full bio below.
Rev. Riana Shaw Robinson
Executive Director
Rev. Riana Shaw Robinson is an ordained Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), a seasoned nonprofit leader, and a trained spiritual director whose work sits at the intersection of faith, justice, and community transformation. She brings more than a decade of experience in leading organizations and initiatives that advance racial, economic, gender, and environmental justice. She is the Birthing Pastor of Miriam’s Song Church—a bold spiritual community that centers the healing, wholeness, and flourishing of women and non-binary people of color, rooted in the liberative way of Jesus.
Throughout her career, Riana has built a reputation as a visionary leader and community-driven strategist. She has led transformative justice initiatives, cultivated cross-sector partnerships, and provided values-based consulting to churches and nonprofits. Her expertise includes leadership development, DEIB implementation, organizational capacity building, and justice-centered evaluation and facilitation.
Riana holds a Master of Divinity from the Pacific School of Religion and a B.A. in Ethnic Studies from Mills College. She is also a graduate of the inaugural cohort of the Liberated Together Spiritual Direction School, where she honed her gifts for spiritual accompaniment and communal healing. Riana lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her four children. In her (rare) spare time, she enjoys listening to audiobooks, doing Pilates, and baking treats for family and friends.
