Keynote Speakers
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RACHEL LASERPresident & CEO, Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Rachel Laser became president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State in February 2018. She is the organization’s first non-Christian and female leader in its 75 year history. Rachel is a lawyer, advocate and strategist who has dedicated her career to making our country more inclusive. In her position at Americans United, Rachel oversees the organization’s work to protect freedom of conscience for all and ensure religion is not used to justify discrimination. Prior to coming to AU, Rachel worked as an educator on white privilege and racism and held positions as deputy director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, director of the Culture Program at Third Way and senior counsel at the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC). Rachel is a graduate of Harvard University and the University of Chicago Law School. She is a former board member of NARAL Pro-Choice America.
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Additional speakers to be announced!
Workshop Presenters
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AMY COUCHAmericans United for Separation of Church and State
Amy Couch (she/her) is the Director of Digital Communications for Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
Amy received a B.A. in Philosophy and Classics from the University of Tulsa and a M.A. in Political Science from Fordham University. An ex-evangelical and recovered conversion therapy recipient, Amy has spent her career advocating for church-state separation, disability rights and inclusion, and LGBTQIA+ equality. |
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ANDREW SEIDELAmericans United for Separation of Church and State
Andrew L. Seidel (he/him) is Vice President of Strategic Communications for AU, an author, and an attorney who’s defended the First Amendment for more than a decade. Andrew is the author of two books: The Founding Myth: Why Christian Nationalism Is Un-American (2019) and American Crusade: How the Supreme Court is Weaponizing Religious Freedom (2022). He’s also co-editor of an academic text, Law and Religion: Cases and Materials (Foundation Press, 2022) 5th Edition, with Prof. Leslie Griffin of UNLV law school.
A Senior Correspondent at Religion Dispatches, Andrew is a prolific author of opeds, has written several scholarly articles, has debated the utility of the Johnson Amendment, and organized and contributed to the groundbreaking report, “Christian Nationalism at the January 6, 2021, Insurrection,” which was published by the Baptist Joint Committee and the Freedom From Religion Foundation and aroused congressional interest. He’s appeared on Fox News to debate Bill O’Reilly, MSNBC, and hundreds of other media outlets. |
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CATHERINE FEUILLEAmericans United for Separation of Church and State
Catherine (she/her) earned her Juris Doctor from Yale Law School, where she worked on Supreme Court litigation as a student in the Supreme Court Advocacy Clinic. She also interned for Senator Cory Booker’s Senate Judiciary Committee staff and Civil Rights Corps.
Catherine also holds a Master of Public Health degree from Columbia University and has experience working in health care delivery. She received her bachelor’s degree in Biology Modified with Anthropology from Dartmouth College. |
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DAVE WARNOCKDying Out Loud
Dave Warnock (he/him) is dying out loud.
Dave was a charismatic evangelical Christian for over 35 years, serving in pastoral ministry for many of those years. A crisis of faith caused him to reevaluate his beliefs, and by 2011 had come to the conclusion that he could no longer identify as a Christian. In 2019, Dave was diagnosed with ALS, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease—a terminal disease with no treatment and no cure. Following that, the Dying Out Loud organization was formed. The mission of Dying Out Loud is to enhance the experience of life for those diagnosed with a terminal disease, by removing unwanted religious influence in the process of healthcare, dying, and death, and by providing “bucket list” moments that highlight the joys of this one life we know we have. |
DAVID CALLAWAY
Freedom Forum
David Callaway (he/his) is the Religious Freedom Specialist for the Freedom Forum, a non-profit fostering First Amendment freedoms for all. David oversees the Freedom Forum’s religious freedom work acting as a resource for educators, journalists, and the general public on the role of religious freedom and religious literacy in a pluralistic democracy. David specializes in religion and public schools and has trained thousands of educators and administrators on how to teach about religion constitutionally and academically.
ELIZABETH REINER PLATT
Columbia Law School, The Law, Rights, and Religion Project
Liz Reiner Platt (she/her) is the director of the Law, Rights, and Religion Project at Columbia Law School, a law and policy think tank that advocates for religious liberty, pluralism, and social justice. She publishes widely on the intersection of religious freedom and other fundamental rights. Her recent work includes the Southern Hospitals Report, which examines religious restrictions on medical care at Protestant-affiliated hospitals; All Faiths and None, a roadmap for protecting religious freedom and pluralism; and Whose Faith Matters?, an exploration of religious freedom movements outside the Christian Right.
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GABI HYBELAmericans United for Separation of Church and State
Gabi Hybel (she/her) is a Madison Legal Fellow at Americans United for Separation of Church and State. Gabi earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the University of Michigan Law School, where she was a project manager for the Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse and the Managing Editor of the Michigan Journal of Race & Law. During law school, she also worked as a student attorney in the Criminal Appellate Practice Clinic and as an intern at the Texas Civil Rights Project and the Southern Coalition for Social Justice.
Before arriving at Americans United, Gabi clerked for the Honorable Neal E. Kravitz on the D.C. Superior Court and completed a legal fellowship at Farmworker Justice. Gabi earned her bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Pomona College. She has previous experience as a communications director, a labor organizer, and an elementary school teacher. |
HANNAH SANTOS
Freedom Forum
Hannah Santos (she/her) is the Religious Freedom Program Coordinator at Freedom Forum. She holds a Masters of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School and a Bachelors in Religious Studies and History from Brown University. She is a former Youth Organizing Fellow for Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
IMANI GANDY
Rewire News Group
Imani (she/her) is Editor-at-Large for Rewire News Group, where she covers law and courts and co-hosts the RNG podcast Boom! Lawyered. Imani also began and continues to write the Angry Black Lady Chronicles.
Imani is a recovering attorney turned award-winning journalist and political blogger. Previously, Imani founded Angry Black Lady Chronicles, winner of the 2010 Black Weblog Award for Blog to Watch and the 2012 Black Weblog Award for Best Political Blog. She received her JD from University of Virginia School of Law in 2001, where she was a Hardy Cross Dillard scholar and an Editorial Board member of the University of Virginia Law Review. She has presented at several conferences and panels, including the 2013 Abortion Care Network as the Keynote Speaker; the 2014 Baffler Conference; the 2016 YBCA 100 Summit; the 2016 PPFA 100th Anniversary at the Brooklyn Historical Society; the 2018 SXSW Panel “If Roe Were to Go”; the 2018 plenary for National Abortion Federation’s annual meeting; and the 2018 Affect Conference as the Keynote Speaker. Boom! Lawyered won Podcast of the Year in 2017 from the Population Institute.
Imani is a recovering attorney turned award-winning journalist and political blogger. Previously, Imani founded Angry Black Lady Chronicles, winner of the 2010 Black Weblog Award for Blog to Watch and the 2012 Black Weblog Award for Best Political Blog. She received her JD from University of Virginia School of Law in 2001, where she was a Hardy Cross Dillard scholar and an Editorial Board member of the University of Virginia Law Review. She has presented at several conferences and panels, including the 2013 Abortion Care Network as the Keynote Speaker; the 2014 Baffler Conference; the 2016 YBCA 100 Summit; the 2016 PPFA 100th Anniversary at the Brooklyn Historical Society; the 2018 SXSW Panel “If Roe Were to Go”; the 2018 plenary for National Abortion Federation’s annual meeting; and the 2018 Affect Conference as the Keynote Speaker. Boom! Lawyered won Podcast of the Year in 2017 from the Population Institute.
JENNIFER HAWKS
Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty
Jennifer Hawks (she/her), originally from Germantown, Tennessee, is the associate general counsel at BJC. She provides legal analysis on church-state issues that arise before Congress, the courts and administrative agencies. Hawks also assists in education efforts and responds to pastors and other constituents who have questions about church-state matters.
Before coming to BJC, Hawks was the director of advocacy and outreach services for the Family Abuse Center in Waco, Texas, where she conducted a legal clinic and led educational programs. She previously worked for two judges in the state of Mississippi and served as a staff attorney for the Mississippi Department of Human Services. Hawks also served in both paid and volunteer ministry positions in Tennessee, Mississippi and Texas. She has published papers in the journal of the Texas Baptist Historical Society and Baptist History & Heritage Journal.
A graduate of Mississippi College and the University of Mississippi School of Law, Hawks earned a Master of Divinity degree from George W. Truett Theological Seminary at Baylor University. She is a member of the U.S. Supreme Court, Texas and Mississippi bars, and she was ordained into the Gospel ministry by McLean Baptist Church in McLean, Virginia.
Before coming to BJC, Hawks was the director of advocacy and outreach services for the Family Abuse Center in Waco, Texas, where she conducted a legal clinic and led educational programs. She previously worked for two judges in the state of Mississippi and served as a staff attorney for the Mississippi Department of Human Services. Hawks also served in both paid and volunteer ministry positions in Tennessee, Mississippi and Texas. She has published papers in the journal of the Texas Baptist Historical Society and Baptist History & Heritage Journal.
A graduate of Mississippi College and the University of Mississippi School of Law, Hawks earned a Master of Divinity degree from George W. Truett Theological Seminary at Baylor University. She is a member of the U.S. Supreme Court, Texas and Mississippi bars, and she was ordained into the Gospel ministry by McLean Baptist Church in McLean, Virginia.
JESSICA PIEKLO
Rewire News Group
Jessica Mason Pieklo (she/her) is a Senior Vice President and Executive Editor. She is also the co-host of the Rewire News Group podcast Boom! Lawyered.
Jessica has over a decade of experience as a former litigator, and taught law for four years before transitioning to journalism. She was part of the SCOTUSblog symposium on abortion rights following Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt and won the Excellence in Online Journalism award in 2018 from the Association of LGBTQ Journalists. She has participated in numerous panels including at NYU Law School; University of Arkansas; University of Colorado; University of Utah, among others. Boom! Lawyered won Podcast of the Year in 2017 from the Population Institute.
Jessica has over a decade of experience as a former litigator, and taught law for four years before transitioning to journalism. She was part of the SCOTUSblog symposium on abortion rights following Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt and won the Excellence in Online Journalism award in 2018 from the Association of LGBTQ Journalists. She has participated in numerous panels including at NYU Law School; University of Arkansas; University of Colorado; University of Utah, among others. Boom! Lawyered won Podcast of the Year in 2017 from the Population Institute.
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KALLI JOSLINAmericans United for Separation of Church and State
Kalli Joslin (she/her) is a Steven Gey Constitutional Litigation Fellow at AU. Shereceived her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center, where she served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Georgetown Journal of Gender and the Law and as a student-attorney in the Civil Rights Clinic. She also interned for Lambda Legal and the ACLU Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief.
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LIZ HAYESAmericans United for Separation of Church and State
Liz Hayes (she/her) is the Associate Vice President of Communications at Americans United for Separation of Church and State. Liz worked as a journalist in Pittsburgh for 15 years before joining AU’s Communications Department in 2016. She earned a bachelor’s degree in communication and media studies from Penn State University.
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MAGGIE GARRETTAmericans United for Separation of Church and State
Maggie Garrett (she/her) is the Vice President for Public Policy for Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
Maggie has been working on church-state separation issues for more than 20 years. Although she started her civil liberties work as a litigator, she now works in the public policy arena. She represents Americans United before Congress and the Biden Administration, and she oversees the state legislative program. Much of Maggie’s work focuses on ensuring that public funds are used for public schools. For the last eight years, she has served as the co-chair of the National Coalition for Public Education (NCPE), a coalition of more than 50 national organizations that opposes private school vouchers. She is also the chair of the Coalition Against Religious Discrimination (CARD), which is the national coalition that fights against policies that allow religiously affiliated social service organizations to use taxpayer funds to discriminate. And Maggie leads Americans United’s work to protect the Johnson Amendment, which is the provision in the tax code that ensures tax-exempt nonprofits, including houses of worship, do not endorse or oppose political candidates. Maggie has spoken about church-state issues in television and radio appearances and has been quoted in numerous major newspapers. She has presented on church-state issues across the country, participated in Congressional briefings and testified numerous times before state legislative committees. Before Maggie joined AU’s Public Policy Department, she served as the Legislative Director/Staff Attorney at the ACLU of Georgia, where she litigated high-profile cases on issues including the separation of church and state, free speech, reproductive rights and voting rights. She also lobbied the Georgia General Assembly on issues such as private school vouchers, reproductive rights, free speech and religious freedom. She was also a Fellow at the ACLU of Alabama, where she participated in litigation to remove Judge Roy Moore’s Ten Commandments display from the Alabama Supreme Court building, and she was the first Madison Fellow at Americans United in 1999. Maggie graduated from Hamilton College, cum laude, and graduated with honors from The George Washington Law School, where she was the Production Editor of The George Washington Law Review. In 2016, she was awarded the Allen Thornell Political Advancement Award from Georgia Equality for being “the most responsive attorney in reviewing legislative language” they’ve ever worked with and for her diligence and dedication to the First Amendment. |
MARGARET HAMM
Margaret Hamm (she/her) is an independent scholar who researches and writes on the intersections of religion, gender, and law in 20th- and 21st- century America. She is a graduate of Harvard Divinity School and Miami University, and has written for organizations including Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Catholics for Choice, and Freedom Forum. During summer 2022, she served as AU's Digital Communications Intern and assisted with the launch and growth of AU's TikTok account.
MARILYN MAYO
Anti-Defamation League
Marilyn Mayo (she/her) is a Senior Research Fellow at ADL’s Center on Extremism. She has been with the ADL for over 25 years, having previously served as the Co-Director of ADL’s Center on Extremism and the Associate Director of Investigative Research at ADL. Ms. Mayo is an expert on right-wing extremists in the United States, ranging from white supremacists to academic racists to anti-immigrant groups. She often speaks to the media, community groups and law enforcement about the activities of hate groups and movements across the country. She has worked on numerous reports for ADL and writes regularly for the organization’s blog.
Ms. Mayo received her B.A. from Barnard College in New York and her M.A. from the City University of New York Graduate Center.
Ms. Mayo received her B.A. from Barnard College in New York and her M.A. from the City University of New York Graduate Center.
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NIK NARTOWICZAmericans United for Separation of Church and State
Nik Nartowicz (he/him) is the State Policy Counsel at Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
Nik joined Americans United in 2017. As State Policy Counsel, Nik tracks and analyzes state legislation that would affect church-state separation and religious liberty. He drafts letters to state legislators and works with allies to defeat bills that would undermine religious freedom. He joined AU after working for 2 years for Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser in the Office of Federal and Regional Affairs. As Policy Counsel, he worked with Congress and federal agencies to advance D.C.’s priorities in judiciary, legal, public safety, LGBTQ, and technology issues. He also helped lead D.C.’s successful 2016 Statehood referendum. |
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REBEKAH KOHLHEPPAmericans United for Separation of Church and State
Rebekah Kohlhepp (she/her) is the Design Associate at Americans United for Separation of Church and State. She has been blogging about religion, atheism, science, and social issues on her blog since 2016. She has also written for OnlySky Media and The Friendly Atheist Blog. She is the former Marketing Committee Chair for the Pittsburgh Freethought Community. Rebekah currently lives in Pittsburgh with her husband and their two cats.
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ROB BOSTONAmericans United for Separation of Church and State
Rob Boston (he/him) is Senior Adviser at Americans United for Separation of Church and State and Editor of Church & State, AU’s monthly membership magazine.
Rob, who has worked at Americans United since 1987, is the author of four books: Close Encounters with the Religious Right: Journeys into the Twilight Zone of Religion and Politics (Prometheus Books, 2000); The Most Dangerous Man in America? Pat Robertson and the Rise of the Christian Coalition (Prometheus Books, 1996); Why the Religious Right Is Wrong About Separation of Church and State (Prometheus Books, 1993; second edition, 2003) and, most recently, Taking Liberties: Why Religious Freedom Doesn't Give You The Right To Tell Other People What To Do (Prometheus Books, 2014). |
SHANNON RUSSELL
Catholics for Choice
Shannon Russell (she/her) serves as Director of Policy at Catholics for Choice, working collaboratively with the organization’s domestic and international teams to provide strategic thought leadership and articulate policy change strategies impacting reproductive health, rights, and justice at the state, national, and international level. She fosters relationships and interacts regularly with elected officials, governmental representatives, and coalition partners to represent pro-choice Catholics who support reproductive freedom because of our faith, not in spite of it.
Before joining CFC, Ms. Russell led federal advocacy efforts to advance reproductive health, rights, and justice at the National Council of Jewish Women and worked with policy staff at the Center for Reproductive Rights, NARAL Pro-Choice America, and Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. She graduated from Gettysburg College with degrees in History and Political Science and from George Mason University School of Law with a Juris Doctor in May 2018. During law school, Ms. Russell served as a health law research assistant to Dr. Y Tony Yang and Senior Research Editor for the George Mason Law Review, publishing pieces in this journal and The Green Bag.
Before joining CFC, Ms. Russell led federal advocacy efforts to advance reproductive health, rights, and justice at the National Council of Jewish Women and worked with policy staff at the Center for Reproductive Rights, NARAL Pro-Choice America, and Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. She graduated from Gettysburg College with degrees in History and Political Science and from George Mason University School of Law with a Juris Doctor in May 2018. During law school, Ms. Russell served as a health law research assistant to Dr. Y Tony Yang and Senior Research Editor for the George Mason Law Review, publishing pieces in this journal and The Green Bag.
SMRITI KRISHNAN
National Council of Jewish Women
Smriti Krishnan (she/her) currently serves as Manager of Government Relations and Advocacy at National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW). At NCJW, her portfolio focuses on reproductive justice, and she leads NCJW’s litigation strategy. Prior to her current role, she served as a staffer in both the United States Senate and the House of Representatives.
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SUNU CHANDYNational Women's Law Center
Sunu P. Chandy (she/her) is a social justice activist through her work as a civil rights attorney and a poet. Sunu started as the legal director at the National Women's Law Center (NWLC) in August 2017, and in this role she provides strategies to create better outcomes for women and girls including in schools, workplaces, and the healthcare sector. She also supports the NWLC's Workplace Justice policy work and LGBTQI+ rights related work. Sunu has provided Congressional testimony in support of the Equality Act, and serves on the board of the Transgender Law Center.
Before joining NWLC, Sunu was the Deputy Director for the Civil Rights Division with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and before that, Sunu was the General Counsel of the DC Office of Human Rights (OHR). Previously, Sunu was a federal attorney with the U.S. Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for 15 years in the New York District Office. At EEOC, in addition to litigating civil rights cases, Sunu led several outreach initiatives including as a member of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (WHIAPPI) Regional Working Group. Sunu began her legal career as a law firm associate representing unions and individual workers in New York City. Sunu earned her B.A. in Peace and Global Studies/Women’s Studies from Earlham College, her law degree from Northeastern University School of Law and later, her MFA in Creative Writing (Poetry) from Queens College/The City University of New York. Sunu was honored as one of the 2021 Queer Women of Washington and one of Go Magazine’s 100 Women We Love: Class Of 2019. Sunu’s collection of poems, My Dear Comrades, was selected for the 2021 Terry J. Cox Prize, and published by Regal House in March 2023. Photo Credit Fid Thompson. |
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© Americans United for Separation of Church and State 2023