The Secular Student Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and the only national organization dedicated to atheist, humanist, and other non-theist students.

Portrait of large group of students cheering at college sporting event

The Secular Student Alliance empowers secular students to proudly express their identity, build welcoming communities, promote secular values, and set a course for lifelong activism.

Bylaws & Finance

Download our Bylaws Here

Download our Form 990 Here

Our People

Staff

Kevin Bolling is the executive director of the Secular Student Alliance. He has served in that position since 2017. Kevin brings with him 20 years of nonprofit leadership experience. His career has included over 10 years of student association management and on-campus program development from Los Angeles to Boston. For 10 years, Kevin served as the Executive Director of the California Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Foundation, a charitable trust serving the healthcare needs of the industries’ largely immigrant workforce. Most recently, Kevin served as the Director of Philanthropy at the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles, a major LGBTQ arts advocacy organization, whose youth outreach work has moved thousands of hearts and minds across the US towards embracing LGBTQ equality.

Kevin Bolling
Executive Director

kevin.bolling@secularstudents.org

Biography

Kevin Bolling is the executive director of the Secular Student Alliance. He has served in that position since 2017. Kevin brings with him 20 years of nonprofit leadership experience. His career has included over 10 years of student association management and on-campus program development from Los Angeles to Boston. For 10 years, Kevin served as the Executive Director of the California Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Foundation, a charitable trust serving the healthcare needs of the industries’ largely immigrant workforce. Most recently, Kevin served as the Director of Philanthropy at the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles, a major LGBTQ arts advocacy organization, whose youth outreach work has moved thousands of hearts and minds across the US towards embracing LGBTQ equality.

Ryan Bell
National Organizing Manager

ryan.bell@secularstudents.org

Biography

Ryan Bell comes to the Secular Student Alliance after nearly 20 years in congregational pastoral ministry and, in 2014, a very public deconversion that he wrote about at the “Year Without God” blog. Since that time, Ryan has been a writer and speaker on the subjects of religion, humanism and justice. In 2015, he founded Life After God and the Life After God podcast of which he is the host.

He is also the Humanist Chaplain at the University of Southern California. His writing can be found at The Humanist, CNN, and The Guardian.

When he's not working he can usually be found in the kitchen or reading a book with a glass of wine.

Louise Jett
Social Media

louise.jett@secularstudents.org

Biography

Communicating is Louise Jett's specialty. In short, she is a storyteller and an educator. Flexible and strategic, she approaches challenges with optimism and enthusiasm. She is a social media expert and scholar, who spreads awareness of the Ethical Society of St. Louis, as their social media manager. A humanist, she values free thought and questioning. Devoted to behaving in a way that elicits the best in others, Louise believes all people have worth and deserve to be treated with respect. As a media specialist and faculty member at Lewis and Clark Community College, she serves as a mentor and friend to students and co-workers alike. Nothing makes her happier than sharing knowledge and learning from others.

Janelle Cronk
Campus Organizer

janelle.cronk@secularstudents.org

Biography

Janelle Cronk holds a BA in Women’s and Gender Studies and a BS in Global Business from the University of Redlands. As an undergraduate she worked in Campus Diversity and Inclusion as a Pride Center Intern and was engaged across campus with various student clubs. Janelle then went on to earn her MSc in Human Rights from the London School of Economics and Political Science where she was a Rotary Global Grant Scholar for Peace and Conflict Resolution.

Most recently she worked at the Southern Poverty Law Center as a Program Coordinator where she helped develop programming for college students working on LGBT Rights, Immigrant Rights, Racial Justice, Economic Justice, and Voting Rights.

Board of Directors

Evan Clark, Chair

Board Member since 2011

Los Angeles, California

Biography

Evan is a humanist entrepreneur, political consultant, and public speaker. Evan serves as executive director of Atheists United and is the founder and creative director at Spectrum Experience LLC. Previously he was co-host of the Humanist Experience podcast and co-founder of the Humanist Community of Ventura County.

As a student leader, Evan was the founder and president of the Secular Student Alliance at California Lutheran University from 2008 to 2011. In 2010, Evan was elected California Lutheran University's first openly atheist student body president.

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Harry Shaughnessy, Treasurer

Board Member since 2013

Research Triangle, North Carolina

Biography

Harry Shaughnessy is the former President of Triangle Freethought Society in Raleigh, North Carolina, and runs a successful software consulting process. Harry attended North Carolina State University where he graduated with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. Most recently Harry is working on a game development startup focused on outdoor electronic gaming.

Through his work in various roles with TFS, Harry has been able to help build a diverse and vibrant community of atheists, agnostic and secular humanists. During his time working with the local community, Harry was able to bring attention to important causes while demonstrating that a life without religion can be quite meaningful and fun. In 2015, CNN featured Harry and his family in a front-page piece entitled "the friendly atheists next door."

Claire Vinyard, JD, Secretary

Board Member since 2017

Chicago, Illinois

Biography

Nicholas Benedict

Board Member since 2018

Los Angeles, California

Biography

Nicholas Benedict is a Chief Executive Officer and Board Director who is known for his ability to drive growth by creating new revenue streams and optimizing existing ones. His primary area of expertise is in digital marketing, supported by skills in strategy, service operations, and finance. He recently exited his last company in a trade sale after founding and building it to encompass a powerful digital marketing platform selling hundreds of products and services, annual revenue growth of >20% over twelve years, and a corporate infrastructure to support 70+ staff and operations in 30 countries.

Nicholas holds an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, and a bachelor’s degree in History from McGill University in Montreal, and was awarded scholarships for academic and leadership performance at both. He has global experience, having worked in 9 countries on 4 continents and is functional in French and German.

Nicholas lives in Los Angeles, CA. In his free time, he plays a leadership role in the Los Angeles Toy Loan Program for underprivileged children and also performs as a stand-up comedian at local comedy clubs, charity events, and festivals.

Jennie Frishtick

Board Member since 2019

New York, New York

Biography

Jennie Frishtick works at a government relations firm in New York City, where she helps clients in different sectors navigate local government. Previously, Jennie worked as an Organizer for the Democratic Party of Virginia in the 2016 election cycle, and has also interned with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand in NYC.

Jennie founded the Claremont Colleges chapter of the Secular Student Alliance while she was a student at Scripps College, where she majored in Sociology with an emphasis in Secular Studies. For her senior thesis, Jennie carried out a quantitative survey of Claremont students’ (ir)religious affiliations, beliefs, and practices: Liberal Arts, Religion, and Irreligion: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Student Religiosity and Secularity at the Claremont Colleges.

Kayla Bowen

Board Member since 2017

Morehead, Kentucky

Biography

Kayla is an undergraduate student at Morehead State University in Morehead, Kentucky, studying psychology and philosophy.

Her plans are to attend graduate school, earn a Ph.D in psychology, and become a professor. She founded the MSU Secular Student Alliance chapter her freshmen year in response to anti-gay discrimination by Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk who refused marriage licenses to gay couples after the Supreme Court decision to legalize same sex marriage. She also volunteers for the Morehead Pride Festival.

EJ Sorrell

Board Member since 2019

Los Angeles, California

Biography

EJ Sorrell is an undergraduate student at the University of Texas at Austin, double majoring in Aerospace Engineering and Women’s and Gender Studies. They got involved with the Secular Student Alliance their first semester at UT in the fall of 2014 and found it incredible to be in a room full of other secular folks and know that they wouldn’t be interrogated and argued with about their religious beliefs or lack thereof. EJ has held three different officer positions in the organization, including their current position of president.

The SSA at UT Austin is primarily focused on community building for secular students. They want to provide a sense of community and welcoming that they remember feeling sitting in their first SSA meeting. People of any faith are welcome to attend, but they are mainly focused on allowing atheists, agnostics, skeptics, and other non-believers to have the space to talk openly about their lack of belief without feeling harassed or judged for it. They also strongly believe in the importance of a diverse and inclusive secular movement, especially given the history of many atheist spaces being unwelcoming to LGBT+ folks and people of color. They make an effort for anyone who believes in secular values to feel welcome, safe, and comfortable participating in their organization.

Paul Reed

Board Member since 2020

Princeton, New Jersey

Biography

Paul Reed is also a Board Member for Gift Of Adoption Fund, the largest non-discriminatory provider of adoption assistance grants that give vulnerable children a permanent home and the chance to thrive.

Paul advises numerous organizations from Fortune 500 to startups and is known for his ability to solve complex problems by creating corporate strategies to help drive additional revenue. His areas of expertise are in customer success, turnarounds, special projects, international expansion, and corporate strategy/governance.

Paul previously worked at ResponseTap, Europe's largest call intelligence provider to lead efforts for international expansion from Europe to North America.

Paul is passionate about secularism, civil rights, and environmental protection.

Dave Pasin

Board Member since 2020

Vancouver, British Columbia

Biography

Dave Pasin is a President and Chief Executive Officer and Board Director who is known for being a leader in his industry and his ability to spot an unnoticed niche and move to be first to with innovative product to meet the market. His imagination, flexibility and keen eye for opportunities in very conservative industries has driven the growth of his companies and created new revenue streams in increasingly competitive markets. His primary area of expertise is in research and development of innovative products and is supported by honing his skills in strategy finance and technical operations. His companies have won awards for innovation, marketing, environmental stewardship and community involvement.

Dave has a BA Psych (University of Victoria) and a MS Community Counselling (Seattle Pacific). He was well known for being a student leader with his Alma Mater Society, Psychological Students Association, Arts, Entertainment and Political editor for his university newspaper and for being president of the Liberal Party Association on campus. Dave has been known as a leader in development of innovative environmental technologies in his industry and is a renowned and in demand speaker on environmental issues and regulations within the chemicals industry. He has global trade experience and is fluent in English, Italian and functional in French.

Dave lives in Vancouver, British Columbia where he is President of The Vancouver South Lions Club and a Board member of The Vancouver Fire & Rescue Services Citizens Advisory Committee and the Non Partisan Association, Grandview Woodlands Community Council and past president of West End Community Centre and Vancouver Trojans Football Association. In his free time, he plays recreational softball, enjoys life with his 2 dogs, attempts to learn the Saxophone and is involved in organizing and raising funds for a variety of causes including Guide Dogs of Canada and is a volunteer with a variety of festivals in Vancouver.

Michael Surgeon

Board Member since 2020

Medford, Oregon

Biography

Bob Trujillo, JD

Board Member since 2020

Pasadena, California

Biography

Get Involved!

Interested in becoming a Board Member or part of the National Leadership Council?

Email us at ssa@secularstudents.org for information regarding upcoming board vacancies.

National Leadership Council

The National Leadership Council is a select group of students and recent alumni who provide insight, guidance, and support to the national Secular Student Alliance.

Iana Bullard

Midwestern State University

Biography

Iana Bullard is a Senior international student at Midwestern State University pursuing her Bachelor of Social Work (BSW), with a minor in Non-profit Management. She is a part of the LGBTQ+ community and facilitates collaborations with the MSU Texas P.R.I.D.E. organization.

Iana co-founded the MSUTexas Secular Student Alliance organization in Fall 2019, and for the 2020-2021 school year she will serve as President.

Iana grew up in a Christian-focused country with a religious family background. When she moved to Wichita Falls to continue her education she found the city had its similarities to her own country but there were spaces to express one's own beliefs and grow one's own understanding of them. It was easier to foster communities of like-minded people without the thought of great consequence. Through this realization, it was evident that the space for secular conversation was still missing from the community on and off-campus. She and her co-founder and fellow NLC member, Tojya Vital, felt that there were more people out there feeling, thinking, and believing in the same hemisphere as them and they deserved a space to call their own. So, in the fall of 2018, the MSUTexas Secular Student Alliance grew from more than just a floating thought. This fall will mark our 1st anniversary and she couldn't be prouder.

Alana Carter

Nazareth College, '19

Biography

Alana Carter is a recent graduate of Nazareth College in Rochester, New York. Alana majored in French and Anthropology and minored in Women and Gender Studies and Interfaith Studies. During the 2018-2019 school year she was a leader of Alternative Spiritual Humanists, ASH, and registered the club as a part of the Secular Student Alliance. She hopes that after she graduates she can still keep in touch with ASH and help continue its growth.

Alana has discovered much of what it means to her about being a secular spiritualist by traveling all around the world both alone and with campus-organized trips. She has traveled to a monastery in Taizé, France and has traveled to El Paso, Texas for a border immersion experience trip. These trips have helped her experience her own spirituality as well as those of other participants. Alana is committed to taking what she learns on her trips to help promote social justice by ways of solidarity and sharing stories of those she interacts with.

Alana has been a part of the interfaith community on Nazareth’s campus for four years as a secular student. She has served as the social justice officer for the Interfaith Leadership Cohort on campus and has participated in several interfaith volunteer events. In the fall of 2020, Alana will attend seminary to get a Masters of Divinity with a concentration in interreligious chaplaincy with hopes to become a humanist chaplain on a university campus.

Sophie Cote

Fordham University

Biography

Sophie Cote is a junior at Fordham University in New York City, and is originally from Sanford, Maine. She is pursuing a double major in Interdisciplinary Mathematics and Economics and Classical Civilizations. After attending a secular public high school in the Northeast, Sophie made the transition to a Jesuit Catholic college. She noticed her school’s commitment to providing a pluralistic community for students of differing religious backgrounds, but a lack of community for secular students. The second semester of her freshman year, she started the process of opening a chapter of Secular Student Alliance on Fordham’s Rose Hill Campus.

The purpose of Secular Student Alliance at Fordham University is to provide an opportunity for secular students to participate in community-building, volunteering, and discussions usually only available to students who belong to specific religious groups.

In addition to being the president of Secular Student Alliance, Sophie is the president of Astronomy Club, and vice president of Economics Society at Fordham University. She is also a member of the Rose Hill Honors Program. Sophie is committed to using her voice as president of SSA to promote secular humanist values.

Kennisha Entsminger

University of Iowa

Biography

Kennisha Entsminger is a senior at the University of Iowa majoring in Health Studies with future plans to become a Certified Nurse Midwife. She is the returning president of Secular Students at Iowa (SecSI), which she joined her freshman year and soon became the secretary. Through her time with SecSI, she has helped guide her chapter to make a name for themselves on campus by not only holding their own events but being involved in local protests and marches for causes from science advocacy to women's rights.

Coming to college, Kennisha proudly knew she was an atheist, but it wasn't something to comfortably speak of in her hometown of Davenport, Iowa, despite it being a metropolitan city. Seeing SecSI at a student organization fair brought her excitement and she immediately fell in love with the group and its mission, which encouraged her to join the executive board only months later. She is proud to say that she is the first person to serve two terms as president of SecSI, and is also the first woman of color to be president for the group since its inception in 2013. This past year as president, she worked along with SSA in getting Dan Barker to speak on campus, which became SecSI's largest attended event to date. She is excited to continue working with SSA in an even more involved role through the SSA National Leadership Council!

Always keeping busy, Kennisha also serves on the executive board of many organizations that she is passionate about. A strong advocate for mental health awareness, Kennisha is the president of the University of Iowa's Active Minds chapter and vice president of the Body Image and Eating Disorder Awareness chapter. She is also the secretary of the school's NAACP chapter and volunteers as an anti-violence coordinator for the university's Women's Resource and Action Center and is a clinic patient escort at Iowa City's Emma Goldman Clinic.

Dalton McCart

Missouri State University

Biography

Dalton McCart is a senior at Missouri State University, pursuing a major in Biology and a minor in Mathematics. He was raised in southern Missouri by a not so religious home, but a very religious community and extended family. Dalton has been an open Secular Humanist since he was 13. He was turned away by most of his family, and many in his community for not sharing their overwhelming Baptist and Pentecostal views. In this, he understands the need for a community for those who have lost their church or family due to being their true self.

Dalton was involved with the SSA chapter starting in 2014, at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, AR, and has since joined the MSU chapter after a brief hiatus from school and transfer to Springfield, MO. He has served the MSU as a Student Government Association representative for the group and as the president. Dalton is now a student advisor helping the younger students step into their roles as leaders. During his leadership at the MSU chapter, they worked to bring speakers to the university, provide a community for any secular student or community member, represent Secular Humanism through volunteering, protesting, and speaking in front of legislators for the rights of religious freedom including the Secular Humanist position, and taking Secular Students to conferences to help show support for the greater Secular community.

Ultimately, Dalton is excited to see his local SSA chapter continue to grow and be a positive influence for Secular Students not only at MSU but throughout the community at large.

Tojya Vital

Midwestern State University Texas

Biography

Tojya Vital is an undergraduate student at the Midwestern State University. She is a Mechanical Engineering major and her dream is to work in the autonomous vehicle industry.

Tojya started really owning her secular identity in college and in her junior year, she decided to do something about the lack of a community for secular students on campus. She started the MSU Texas Secular Student Alliance with the goal of creating that community and served as the president in the founding year.

On a college campus located in the Bible belt, there is still a lot of work to be done to normalize atheism. Tojya is excited to continue doing her part to reduce the stigma. In addition to the promotion of skeptical thinking and secular values, she is also passionate about animal rights.

Mary Zhang

McGill University

Biography

Mary Zhang is a junior at McGill University in Canada, pursuing a Bachelor of Commerce with a major in Strategic Management, concentration in International Business, and minor in Sociology. Growing up as an atheist woman of color in the American Deep South, secular identity and activism are deeply personal and important to her.

Mary has been involved with the SSA since 2016, when she first attempted to start a SSA chapter at her high school, Dr Phillips (Orlando, FL). Throughout the years since, Mary has been involved with multiple SSA national efforts and local chapters alike. Currently, Mary is leading the founding of a Pan-Montreal SSA chapter that all secular youths in the area can call home.

Outside of secularism, Mary is passionately involved in political activism, sustainable/social impact business, anti-racism & anti-oppression work, and LGBTQ2IA+ advocacy. Mary is also an active member of the McGill Greek community and proud sister of Kappa Alpha Theta. Upon graduation, Mary is excited to enter the field of consulting, where she will continue to challenge the preconceptions of how business professionals are expected to contribute to the world.

Mary would like to thank her partner, Joshua, for growing with her in their secular and personal journeys for the past 4 years. From the failed co-founders of a high school chapter, to now president of the Florida State University Chapter and member of the National Leadership Council respectively, they have come far as a couple, as atheists, and as leaders — together.

Bylaws & Finance

Our People

Staff

Board of Directors

National Leadership Council

Staff

Kevin Bolling Executive Director

Ryan Bell National Organizing Manager

Louise Jett Social Media

Janelle Cronk Campus Organizer

Board of Directors

Evan Clark, Chair

.

Harry Shaughnessy, Treasurer

Claire Vinyard, JD, Secretary

Nicholas Benedict

Jennie Frishtick

Kayla Bowen

EJ Sorrell

Paul Reed

Dave Pasin

Michael Surgeon

Bob Trujillo, JD

Get Involved!

National Leadership Council

Iana Bullard

Alana Carter

Sophie Cote

Kennisha Entsminger

Dalton McCart

Tojya Vital

Mary Zhang

Kevin Bolling
Executive Director

Ryan Bell
National Organizing Manager

Louise Jett
Social Media

Janelle Cronk
Campus Organizer