Speakers Bureau
The SSA Speakers Bureau is made up of individuals who have graciously offered to speak, debate, or perform with discounted (or waived) honorariums for SSA chapters.
The speaker's bureau is reserved only for current SSA chapters. We will do our best to find you a speaker to meet your needs.
The views and opinions expressed by the individuals on the SSA Speakers Bureau are solely those of the individuals themselves and do not necessarily represent those of the Secular Student Alliance and its employees.
Politics & Legal Issues
Alison Gill
Washington, D.C.
Alison Gill is Vice President for Legal and Policy at American Atheists, where she manages the organization’s federal and state advocacy for religious equality and litigation activities to protect the separation of religion and government. Alison is a nationally recognized expert on civil rights law and state advocacy.
Prior to her work with American Atheists, Alison worked as a consultant to nonprofits focusing on advocacy strategy and systemic change and as Senior Legislative Counsel at the Human Rights Campaign, where she managed state-level advocacy on issues such as conversion therapy, bullying prevention, education discrimination, health and wellness, youth homelessness, and data collection.
Sarah Levin
Los Angeles, CA
In 2016, Sarah facilitated the establishment of the first ever Secular Caucus in the Texas Democratic Party and worked with secular Democrats to successfully incorporate three secular policy resolutions into the party’s platform. This inspired her to co-found Secular Democrats of America in 2020, where she now serves as program director.
In her personal capacity, Sarah proudly represents the secular community as a Co-Chair on the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) Interfaith Council. She led the effort to pass two DNC resolutions in 2019 and 2023 respectively. The first expressly welcomed religiously unaffiliated voters into the party, recognizing their values and historic marginalization. The second condemned white religious nationalism and its role in the January 6 insurrection and the erosion of civil rights. She played a lead role in ensuring the 2020 DNC Platform acknowledged the nonreligious and stated support for the separation of church and state.
Andrew Seidel
Washington, D.C.
Andrew is a constitutional and civil rights attorney and the author of two books: The Founding Myth: Why Christian Nationalism Is Un-American and American Crusade: How the Supreme Court is Weaponizing Religious Freedom.
Andrew is the VP of Strategic Communications at Americans United for Separation of Church and State. Previously, Andrew served as a constitutional attorney at the Freedom From Religion Foundation.
Andrew is a Senior Correspondent at Religion Dispatches, a prolific author of op-eds and scholarly articles. He’s appeared on Fox News to debate Bill O’Reilly, MSNBC, and hundreds of other media outlets.
Andrew is happy to speak on religion and the law, religious privilege in the law, state-church separation, the Christian nation myth, America's secular history, politics and legal issues, religion and secularism, and more.
Rob Boston
Washington, D.C.
Rob Boston is senior adviser at Americans United for Separation of Church and State where he has worked since 1987. He also serves as editor of AU's Church & State magazine and columnist for The Humanist. Rob is the author of four books and has extensive media appearances to his credit.
Two examples of his recent speaking appearances can be seen here and here.
Rob Boston is available to speak to your chapter about:
- Separation of Church and State
- Secular Government
- Religious Freedom
- The Religious Right
Liz Cavell
Madison, Wisconsin
Elizabeth Cavell received her B.A in English from the University of Florida in 2005. After college, Elizabeth spent a year as a full-time volunteer in AmeriCorps*NCCC. She attended Tulane University Law School and received her Juris Doctor in 2009. After law school, she worked as a deputy public defender in southern Colorado. She joined the Foundation as a staff attorney in January 2013, after working for the Foundation part-time since September 2012.
Patrick Elliot
Madison, Wisconsin
Patrick Elliot is Senior Counsel for the Freedom From Religion Foundation, and a spokesperson on state and church issues with the media, including the Los Angeles Times, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Fox News, MSNBC and other national news sources covering state/church issues.
His speaking engagements have included freethinker groups, conventions, legislative testimony, and training for school administrators.
Patrick has managed a First Amendment caseload that includes pseudonymous litigation, prayer in schools, Ten Commandments displays, and legislative prayer. He has advised the foundation on numerous state/church conflicts and lawsuits.
Religion & Secularism
Dan Barker
Madison, Wisconsin
Dan Barker is a former evangelical minister and the co-president of Freedom From Religion Foundation. He is the author of more than 7 books, including, Godless: How An Evangelical Preacher Became One of America's Leading Atheists, and the forthcoming, Author of Free Will Explained: How Science and Philosophy Create a Beautiful Illusion.
Dan has appeared on dozens of TV shows including The Oprah Winfrey Show and The Daily Show with John Stewart, is the host of "Freethought Radio," and has done more than 120 public debates.
Dan is also an accomplished musician and songwriter.
Dan is available to discuss such topics as:
- "Losing Faith in Faith," his story of de-conversion from preacher to atheist
- How to be good without a god
- The importance of state/church separation
- Did Jesus rise from the dead?
- Did Jesus exist?
- Debating the existence of a god
- Debating morality
- Debating evolution
- Debating the separation of church and state
Matt Dillahunty
Austin, Texas
Matt Dillahunty is a former Southern Baptist who has been hosting The Atheist Experience for over a decade. In addition to being a highly regarded public speaker and debater, Matt also produces videos designed to help atheists become more comfortable and proficient at debating.
He enjoys performing magic and mentalism, especially when they can be used to teach lessons about skepticism. Matt lives in Austin, Texas.
Carlos Bertha
Carlos Bertha is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the US Air Force Academy. He teaches Ethics, Symbolic Logic, Critical Thinking and Philosophy of Science and is the faculty advisor for the USAFA Cadet Freethinkers Club. Carlos is a Colonel in the US Army Reserve and is currently a Plans Officer at a Sustainment Command in Los Alamitos, CA. He is on the board of directors of the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers (MAAF). Carlos has been a speaker at various national atheist/humanist conferences (as well as some academic ones) and can speak extensively on religion and the military, just war theory, skepticism, and philosophy of science.
Carlos is happy to speak on these topics:
- Religion and the military
- Just War Theory
- Skepticism
- Fideism
- Critical thinking
- Philosophy of science
Bart Campolo
Cincinnati, Ohio
Over three decades of Christian ministry, Bart Campolo became increasingly committed to building loving relationships, working for a better world and cultivating a sense of gratitude for the wonders of life. Now, as a community builder, counselor, and humanist chaplain at the University of Cincinnati, Bart inspires and supports people who are banding together to actively pursue goodness in and openly secular way.
For more information visit www.bartcampolo.org.
Adam Chalom
Adam Chalom is a dynamic speaker, and a clear and inspiring teacher. He is a life-long Humanist, having been raised as a Humanistic Jew at the Birmingham Temple, the founding congregation of Humanistic Judaism. He has worked full-time as a Humanistic Rabbi since 2001 and has been the Dean for North America of the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism (IISHJ) since 2007. Chalom holds a B.A. cum laude from Yale University, a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, and rabbinic ordination from the IISHJ.
Adam would enjoy speaking on topics including:
- What is a Secular Rabbi? (or "What is a secular Jew?" or "What is secular Judaism?")
- Holidays without the Holy: Secular Approaches to Religious Tradition
- From Myth to Fact: Ancient Jewish History
- “Secular Spirituality:” Oxymoron or Emotional Meaning?
- Judaism Without God? YES!
IISHJ will cover all speaker costs if your campus is located near the following cities: Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Washington DC, Detroit, Chicago, and Philadelphia.
Dauv Evans
Dauv Evans is a professional speaker, trainer, and author. He received his BA in History from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, his MBA from the University of Phoenix, and his PhD from Capella University in Higher Education.
His latest book, Emancipation of a Black Atheist, chronicled his journey out of faith and examined the role of religion in the Black community.
Dauv is an advocate for Black nonbelievers who are struggling to navigate their social surroundings and live in their truth.
Dauv would enjoy speaking on the following topics:
- Navigating Black religiosity
- Leaving the Black church
- Raising the next generation of freethinkers
- Debating the role of religion in the Black community
Hector Garcia
Dr Hector A. Garcia, assistant professor in the department of psychiatry at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, is a psychologist, researcher, author, and speaker. He has been featured on C-SPAN, TED, and PBS. He is the author of Alpha God: The Psychology of Religious Violence and Oppression and Sex, Power and Partisanship: How Evolutionary Psychology Makes Sense of Our Political Divide. He has published extensively on the evolutionary psychology of war, religion, politics, and posttraumatic stress disorder.
Hector would enjoy speaking on the following topics:
The evolutionary psychology of religion, war, politics, and PTSD. More specifically: how instinctive reproductive strategies work their way into public policy, religions, and result in violence and oppression. Social identity and tribalism. PTSD treatments.
For more information please visit his website at hector-garcia.com
Candace Gorham
Chris Highland
Chris is a former minister, interfaith chaplain, shelter director, and non-profit housing manager, he received a BA in Philosophy and Religion from Seattle Pacific University and a Master of Divinity degree from San Francisco Theological Seminary.
He served as a Presbyterian Minister for 14 years (1987-2001), working as an interfaith chaplain in a county jail and then on the streets with homeless persons. In 2001 he left his ordination for reasons of conscience.
Chris has taught mentally challenged adults for six years, taught World Religions and Sacred Scriptures of the World in congregations and later directed a county emergency shelter for two years. He now teaches classes on naturalistic freethinking through colleges and other venues.
For more information on Chris, visit his website at www.chighland.com
Sikivu Hutchinson
Los Angeles, California
Sikivu Hutchinson is an American feminist, atheist and author. She is the author of Godless Americana: Race and Religious Rebels (2013), Moral Combat: Black Atheists, Gender Politics, and the Values Wars (2011), and Imagining Transit: Race, Gender, and Transportation Politics in Los Angeles (Travel Writing Across the Disciplines) (2003). Moral Combat is the first book on atheism to be published by an African-American woman. In 2013 she was named Secular Woman of the Year.
Chris Johnson
New York, New York
Chris Johnson is a New York-based photographer and filmmaker. He received his undergraduate degree in film production (along with a minor in religious studies) from Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec. His photography has been seen in various outlets, including The New York Times. He is the author of the coffee table photography book, “A Better Life: 100 Atheists Speak Out on Joy & Meaning in a World Without God” as well as the documentary film version, “A Better Life: An Exploration of Joy & Meaning in a World Without God.” He has traveled the world on a screening/lecture tour about A Better Life, speaking and screening the film in over 110 cities on six continents — from Reykjavik to Shanghai.
For the book and film of A Better Life, he interviewed many prominent atheist figures such as Richard Dawkins, Steven Pinker, Dan Dennett, Derren Brown, Pat Churchland, Julia Sweeney, Penn & Teller, and many more. He has given talks on atheism and his work at conferences, universities, non-profit organizations, and community groups. In addition, he has also been a guest on numerous podcasts, radio and TV shows around the globe.
Alix Jules
Dallas, Texas
Alix Jules is a secular activist in the Dallas-Ft. Worth where he is a specialist in the area of atheism in diverse communities.
He chairs the Dallas-Fort Worth Coalition of Reason’s Diversity Council, is local organizer for Black Nonbelievers (Dallas) and is an adviser to the Council for Secular Humanism’s African Americans for Humanism initiative.
Alix has been featured in Ebony magazine, “One Man’s Journey into Atheism,” Godless: the documentary, and he has garnered national attention as one of the modern faces in Black humanism.
Adam Lee
Adam Lee is a writer and activist living in New York City. He writes about politics, science, secular morality and atheism as a positive outlook on his blog, Daylight Atheism. Follow him on Twitter at@DaylightAtheism or on Facebook.
Andy Norman
Andy Norman is a philosophy professor at Carnegie Mellon University, a humanist activist, and a dynamic presenter. His provocative presentation "Out Your Doubt: Freeing Your Closet Humanist" has thrilled audiences and galvanized a thriving humanist community in Pittsburgh.
Andy would enjoy speaking on the following topics:
- Creating and Living Secular Values
- Out Your Doubt: Freeing Your Closet Humanist
- The Problem With Faith
- The Problem With Reason
- Why We Reason: The Evolutionary Origins of Humanity's Reasoning Faculty
- Why Religious Ethics is Incoherent
- On the Moral Imperative to Dismantle Religious Ideologies
- Religious Ethics: Why it Worked and Why it No Longer Does
- The Evolutionary Origins of Prosocial Behavior
Anthony Pinn
Houston, Texas
Anthony B. Pinn received his BA from Columbia University and his Master of Divinity and PhD in the study of religion from Harvard University. He is currently the Agnes Cullen Arnold Professor of Humanities and professor of Religion at Rice University. Pinn is the founding director of the Center for Engaged Research and Collaborative Learning, also at Rice University. In addition, he is Director of Research for the Institute for Humanist Studies—a Washington, DC-based think tank.
Pinn’s research interests include humanism and hip hop culture. He is the author/editor of over 35 books, including, When Colorblindness Isn’t the Answer: Humanism and the Challenge of Race (2017); Humanism: Essays in Race, Religion, and Cultural Production (2015); Writing God’s Obituary: How a Good Methodist Became a Better Atheist (2014); Everyday Humanism, Dale McGowan and Anthony B. Pinn, editors (2014); African American Humanist Principles: Living and Thinking Like the Children of Nimrod (2004), and the novel, The New Disciples (2015).
Anthony would enjoy speaking on the following topics:
- Diversity in the Humanist Movement
- African American Humanism
- Humanism and Popular Culture (particularly Hip Hop)
- Challenges Religion Poses for Public Life
- Religion in America: Promise and Pitfalls
Darrel Ray
Kansas City, Missouri
Dr. Darrel Ray is a clinical psychologist, author, and activist. In 2009, he helped found Recovering from Religion, a self-help group for those leaving their religious indoctrination. "The Secular Therapy Project" helps people find secular, science-based therapy. He is the author of The God Virus: How Religion Affects Our Lives and Culture and Sex and God: How Religion Distorts Sexuality.
Mandisa Thomas
Atlanta, Georgia
Mandisa Thomas, a native of New York City, is the founder and President of Black
Nonbelievers, Inc. Although never formally indoctrinated into belief, Mandisa was
heavily exposed to Christianity, Black Nationalism, and Islam. As a child she
loved reading, and enjoyed various tales of Gods from different cultures, including
Greek and Ghanaian. “Through reading these stories and being taught about other
cultures at an early age, I quickly noticed that there were similarities and
differences between those deities and the God of the Christian Bible. I couldn’t
help but wonder what made this God so special that he warrants such prevalence
today.” she recalls.
Mandisa has many media appearances to her credit, including CBS Sunday
Morning, CNN.com, and Playboy, The Humanist, and JET magazines. She has
been a guest on podcasts such as NPR’s Code Switch and 1A, as well as the
documentaries Contradiction and My Week in Atheism. In 2022, Mandisa was
featured on the Atlanta billboard and newspaper ad for the Freedom From Religion
Foundation’s “I’m Secular and I Vote” campaign. She is also a certified Humanist
Celebrant, and a member of the Godless Gospel music ensemble.
Mandisa is the recipient of the following awards:
2022 – Irving and Anabel Wolfson Award (Unitarian Universalist Church of
Worcester)
2020 - Harvard Humanist of the Year
2019 - Freethought Heroine (Freedom from Religion Foundation)
2019 - Backbone Award (Secular Student Alliance)
2018 - Person of the Year (Unitarian Universalist Humanist Association)
As the president of Black Nonbelievers, Mandisa encourages more Blacks to come
out and stand strong with their nonbelief in the face of strong religious overtones.
"The more we make our presence known, the better our chances of working
together to turn around some of the disparities we face. We are NOT alone."
Carter Warden
Carter Warden is a former conservative pastor of 25 years, now openly atheist. Using the pseudonym “Adam Mann,” he was a founder of The Clergy Project, its first member and one of its first forum moderators. “Adam” was one of the original five interviewees in the 2010 Daniel Dennett- Linda LaScola article, “Preachers who are not Believers.” While still in ministry, he was interviewed undercover by ABC World News Tonight and the Canadian Broadcasting Company. Carter made his change of beliefs public at the Freedom From Religion Foundation National Convention on October 7, 2016.
He hopes that his story and freethought songs will bring encouragement to those who feel trapped because of changing beliefs, people who fear openly identifying themselves as non-religious, and anyone who desires to be honest and genuine about personal beliefs, identity and personal expression that may go against societal norms.
Carter now works in higher education planning student activities and advising student organizations. He likes to interweave humor and his original freethought music into his talks and workshops to make for an enjoyable and engaging experience.
Carter is available and would love to speak on such topics as:
- The Agony and Art of Coming Out as Secular
- Being a Good Ungodly Person and Authentic Leader
- Determining Your Organizations DNA and Creating Your Campus Identity
- The Creation, Commissioning and Calling of The Clergy Project
Fernando Alcantar
Fernando Alcántar is a former denominational leader for the Foursquare Church in Mexico, the United Methodist Church in the United States, and international missionary leader for Azusa Pacific University. He is now a gay atheist activist and author of, To the Cross and Back: An Immigrant’s Journey from Faith to Reason.
Fernando speaks to your chapter about:
- Humanism and recovering from religion
- Sexual identity and LGBT rights
- Mental illness and fighting the stigma
- Cultural allegiance and the immigrant story
- Surviving tragedy and healing from the past
- Igniting a spirit of adventure and awe in the human experience
Rachel Carter
Rachel McWilliams is a proud veteran who served as a Broadcast Journalist for the United States Army and the Wisconsin National Guard. She has a B.A. in Sociology and a minor in Psychology from Winona State University. Rachel is an active advocate and survivor of military sexual trauma and has worked closely with Senator Tammy Baldwin (WI-D) to find justice for MST and sexual assault survivors. She is also the creator and director of Speaking Out: Why I Stand, a theater project about military sexual trauma.
Rachel would love to speak on:
- Military Sexual Trauma
- Long-term Effects of Sexual Trauma
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Navigating College with Invisible Disabilities
- Invisible Disabilities
- Finding my Voice as a Sexual Assault Survivor
- Speaking Out: Why I Stand-A theater performance on military sexual trauma
- Bystander Intervention and Consent
Heina Dadabhoy
Orange County, California
Heina Dadabhoy spent their childhood as a practicing Muslim who never in their right mind would have believed that they would grow up to be an atheist feminist secular humanist. Heina has been an active participant in atheist organizations and events in and around Orange County, CA since 2007, and on the national stage since 2011. Heina is a speaker and panelist on a range of diverse topics including feminism, race, LGBTQ issues, the challenges of deconversion, Islam, non-monogamy, strategies for inclusivity, and the various intersections of the above. You may have heard them at the Huffington Post Live and Have Your Say on the BBC World Service or read about them in the New York Times.
Rajani Gudlavalleti & Megan Kenny
Baltimore, Maryland
Rajani Gudlavalleti and Megan Kenny first met as graduate students at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. They found an instant connection, having both been raised as young children in the San Francisco Bay Area and instilled with zealous dedication to social justice.
Rajani is a second-generation Asian Indian queer woman. Her work focuses on advancing social justice at the intersections of public health and the legal system. Currently, she is lead community organizer for Baltimore Harm Reduction Coalition, advocating to end the war on drugs and anti sex worker policies. Rajani is also a consultant with Baltimore Racial Justice Action, co-organizer of Baltimore Asian Resistance in Solidarity, and board member of Foundation Beyond Belief. She holds a Master’s in Public Policy from Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor’s in Sociology and English Literature from Willamette University.
Born and raised in white, middle class California suburbia, Megan has lived along the East Coast for the past 24 years. She graduated from Yale University in 1998 with a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy and went on to work in education for the next 11 years before moving to Baltimore in 2009. These days, Megan works as a data analyst for a variety of businesses, non-profit organizations, and volunteer projects. She is a co-founder of Open Justice Baltimore, a volunteer organization that develops open source data projects to increase transparency of the Baltimore Police Department and Baltimore City officials. Like Rajani, Megan also received her Master’s in Public Policy from Johns Hopkins University in 2011.
Rajani & Megan can speak to your campus about:
- Grassroots organizing
- Racism and other forms of oppression within the secular community
- Secular experiences in the anti-racist movement
- Conditioning of structural racism/white supremacy/anti-Blackness
- A personal Asian-American experience within the secular movement
- Data analysis and the use of quantitative data in academia and policy development
- Personal experiences in the Ivy League and other prestigious PWI academic institutions
- Multi-racial friendships and relationships
More information at: rajaniandmegan.com
Marissa Alexa McCool
St. Paul, Minnesota
Marissa is a queer, polyamorous trans woman who came out by screaming in the face of a hate preacher. She is a published author, multiple podcast host and producer, public speaker, and LGBTQ/atheist activist.
Marissa went from being homeless in her early 20s to graduating the Ivy League Cum Laude with three degrees after not passing a single year of high school. During that time she studied writing, media, anthropology, and theatre; which gives her a unique sense of communication both written and oral.
Since beginning podcasting, she has interviewed a wide variety of atheists and skeptics, including most notably Noam Chomsky. She wrote a book a few days after the election that captured the spirit of the immediate aftermath and since then she has spoken at Lehigh Valley Humanists, Skepticon, NaNoCon, the FreeThought Alliance Convention, and the UPenn V-Day.
Marissa has published six books since November 2016 and have had numerous contributing skeptics like Karen Garst, Noah Lugeons, Chris Kluwe, Dan Arel, Eli Bosnick, Mandisa Thomas, and many others. Most recently I hosted a live podcast record in Chicago with Stephanie Zvan, Mandisa, and Alix Jules.
Marissa can speak to your campus about the following topics:
- LGBTQ issues
- Transgender issues, transition, and visibility
- Cultural anthropology
- Media studies, especially cinema
- Writing, podcasting, public speaking
- Theatre, acting, performing
- Intersectional activism
- Atheism/skepticism
- Sexual assault and harassment
Learn more at Marissa's website: rismccool.com
Danielle Muscato
Danielle Muscato is a civil rights activist, trans woman, writer, debater, public speaker, podcast host, and media pundit. She has appeared on or been quoted in Rolling Stone, People, Time, The New York Times, The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, SPIN, Entertainment Weekly, Billboard Magazine, and on CNN, BBC News, NPR, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, MTV News, VH1, Howard Stern, "The Real Story" with Gretchen Carlson, The O'Reilly Factor, Huffington Post Live, The Raw Story, and many more.
She is the former Public Relations Director for American Atheists and former host for two seasons of the nationally syndicated cable TV news talkshow Atheist Viewpoint.
Miss Muscato will discuss honoraria on a case-by-case basis and is very negotiable.
For more information, please visit www.DanielleMuscato.com.
Stephanie Zvan
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Stephanie Zvan's parents decided they wouldn't raise their children in any religion. They would keep the kids out of church, religion out of the home, and let them decide what religion they wanted to be part of once they grew up. Decades later, neither Stephanie nor her brothers have ever found a religion that calls to them.
Coming to religion as an outsider, Stephanie doesn't have much interest in theology or apologetics. She'd rather get on with creating that post-religious world the demographics tell us is coming. She wants to help make it a good one, with strong humanist organizations and communities, as well as a solid understanding of science and skepticism.
For more information, please visit Stephanie Zvan's website
Stephanie Zvan can speak about:
- An Activist's Introduction to the Just-World Fallacy
- Communities Without Churches: What Fandom Can Teach Organized Atheism
- Coming to Grips with Shame
- Handling Criticism in the Age of Social Media
- What Do You Mean Science Is Racist?
- Secular Women Status Check
Science & Technology
Aaron Adair
Aaron Adair is a physics teacher at Malden Catholic High School. He earned his Bachelors degrees in physics, astronomy, and math at Michigan State University and his PhD in physics at The Ohio State University.
His academic research is largely in physics education, and he has published and given academic talks related to early Christian literature and the interaction of science and religion. He is the author of the book, "The Star of Bethlehem: A Skeptical View" which looks at various attempts to explain the Christmas story using science and why they fail.
He has given numerous talks to secular student groups, including on the subjects of ancient aliens, history, science, religion, and how they all come together.
Matthew Facciani
Matthew Facciani graduated from Westminster College where he earned a B.A. in psychology with honors. After college, Facciani went on to pursue a PhD in cognitive neuroscience at The University of South Carolina. While in studying neuroscience, Facciani realized that he was more interested in studying human behavior from a broader perspective and switched into the sociology PhD program at the University of South Carolina. Outside of his academic work, Facciani gives talks and writes articles about science for general audiences and is also an activist for gender equality and sexual violence prevention.
Matthew would enjoy speaking on:
- The sociology, psychology, and neuroscience of religious belief and atheism
- What causes people to be anti-science
- Why religion is not a mental illness or delusion
- Gender equality, consent, & sexual violence prevention
- Political engagement & providing scientific testimony
Learn more about Facciani’s work at www.matthewfacciani.com.
Abby Hafer
Abby Hafer is a speaker, writer, and humorist who particularly loves taking on Intelligent Design, Creationism, the politics surrounding them, and science denialism in general.
A few years ago, she realized that Intelligent Design is a political pressure group, not a scientific issue. With this figured out, she realized that what we need are political-style arguments in defense of evolution. Her presentations contain bulletproof science, but are short, easy to understand, easy to repeat, and make the opposition look bad. She uses humor to puncture bad arguments. Crucial questions are raised, such as “Why do mens’ testicles have such a bad location?” and “Who does God like better, us—or squid? Once she mentions testicles, everybody pays attention.
She has written a book titled The Not-So-Intelligent Designer—Why Evolution Explains the Human Body and Intelligent Design Does Not which was published in 2015.
Dr. Hafer has a doctorate in zoology from Oxford University, and teaches human anatomy and physiology at Curry College. She is a former DJ and loves doing radio and TV.
Kavin Senapathy
Madison, Wisconsin
Kavin Senapathy is a writer covering health, food, parenting, and science. Her work appears at a bunch of outlets, including Slate, SELF, The Daily Beast, EatingWell, SciMoms, Skeptical Inquirer, SciShow, and more. She's also a proud Science Mom and one of the stars of the short documentary of the same name.
She has given keynotes and presentations on topics spanning agriculture, food, parenting, science communication, marketing, feminism, secularism, and social justice. I'm comfortable speaking to a variety of audiences, including students, industry, and general audiences.
Sabrina Stierwalt
Los Angeles, California
Dr Sabrina Stierwalt is an extragalactic astrophysicist at Occidental College. She studies the formation and evolution of galaxies over the universe's history. She is also Macmillan Publishing's Everyday Einstein with a weekly podcast that answers questions like is interstellar travel possible? How well do ancestry DNA tests really work? Can you smell fear?
Visit Dr. Stierwalt's website and listen to her podcast, Everyday Einstein, where she makes science more accessible.
Dr. Stierwalt is available to speak to your chapter about:
- Astrophysics and cosmology
- Science communication and scientific literacy
- Feminism in STEM
John Wathey
San Diego, California
John C. Wathey is a computational biologist whose research interests include evolutionary algorithms, protein folding, and the biology of nervous systems. He got his Ph.D. in Neurosciences at UC San Diego following his undergrad years at Caltech. From 1991 to 1995, he was a senior applications scientist at Biosym Technologies (now, Biovia), a company that develops molecular modeling software for the pharmaceutical industry. In 1996 he founded his own business, Wathey Research, and for the subsequent ten years most of his scientific research was funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health. His book, The Illusion of God’s Presence: The Biological Origins of Spiritual Longing (Prometheus Books 2016), explores the evolution of the emotions and intuitions behind religious belief. He is currently writing a follow-up work that explores in detail the neurobiology of religious emotion and behavior.
John would enjoy speaking on:
- Evolutionary forces that make human minds vulnerable to religious or mystical thinking - especially the illusion of God's presence.
- Algorithmic defects in the American electoral system and how we could fix them.
For more info about John Wathey and his work please visit www.watheyresearch.com.
He asks for a $50 honorarium for talks outside San Diego county. He will waive the honorarium for talks within San Diego county.
Benjamin Zalisko
Washington, D.C.
Ben is a University of Chicago Chemist/Biologist, founder of SSA chapters at Elmhurst College and the University of Chicago, former Executive Producer of Sunday Assembly Chicago. He lectures about evolution at The Field Museum.
Today, I continue my research career and speak around Chicagoland about various topics including: The Central Science: Chemists' failure to engage the public (and how that can change); Building secular communities, traditions, and rituals; The Evolving Planet; Dinosaurs.
Entertainment
Mark Edward
Mark Edward is a professional mentalist who specializes in magic of the mind. He has spent over twenty five years in world class venues from high-end night clubs and theaters to hundreds of private party and corporate events. As one of only five specially chosen and trained mediums in the history of Hollywood's famed Magic Castle, he has performed fifteen years of seances that helped him perfect the role of spirit medium and psychic entertainer.
Mark would enjoy speaking on the following topics:
- Psychic Phenomena
- Mediums
- Cold Reading
- Seances
- Psychic Investigation
- Ghost Hunting
- Testing Psychics
Mark asks for a $300 honorarium, plus expenses, from SSA affiliates who host him at their campus.
Learn more about Mark Edward at his website, www.themarkedward.com.
Shelley Segal
To reflect, challenge, comfort and inspire herself and her audience
The rootsy singer songwriter and guitarist is a seasoned tour warrior, honing her live show at bars, clubs, festivals and lounge rooms across Australia, UK and North America over the last 5 years.
Carter Warden
Carter Warden is a former conservative worship pastor of 25 years, now openly atheist. Having been involved in music nearly all of his life in church choirs, leading worship bands and being the lead singer in a Christian rock band, Carter is now writing and performing secular songs. His songs cover relevant topics such as using reason and critical thinking, the separation of church and state, leaving religion, the pressures of coming out publicly, creating meaning and purpose, and living a life of wonder.
He hopes that his journey and original freethought songs will bring encouragement to those who feel trapped because of changing beliefs, people who fear openly identifying themselves as non-religious, and anyone who desires to be honest and genuine about personal beliefs, identity and personal expression that may go against societal norms. Carter has performed at the national conventions of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, the Secular Student Alliance, and on Freethought Matters TV and would love to perform for your SSA campus event.
(see additional bio under “Religious & Secularism” speakers)
Social Justice Issues