Board of Directors

The Board of Directors is the endorsing body of The Humanist Society. In addition to reviewing applications for endorsement, the Board has recently expanded and began exiting new efforts to continue growing and uplift the presence of Humanist Professionals throughout society.

Executive Committee

Kathy Diedrich

President

Kathy Diedrich

President

Sarah Ray

Vice President

Sarah Ray

Vice President

Sarah is a transgender woman who left Christianity with a passion for community building–especially in rural areas where it’s often difficult to be “out” or find like-minded people. She came to humanism on seeing a need for secular communities to focus our energy into productive, positive impacts in our world. Sarah is an endorsed Humanist Celebrant and host of the "Humanist Trek" Podcast which explores Star Trek from Gene Roddenberry's humanism.

Steven Bechtel

Secretary

Steven Bechtel

Secretary

Benjamin Iten

Chaplain Cmte Chair

Benjamin Iten

Chaplain Cmte Chair

Ben is now an endorsed Humanist Chaplain, but he was raised in the evangelical church. Over time his academic studies in Judaism (at The Ohio State University) and Bible Interpretation (at the University of Oxford) challenged him to rethink how he understood religion and spirituality. Eventually this rethinking led him to humanism and its progressive outlook on life. Humanist values continue to inspire Ben’s work as a professional chaplain for a major hospital system where he helps people find their inherent worth and dignity. When he’s not out visiting patients, he’s teaching new chaplains and volunteering with his local AHA chapter, the Humanist Community of Central Ohio. He is the first Humanist Chaplain certified by the Humanist Society to seek certification from the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education as a Certified Educator.

Elisa Rosoff

Elisa (pronounced “Alyssa”) Brewster Rosoff is a Humanist-endorsed, interfaith Clinical Professional Chaplain (BCCI, Inc.). She has a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in New York City as well as a Master of Education in Early Childhood and Special Education. Elisa is both a community-funded chaplain at a large women’s prison in NC and a chaplain with the Women’s Reentry Project of NC, a program of Arise Collective.

Prior to working for the non-profit Arise Collective, Elisa was a hospital chaplain specializing in palliative care and pediatrics. She has provided diverse people with spiritual and/or emotional care in Washington, D.C., New York, and North Carolina. Elisa now resides in Durham, NC with her husband and three “children” (a Siberian husky and two chihuahua rescues). She is passionate about holistic health, time in nature, dance, the fine arts, reading, writing, social justice, compassion and equity. She is fluent in Spanish in addition to English.

Lynn Rothemich

Lynn A. Rothemich (she/they) is an endorsed Humanist Chaplain /Celebrant as a result of a journey of formation and listening to /living into their authentic self. They hold a Master of Divinity and a Graduate Certificate in Spiritual and Pastoral Care from Andover Newton Theological School (NKA: Andover Seminary at Yale) and are a Board Certified Chaplain. They practice as an Interfaith Hospital Chaplain effectuating spiritual care in trauma, emergency medicine, palliative care, behavioral health and grief/bereavement care.

They have volunteered for professional Chaplain certification committees and facilitate listening circles with the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab. They also enjoy supporting others as a Humanist Celebrant in rituals to include celebration of life and marriage ceremonies. They continue to express their humanism by contributing to community environmental groups in stewardship of our earth and living into their deep connection with nature and spirituality.

Her heart is with spiritual care and she hopes to continue to foster and mine the humanist perspective, commitments and ethos with all those who seek professional chaplain/celebrant endorsement through The Humanist Society.

Anthony Cruz

Anthony Cruz Pantojas, MATS, MALS (they/he/elle/él) is honored to be the Humanist Chaplain at Tufts University. They joined the University Chaplaincy team in August 2021. In this capacity, Anthony supports the development and sustainability of ethical inquiry through co-constructed projects with the campus community. Cruz Pantojas earned master’s degrees in Theological Studies, and Leadership and Humanist Studies from Andover Newton Theological School and Meadville Lombard Theological School, respectively. Additionally, they hold a Graduate Certificate in Humanist Studies from the American Humanist Association Center for Education.

As an endorsed Humanist Celebrant and Chaplain by The Humanist Society, Anthony works at the intersection of ethics, constructive theologies, and decolonial orientations to culture to understand the human condition. Their queer Afro-Boricua identity also deeply informs their engagement with ethics and relationality. They have received grants focusing on humanist inquiry, and also publishes regularly.

Jocelyn Williamson

Nominating Cmte Chair

Jocelyn Williamson

Nominating Cmte Chair

Jocelyn Williamson is a lifelong atheist and Humanist, as well as an endorsed Humanist Celebrant and Invocator. She serves as the President of the Florida Humanist Association and co-founded the Central Florida Freethought Community (CFFC). The CFFC is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization of freethinkers, Humanists, atheists, and secularists working and playing together with reason and compassion as guiding principles. She serves as a Florida Representative for the Freedom From Religion Foundation, State Director for the American Atheists and serves on the Board for the BE Orlando Humanist Fellowship.

Jessica Dapson

Jess Dapson is a graduate of Utica College where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Syracuse University and Master of Science degree. She is dedicated to serving the public, as both a high school teacher and humanist celebrant who both officiates secular and interfaith weddings and performs secular memorial services. Both a member of the American Humanist Association (AHA) and board member of her local chapter of the AHA, Jess is a progressive, secular humanist who dedicates much of her time to serving numerous communities in various capacities. She formerly served as executive co-chair of the Secular Coalition for New York and wrote op-ed pieces for Pique, Newsletter of the Secular Humanist Society of New York. Together with her spouse, they raise their children in a humanist-minded household where they proudly integrate The Ten Commitments into their daily routines.

Randa Black

Marketing Cmte Chair

Randa Black

Marketing Cmte Chair

After years of indoctrination into the Catholic church as a child, and then the Evangelical church as a married adult, she let go of things that insulted her intelligence. Randa left religion over 17 years ago and is an Atheist and Humanist Celebrant. She is an active member of the Central Florida FreeThought Community and a lifetime member of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, having won the “Nothing Fails Like Prayer” Award in 2021. Randa enjoys giving invocations at city council meetings and works to insure the separation of church and state.

As a professional actor, Randa enjoyed working for Nickelodeon Studios for eight years as a Game Show Host in the live show, Game Lab, as well as numerous featured roles on the network’s sitcoms. She portrayed an FBI agent in The Cape, a drama series starring Corbin Bernsen, and has starred in Unsolved Mysteries and several episodic TV shows. Randa has appeared in hundreds of National and Regional Commercials and Industrials (Toyota, Delta, Angel Soft, Kellogg’s Crispix, K-Mart, Burger King, Ford, Walt Disney World, Holiday Inn, Sears, etc…). She continues to do commercials and voice-over work and lives in the Orlando area.

Keith Becher

Keith Becher has been a Humanist Celebrant for 5+ years and has had the opportunity to conduct weddings, give invocations, memorials, funerals and recommitment ceremonies. He is an active board member of the Central Florida Freethought Community, Florida Humanist Association, Space Coast Freethought Society, Space Coast Pride, and Co-Founder and President of the Humanist Community of the Space Coast.

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Board of Directors

Executive Committee

Kathy Diedrich

Sarah Ray

Steven Bechtel

Benjamin Iten

Elisa Rosoff

Lynn Rothemich

Anthony Cruz

Jocelyn Williamson

Jessica Dapson

Randa Black

Keith Becher

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