Nadine Smith
equality Florida, Executive Director
Nadine Smith is the Executive Director of Equality Florida, the state's largest organization dedicated to ending discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. In 2022, she was named to the Time100, TIME's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world
An award-winning journalist turned organizer, Nadine was one of four national co-chairs of the 1993 March on Washington. She was part of the historic meeting between then - President Clinton - the first Oval Office meeting between a sitting President and LGBTQ community leaders. She served on the founding board of the International Gay and Lesbian Youth Organization.
She is a Florida Chamber Foundation Trustee and served on President Obama's National Finance Committee.
Nadine has been named one of the state's "Most Powerful and Influential Women" by the Florida Diversity Council. She has received the League of Women Voters' Woman of Distinction Award, in 2018 was named one of the 100 Most Influential Floridians by Influence Magazine. She currently serves as chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Florida Advisory Committee.
She lives in St. Petersburg with her wife Andrea and son Logan.
Katherine Stewart
journalist and Author
Katherine Stewart's new book, Money, Lies and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy (Bloomsbury, February 2025) has been praised by Congressman Jamie Raskin as “An indispensable citizen's guide to the anti-democratic MAGA Right in America.”
Her last book, The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism, was voted first place for Excellence in Nonfiction Books by the Religion News Association and forms the basis of the documentary feature film God and Country, produced by Rob Reiner. She writes for The New York Times, New Republic, Religion News Service and others. You may follow her on Twitter @kathsstewart .
Seth Andrews
Author, Host of The Thinking Atheist Podcast
Seth Andrews, a video producer and former Christian broadcaster, now hosts www.thethinkingatheist.com, one of the most popular online atheist communities in the world. The Thinking Atheist is not a person. It is an icon encouraging all to reject faith and pursue reason and evidence.
Seth has authored four books, including his latest, out just in time for FREEFLO: “Christianity Made Me Talk Like an Idiot.” (no subtitle needed). Copies will be available for purchase and autographing. Seth’s previously released books are "Deconverted: a Journey from Religion to Reason" chronicles his journey out of superstition, "Sacred Cows: A Lighthearted Look at Belief and Tradition Around the World" is a wild romp through many of the world's strangest cultures and customs, and "Ghost Stories" is a fictional audiobook romp inspired by his annual Halloween radio show.
With a mix of humor and heart, Seth Andrews has spoken for audiences large and small in the U.S, Canada, Europe, and Australia about his former faith, the promotion of science and skepticism, the importance of Humanism in this often crazy world, and why we should all pursue a personal relationship with reality.
Kate Cohen
Journalist and author
Kate Cohen is a Washington Post contributing columnist and author of We of Little Faith: Why I Stopped Pretending to Believe (And Maybe You Should Too), from Godine.
She wrote her first book, The Neppi Modona Diaries: Reading Jewish Survival through My Italian Family (UPNE), soon after receiving her bachelor’s degree in Comparative Literature at Dartmouth College. The Neppi Modona Diaries tells the sometimes conflicting stories of a family of Jews who suffered under Fascist racial laws in Italy and went into hiding to survive the Nazi invasion. It also explores Kate’s own perspective as a post-Holocaust, non-believing Jew at the end of the twentieth century. In A Walk Down the Aisle: Notes on a Modern Wedding, she chronicles her wedding to a man with whom she had lived for eight years, examining each facet of the American wedding ritual, as hard to resist as it is functionally outdated.
Then she had three kids and was not one of those people who gets up at five to write before their children wake. She worked as an editor, freelance writer for hire, and occasional essayist. She still does all of that, but has also begun to reclaim her time and mental space. Hence: We of Little Faith.
You can find Kate’s author page at the Washington Post here.
Cat Bohannon
Researcher, scholar, writer, freak
Cat completed her PhD in 2022 at Columbia University, where she studied the evolution of narrative and cognition. Her work has appeared in Science, The Atlantic, Scientific American, The Best American Nonrequired Reading, Lapham’s Quarterly, The Georgia Review, and Poets Against the War.
Eve is her first book and a New York Times bestseller. The book was Foyles’ book of the year, an Audible book of the year, Blackwells book of the month, a Powell’s Pick, and was listed for the Royal Society Trivedi Prize, the Orwell Prize, and the Women’s Prize.
She lives in the U.S. with her partner and two offspring and keeps her therapist well employed.
Jasper Hoffman
The Plain People’s Podcast, Founder and Producer
Jasper Hoffman is the founder and producer of the internationally top ranked The Plain People’s Podcast, amplifying the voices of former and current Amish, Mennonite and Anabaptist survivors. As a former member of the Eastern Pennsylvania Mennonite Church, Jasper is considered one of the leading experts on hidden abuse crimes within the Amish and Mennonite churches. Her work has made international headlines, Cosmopolitan, Apple News and various other media outlets. Collaborating with other organizations she has designed several appropriate non threatening resources for Amish, Mennonite and survivors world-wide.
Featured in the Peacock original documentary Sins of The Amish that aired in May 2022, Jasper has dedicated her efforts to engage the attention of the outside world to create impactful and empowering change for women forgotten within the dystopian confines of religion. Making history, Jasper was the first former Mennonite woman to bring awareness of the abuse within the Plain communities to our nation’s Capital and congress in Washington D.C. in 2021. In 2023 she was invited by the former speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to speak on the PA Capitol steps, bringing attention to the lack of Mennonite representation in news headlines and the unlicensed facilities that illegally harbor Mennonite and Amish women.
She currently resides in the greater Nashville TN area.
Kavin Senapathy
journalist and author
Kavin Senapathy (they/she) is an award-winning science journalist and author of The Progressive Parent: Harnessing the Power of Science and Social Justice to Raise Awesome Kids (HarperCollins/Hanover Square). Copies will be available at FREEFLO for sale and signing.
Senapathy’s writing appears in SciShow, Slate, Scientific American, SELF, The Daily Beast, Salon, Forbes, and more. A member of the National Association of Science Writers and the American Society of Journalists and Authors and a professional speaker who addresses audiences ranging from tens to thousands worldwide, their work delves into a slew of seemingly disparate but interconnected beats, from genomics to biological essentialism and racism in society and in medicine to the inner workings of autoimmune disease to why parents probably shouldn’t take their infant to a chiropractor.
Based in Madison, Wisconsin, Senapathy is an elder millennial, a parent of two humans and guardian of two dogs, and a lifelong atheist (who has and respects many religious friends and family members). They enjoy watching music videos, picking brains, and working out. After the upheaval of Twitter, Senapathy's social media homes are largely Facebook @ksenapathy and Instagram @kavinsenapathy. You can follow them there and/or learn more at kavinsenapathy.com
Sam McGuire
American Atheists National Field Director
Sam McGuire has a varied background in counseling, education, event planning and volunteer management. As the American Atheists’ National Field Director, she works with local grassroots activists, volunteers and affiliates to help them engage on emerging local civil rights issues, advocate for state level legislation, and build thriving communities.
Sam became involved in secular organizing and activism following the 2012 Reason Rally, first becoming a founding member of the Southern Maryland Chapter of the Washington Area Secular Humanists (WASH) and later President of the regional organization. Sam has volunteered for the American Humanist Association, Camp Quest Chesapeake, and the Secular Coalition for America. In 2016, she was the volunteer coordinator for over 200 volunteers for Reason Rally, as well as helping coordinate on-site logistics. She was elected to the Board of Directors and as President of the Reason Rally Coalition. Sam previously served as a volunteer regional director overseeing the local activism in the Washington DC, Virginia, and Maryland areas for American Atheists, earning her the Atheist Activist of the Year award in 2019.
McGuire 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 also a Certified Humanist Celebrant.
Forrest Valkai
Biologist & Science Communicator
Forrest Valkai is a biologist and science communicator who uses his platform to teach exciting science lessons, promote compassion and skepticism, and share his boundless love for life with audiences of all ages. He can be found on YouTube and TikTok and is a regular host on shows such as SkepTalk and The Atheist Experience.
Forrest is perhaps best known for teaching evolution in his Light of Evolution series and debunking creationist videos in his Reacteria series. More than anything, however, he is proud to have built a career teaching people to love science and each other and encouraging everyone to never stop learning!
Lily M.Bolourian
American Humanist Association Legal and Policy Director, Center for Freethought Equality Staff
Lily Bolourian (she/her) is a seasoned strategist, policy wonk, and advocate with 15 years of experience working and winning on issues related to abortion access, reproductive justice, immigration, police violence, and environmental justice. She is the daughter of Iranian asylees and refuses to allow the country her parents migrated to to escape theocracy be condemned to the same fate.
Prior to working with the American Humanist Association, Lily was the first woman of color in over 30 years to hold the title of Executive Director of Pro-Choice Maryland and was the lead on issues related to divesting from police and investing in community as Senior Legislative Aide to Montgomery County, MD Councilmember Will Jawando. Lily also is a staff member of the Center for Freethought Equality.
Lily graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Master of Arts in Health Law and Policy from the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Government and International Politics from George Mason University.
Cheyenne Drews
Progress Florida Deputy Communications Director
Born and raised in Florida, Cheyenne (she/her) has a long track-record of leadership on policy, communications, campaigns, and constituent services. A graduate of the University of Central Florida, she was the Operations Supervisor for the Mothers’ Milk Bank of Florida before becoming a Public Policy Consultant for Planned Parenthood. She currently is the Deputy Communications Director for Progress Florida.
In 2020, she managed Representative Anna V. Eskamani’s re-election campaign for Florida House and served as her Chief of Staff in the legislature. Currently, she serves on the Steering Committee for the Floridians for Reproductive Freedom Coalition. If not in her inbox, you can find Cheyenne at an Orlando vegan restaurant, canvassing, enjoying a concert, or with her rescue dog Cooper.
Gina Duncan
The Pride Chamber, President and CEO
Gina Duncan (she/her)is the President and CEO of The Pride Chamber. Duncan first served as chamber president in 2009, becoming the first elected transgender president of a major chamber of commerce. She held the position until 2012. From 2014 to 2021, Duncan was the Director of Equality Florida’s transgender inclusion initiative called Transaction Florida. Transaction Florida’s Advisory Council led a network of over 1,200 people advocating for transgender rights and protections through public policy and educational efforts that was overseen by Duncan.
Gina was in the Mortgage Banking business in Central Florida for 31 years. She has served on the Home Builders Association of Mid-Florida and Mortgage Bankers Association Boards of Directors. Gina was President of the Mortgage Bankers Association of Central Florida in 2005. She was with Wells Fargo Home Mortgage from1997 to 2011, and served as the Area Manager of Central Florida, and Regional Manager for East Florida.
Gina was invited to attend the first ever Human Rights Campaign’s National Women’s Diversity Leadership Conference, and also served on the HRC National Business Council. Gina served on the Steering Committee of Equality Florida and on the Orlando Anti-Discrimination Alliance, which has been instrumental in passing the Orange County Human Rights Ordinance as well as a Domestic Partnership Registry in both the City and County.
Gina is recognized as a national and international spokesperson and educator on transgender rights, public policy and civic engagement. She received the Equality Florida Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021.
Olga Eillen Vazquez
Ex-Pentacostal
Olga Eillen Vazquez was born into the Catholic Church and grew up with a deep Christian faith, even considering becoming a nun. Later, she converted to Pentecostal Christianity and was baptized in a pool as a symbol of being born again in the faith. In her Pentecostal church, Olga was highly respected for her conduct and strong adherence to the church's beliefs.
She passionately preached to the youth and taught Bible school, demonstrating her deep commitment to the teachings of the Bible. Olga also prayed to be baptized by the Holy Spirit and to speak in tongues. However, when this did not happen, she began to experience doubt. Her journey toward deconversion began with reading Christopher Hitchens' book, God Is Not Great, which further challenged her faith and led her to question her beliefs.
Lisa Sklar
Ex-Conservative Jew
Lisa grew up an observant Conservative Jew and continued her religious education throughout high school, where she struggled with questions about why we worshipped a god that was so angry and cruel. She began her slow slide into atheism after an in-depth study of the Book of Job, faith shaken by the story of god doing horrible things to a devoted worshipper.
Lisa identifies as a cultural, non-religious Jew, and still celebrates Jewish holidays with her family, although she tries not to think about the god parts too much.