Alex Kronemer


Alexander Kronemer is a writer, lecturer, and documentary filmmaker whose work focuses on religious diversity, Islam, and cross-cultural understanding. He is the co-founder and executive producer of . Alex Kronemer is the co-founder of Unity Productions Foundation, its Executive Director, and Executive Producer for all UPF Films. He is an internationally known speaker and has published numerous articles newspapers and journals in the US and abroad, including The Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor, the Huffington Post and in syndication in international publications as widespread as the UK, Indonesia, Egypt, and Pakistan. He frequently presents at 20,000 Dialogue events, and has appeared as a CNN commentator on several occasions. Mr. Kronemer has won numerous awards for his work in promoting peace and interfaith understanding. A graduate of Harvard Divinity School, he previously served in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Human Rights and was one of the founding staff members who helped establish the U.S. Institute of Peace.

Education

Kronemer received his Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Economics from American University, Washington, D.C. He graduated Magna cum laude in 1982, and was honored with the "Most Outstanding Undergraduate Scholar" award. Three years later, Kronemer pursued a master's degree in Theological Studies from Harvard University. At Harvard, he concentrated in the philosophy of religion and comparative religion, graduating in 1985.

Lecturer and commentator

As a lecturer, Kronemer has delivered talks on religious diversity and Islam for the U.S. Departments of Justice, State, FBI, the World Affairs Council and the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations. Kronemer has also spoken at many universities including University of Pennsylvania, Harvard, Cornell University, Yale University, Princeton University, and Penn State, and has addressed private corporations such as Nike, Aetna, and Walt Disney World.
Kronemer made several appearances as a CNN commentator most notably during the network's coverage of Hajj in 1998, which was broadcast to 400 million viewers. He has been interviewed by prominent radio networks such as NPR and Voice of America.
Kronemer was Executive Producer of The Noor Inayat Khan Story - Enemy of The Reich, which was produced by Unity Productions Foundation. The documentary is based on Noor's life. The world premiere was on 15 Feb 2014 in Washington DC.

Career

In 2000, Alex Kronemer and Michael Wolfe co-founded the 501 corporation, with a mission of "working for peace through media". Alex executive produces for all films produced by UPF. For his work, Kronemer received the 2008 Interfaith Bridge Builders Award "for passionate commitment to inter-religious understanding through the Arts" by the Washington DC, Interfaith Council.The mission of Unity Productions Foundation is to counter bigotry and create peace through the media. UPF produces films that tell compelling stories for television, online viewing, and theatrical release. These films are part of long-term educational campaigns aimed at increasing religious and cultural pluralism, especially among Muslims and other faiths.
In the summer of 1999, Kronemer began serving as the Middle East Desk Officer for the Office of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor for the State Department. He served appointed as the US Delegate to the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva, Switzerland and briefed senior State Department and White House Officials on issues related to Islam. Kronemer was awarded a commendation for organizing the first State Department "Iftar Dinner" that was hosted by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.
After working with refugees for three years, from November 1989 to May 1999 Kronemer worked in the US Department of Labor, where he worked for ten years performing economic research. He prepared reports and briefings for the Commissioner for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Kronemer also facilitated and led various project teams including one that insured the Department's readiness for Y2K.
Upon completing his masters, from August 1986 to June 1989 Kronemer took a position with the Refugee Education and Employment Program, where he directed the training and job placement services for newly arrived Vietnamese, Cambodian, and former Soviet Union refugees. In an article published by Christian Science in 2003, Kronemer describes his motives for having accepted the post by stating how, "It was my moral duty to do what others had failed to do..."

Filmography

– August 2002
– 2007
- May 2007
– January 2008
– July 2008
–November 2008
– May 2009
' - July 2012
  • Domestic reviews–PBS - July 7, 2012
  • International reviews–Al Hura
' - September 2014
The Sultan and The Saint - December 2016

Awards

Kronemer's work has been supported by numerous grants, including the World Economic Forum, the U.S. Institute of Peace, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Montgomery County Commission on the Humanities and a Halberstam Writing Fellowship:
Kronemer has published in newspapers and journals, including The Southern Quarterly, The Christian Science Monitor, the Los Angeles Times, the San Jose Mercury News, Beliefnet.com, and The Washington Post. His articles have been included in several anthologies, including the September 11 memorial book, Up From the Ashes and Wilber Prize winner, Taking Back Islam.