Debbie Allen became involved in the freethought movement in 2007 after her search for nonreligious, likeminded social justice advocates led her to local humanist and atheist groups in San Diego. While assuming leadership roles in several organizations, she started a Recovering from Religion support group, a Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers Meetup, a chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and she volunteered two summers for Camp Quest West. Debbie has been the local coordinator of the San Diego Coalition of Reason since 2009, and from 2015 to 2017 she served on the board of Reason Rally 2016. She has also served on the boards of the American Humanist Association, the Humanist Society, and the Freethought Equality Fund PAC.

Before becoming a secular activist, Debbie was a psychotherapist in private practice and a research associate in neuropsychology at UCSD Medical Center. When not listening to her favorite podcasts, she loves to dance, hike, visit museums, watch films and eat spicy ethnic food.

Joseph Blankholm holds a Master's degree in Cultural Anthropology from the University of California, Irvine, and a PhD in Religion from Columbia University. His research focuses on secular people, secularism, and the many things we mean when we talk about religion. His forthcoming book, The Secular Paradox, is a nationwide study of organized nonbelievers and secular activists in the United States. It will be published in June of 2022. His latest projects include the Secular Communities Survey, the largest survey ever conducted of organized nonbelievers, and the Meaning of Religion project, which is a study of the transmission of values and beliefs across generations. For the latter, he leads a team of researchers conducting 150 interviews with three generations of Southern California families who have been tracked since 1971.

Tif Ho is a humanist, with a history of volunteering across various causes, including education, the justice system, homelessness, food insecurity, health, and social issues. She serves on the Board of Directors for Njiko, a recently-founded nonprofit that addresses social issues. She has a M.A. in Anthropology from Hunter College. The majority of her research (w/ some digression into the APOE/Alzheimer’s gene) has centered on the intersectionality between gender, race, ethnicity, culture, and age. Tif is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Business, Global Leadership, and Organizational Management from Indiana Institute of Technology. Her dissertation focuses on leadership style, collaboration, and change management between AAPI women and other multicultural leaders.

As National Field Director, Sam works with local grassroots activists, volunteers and affiliates to help them engage in emerging local civil rights issues, advocate for state level legislation, and build thriving communities. She earned the American Atheist Activist of the Year Award in 2019 and was elected President of The Reason Rally Coalition. Sam has a Bachelor’s of Science in Neuropsychology from the University of Massachusetts and a Master’s of Science in Counseling from Johns Hopkins. She is a National Certified Counselor and a Certified Humanist Celebrant.

Hank Pellissier is the founder & program director of Humanist Global Charity, a nonprofit that works with international secularists promoting science-based education and economic sustainability. Their large projects include launching BiZoHa the ‘world’s first atheist orphanage’ in Uganda, and KaZoHa - a humanist safe house in Nigeria. Hank also started the ‘world’s first atheist film festival’ in San Francisco, he writes essays on education, politics and futurism, and he’s a performer for Extinction Rebellion.

Dr. Ray is an organizational psychologist who focuses on topics such as the treatment of religion-induced trauma, workplace organizational culture, and secular sexuality. He is an atheist activist, a public speaker, and a podcaster.

Phil Zuckerman is a professor of sociology and secular studies at Pitzer College in Claremont, California. He is also a regular affiliated professor at Claremont Graduate University, and he has been a guest professor for two years at the University of Aarhus, Denmark.

Phil Zuckerman is a prolific author including “Living the Secular Life” and “What it Means to Be Moral: Why Religion Is Not Necessary for Living an Ethical Life.”

In 2011, Phil founded the first Secular Studies department in the nation. Secular Studies is an interdisciplinary program focusing on manifestations of the secular in societies and cultures, past and present. Secular Studies entails the study of non-religious people, groups, thought, and cultural expressions. Emphasis is placed upon the meanings, forms, relevance, and impact of political/constitutional secularism, philosophical skepticism, and personal and public secularity.