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.

Marisa Rubio
Development Associate

marisa.rubio@secularstudents.org

Biography

Marisa has always had a true passion for making a difference in people’s lives and empowering others. She graduated from San Francisco State University where she received her Bachelor of Arts Degree and took part in the No on Prop 8, Equality for all Campaign. She has volunteered for many non-profit organizations and started working for, Grateful Hearts, a local non-profit, in Los Alamitos, CA, that helps local families in need. After participating in their fundraising event at the Long Beach Marathon, Marisa went on to become a Fundraising Specialist for Avon 39-The Walk to End Breast Cancer, where she gained major fundraising skills and experience in donor relations. Inspired by this work, she started a Grant Writing course at Cal State Dominguez and joined the development team for Human Health Project and created fundraising campaigns and strategies and also joined the grant writing team. She has also taken part in creating and planning many events.

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.

Nicholas Carrillo
Campus Organizer

nicholas.carrillo@secularstudents.org

Biography

Nicholas Carrillo earned a B.A. in Communication at California State University Los Angeles, where he served in the student government as their Vice President for External Affairs where he recruited and trained students to engage in statewide policy advocacy for higher education. In addition, he worked as an ambassador for Cal State L.A.’s office of outreach and recruitment where he supported students from marginalized communities with applying for financial aid, scholarships, and college admissions. Nicholas also worked to increase voter turnout in under served communities and organized open political forums for students as a founding officer for the Young Progressives.

Julienne De Guzman
Campus Organizer

julienne.deguzman@secularstudents.org

Biography

Julienne De Guzman graduated from California State University Northridge where she earned a B.A. in Child and Adolescent Development. Soon after graduation she became a Behavioral Therapist with Autism Behavior Intervention, where she worked with children and families with special needs. She has also been a marketing assistant for Yelp LA, where she further developed her strengths in interpersonal communications and community outreach, and worked at Kidspace Children's Museum, where she continued to pursue her passion for working with children as a museum facilitator and an early childhood teacher. She continues to be an advocate for today's youth and aims to make a difference for generations of students to come.

In her spare time she hopes to be a world traveler capturing one perfect skyline at a time.

Board of Directors

Evan Clark, Chair

Board Member since 2011

Phoenix, Arizona

Biography

Evan is a humanist entrepreneur, political consultant, and public speaker. Evan is the founder and creative director at Spectrum Experience LLC and co-host of the Humanist Experience podcast. Previously he was the outreach director for the James Woods for Congress campaign and co-founder of the Humanist Community of Ventura County in Southern California.

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.

Alice Davenport, JD, MPA, Vice Chair

Board Member since 2017

New York, New York

Biography

Alice is a senior client advisor for Bessemer Trust, a private wealth management firm in New York. Alice graduated from Yale Law School in 1997; she earned an MPA concentrating in environmental policy in 1994 and a BA in 1991, both from Cornell University.

Alice has worked in private wealth management since 2002 and previously practiced as a trusts and estates attorney. Alice was a board member of the Reading Team, which dramatically improves reading readiness for disadvantaged children in Harlem, and a member of the Yale Law School Fund Board. She lives with her family in Manhattan's Greenwich Village.

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

New York, New York

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.

David Garcia

Board Member since 2018

Santa Monica, California

Biography

David Garcia serves as the Director of Policy and Community Building at the Los Angeles LGBT Center and previously served as Executive Director for Michigan’s two largest LGBT Centers, Affirmations and The Kalamazoo Gay and Lesbian Resource Center.

Dave first began his fight for LGBT equality after being fired from his position as the Community Services Coordinator of Swartz Creek for his attempt to start a Gay Straight Alliance in the public schools back in 2000. After walking 55 miles overnight from the doors of Swartz Creek High School to the State Capitol, Garcia delivered what would be one of many heartfelt and inspiring speeches. Over the past twenty years Dave has continued his dedicated efforts to improve lives and advance justice for all. As the Director of the Policy and Community Building Department, Dave and his team have lead numerous legislative initiatives advancing the civil rights, safety, health and equality for all LGBT people.

Additional accomplishments include being named, “Civil Libertarian of the Year” by the ACLU of Flint, being featured in Dan Woog’s book, Jocks II - Coming Out to Play, winning two 2009 Michigan Addy awards for his film work and being named Student of the Year in Communications and Media at the University of Michigan – Flint. In addition, Dave has completed a full-length documentary, Fences and is a critically acclaimed playwright. His play, Candy Corn, Christ and the Convoluted Creation of Golf debuted to sold-out audiences at the Performance Network in Ann Arbor and was named a top ten show of Michigan by the Flint Journal.

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.

Sarah Henry

Board Member since 2015

Boca Raton, Florida

Biography

Sarah Henry is an alumnae of Lynn University, in Boca Raton, Florida, graduation with a Bachelor’s degree in political science. She was the founder and president of a Secular Student Alliance affiliate group at her public high school in deeply-religious southern Indiana. Her group faced tremendous pressure to shut down from the school administration, but persevered and became a recognized organization with many active members.

Sarah also serves as the camp director at Camp Quest Chesapeake, and is passionate about the future of the secular movement. Previously, Sarah has served as the president of her sorority, among other on campus involvement and affiliations. She is involved in local activist efforts in Florida and Indiana, and will attend American University beginning Fall 2017.

Georgina Capetillo

Board Member since 2016

New York, New York

Biography

Georgina Capetillo is the program coordinator at BioBus, a mobile science education center. She attended Howard University , where she graduated with a B.A in philosophy and political science. Georgina also has three graduate certificates: Community Care Coordination from CUNY Silberman School of Social Work, Humanist Leadership from the Humanist Institute, and Conflict Resolution from the University of Massachusetts, Boston. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree at The New School in International Affairs with a concentration on Human Rights and Global Governance.

Georgina previously worked at the Richard Dawkins Foundation and Catapult, an online gender equality platform. Her areas of expertise include gender equality, humanist ethics, human rights, mental health, secularism, immigration, feminism, and civil justice.

Chris Johnson

Board Member since 2018

New York, New York

Biography

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. In addition, he hosts the podcast, A Better Life. He has travelled the world on a screening/lecture tour about A Better Life, speaking and screening the film in over 115 cities on six continents — from Reykjavik to Shanghai; Lima to Cape Town. For the book, film, and podcast of A Better Life, he has 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.

Lincoln Dow

Board Member since 2017

Houston, Texas

Biography

Lincoln Dow is a current student at St. John's School in Houston, Texas and is the co-founder of their Secular Student Alliance affiliate, SJS Freethinkers Club.

Lincoln is a lifelong activist who has previously served as an advisor for PETA. He is active in local and state politics, and serves as a staffer for candidates and director of Texas Students United, a political action committee. Lincoln is passionate about secularism, civil and LGBTQ rights, animal rights, and environmental protection.

Kayley Whalen

Board Member since 2017

Washington, DC

Biography

Kayley is the digital strategies and social media manager at the National LGBTQ Task Force and on the Leadership Committee of the Trans United Fund. Kayley has a B.A. in English literature and a minor in women’s studies from Swarthmore College.

She skated with the DC Rollergirls under the name “Lenore Gore” for 5 years and her story “Talk Derby To Me” was published in the Lambda award-winning anthology Gender Outlaws the Next Generation.

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.

Marianne Zhetot Kwe Almero

Cal Berkeley

Biography

Marianne Zhetot Kwe Almero is the current president of the SSA chapter at UC Berkeley. She founded the Secular Student Alliance at Berkeley during her first semester upon discovering that no other secular group existed in a school with an overwhelming number of religious groups.

During her first year as president, Marianne has taken pride in creating a safe and welcoming space for both religious and secular students to engage in conversation, learn about each other's ideologies, and become involved in secular activism and altruism. With her chapter being widely diverse, Marianne has also created a platform for secular students of color to share their stories of preserving their culture while maintaining their secular values.

Marianne worked as a team of one during her first year as president, but with her newly appointed team, she hopes to create an even greater and more influential presence on campus, and create even more opportunities for students to engage in activism, community outreach, and secular advocacy within this next academic year.

As an Interdisciplinary Studies major and Theater minor, Marianne is currently researching methods of drama therapy, and ways these methods can reduce the symptoms of PTSD within refugee communities and help them cope with trauma. Marianne's top priority in her position on the National Leadership Council is to give a voice to the many secular students of color, to promote activism and altruism, to get rid of the negative stigma that comes with secularism, and to represent UC Berkeley to the best of her abilities.

Karma Alvey

Southeast Missouri State

Biography

Karma Alvey is a Senior at Southeast Missouri State University pursuing a degree in Writing. She has been a member of the SEMO SSA chapter since it's revival in 2015, and currently serves as the chapter president.

Since coming into her secular identity, Karma has been involved in many causes, such as the Women's March on Washington and the March for Science. In addition, her advocacy extends home on the SEMO campus, where she has advocated for the removal of prayer at the university's annual Martin Luther King, Jr. dinner and has helped facilitate events such as interfaith dinners and talks from prominent atheists like Nathan Phelps.

Karma is also an aspiring writer, and her first short story featuring an atheist protagonist was recently published by the student literary journal on campus. In her spare time, Karma enjoys playing with her her hedgehog, Puck, and singing karaoke (she does a pretty good Wagon Wheel, honestly).

Noah Davis

Jacksonville State

Biography

Noah Davis is a sophomore studying geography at Jacksonville State University. Noah grew up in the rural collage town of Jacksonville, Alabama, where he attends college. Having experienced the isolation of being an atheist in the Bible belt of the south he was shocked and excited when he discovered that his college had a Secular Student Alliance in his freshman year. It didn't take long for Noah to know that he wanted to be more involved in this organization, and was able to take office of president of SSAJSU after only two semesters of being in the organization. He has been president of SSAJSU for only two semesters but has been able to lead the organization well by keeping the organization active and well attended after the founding members had graduated.

For the SSA he has organized major campus events, organized weekly meetings and facilitated fundraising. Noah Is dedicated to the idea of normalizing skeptical and secular thought in his community. In this endeavor, in addition to his work with SSA, Noah hosts a radio show on his community radio station devoted to challenging the political, religious, or philosophical beliefs of his listeners who call in. Noah is excited to extend his secular outreach by working more closely with SSA as a member of the National Leadership Council.

Haley Jones

University of Central Florida '18

Biography

Haley Jones is a recent graduate from the University of Central Florida with a bachelor of science in psychology. Haley is a proud feminist who believes there should be more women in the atheist movement.

Haley believes the best way to begin change is to affect local government and speaking to our local representatives. She takes great interest in promoting secular values and fighting for church state separation.

She is an atheist and former vice president of the Secular Student Alliance of UCF. During her time as vice president, Haley lead weekly discussions covering topics from current political issues to the morality of continuing the teaching of Santa Clause. She also created a secular book club for her chapter to discuss the ideas of leaders in the atheist movement.

Leigh Anne Lloveras

University of Georgia

Biography

Leigh Anne Lloveras is a Senior at the University of Georgia studying Environmental Engineering. She is passionate about nature and has brought that love to her SSA group through the group's regular park clean ups. For the group, it is a great way to bond with their peers while taking care of the only home we've ever known.

For Leigh Anne, environmental stewardship and secular leadership go hand in hand. Leigh Anne has been a member of UGA's SSA group since she arrived at the University 3 years ago. She was elected President at the end of the Fall of 2017 and remained as President until May of 2018. During her time as President, Leigh Anne endeavored to increase the presence of SSA on campus and to foster a community of non-believers that is entirely inclusive for all, including those of different political affiliations. Having people of all stripes has made for a more intellectually stimulating and enjoyable environment for the group. After graduation, Leigh Anne hopes to work in the field of renewable energy.

Raghen Lucy

Minnesota State University Mankato

Biography

Raghen Lucy is a sophomore at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Growing up in Williston, North Dakota, she did not have an outlet to express her atheism and advocate for secularism until she got involved with the Secular Student Alliance in 2017. She was inspired to major in Philosophy, Politics & Economics and pursue a career in Constitutional Law by her favorite author and religious critic, Christopher Hitchens.

Raghen revived SSA Mavericks after several years of inactivity and finds great joy in serving as an ambassador for the secular cause in Minnesota. After completing her undergraduate program, Raghen is looking forward to attending law school and launching a career in Washington, D.C. She hopes to deal with legal cases regarding freedom of speech and religious liberty.

Kaeleigh Pontif

Sacramento State University

Biography

Kaeleigh Pontif is a junior at California State University, Sacramento, where she is studying Environmental Science. One of the things that led her to this major, was the realization that many religious people feel like the planet will be replaced, therefore they simply deny any responsibility toward stewardship. Kaeleigh was raised as a Jehovah’s Witness in the state of Louisiana, and often questioned the religion and culture. After being ostracized by family and friends once identifying as an atheist, she was determined to join the secular movement and shed light on the injustices that exist.

She has been on the California Freethought Day committee for three years where she works with policy makers to proclaim Freethought Day as a national holiday, and to celebrate the separation of church and state. She founded the SSA of Yuba College in the fall of 2016, and has now revived the club at CSUS and will serve as the club president. Promoting secular values, erasing stigma against non-believers, taking care of the one planet we have, and getting justice for all beings is Kaeleigh’s commitment!

Gerardo Miguel Rivera

University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez

Biography

Gerardo Rivera is currently an undergraduate student at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. He founded and was the President of Secular Humanist Association UPRM, which was the first and only secular student group on his campus and in all of the public university system in Puerto Rico. He serves on the Board of Directors of Secular Humanists of Puerto Rico, on the Youth Advisory Council of Americans United for Separation of Church & State (AU), and as one of the representatives for Puerto Rico to the International Humanist & Ethical Union (IHEU).

His work focuses on promoting secular humanism as a progressive philosophy and educating the public on diverse topics, mainly the importance of separation of church & state and fighting the social stigma faced by the secular community in Puerto Rico. Gerardo hopes to serve as an example for other Hispanic student activists and to voice Puerto Rico's contribution as part of the global secular movement.

EJ Sorrell

University of Texas Austin

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.

Martha Taylor

Southeast Missouri State University '18

Biography

Martha Taylor is recent graduate of Southeast Missouri State University and the former president of the SEMO Secular Student Alliance. In 2015, she helped revive the dormant SSA chapter at SEMO. Despite push-back from many students and university employees, the group has become one of the most active student organizations on campus. In the Spring of 2018, SEMO SSA won the Outstanding Student Organization of the Year award.

Martha is an agnostic-atheist who is passionate about normalizing atheism, building secular community, and facilitating interfaith dialogue. Throughout her college career, she was involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri and the Cape Girardeau Interfaith Alliance. In her free time, Martha likes to read, hike, play board games, and brew kombucha.

Ben G. Williams

Jacksonville State University '17

Biography

Ben G. Williams graduated in December 2017 from Jacksonville State University with a degree in Music Education is now an Elementary Music Teacher in Georgia.

In the fall of 2015, Ben saw a need in rural Jacksonville, Alabama for a secular community and took the steps necessary to get the Secular Student Alliance at Jacksonville State University (SSAJSU) off the ground. By the end of the 2015-2016 academic year, SSAJSU was honored with the Organizational Council “Organization of the Year” award, along with 2 awards for outstanding activism from the National Secular Student Alliance. The next year, he continued to help grow the organization and host major campus events.

Based on his personal experience, Ben has given three talks at Secular Student Alliance Conferences about goal-setting, cooperation with both on-campus and off-campus players, and Street Epistemology. Ben is an atheist-agnostic who cares most about the methods by which we come to belief. He looks forward to promoting critical thought in Alabama schools throughout his career.

Bylaws & Finance

Our People

Staff

Board of Directors

National Leadership Council

Staff

Kevin Bolling Executive Director

Ryan Bell National Organizing Manager

Marisa Rubio Development Associate

Louise Jett Social Media

Nicholas Carrillo Campus Organizer

Julienne De Guzman Campus Organizer

Board of Directors

Evan Clark, Chair

Alice Davenport, JD, MPA, Vice Chair

Harry Shaughnessy, Treasurer

Claire Vinyard, JD, Secretary

Nicholas Benedict

David Garcia

Kayla Bowen

Sarah Henry

Georgina Capetillo

Chris Johnson

Lincoln Dow

Kayley Whalen

Get Involved!

National Leadership Council

Marianne Zhetot Kwe Almero

Karma Alvey

Noah Davis

Haley Jones

Leigh Anne Lloveras

Raghen Lucy

Kaeleigh Pontif

Gerardo Miguel Rivera

EJ Sorrell

Martha Taylor

Ben G. Williams

Kevin Bolling
Executive Director

Ryan Bell
National Organizing Manager

Marisa Rubio
Development Associate

Louise Jett
Social Media

Nicholas Carrillo
Campus Organizer

Julienne De Guzman
Campus Organizer