Staff

Jennifer Butler, CEO

Jennifer is the founding CEO of Faith in Public Life. Before leading FPL Jennifer spent ten years working in the field of international human rights representing the Presbyterian Church (USA) at the United Nations and is an ordained minister. While mobilizing religious communities to address the AIDS pandemic and advocate for women’s rights she grew passionate about the need to counter religious extremism with a strong religious argument for human rights. Out of that experience she wrote Born Again: The Christian Right Globalized, which was published by University of Michigan Press. Her book calls for a progressive religious response to Religious Right efforts to take the culture wars global.

Jennifer served in the Peace Corps from 1989 to 1991 in a Mayan village in Belize, Central America where she discovered she was at heart a community organizer. A graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary, she also studied public policy and community organizing and graduated with a MSW from Rutgers University. She’s a graduate of the College of William and Mary.

Jennifer and her husband Glenn together run Iona Conversations, a Christian spiritual community in downtown Washington DC. When not dreaming up ways to amplify a social justice faith voice, Jennifer loves camping, hiking and biking with her husband and son.

Vice President

This position is currently open and FPL is accepting applications.  Please see our “Jobs” page for more information.

John Gehring, Catholic Program Director

John spent nearly ten years as an education reporter before leaving journalism to blend his passion for writing, politics and faith. Previously, he served as Communications Director at Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good and was an Assistant Director for Media Relations at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. He has appeared on MSNBC, written for the National Catholic Reporter, Washington Post “On Faith,” U.S. Catholic, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and is frequently quoted in national media outlets. John blogs about Catholic issues at Bold Faith Type.

Catholic nuns, Jesuit priests and journalism professors at Columbia University taught John to think critically and seek justice. He believes that religion is infinitely complex and fascinating, especially when you throw politics into the mix. John enjoys helping faith leaders communicate in a sound-bite culture and broadening a values debate that has been distorted by the Religious Right.

When he is away from the office, John and his wife Timi spend time chasing after their toddler, the indomitable Sophie Rose, going crazy at University of Maryland (Terps) basketball games and visiting family in Baltimore.

Dan Nejfelt, Messaging and Trainings Manager

Since joining the FPL team in July 2007, Dan has had at least five job titles and been part of the organization’s most exciting achievements – from organizing a nationally televised Presidential candidate forum to passing the Affordable Care Act to holding Paul Ryan accountable for his immoral federal budget plan. Along the way he has written everything from blog posts to op-eds to sign-on letters, prepped faith leaders for interviews with the most blustery pundits on cable news, designed opinion polls and married one of his former FPL coworkers. He credits his family, his Lutheran upbringing and his study of the civil rights movement for giving him the thirst for justice that led him to this line of work. He will come at you with data, talking points and a red pen.

Dan loves school. He taught remedial literacy in rural Arkansas as a Teach For America corps member, then reverted to student life at the Missouri School of Journalism and studied investigative reporting, magazine editing and strategic communications. A long time ago he got a B.A. in history at the College of William & Mary.

Dan grew up in Virginia and returns there often to visit loved ones and keep tabs on the state’s burgeoning wine industry. After work you can find him eating chili at Washington Nationals games or slowly jogging short distances on Capitol Hill.

Casey Schoeneberger, Press Secretary

As Media Relations Associate at Faith in Public Life, Casey is responsible for monitoring media developments, strengthening reporter relationships and helping to amplify the voices of religious leaders through cable and radio booking opportunities. In June of 2012, Casey acted as the on-bus press liaison for the highly successful “Nuns on the Bus” tour.  She traveled with Catholic sisters throughout their nine-state tour helping to elevate the Catholic sisters’ concerns about the dangers of Rep. Paul Ryan’s draconian budget plan.

Before coming to Faith in Public Life, Casey participated in the Associate Program at NETWORK, a National Catholic Social Justice Lobby. At NETWORK, Casey advocated for the protection of federal safety net programs. Prior to studying economics at Saint Joseph’s University, Casey also spent a year serving alongside fabulous individuals as a corps member in AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps. Her experience in AmeriCorps NCCC exposed Casey to the systematic racial and class injustices in America and left her with a strong desire to work with faith-based organizations that pursue the common good.

Meghan Blickman, Campaigns Coordinator

Meghan is happy to join the Faith in Public Life team. As the Campaigns Coordinator, she works with outside organizations to help amplify their unique faith and values voice in advocacy  campaigns. She also coordinates with groups to help them maximize the resources that FPL can offer.  In  2012, Meghan worked as a Faith Immigration Organizer for FPL in Birmingham, AL. She co-lead the faith-based organizing for the Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice’s campaign to repeal the anti-immigrant law, HB56. Meghan built relationships with clergy throughout the state, ran faith lobby days in Montgomery, and gathered over 200 signatures of clergy leaders on a statement to repeal the unjust law.

Meghan’s experience with community organizing in Phoenix with Promise Arizona in response to their anti-immigrant law, SB1070, left her very aware of the real change grassroots organizing can create. It led to her environmental work with Groundswell in Washington, DC, and most recently, field organizing for President Obama’s re-election campaign in Bucks County, PA. The power of people is what creates progress.

In her spare time, Meghan lives for the theatre (both performing and attending) and a good book. Born and raised in Silver Spring, MD, she takes the Orioles, steamed crabs, and the Chesapeake Bay very seriously.

Board

Tom Chabolla,

Tom Chabolla is the Assistant to the President at Service Employees International Union. Previously he served as Associate Director of Programs for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development.

David Baron

David Baron is an associate at the law firm of Sidley Austin LLP in Chicago, and a former Faith in Public Life intern.

Linnea Hegarty

Linnea Hagerty is the Executive Director of the DC Public Library Foundation.

Anne Howard

Anne Howard is the executive director of the Beatitudes Society.

Rev. Larry Hollon

Rev. Larry Hollon is the General Secretary of United Methodist Communications, the communications agency of the United Methodist Church.

Fred Rotondaro

Fred Rotondaro is a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress.

Scott Nielsen 

Mr. Nielsen is founder and principal of Alexander Nielsen Consulting.

Steve Newcom

Steve Newcom is the Director of the Center for Public Ministry at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities.