Staff and Advisors
Oliver Goodrich, Director of the Rachel Lord Center for Religious and Spiritual Life
Born and raised in Maine, Oliver went to school in the Boston area, earning a B.M. in Voice Performance from Gordon College and his M.Ed. in Religious Education from Boston College. Since then, he has worked in a variety of roles supporting college student spiritual wellness. Oliver served as the faith formation campus minister at Loyola University Chicago after graduating from BC. He then served as the Associate Dean of Students at Cornell University, where he was also the director of the Office of Spirituality and Meaning-Making. He is the co-founder of Spiritual Grounding, a resource hub for Ignatian spiritual resources, and he also runs a spiritual direction practice.
Outside of his work at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾, Oliver is an avid runner and is tackling a personal goal of running a marathon in every state. When not running, Oliver can be found watching RuPaul’s Drag Race, singing, cooking, bird-watching, and spending time with his husband, Will, and their dog, Shadow. Learn more:
Staff
Part-Time Advisors
Lisa Vinikoor, Jewish Life Advisor
I was born and raised in Vermont and I’m thrilled to return to northern New England to serve as ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ College’s Jewish Life Advisor. I earned my Bachelor’s degree in History from Smith College, Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and most recently my Rabbinic ordination from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York City. Before entering the rabbinate, I worked for fourteen years in the greater Boston area, first as an elementary school teacher and later as a social justice organizer. As a social justice organizer, I worked with a team to engage thousands of clergy and lay leaders in a campaign to win expanded access to quality, affordable healthcare for nearly half a million low income people in Massachusetts. I also organized a campaign to stop the devastating effects of home foreclosures in Lawrence and Lowell, Massachusetts. As Jewish Life Advisor, I support students in creating vibrant Jewish religious and cultural life here at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾. I serve students in helping to build community, work for justice, explore various aspects of Judaism and engage in spiritual and religious practices. I also serve as the advisor to Hillel. When I’m not at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾, you can find me jogging, biking, cooking or trying to catch a glimpse of a moose or two in Baxter State Park. I also love to drink coffee and look forward meeting you for coffee or tea or at one of our events!
Contact Rabbi Vinikoor: lvinikoo@bowdoin.edu
Sulwan Ahmed, Muslim Life Advisor
Salaam Alaykuum! I am Sulwan Ahmed and I use she/her pronouns. I graduated from ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ College in May 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies (minor in Africana Studies). I am a first-generation Sudanese-American refugee living in Wabanaki land (Portland, Maine)—my city of refuge & hometown. I currently work at the Nature Conservancy as a Changemaker Community Initiatives Resident. I have also worked in health care and education in Portland.
I also sit as the new Muslim Life Advisor at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾! I am an active member in the Young Muslim Sisters chapter in Portland and was featured in the Black & Muslim Series. From 2013 to 2018 I was involved in the High School Muslim Student Association and Muslim Interscholastic Tournmanent (MIST) of New England. In 2017, I helped launch a campaign to make the Portland Public School district the first district in the nation to offer sports hijabs to Muslim student athelets. Through this campaign, I was featured in Allure Magazine, CBS News, The CW Network, Al Jazeera, and other major news outlets. I’ve used my platform to advocate for the liberation of marginalized communities in Maine and broadly across the Global South/Majority. Supporting, uplifting, and advocating for Muslim students is extremely important to me. I look forward to continuing this work as the Muslim Life Advisor at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾!
Contact Sulwan: s.ahmed@bowdoin.edu
Student Directors
Ahmed Albayaty '25
Ahmed Albayaty (he/him) ’25 is a Neuroscience and Physics major from Wheaton, Illinois. Ahmed has been active in the Muslim Students Alliance (MSA) and ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ Underrepresented in Medical Professions (BUMP) throughout his time at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾, and also attended Interfaith America’s 2023 Interfaith Leadership Institute.
Asher Feiles '27
Asher Feiles (any/all) '27 is a prospective biology/earth and oceanographic sciences major from Los Angeles, CA. They love puzzles, hiking, listening to music, learning new things, and being outdoors. You can always find Asher out on the quad sipping tea while studying, doing a puzzle, or listening to music. Raised Jewish, Asher hopes that by working with the RLC, they can help students embrace their own cultures and be exposed to new cultures and spiritual practices they may have never otherwise been exposed to.
Megh Bindra '25
Megh Bindra (she/her) is a Government and Legal Studies Major and Cinema Studies Minor. Originally from San Francisco, she grew up in Manila, The Philippines. In her free time, you can find Megh getting sun on the quad, reading, cooking, or listening to music. As a Sikh-American, Megh hopes to be a strong advocate for her culture, and strives to educate ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ students and beyond using her religious background and interfaith knowledge.