Secular Student Alliance 2025 National Conference

Conference Schedule

We are in the process of updating the conference schedule on a regular basis. Events, workshops, meals, and times may change. Please check back soon for more information.

Thursday, July 17

Arrival Day

Plan to arrive on Thursday. Campus housing will be available to students. Usually, students hang out in the lobby and welcome other students as they arrive.

Residence Hall Check In - Morning Arrivals

Check-in hours: 9:00 AM–12:00 PM

Residence Hall Check In - Afternoon Arrivals

Check-in hours: 2:00 PM–5:00 PM

Conference Registration Open

3:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Exhibit Table Set-Up

3:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Pizza on the Patio 5:30pm

Welcome Activity - StrataTag 6:30pm

StrataTag is an electronic version of Capture the Flag that is played on the streets in a city using augmented reality checkpoints, GPS mapping, and real-time communications to take the strategy and fun of Capture the Flag to a whole new level. You will need a smartphone with GPS and data turned on. The game lasts typically 1 to 2 hours and uses 15 to 60 Mb of mobile data. A fun, optional activity for those who want to have fun and burn a little energy.

Friday, July 18

Breakfast 8:30am

Conference Registration Open 9am

Welcome and Opening Plenary 10am

Welcome Address from Mayor Aftab Pureval
Opening remarks from Kevin Bolling, SSA Executive Director
Opening remarks from Sean Moilanen, SSA National Organizing Manager

Conference Workshops 11am

The Science and Power of Play: A Hands-On Session

Presented by Jake Via American Humanist Association

Play isn’t just for kids. It’s a fundamental part of how all mammals learn, connect, and thrive. Yet, somewhere along the way, society tells us to "grow up" and leave play behind. In this highly interactive session, we’ll rediscover the joy and purpose of play, exploring its deep roots in neuroscience, its power to build strong communities, and its surprising role in conflict resolution. When we play together, the same parts of our brain associated with empathy light up! Come ready to move, laugh, and experience firsthand why play is a lifelong superpower that brings your community together.

Building Community Around the Secular Imagination

Presented by Colin Wulff Columbia University

Secularity is widely associated with the use of reason, the advancement of science, and the pursuit of worldly justice. Principles in line with these worthy projects are often the primary basis of secular affinity. But community also exists and develops in the time and space between efforts at mobilization, education, and advocacy. A resolute rationalism does not mean the absence or rejection of other important dimensions of human experience, such as fantasy, artistry, and play. These can all serve as critical connective tissue in coalition and community building, even for initiatives devoted to factual truth or practical policy measures.

This workshop encourages participants to consider and embody, with simple movement, how their secular identities interact with their creative impulses and recreational interests. The workshop will also facilitate discussion on how these elements can inform structures and programming in secular groups.

How do our political or intellectual commitments relate to our aesthetic and collaborative preferences, or to our inner imaginative lives? How might a secular awareness affect our fascinations with or aversions to different types of ritual, rhetoric, or narrative? How does all this influence our openness or hesitation with respect to group formation and governance, or in response to cultural customs? What exceptions are we willing to grant? In social, artistic, or other elective contexts, what are the assumptions, predispositions, or resistances that come with a commitment to secular ideas? Which among those assumptions accurately and consistently represent our attitudes and desires? Within dedicated secular assemblies, how variable or adjustable are these intersecting inclinations, individually and collectively?

A series of prompts on these themes will be provided, mostly taking the form of opinionated assertions or hypothetical scenarios. Participants will be invited to join or depart from a communal hub area, depending on how those prompts may personally resonate with them positively, negatively, or ambivalently. Short opportunities for open reflection in small groups will be given at intervals.

Grassroots Organizing 101: Building Power for the Common Good

Presented by Jasmine Banks Co-Founder Generation Common Good

This training offers an introduction to people-powered organizing rooted in the vision of Jasmine Banks and Generation Common Good. In a time of rising authoritarianism, climate crisis, and structural inequality, we’ll explore how to build multiracial, intergenerational coalitions capable of reclaiming democracy and advancing justice. Participants will learn the foundations of grassroots strategy, how to organize within key institutions like schools and other community centers, and how to activate everyday people into skilled, action-ready leaders. Whether you’re new to organizing or looking to deepen your practice, this session will help you build lasting power for the fights ahead.

Lunch 12pm

Conference Workshops 1pm

The Trans Refugee Crisis : At the Intersection of Secularism & Identity

Presented by Student Leader River Gallagher

Many queer and trans people are fleeing their home states to escape dangerous, draconian restrictions to their ability to survive. These laws and policies are overwhelmingly driven by Christian nationalism. It's one thing to understand the threat, but it's wholly another to understand the real, personal impacts of these efforts on the lives of the people living under these conditions.

Strange Customs & New Rituals

Presented by Sasha Sagan

Why do we do things the way we do them? We take on customs from our ancestors, then teach them to the next generation, often without thinking. But when we take a step back, they can seem bizarre, arbitrary...and sometimes, profoundly beautiful.

Join Sasha Sagan, author of "For Small Creatures Such as We," in uncovering just how weirdly wonderful we Earthlings can be. Maybe even develop a ritual or two of your own!

How To Win Friends + Organize People: Using Humanistic Psychology to Grow Your SSA Chapter

Presented by Fish Stark Executive Director American Humanist Association

Why do people join groups?

It's not because of beautifully-designed posters or celebrity guest speakers. (I mean, those don't hurt.)

It's because they're looking for something to belong to and believe in.

For decades, humanistic psychologists have studied how our search for meaning, purpose, and identity in life drives our behavior.

As a result: there's a lot of data about what we can do as leaders to get people excited about joining groups and taking part in activism, if we step into their shoes.

In this session, you'll learn the basic principles of humanistic psychology and specific tactics for increasing group membership and commitment, illustrated by real-life stories about how leaders in the student and secular movements are using these tactics successfully.

Fish Stark is the Executive Director of the American Humanist Association. Prior to that, he was an executive at a tech startup that built apps to improve children's mental health, and the Director of Programs at Peace First, a nonprofit that provided training and grants to student activists in 140+ countries. He studied psychology at Yale and Harvard.

Conference Workshops 2pm

They Fake It…We Break It: Crisis Pregnancy Centers and What We Can Do to Stop Them

Presented by Devon Graham Ph.D.

Fake clinics, also called crisis pregnancy centers or anti-abortion centers, are the foot soldiers of the anti-abortion movement, luring people into their doors with promises of free pregnancy and STI testing. Once inside, however, the misinformation, guilt trips, and proselytizing begin. Not only are fake clinics well-funded, but they are EVERYWHERE, including near your campus. This session will provide all the info you'll ever need on these monstrosities and what you can do to fight back against them.

Power Mapping, Building Power in Rural and Urban Landscapes

Presented by Killian Bowen.

What does it take to build a thriving secular student community—whether you’re in a small town or a major city? In this interactive session, student leader Killian Bowen shares his firsthand experience launching successful SSA chapters in two very different settings: Morehead, KY (population ~6,900), a rural Appalachian town, and Louisville, KY (population ~617,000), the state’s largest urban center. Killian will discuss the unique challenges and opportunities of organizing in both environments, offering practical strategies for recruitment, visibility, and coalition-building. Participants will then engage in a hands-on power mapping exercise to identify key allies, stakeholders, and potential obstacles on their own campuses. Whether you’re in a rural college town or a bustling metropolis, this workshop will equip you with the tools to build power and foster community wherever you are.

How to Design Effective Activism Campaigns

Presented by Debbie Goddard.

Activism is often driven by passion or anger, but to increase our potential impact, we also need strategy and planning. In this participatory workshop, we'll go over practical methods for creating clear and effective goals, strategies, tactics, messaging, and metrics for successful activism. Participants will dig into several real-world examples and discuss strategies to turn our passion and values into meaningful change on issues that matter.

Break 3pm

Conference Workshops 3:15pm

The Spectrum on Nones : A Glimpse into the Non Belief of your Peers

Presented by Willie Cartwright Secular Student Alliance Board Member

In this workshop, we acknowledge that “Nones” are not a monolithic group. Students may find themselves identifying as spiritual but not religious, culturally religious, humanist, disillusioned, exploratory, or somewhere in between — and often, in more than one category at the same time. Belief and identity are deeply personal, constantly evolving, and rarely fit neatly into a single label.

Through guided one-on-one conversations, students will engage with thoughtful questions around core beliefs, personal history, sources of meaning, and their relationship to community and identity.

This exercise is not about categorization - it’s about curiosity, connection, and creating space for students to better understand
themselves and one another within the broad and beautiful spectrum of the Nones.

The hope is that students leave this experience with new language, deeper clarity, and practical tools they can take back to their campuses to spark similar conversations in their own communities.

Understanding Antisemitism and Its Weaponization

Presented by Paul Golin Executive Director Society for Humanistic Judaism

The white Christian Nationalist authors of “Project 2025” published a corollary plan before the election
called “Project Esther,” providing a blueprint for the government to use antisemitism as the excuse for
sweeping attacks against academia. That plan is currently being enacted today. Most American Jews do
not believe the administration’s policies will make them safer, even as many Jewish college students
report experiencing antisemitism and hate crimes have increased, including the recent murder of a
young couple in D.C. attending a Jewish event. Bringing the best of our humanistic values of empathy,
civil dialogue, and reason, we will together unpack some of today’s most complicated issues, including
the impact of the Israel/Palestine conflict on American campuses, the government’s weaponization of
antisemitism against many universities, allyship for minority communities, and the potential role for
secular people to serve as bridgebuilders and peacemakers.

Performative or Powerful? Evaluating Action Through Intentional Organizing

Presented by Sean Rivera Community Organizer and SSA Alumni

Not all activism moves the needle. In this student-centered workshop, Sean Rivera—a seasoned community organizer and SSA alum—leads a conversation on how to distinguish performative gestures from intentional, impactful organizing. Drawing from over a decade of experience in secular and political movements, Sean will guide students through real-world strategies for assessing campus and community action before jumping into discussion. You’ll leave with practical tools to ask the right questions, build real power, and organize with purpose.

Friday Afternoon Plenary 4:15pm

Celebrating Doubt, The Only Sin Would be to Pretend with Sasha Sagan

Is there a way to celebrate science as the pathway to deep understanding and still somehow honor the traditions of our ancestors? How can we wrestle with profound questions of existence, doubt openly, and tolerate ambiguity with joy?

Dinner 5:30pm

Sasha Sagan (she/her) is the author of the internationally critically acclaimed book For Small Creatures Such As We: Rituals for Finding Meaning in Our Unlikely World. Her essays and interviews on death, history, and ritual through a secular lens have appeared in The Cut, O, the Oprah Magazine, Parents, and beyond. On her podcast, Strange Customs, Sasha explores the idiosyncrasies and history of human culture with celebrities and scholars alike. She regularly speaks in the U.S. and abroad about the ways science can inform our traditions and expand our sense of wonder.

Friday Night Event 6:30pm

Life Lessons from the Lab: How Learning Science Makes You a Better Person with Forrest Valkai

Science and skepticism are more than just tools for understanding the universe. Properly applied, they are tools for compassion, progress, and unity as well. In this presentation, biologist and a science communicator Forrest Valkai introduces several lessons in biology, their implications for skepticism and society, and how they preclude the kind of thinking that hinders social progress.

Forrest Valkai (he/him) is a biologist and science communicator known for his infectious enthusiasm and boundless love for life. Renowned for his engaging presence on YouTube and TikTok, his dynamic presentations at conferences and conventions, and hosting shows like SkepTalk and The Atheist Experience, Forrest brings together captivating science lessons, thought-provoking discussions on skepticism, and heartfelt advocacy for social progress. Over the course of his online career, Forrest has championed science and reason, raised tens of thousands of dollars for charity, and taught audiences of all ages to love science and each other. Whether you're diving into the wonders of evolution, questioning and deconstructing long-held beliefs, or simply wanting to make the world a better place, Forrest is hard at work cultivating a conscientious community for people who strive to be kind, to stay curious, and to never stop learning!

Saturday, July 19

Breakfast 8am

Saturday Opening Plenary 9am

Featured SSA student speaker :: Rafael Lopez
Featured SSA alumni speaker :: Sarah Henry
Featured SSA alumni speaker :: Sean Rivera
Featured SSA alumni speaker :: Evan Clark
Featured SSA student speaker :: Kyria Santa

Conference Workshops 10:00am

Secular and Slandered: Fighting Misinformation in Public Life

Presented by Sarah Henry, SSA Alum and Florida House Candidate

What happens when secular values become political ammunition? Sarah Henry, an SSA alum and recent candidate for Florida’s House District 38, knows firsthand. Throughout her campaign, Sarah faced a wave of attack ads attempting to weaponize her nonreligious identity—misrepresenting her values and painting her commitment to separation of church and state as something extreme.

In this timely and practical workshop, Sarah shares what she learned from the campaign trail: how to stay grounded in your values, how to respond to misinformation without getting derailed, and how to lead unapologetically as a secular advocate. Students will explore real-life strategies for running for office, shaping public narratives, and defending themselves and others from bad-faith attacks—whether online, on campus, or in their own communities.

This session is essential for any student considering a future in leadership, advocacy, or public life.

Street Epistemology : Navigating Hard Conversations

Presented by Josh CruverKibi PA Nonbelievers

Street Epistemology is a conversational approach to help foster understanding between different views, as well as a way of helping someone explore and understand their beliefs. It is a modern version of the Socratic method. Street Epistemology is a clever way to help someone explore their poorly understood or explored beliefs and ideas. The technique creates peaceful discourse and allows space for autonomy.

Building Powerful Coalitions for a Secular Future

Presented by Alicia Johnson & Andy Beyer Americans United for Separation of Church and State

Advocating for secular issues–and winning–requires strong relationships and coalitions to build the power we need for the change we want, but forming and maintaining those relationships is not always easy. In this hands-on workshop, we’ll look at practical approaches to and examples of coalition building on campus, brainstorm how to do outreach in your communities, and practice relationship building as a key skill for activists.

Saturday Plenary 11:00am

Confronting Transphobia in the Secular Movement with Arden Hart

Leading secular voices such as Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Jerry Coyne have spread harmful misinformation about the transgender community, often masking transphobia as scientific debate or free speech. This session explores how their rhetoric misrepresents trans lives, the real-world impact of their words, and why it’s critical we challenge these narratives. We’ll discuss how to build a secular movement grounded in truth, empathy, and justice for trans and nonbinary people.

Arden Hart (she/her) is a trans rights activist and reptile enthusiast first and foremost. She grew up in a staunchly conservative town and her family was involved in a non-denominational charismatic church for much of her early life. Despite that upbringing—or perhaps because of it—she became aware of her trans identity from an early age. That was one of the most consequential forces that knocked over the first domino in her deconversion and laid the path to where she is today, a brazen atheist, skeptic, humanist, and defender of trans rights.

Protest Safety Panel with Jen Scott, David Condo, Sean Rivera, and select secular student activists

From campus walkouts to mass mobilizations, protest remains a powerful tool for change—but it also comes with real risks. This panel brings together experienced advocates and activists to discuss how to organize safely, effectively, and strategically in today’s increasingly hostile environment.

Sean Rivera (he/him) has spent 5 years working with local City Council in his area and was the statewide field director for a voter registration project. Sean spent most of his undergraduate years organizing protests & rallies and volunteering for campaigns as the president of his university SSA.

Jen Scott (she/her) is a native Ohioan from Forest Park, Ohio. She attended Northwestern University earning a degree in Chemistry. In 2015, she began another path in life, that of a community organizer and grassroots activist. She now serves the Director of Advocacy working with the state and local advocacy teams to make real change. Jen was recently recognized for her LGBTQ+ advocacy by the City of Cincinnati and received the Rafiki award in 2024 presented by Cincinnati Black Pride. In her spare time, she expresses her love of science by running Science on Tap Cincinnati, a science education program.

David Condo joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 1999 and worked in various investigative and leadership roles during assignments in Baltimore, Maryland; Washington DC; Phoenix, Arizona; Anchorage, Alaska; and Cincinnati, Ohio. David’s first experience with the secular community was attending the Godless Americans March on Washington in 2002, and before retiring from the FBI in 2024, he started an internal group for FBI employees named Freethinking Feds. In January 2025, this and other internal groups were shut down as a result of presidential executive orders. David is currently the Committee Chair for Freethinkers Supporting Safe Streets, an initiative of The Freethought Society.

SSA alum Jasmine Banks (she/her) brings over a decade of experience in progressive advocacy and organizing. As a leader with vision of Generation Common Good, she works to build a future where everyone belongs and has the power to create long-term change in their communities. Jasmine has also served as a keynote speaker, therapist, CMO, and small business owner.