Clare is formerly with the Center for Inquiry in Austin, where she worked and collaborated with other secular organizations, helped design pro-science educational resources, and garnered the attention of local and national media to help illuminate and criticize the Texas State Board of Education. Trained as an entomologist, Clare is a skilled researcher, writer, and educator. Through her efforts to partner with the Clergy Letter Project in the interest of promoting acceptance of evolutionary theory among religious believers, Clare is passionate about finding common cause to serve the greater good. Clare would like to help the Foundation continue to make a positive impact on the growth and development of our community.
Hemant Mehta
Hemant Mehta is the author of The Young Atheist's Survival Guide and creator of the popular FriendlyAtheist.com blog. He previously served as chair of the Secular Student Alliance before joining the board of Foundation Beyond Belief, an organization he has been with since its inception. He is also a National Board Certified high school math teacher in suburban Chicago.
Jerry DeWitt
Jerry was a Pentecostal minister in Louisiana for 25 years, having recently earned the distinction of being the first graduate of the Clergy Project, supported by Richard Dawkins and Dan Barker. His ministerial background provides a broad understanding of the religious lifestyle and its effects on personal well-being, and he strives to be both a dramatic and entertaining speaker/activist with a heartfelt compassion for those struggling with their negative religious experiences. Jerry has great fondness for the "Challenge the Gap" initiative at the Foundation, and is particularly interested in helping to guide this unique project.
Mandisa Thomas
Mandisa is the founder and current President of Black Nonbelievers, Inc., an organization based in Atlanta. Their mission is to provide socialization and support for other atheists and nonbelievers primarily in the Black community who would otherwise be shunned by family and friends. She has been focused on creating community centers that provide financial assistance, educational resources, and creative outlets from a secular perspective. Her organization also sponsors a recovery group for members who are still overcoming religious beliefs, a resource which is sorely needed in the Black community. Mandisa is interested in helping the Foundation identify optimal fundraising approaches, as well as to help expand awareness of the Foundation within the Black community.
Trish Hotze Cowan
Trish has been honored to serve as a member of the board of Foundation Beyond Belief since its inception. She is active with the Ethical Society of St. Louis (serving as Sunday School Director from 2005 - 2011) and enjoys being involved with the larger Ethical Humanist Movement through the American Ethical Union. She is currently the national advisor for the AEU's annual teen conference and assists with the national religious education and family conference as chair of the AEU Religious Education Committee. Trish's greatest joy is raising her two critical thinkers, Porter and Jessie.
Zachary Moore
Zachary Moore was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, but got to Texas as quickly as he could. He is an active leader in the freethought community of Dallas/Fort Worth, serving as the Executive Director of the Fellowship of Freethought in Dallas, Coordinator of the Dallas/Fort Worth Coalition of Reason, and Treasurer for Camp Quest Texas.
Zach received his PhD in molecular biology from the University of Cincinnati and subsequently created the popular "Evolution 101" podcast. His other podcasts include the atheist/theist panel discussion "Apologia," and the newly-developed "Churchspotting" which provides a critical examination of various religious centers in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex.
Dale McGowan, Ph.D. (Exec. Director), ex officio
Dale is editor and co-author of Parenting Beyond Belief and Raising Freethinkers, the first comprehensive resources for nonreligious parents. He writes the secular parenting blog The Meming of Life and presents seminars for nontheistic parents across the United States. In 2008 he was named Harvard Humanist of the Year by the Humanist Chaplaincy at Harvard University.
Dale's past non-profit work includes service as U.S. Communications Coordinator for Nonviolent Peaceforce, a global civilian peacekeeping organization based in Brussels. He holds degrees in physical anthropology and music theory from UC Berkeley and the University of Minnesota. He and his wife Becca, a second grade teacher, live in Atlanta with their three children.
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