August E. Brunsman IV, Executive Director
[august AT secularstudents DOT org]

Brunsman is the executive director of the Secular Student Alliance.  He has served in that position since 2001, and started getting paid for it in 2004. He  also worked as a programmer for the Institute for Humanist Studies from 2001 to 2004. In 1997 he co-founded Students for Freethought at the Ohio State University where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 2001 majoring in psychology and minoring in mathematics and cognitive science.

Brunsman has served as the Secretary of the Board of the Secular Coalition for America since 2006. He is also the camp director of Camp Quest Ohio where he has volunteered since 1999. 

Lyz Liddell, Director of Campus Organizing
[lyz AT secularstudents DOT org]

Lyz Liddell is the Director of Campus Organizing for the Secular Student Alliance.  She serves as a primary contact point for SSA affiliate groups, helps connect those groups with resources, and develops new resources for them.

She holds a BA in music and English summa cum laude from Bradley University, and a Master of Music degree in bassoon performance from the Ohio State University.  Since 2006, she has volunteered as the Editor-in-Chief for the SSA's eMpirical, and has been increasingly involved in the freethought movement since then.  Her work as editor-in-chief and campus organizer has taken her to major conferences and events held by a variety of national organizations.  Lyz is also an accomplished performing musician, specializing in classical bassoon and renaissance woodwinds.

Jesse Galef, Communications Director
[jesse AT secularstudents DOT org]

Jesse Galef is the Communications Director for the Secular Student Alliance.  Before being hired in 2010, he worked for the Secular Coalition for America and the American Humanist Association. 

Galef graduated with honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in Political Science.  He was president of the nonreligious student group on campus as well as an active member of various religious organizations, including the Orthodox Christian Fellowship and Christian Apologetics of Carolina. In his spare time, he likes to read, breakdance, and play board games.

Ashley Paramore, Development Director
[ashley AT secularstudents DOT org ]

Having grown up in a small conservative community, Ashley Paramore found it very difficult to find other freethinkers. When she finally found out that there were more people with the same views as she had, she grew excited and got busy.  In 2007 she brought together atheists/freethinkers/humanists to give them a sense of community, along with an opportunity to take part in activism involving separation of church and state issues in Columbus, OH by starting a chapter of the Rational Response Squad and then later via another organization called Omnipresent Atheists. 

She went on to serve as the chair of Students for Freethought @ Ohio State from 2007 to 2009.  Ashley also served on the board of directors of the Secular Student Alliance from 2008 to 2010.  Ashley is currently studying Psychology at the Ohio State university in addition to working part-time for the Secular Student Alliance. 

Nathaniel Mauger, Assistant Campus Organizer
[nate DOT mauger AT secularstudents DOT org]

Nate Mauger is the Assistant Campus Organizer for the Secular Student Alliance. Nate was hired by the SSA as an intern in January, 2010 before being promoted to his current position. He is an active member of Students for Freethought at The Ohio State University where he studies Anthropology and Geography. With graduation on the horizon, Nate plans on attending grad school to study Geographic Information Systems and its applications for Natural Resource Management.

Nate enjoys ultra marathon running, biking, playing disc golf, and is an enthusiastic supporter of The Ohio State Buckeyes!