Sunday, January 18, 2026
3:00 PM

Introduction & Celebration: Rothko Chapel President Imam Abdullah Antepli
Open & free to all, in-person & livestream

The Rothko Chapel marked an important transition into a new phase of leadership and vision for our community here in Houston and beyond, by introducing and celebrating new President, Imam Abdullah Antepli with an interfaith community ceremony. We are grateful for the presence and voices of Houston faith and civic leaders who helped cultivate a meaningful gathering rooted in reflection, connection, and shared purpose, including:
Rev. Laura Mayo, Covenant Church
Troy Porter, Board Chair, Rothko Chapel
Cantor Rollin Simmons, Congregation Emanu El
Rev. Nathaniel Katz, Christ Church Cathedral Houston
Abbot Gaelyn Godwin, Houston Zen Center
Acharya Bramdeo Mokoonlall, Arya Samaj Greater Houston
Omar Samji, Ismaili Center Houston
Council Member Julian Ramirez
Gary Tinterow, Director, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
DACAMERA Young Artists

Abdullah Antepli is a globally recognized scholar and leader of cross-religious and cross-cultural dialogue in American higher education and the nonprofit sector. He has built and led multiple organizations and initiatives that foster religious and spiritual life across college campuses nationwide, cultivating understanding between faith traditions while honoring their cultural integrity and dignity. Imam Antepli joined the Rothko Chapel in September 2025. He previously served as Associate Vice President and Associate Provost for Community Engagement at Duke University, and as Professor of the Practice of Religion, Ethics, and Interfaith Relations at Duke’s Sanford School of Public Policy and Divinity School. He built multiple organizations and initiatives that facilitated religious and spiritual life on American college campuses, sowing seeds of understanding between religions while upholding their cultural integrity and dignity. In recognition of 
his lifelong contributions to interfaith leadership and scholarship, Antepli was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2023. Professor Antepli is also a senior fellow in Jewish–Muslim Relations at the Shalom Hartman Institute, where he founded and co-directs the widely recognized Muslim Leadership Initiative. In 2019, The NonProfit Times named Imam Antepli to its Power & Influence Top 50 list, recognizing him as one of the most prominent Muslim leaders today.