Senator Stuart Adams currently serves as President of the Utah State Senate. He served 6 years as Senate Majority Whip.  He also served 4-1/2 years in the Utah House of Representatives.  He is a former Chairman of the Utah Transportation Commission and the current Chairman of the Military Installation Development Authority (MIDA).  He served 9 years on the Layton City Council.

A graduate from the University of Utah with a B.A. in Business Finance, he is a partner in the Adams Company, a Real Estate, Construction and Development Firm in Kaysville. In 2015, he sponsored the Utah Compromise legislation creating a fairness for all environment for religious liberty and the LBGT community. 

Senator Jake Chapman was first elected to the Iowa Legislature in 2012 and was most recently re-elected to the Iowa Senate in 2016. Jake currently serves as Assistant Majority Leader, as well as Chairman of the Ways & Means Committee. In addition to his role as Assistant Majority Leader and Chairman of Ways & Means, Jake serves on the following standing committees: State Government, Rules & Administration, Commerce (past Chairman), and Judiciary. Jake also serves on the Iowa Workforce Development Board, Connecting Rural Iowa Task Force, and the Legislative Council.

Representative Mary Johnson (Republican) is a member of the North Dakota House of Representatives, representing District 45. Johnson was elected to the office on November 4, 2014.

Johnson is a former attorney and CPA who served on the Fargo Park Board for 12 years. She is currently retired and lives with her husband who have two sons, four grandchildren and one great grandchild.

Representative Stephen Owens is the current Representative serving the 74th House District in Kansas. He and his girlfriend moved to Kansas from Oklahoma to attend Bethel College in Newton, Kansas. Shortly thereafter, they married and moved to Hesston where they currently reside with their three children. After graduating with his undergraduate Degrees in Business and Accounting, he went on to earn his Masters in Business Administration from Southwestern College while taking his first business full time.

As a serial entrepreneur who understands business and has been blessed to be self employed for 20 years, Stephen had the desire to run for office with the idea that we need to #rethinkkansas. He currently serves on the following committees: Corrections / Juvenile Justice, Judiciary and Appropriations. In addition to his work on these committees, he was recently appointed by the Speaker to the newly established Criminal Justice Reform Committee that will help reshape the states approach to crime and punishment.

Representative Greg Razer, a Democrat, represents parts of Jackson County (District 25) in the Missouri House of Representatives. He was elected to his first two-year term in November 2016. In each of his three years as a member of the House, Razer has introduced the Missouri Non-Discrimination Act (MONA).  For only the second time in state history, he successfully guided it to passage in committee in 2018.  Razer is currently a candidate for State Senate (District 7) in the upcoming 2020 election. Prior to his legislative duties, Rep. Razer was the Deputy Regional Director for U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill from 2008-2016. 

Representative Jamie Smith is serving in his second term in the South Dakota House of Representatives. He is the House Minority Leader and serves on or has served on the following committees: State Affairs, Education, Health and Human Services, Local Government, Workforce Housing Task Force, and the Corrections Commission. He is passionate about bringing civility back to politics and is honored to be a part of this important discussion.

Former Representative Tim Brown is the President of the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments and previously served in the Ohio House of Representatives, representing the 3rd District from 2013 to 2016.

Brown received a bachelor's degree in business from Bowling Green State University in 1986. He formerly served as a Wood County Commissioner and as a district representative for United States Congressman Paul Gillmor.

Former Kansas Representative Chuck Weber currently serves as executive director of the Kansas Catholic Conference, the public policy arm of the Catholic Church in Kansas. He is a former news reporter and manager, as well as a writer and short film producer. He and his wife Cindy have five children, four grandchildren (so far), and reside in Wichita, caring for their special needs son and Chuck’s mother.

John Adenitire is a lecturer at the University of Birmingham, UK. Prior to this, he was a doctoral student at the University of Cambridge. He is the editor of Religious Beliefs and Conscientious Exemptions in a Liberal State (Hart 2019) and the author of A General Legal Right to Conscientious Exemption: Beyond Religious Privilege (Cambridge University Press 2020). His research and teaching interests lie in the fields of public law, legal theory, comparative public law, and law and religion. Dr. Adenitire, together with Professor Wilson, is the recipients of the BiRimingham ­Illinois Partnership for Discovery, EnGagement, and Education (BRIDGE) Seed Fund, which in part supports this meeting.

Phyllis Baker is the inaugural Director of Academic Affairs for the Discovery Partners Institute, a pioneering new research institute of the University of Illinois System.   She leads the development of educational and research programs in cooperation with partners in industry; governmental, non-governmental and community-based agencies; and cultural and philanthropic organizations who will bring real-world problems to solve. She also will work with academic partners that already include the University of Chicago, Northwestern University, Tel Aviv University, Hebrew University of Jerusalem and MS Ramaiah Medical College in India. In addition, nearly 1,000 faculty from across the U of I System are sharing their talents to build DPI’s academic programming.

Cicily Bennion is the recipient of the June 2019 Tolerance Scholarship from the Tolerance Means Dialogues and an MFA student at BYU where she studies creative writing.

Dale Carpenter is a Senior Policy Advisor to American Unity Fund and the Judge William Hawley Atwell Chair of Constitutional Law at Southern Methodist University. He previously served as the Charles J. and Inez Wright Murray Distinguished Visiting Professor of Law at SMU.

Prior to joining SMU, Carpenter served as a Distinguished University Teaching Professor and the Earl R. Larson Professor of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Law at the University of Minnesota. As the author of numerous articles and an award-winning book – Flagrant Conduct: The Story of Lawrence v. Texas (W.W. Norton & Co., 2012) — he is often asked by the media to comment on constitutional law and the First Amendment, as well as sexual orientation and the law.

Alexander Dushku is a shareholder of the Salt Lake City law firm Kirton McConkie. In 1996, Alexander joined Kirton McConkie, where he specializes in appellate brief writing and critical law and motion practice. He has authored numerous briefs in important religious liberty cases and has consulted with legislators and advocates across the country on religious liberty issues.  He was a primary negotiator of the 2015 “Utah Compromise” legislation that received national attention for reconciling religious and LGBT rights.  He is lead outside counsel for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in matters of religious freedom and public policy. 

Alexander is past president of the Constitutional Law Section of the Utah State Bar and is listed as one of Utah’s “Legal Elite” by Utah Business Magazine and as a Mountain States “Super Lawyer.” 

William Eskridge, the John A. Garver Professor of Jurisprudence at Yale Law School, represented from 1990-95 a gay couple suing for recognition of their same-sex marriage. Since then, he has published a field-establishing casebook, three monographs, and dozens of law review articles articulating a legal and political framework for proper state treatment of sexual and gender minorities. He is the co-author of the book Gay Marriage: For Better or for Worse? What We Have Learned from the Evidence (Oxford, 2006) (co-authored with Darren Spedale), author of Equality Practice: Civil Unions and the Future of Gay Rights (Routledge 2002), and is co-editor with Professor Wilson of the book Religious Freedom, LGBT Rights and the Prospects for Common Ground (eds., Cambridge University Press, 2018).

Whitney Foughty joined Cummins inc. in 2017 and is responsible for the development and implementation of Cummins’ legislative and policy strategy at the state and local level across the United States and within Canada. Prior to joining Cummins, Whitney spent nearly a decade working in various roles in government and political campaigns across the country.

Whitney earned her Master’s degree in Business Administration from the Kelley School of Business and Bachelor of Arts degrees in Economics and Political Science from Indiana University. Whitney is a 2010 graduate of the Richard G. Lugar Excellence in Public Service Series and a 2009 graduate of the Women’s Campaign School at Yale. Whitney serves on the United Service Organization of Indiana’s Board of Directors, the United Way Corporate Challenge Campaign Committee, and chairs the Scholarship Committee for the IFRW.

In her free time, Whitney enjoys spending time with her family, playing card games, and her husband’s cooking. Whitney is married to Trevor Foughty. They reside in Indianapolis with their two children, Abigail and Jacob.

Aisha Ghori Ozaki is a manager on the enterprise-wide Inclusive Diversity team at Allstate where she has supported communication, marketing, training, education and metrics since 2015. Aisha is a frequent presenter and facilitator on diversity and inclusion as well as professional development topics and is devoted to ensuring that all individuals feel welcome, find their passion and contribute toward creating an inclusive environment.

Prior to joining Allstate, Aisha worked in higher education for almost 18 years. Aisha holds both a master’s and bachelor’s degree in Sociology from DePaul University. Aisha holds a Diversity & Inclusion certificate from Cornell University and is also certified in the administration and interpretation of the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) and the MBTI.

Aisha volunteers with multiple organizations and especially enjoys her mentoring and time with Upwardly Global Chicago, the DePaul University Alumni Sharing Knowledge (ASK) program, Muslim Women’s Alliance (MWA) and the Career Transitions Center of Chicago (CTC).

Brian Grim, Ph. D., is president of the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation, a corporate trainer, and a leading scholar on international religious demography and the socio-economic impact of religious freedom.  He has extensive international experience and is a TEDx speaker and a speaker at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos. Brian’s recent research finds that religion contributes $1.2 trillion to the U.S. economy annually, more than the combined revenues of companies including Apple, Amazon and Google. He is recent chair of the World Economic Forum’s faith council and he works closely with the United Nations Business for Peace platform. Brian is author of numerous works including The Price of Freedom Denied (Cambridge), World Religion Database (Brill), World’s Religions in Figures (Wiley) and Yearbook of International Religious Demography (Brill). 

Huston Harris is an assistant director who works with the American Jewish Committee to help advance AJC’s mission though advocacy, leadership, and development work. At AJC, Huston founded the organization’s first LGBTQ Advisory Council in its 110-year history. Prior to AJC he assisted in managing campaigns for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee after graduating from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. with a bachelor’s degree in international studies. Huston is an alumnus of the Upstart Innovation Fellowship and is currently the vice-president of Walter Payton College Prep’s alumni association and sits on the board of JUF’s Young Leadership Division’s pride committee.

Shirley V. Hoogstra became the seventh President of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities in September 2014. In this role, Hoogstra combines her zeal for the rule of law and her passion for Christian higher education as she promotes the value and purpose of high quality, Christ-centered liberal arts education that shapes students who love the Lord with all their heart, soul, and mind.

Prior to the CCCU, Hoogstra served for 15 years as vice president for student life at her alma mater, Calvin College. She also spent more than a decade practicing law as a partner at a firm specializing in litigation in New Haven, Connecticut. She earned a Juris Doctor, with honors, from the University of Connecticut School of Law.

Kent Johnson, J.D., is Senior Corporate Advisor for the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation (RFBF) and a management consultant on religious diversity at work. Kent works with RFBF to help companies adopt and practice best practices regarding religious diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Kent Johnson recently retired from his role as a Senior Counsel at Texas Instruments Incorporated and now serves as a consultant to multinational companies on topics related to religious accommodation and faith in the workplace. Kent helps companies see the appropriate role of religious expression and religious diversity at work, in order to strengthen corporate cultures of trust, mutual respect and organizational effectiveness. A passionate advocate of diversity and inclusion, Kent also helps companies in certain jurisdictions navigate their legal obligation to accommodate employees’ religious expression while carefully avoiding any impression of compulsion to participate in or agree with such expressions.

Andy Johnston serves as Vice President of Government & Corporate Affairs for the Grand Rapids, Michigan Chamber of Commerce and is responsible for managing the Chamber’s public policy efforts on behalf of over 2,800 members to create a vibrant business environment and thriving economy that benefits everyone.

His responsibilities include developing and implementing priorities and strategies for issue committees and councils to advance Chamber priorities in the areas of tax, regulatory, education, environment, transportation, health and human resources policy as well as budgetary reform at the local and state level.

Andy also manages the advocacy efforts of the West Michigan Chamber Coalition. A native of Grand Rapids and an alumnus of James Madison College at Michigan State University, Andy was named a 40 under 40 recipient by the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives.

Ruby Mendenhall is an Associate Professor of Sociology and African American Studies. She is an affiliate of the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology; Women and Gender in Global Perspectives; the Epstein Health Law and Policy Program; and the Family Law and Policy Program. Mendenhall is the Assistant Dean for Diversity and Democratization of Health Innovation at the Carle Illinois College of Medicine. Mendenhall’s current research examines how living in racially segregated neighborhoods with high levels of violence affects Black mothers’ mental and physical health. She also studies the effects of racial microaggressions on the health of students of color.

Shannon Minter is Legal Director at the National Center for Lesbian Rights. Mr. Minter, a transgender man, was lead counsel for same-sex couples in the landmark California marriage equality case, which held that same-sex couples have the fundamental right to marry and that laws that discriminate based on sexual orientation are inherently discriminatory and subject to the highest level of constitutional scrutiny. Minter was counsel in other successful challenges to state marriage bans in Alabama, Florida, Idaho, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. He represented married same-sex couples from Tennessee in Obergefell v. Hodges, the 2015 Supreme Court decision striking down state laws barring same-sex couples from marriage.

Michael O’Connor is the Senior Advisor of State Government Affairs for Eli Lilly and Company. He has primary responsibility for developing and implementing Lilly Corporate strategy as it involves Indiana government at every level and is responsible for managing Lilly’s interaction with all governmental entities in the state. O’Connor is also the Indiana task force chair of PhRMA, overseeing the pharmaceutical industry’s extensive investment in the State of Indiana. Prior to joining Lilly, O’Connor was a principal with Bose Public Affairs Group, Indiana’s largest full-service Lobbying and Public Affairs agency. 

Julia Oltmanns is Assistant Vice President for HR/Employment Law at Zurich North America, which is part of the global insurance company based in Zurich, Switzerland. She is an employment attorney who specializes in diversity, inclusion and equity, employee resource groups, affirmative action, ethics and compliance, investigations and employee development and culture.

In 2018, Julia was a founding member of Zurich’s first faith-based employee resource group which is a Christian employee resource group named Good NewZ. Julia is also the co-chair of the group which has become the fastest growing employee resource group at Zurich North America. Julia received her J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law and her B.S. in Psychology and Speech Communication from the University of Illinois.

Steph Perkins serves as the Executive Director of PROMO, Missouri's statewide LGBTQ advocacy organization and is based in St. Louis, Missouri. Originally from Kansas, Steph graduated from Missouri State University with his Bachelor’s in Sociology and Religious Studies and has been passionately engaged in the fight for LGBTQ equality at the local, state, and national level for more than a decade. He serves on the Board of Directors for Freedom For All Americans, a bipartisan campaign to secure full nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people nationwide, and the Public Policy Advisory Committee for the St. Louis Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Michael Roberts is a Lead Solution Engineer at Salesforce. He is passionate about encouraging everyone to bring their full selves to work. He is the cofounder and Global Vice President of Faithforce, Salesforce's faith based equality group that seeks to encourage employees to share their faith story at work, educate and listen to those around you, celebrate together as a community and speak up as an ally for those around you. Faithforce is Salesforce's fastest growing ERG, with over 1,800 employees engaged across 17 cities on 5 continents. Michael is a Christian and attends Holy Trinity Church, Chicago

Farah Siddiqui is a Manager of Trailhead Programs and Processes at Salesforce and the Global President & Co-Founder of Faithforce, Salesforce’s interfaith employee resource group. Farah is a proud Pakistani-American Muslim woman, an Ally, and a strong advocate for equality and inclusion in the workplace. Farah was awarded first place in this year’s EMpower Top 50 Future Ethnic Minority Leaders list for her leadership in building a culture of empathy and belonging at Salesforce for people of all beliefs through inclusive, educational, intersectional and philanthropic events and initiatives.

Cameron Smith serves as the Workplace Program Associate at Tanenbaum. He received his B.A. in Political Science with a Middle East Studies concentration from Drew University. He received his M.S. in Global Affairs with a Peacebuilding concentration from NYU’s Center for Global Affairs. As part of his graduate capstone, Cameron helped produce a documentary on women’s security issues within Haitian internal displacement camps. The project built upon his previous work with refugee populations in the Middle East and his focus on the intersections of religion, culture, and conflict.

Margie Smithe joined Allstate in July 2012, joining the Inclusive Diversity team in September 2016. She manages the external survey completion strategy, partners on cross-cultural education-related projects and provides strategic and analytical support around advancing Inclusive Diversity at Allstate. The Inclusive Diversity Programs and Courses increase the abilities of Allstaters to understand differences and the benefits an inclusive environment creates when driving towards business goals. 

Margie has a master’s degree in counseling from National Louis University and a bachelor’s degree in Communications from Loyola University in Chicago. She is also certified in the administration and interpretation of the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI). Margie volunteers at One Million Degrees as a scholar coach and is the Mom of 3 adults who are making their way in the world.

Erica Thunder is the current North Dakota Labor Commissioner. As Labor Commissioner, Thunder leads the North Dakota Department of Labor and Human Rights, which is responsible for enforcing the state’s labor and human rights laws and for educating the public about the laws. 

Thunder previously served as judicial systems administrator for the North Dakota Indian Affairs Commission, working to improve relationships with state, tribal and federal agencies in a wide range of areas. She also played a key role in the Commission’s substantial progress in strengthening tribal partnerships, one of the Burgum-Sanford administration’s five strategic initiatives.

Jason Vincent is a Sr. Diversity and Inclusion Consultant at Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC), the parent company of five Blue Cross Blue Shield plans including Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. He works with Business Resource Groups to create a diverse and inclusive culture, support and contribute to business goals, enhance community outreach efforts, strengthen the talent pipeline and enhance market reach.   

Jason believes that bold individuals and organizations that take risks and are inclusive will far out survive those that accept the status quo or sit back and wait for things to change.  They will allow innovation to occur and new ideas to flourish, enabling business to grow and thrive. 

Jason has experience in higher education, government and healthcare.  He is pursuing a MA in human resource management from Chicago’s Roosevelt University and holds a BA in marketing communications from Western Kentucky University’s School of Communications and Journalism.

Amy Waggoner is the Director of Midwest State & Local Government Affairs for Salesforce, the fastest growing top 10 software company in the world and one of the world’s most innovative companies as ranked by Forbes for seven years in a row. She advocates on behalf of Salesforce to elected officials across the Midwest and Eastern United States on various matters such as cloud computing policy, economic development opportunities and equality for all.

Previously, Amy served Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard for five years as Deputy Chief of Staff where she was the liaison between the Mayor’s Office and multiple internal agencies and external organizations, focusing on public safety, transit and election matters. Amy managed the Mayor’s Office $5 million budget and oversaw all staffing, hiring and office operations. Additionally, she managed the ethics and lobbying activity for the City of Indianapolis.

Prior to her role with the City of Indianapolis, Amy worked for the Marion County Prosecutor, the Indiana Republican Party and interned for the Indiana House of Representatives Republican Caucus. Amy has been involved in government and politics since moving to Indianapolis in 2002. In her spare time she has worked on or volunteered for many different campaigns at the local, state and national levels including the 2004 George W. Bush presidential campaign, the 2008 Rudy Giuliani presidential campaign and Mayor Ballard’s re-election in 2011. Amy serves on the Board of Directors for Freedom for All Americans, the Indiana Repertory Theatre, the Indiana Technology and Innovation Association and the Richard G. Lugar Excellence in Public Service Series. She is also a gubernatorial appointee to the Indiana School for the Deaf Board. She lives in downtown Indianapolis and her son attends Purdue University.

Wilford Wagner grew up in Mexico City and came to the United States on a student visa. He attended Brigham Young University, University of Kentucky, and National Louis University. He received degrees in Spanish Literature, Education and Educational Leadership. Over the last 35 years he has worked as a Spanish teacher, coach, and high school principal. While he served as principal, Leyden School District 212 was awarded the AP small school district of the year for the United States . Wil currently lives in South Barrington, Illinois and serves as the Public Affairs Director of the Chicago Area for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

This meeting will occur in historic Lincoln Hall at:

Northwestern Pritzker School of Law

375 East Chicago Avenue

Chicago, IL 60611.