In accordance with its bylaws, the American Humanist Association (AHA) conducted an election for eight positions on the AHA Board of Directors. All AHA members in good standing received a ballot via e-mail through eBallot, a third-party voting site, and were notified through theHumanist.com and email. Voting opened on September 30th and closed on October 14th.
The Board elections represent two things that are unique about the AHA: First, we put our democratic values into action and give members the ability to shape the direction of our organization. Second, all of our successes are possible because of leaders who step up and volunteer their time to build our movement in roles such as the ones in this election.
The terms for the new Board members begin on January 1, 2025.
The following candidates were newly elected to the Board of Directors:
Evan Clark is a humanist entrepreneur, public speaker, and award-winning community organizer with over 16 years of experience tinkering with secular communities. He is currently the Executive Director of Atheists United in Los Angeles, the North American Coordinator for Young Humanists International, and the Southern California State Director for American Atheists. Evan was previously Chair of the Secular Student Alliance Board of Directors, co-founder of the Humanist Community of Ventura County, co-host of the Humanist Experience podcast, Outreach Director for the James Woods for Congress campaign, and founder of Spectrum Experience LLC. As a student leader, Evan was the founder and president of the Secular Student Alliance at California Lutheran University and was also elected as the university’s first openly atheist student body president.
Ellie Haylund is an enthusiastic humanist and has been involved with her local chapter, HumanistsMN, for almost a decade. Since 2016, she has served on HumanistsMN’s board of directors, is their current president, and co-chairs the marketing committee. She is passionate about bringing widespread visibility to humanism, cultivating the next generation of humanists, and advocating for the separation of religion and government. Professionally, Ellie manages client experience in the financial services industry. She enjoys live music, crafting, reading, and video gaming. Ellie lives in Minneapolis, MN with her husband and fellow humanist, Nick, and their two rescue dogs, Wally and Tater Tot.
Christian Loyo is a PhD Candidate in Biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His research focuses on understanding how bacteria defend themselves against predation by bacteriophages, or bacterial viruses. He is passionate about making science accessible to diverse audiences, ranging from elementary school students to his academic colleagues. Christian previously served as the Vice President of the Secular Society of MIT (SSOMIT), where he promoted secular values at MIT through invited speaker events, increased humanist visibility, and organized community gatherings.
Luciano Joshua Gonzalez-Vega is a writer and social media strategist living in Greensboro, North Carolina. They were born in Fort Liberty, and was raised in Latin America by a veteran and her soldier spouse, and lived throughout South and Central America as well as the American Bible Belt. They attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and earned a bachelor’s degree in history before earning a master’s degree in peace and conflict studies from the same institution during the height of COVID-19. In their professional career they have worked as a journalist, writing for magazines and publications like LatinoRebels, The Humanist, The Carolinian, Patheos, OnlySky, The News and Record, and have spoken at various conferences as well as run an American English language publication for expatriates to Honduras known as The Honduras Report from 2013-2018. They are also a professional social media strategist and have worked for various non-profits such as the American Atheist Association and the American Humanist Association. They seek to help publications and organizations implement clever social media strategies and to help people discuss various topics related to humanism with precision, wit, and compassion.
David Orenstein is Department Chairperson and a tenured full professor of anthropology at Medgar Evers College of the City University of New York. He has been affiliated with the AHA for more than a decade. He has taught human evolution, primatology, science history and science advocacy for two decades. He is the author of three books, two published by AHA’s Freethought Press. In addition, he served at the AHA representative to the United Nation, for five years, and is an ordained Humanist Clergy. He is a happy freethinker who believes life is best lived with reason and joy for the human condition.
The incumbent candidates who were re-elected to the Board of Directors are: Abby Hafer, Krystal Jackson, and Jason Wiles.
Returning Board members include: Vanessa Gomez Brake, Candace Gorham (current President), John Hooper (current Vice President), and Darin Stewart.
The AHA thanks the members of the Nominating Committee—Anthony Cruz-Pantojas (chair), Nancy Bolt, Gayle Jordan, and David Williamson—for volunteering their time to identify and vet candidates. The AHA wishes to recognize Jim Palmquist and David Breeden, who also stood for election.
Thank you to all who participated in this election, continuing the AHA’s tradition of being the largest, national, democratic humanist organization in the United States.
Congratulations to the new and returning board members!
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