Staff
August E. Brunsman IV, Executive Director Brunsman has served as the Secretary of the Board of the Secular Coalition for America since 2006 and is also the Secretary of the Board of the Humanist Community of Central Ohio. Additionally, he is the camp director of Camp Quest Ohio where he has volunteered since 1999. |  |
Jesse Galef, Communications Director 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. |  |
Sharon Moss, Alumni Director Sharon graduated from The Ohio State University in 2005 with a BA in Comparative Religion. She is a former president of Students for Freethought at The Ohio State University and current president of the Humanist Community of Central Ohio. Sharon serves as the Alumni Advisor to Students for Freethought and is the atheist representative to the University Interfaith Association at Ohio State. Sharon is also a certified Humanist Celebrant with the Humanist Society and is authorized by the state of Ohio to solemnize marriages. She considers this the closest thing to a super power she’ll ever have. |  |
Simon Keegans, Administrative Assistant Simon Keegans was raised with the values of compassion, curiosity, and rational inquiry, and is grateful to be part of a family of proud non-believers. She has enjoyed a lifelong interest in human and animal rights activism, and is honored to be able to help keep the movement tidy and organized behind the scenes. Simon is currently studying Comparative Studies of Science and Technology at The Ohio State University, and she intends to pursue post-graduate studies in Bioethics, while remaining involved in activism. |  |
Campus Organizing Team | |
Lyz Liddell, Director of Campus Organizing Lyz Liddell is the Director of Campus Organizing for the Secular Student Alliance, coordinating the campus organizing team to deliver the SSA's services and resources to affiliate groups and individual students. She leads development of new resources and helps build relationships with other organizations to promote acceptance of secular students. |  |
JT Eberhard, Campus Organizer and High School Specialist JT Eberhard is an SSA Campus Organizer specializing in High School groups. He co-founded the Missouri State University Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, which became one of the nation's largest college skeptic groups. He led the organization for five years. He is most recognized as the co-founder of the Skepticon annual convention. Now in its third year, JT has been the lead organizer since Skepticon’s inception and has appeared as the emcee during the first two years and as a speaker the last two years. His speaking career has focused mainly on religion and the youth skeptic movement and has included the Secular Student Alliance’s national convention, the Center for Inquiry’s leadership convention, and a myriad of regional events. As a debater, JT has participated in several skirmishes on the topics of religion and gay rights. He has paired on debate teams with such notable skeptics as Richard Carrier and Victor Stenger. JT is also a contributing writer to atheismresource.com. |  |
Sarah Moglia, Event Specialist Sarah Moglia is the Event Specialist at the Secular Student Alliance. Living in a small religious community, Sarah wanted to reach out to other atheists. She founded the SSA at Central College in Pella, Iowa in 2010 after returning from a semester abroad in Johannesburg, South Africa. |  |
Nick Stancato, Assistant Campus Organizer & Resource Coordinator Nick Stancato is an Assistant Campus Organizer at the Secular Student Alliance. He served as an intern before being hired by the SSA in November 2010. He was raised Catholic and went through 12 years of Catholic schooling which in part helped set him onto the path to atheism in high school. He currently attends The Ohio State University and is pursuing a major in History as well as minors in Classics, Religious Studies, and business. Nick is an active member of Students for Freethought at The Ohio State University and is currently serving Chair of that group. |  |
| Andy Cheadle, Assistant Campus Organizer & Group Starting Specialist [Andy AT secularstudents DOT org] Andy Cheadle is an Assistant Campus Organizer at the SSA. He is an active member of the SSA and was president of his university's secular student group before being hired onto the SSA staff. Andy was not raised in any specific religion, but was taught to question and inquire about the world around him. After studying and trying many different religions throughout his life, Andy began to proudly and openly identify as an atheist during college. He currently attends Wright State University pursuing a BS in psychology and behavioral neuroscience. He plans on attending law school after graduation, as well as continuing his work with the secular student movement. |  |
Sam Jackson, Assistant Campus Organizer Samuel Jackson is an Assistant Campus Organizer at the SSA. He is also a gratuate of the Ohio State University with a BA in Philosophy. Samuel was raised in a fairly religious Christian household before deciding to pursue a more secular spirituality. Ironically, in an effort to know god, he ultimately discovered the word is essentially nonsensical. He plans to someday go to graduate school while keeping close ties with the flourishing secular movement. |  |
