Board of Directors

Leadership

David P. Silverman, President

Mr. Silverman is President of American Atheists and was the Creator and Executive Producer of the Reason Rally. He attended Brandeis University, where he completed his Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science while honing his debating skills with theists in numerous informal debates. Dave served as a professional inventor at Bell Labs for 8 years (74 issued patents) and a Marketing Director for Natural Microsystems.

He has been an atheist since he was 6-years-old. Dave became an activist in 1996 and soon became New Jersey State Director. He also founded the Alliance of Lucent and AT&T Atheists and Secularists, the first employee club of its kind. He was tapped to be the National Spokesperson in 2004, and then was named Vice President in 2008. The Board of Directors elected Dave as President in September of 2010.

Mr. Silverman has appeared on most major news programs including The O'Reilly Factor (spawning the famous "WTF meme-face"), Scarborough Country, The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer, CNN's Paula Zahn NOW, Nick News, Hannity and Colmes, FOX and Friends, NPR's All Things Considered, and many more. David hosts the Atheist Viewpoint TV show with co-host Dennis Horvitz.

Dave can be reached via email or (908) 276-7300 X5.

Kathleen Johnson, Vice President

Board of Directors

American Atheists has a dedicated Board of Directors. The Board of Directors sets the policy for American Atheists, and elects a President to run the organization.

Current Board members:

Neal Cary, Board Chairperson: email

Neal's first work for American Atheists was in 1993 when he volunteered to help echo press releases through the old American Atheist FAXNet. He was one of the original Volunteers who helped expand it in the eastern part of the country. In the spring of 1995, Neal began serving on the Board of Directors of American Atheists GHQ, and in December of 1996 began serving on the Board of Directors of the Society of Separationists. At the time, these were two of the five corporations in the American Atheists family of corporations.

After the O’Hairs were murdered in September of 1995, the Board of Directors took over the role of running the organization. Neal began serving the organization as the National Outreach Director in 1996, and held that position through 2001. During Neal's tenure as National Outreach Director, he headed the American Atheists Volunteers, and organized a new national system of State Directors geared toward Atheist activism. Neal wrote the “American Atheists Activists Handbook” and the “State Director Handbook.” As National Outreach Director, he also began the annual American Atheists Letter to the Editor Competition in 2000, and ran it through 2010.

When all five corporations of American Atheists merged into American Atheists, Inc. in 2009, Neal began serving on the Board of Directors of American Atheists, Inc. and has been Chairman of the Board since then.

Wayne Aiken

Chris Allen

Jamila Bey

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Ed Buckner (former President): email

DR. ED BUCKNER is a board member and former president of American Atheists. He has been married to his wife Diane since 1968, and the couple has one son, Michael. Ed earned his B.A. at Rice University in 1967 and a Ph.D. in 1983 at Georgia State University. The Buckners live in the Atlanta, GA, area.

In his professional career, Buckner has served as a professor, technical school administrator, and Executive Director of the Council for Secular Humanism. He and his wife have edited several books and published Oliver Halle’s Taking the Harder Right in 2006. His other published works include co-editing with his son Quotations that Support the Separation of State and Church in 1995 and writing or co-authoring “Secular Schooling” in Parenting Beyond Belief (2007) edited by Dale McGowan, and “This is a Free Country, Not A Christian Nation” (with his son) in Everything You Know About God is Wrong (2007) edited by Russ Kick.

Ed Buckner and Michael Buckner are the authors of a forthcoming (December 2012) book: In Freedom We Trust: An Atheist Guide to Religious Liberty, Prometheus Books.

Monty Gaither

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Kathleen Johnson

Edwin Kagin

Blair Scott: (256) 701-6265 or email.

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Blair has been an atheist since the 6th grade and is a veteran of the United States Navy. Blair has been an atheist activist for twenty years and has been with American Atheists for 12 years. Blair has served as the Alabama State Director, the National Affiliate Director and Communications Director in the past. Blair became the Director of Outreach in 2012.

Blair attends all major conventions and manages the American Atheist table to promote American Atheists' mission and membership. It is Blair's job to ascertain cost to benefit analysis for each convention American Atheists attends in order to keep costs at a minimum and benefits at a maximum. Blair is also the MC at the American Atheists' National Convention each year. Blair also writes for American Atheist Magazine and the blog portion of the American Atheists' web page. Blair is the MC for the national convention each year. Blair has appeared on FOX News, CNN, NPR, and countless newspapers and local news stations to promote American Atheists and atheism in general.

Frank Zindler (former interim president)

Indra Zuno

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Professional photographs used courtesy of John Welte