Advisory Council

The Religious Liberty in the States Advisory Council brings together leading scholars and practitioners from diverse academic, legal, and religious backgrounds. Council members contribute their expertise to help guide the project’s research priorities and ensure academic rigor. Representing institutions across the country, they offer valuable insight into how religious liberty is understood and applied in varied cultural and legal contexts. Their perspectives strengthen the credibility, balance, and impact of the project’s findings.

Amy Black, Ph.D.

Wheaton College (IL)

Stanley Carlson-Thies, Ph.D.

Institutional Religious Freedom Alliance (DC)

Jonathan Den Hartog, Ph.D. 

Samford University (AL)

Waleed El-Ansary, Ph.D.

Xavier University (OH)

Samuel Goldman, Ph.D.

George Washington University (DC)

Vincent Phillip Muñoz, Ph.D.

University of Notre Dame (IN)

Deborah A. O’Malley, Ph.D.

University of Toledo (OH)

Jacqueline Pfeffer Merrill, Ph.D.

The Council of Independent Colleges (DC)

Asma T. Uddin

Michigan State University

Micah Watson, Ph.D.

Calvin University (MI)

Michael Wear

Center for Christianity and Public Life (DC)

John Witte Jr., J.D.

Emory University (GA)