Elisabeth Cornwell

• Located in Arlington, VA
• Executive Director of the Richard Dawkins Foundation
• Evolutionary Psychologist
• Created and implemented the OUT Campaign, Non-Believers Giving Aid, and the Global Secular Network
• Longtime political and community activist, particularly regarding children’s issues

Executive Director of the US branch of RDFRS. Prior to becoming the first Executive Director, she worked as a volunteer at RDFRS behind the scenes since its inception. Her contributions include originating and expanding the OUT Campaign, pioneering the concept of ‘vignettes’, including the innovative ‘The Four Horsemen’ discussion, and the filming of lecture events made available on the RDnet website. She has also worked to build up RDF's excellent network of relationships with student secular organizations as well as local and national organizations. Dr. Cornwell was instrumental in devising and organizing the Science Symposium at AAI in Burbank, and has been crucial in orchestrating Richard’s media and events in the US. She gained her business experience while working in marketing and sales in the semiconductor industry in California. In her forties, she decided to pursue her love of science and completed her PhD in psychology at the University of St Andrews, in Scotland. As an evolutionary psychologist, her research has examined the underlying mechanisms of human mate selection, looking at such factors as hormones, pheromones, ageing, asymmetry, and facial features. More recently she has been conducting research at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, exploring the relationship of various psychological traits to religious belief, across the spectrum from strong theism to strong non-theism. Dr Cornwell’s dual experience as a businesswoman and as a scientist means that she brings an unusual combination of strengths to the tasks that face RDFRS in America.

Elizabeth would enjoy speaking on:

• RDFRS
• women’s issues
• children’s issues
• human sexuality
• evolutionary psychology
• science of religion
• activism

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