All events take place in the Biltmore Bowl (lower level) unless otherwise 10:30 “A Better Life: An Exploration of Joy and ABOUT THE SPEAKERS popular science books, Carroll will sign copies of specified. Meaning in a World without God” “The Particle at the End of the Universe: How the Friday, October 24 Photographer/author Chris Jones JESSICA AHLQUIST became a high school student Hunt for the Higgs Boson Leads Us to the Edge of

plaintiff in a lawsuit to remove a religious prayer a New World.” 2:00 p.m. Registration opens – Upper South Galeria 11:00 “Communicating Secular Ideas with the SCOTT CLIFTON is an Emmy-Award-winning actor Religious” from her school auditorium in Rhode Island. 3:00 – Reception – Bernard’s on Galeria Activist Jessica Ahlquist The suit, Ahlquist v. Cranston, was filed with the who played Dillon Quartermaine on ABC’s 5:00 p.m. Light appetizers, coffee, tea, punch assistance of the American Civil Liberties Union, “General Hospital” (2003–2007), Schuyler Joplin Legal Workshop - Roman (Mezzanine Level) 11:30 “From Accused to Activist” and was decided in her favor, despite statewide on ABC’s “One Life to Live” (2009–2010), and FFRF Staff Attorneys Rebecca Markert, Activist Barbara Mancini vilification, including being called an “evil little currently portrays Liam Cooper on CBS’ “The Patrick Elliott & Andrew Seidel Bold and the Beautiful” (since 2010). He has Workshop repeats from 4:00-5:00 p.m thing” by a state representative. She has received 12:00 – Lunch/sightseeing on your own, ballroom many honors for her brave stance and court victory, been awarded two Daytime Entertainment Emmy “Out of the Closet” 60-sec video recordings 2:00 p.m. re-opens 1:30 p.m. Mediterranean (Mezzanine Level) including student activist awards and “Atheist in awards, and has been nominated seven times. He’s Foxhole” scholarships from FFRF. Alquist has been appeared in many motion pictures as well as guest 2:00 “Writing God’s Obituary: How a Good Methodist starred on primetime TV hits such as “Judging 5:00 - 6:30 Dinner on your own Became a Better Atheist” interviewed by media around the globe, and speaks Amy,” Undressed” and Roswell.” He is a lifelong Author/professor Anthony Pinn frequently on college campuses and before secular 5:30 Registration re-opens – Biltmore Bowl Foyer groups. atheist and host of the freethought Youtube blog, Ballroom opens at 6:30 p.m. 2:45 Champion of the First Amendment DAN BARKER, co-president of FFRF, was a Christian “Theoretical B.S.” 7:00 Welcome & “Invocation,” music, short program Presentation preacher and musician for 19 years before “Losing ERWIN CHEMERINSKY is the founding dean of the Dan Barker & Annie Laurie Gaylor, Law professor Erwin Chemerinsky Faith in Faith,” the title of his 1992 book. He University of California-Irvine School of Law and Co-Presidents; Introduction of Nothing “The Vanishing Wall Separating Church and graduated from Azusa Pacific University with a Raymond Pryke Professor of First Amendment Fails Like Prayer Awards, Andrew Seidel, State” Invocation by Amanda Novotny degree in religion, and joined FFRF’s staff in 1987 Law, with a joint appointment in political science. as PR director, becoming co-president with his He previously taught at Duke Law School, and 3:15 Emperor Has No Clothes Award Acceptance University of Southern California School of Law. 7:30 Freethought Heroine Award Speech wife, Annie Laurie Gaylor, in late 2004. He is now He’s the author of eight books including “The Attorney Marci Hamilton Physicist Sean Carroll chair of the Clergy Project, helping other ministers “What is Wrong with Extreme Religious Liberty” Booksigning for all three afternoon authors in the foyer follows who have “seen the light” leave the ministry. His Conservative Assault on the Constitution,” and other books include “Just Pretend: A Freethought the just published “The Case Against the Supreme 8:15 Emperor Has No Clothes Award Acceptance 6:30 p.m Banquet Dinner (for ticket-holders) Book for Children” (FFRF), “Godless: How an Court.” He holds a law degree from Harvard Law Speech: “What would Lucy do?” Biltmore Bowl ~ extra chairs will be brought Evangelical Preacher Became One of America’s School. This year, National Jurist magazine named Paleo-anthropologist Donald C. Johanson in at 8 for non-diners Leading Atheists” (Ulysses Press, 2008), and “The him the most influential person in legal education Booksigning & Complimentary Dessert Reception follows Drawing for “clean” pre-In God We Trust Good Atheist” (Ulysses Press, 2012). A freethought in the United States. Saturday, October 25 currency ($1 to $100) songwriter and performer, his latest musical CD for SUSAN GALLOWAY is a graduate of the University “The Singing Atheist” - Short Concert All events in the Biltmore Bowl (lower level) except breakfast. FFRF is “Adrift on a Star.” of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and has worked 8:00 a.m. Non-Prayer Breakfast (for ticket-holders) FFRF Co-President Dan Barker most of her career in long-term care, specifically “Nothing Fails Like Prayer” Invocation SEAN CARROLL is a theoretical physicist with the Heinsbergen Room (Tiffany overflow) If you arrive with people with Alzheimer’s and other forms Dan Courtney Department of Physics at the California Institute Sat. a.m., pick up meal tickets outside Heinsbergen. of dementia. She is a long-time social justice 9:00 a.m. Registration re-opens – Biltmore Bowl Foyer Freethinkers of the Year Presentations of Technology. He earned his undergraduate Susan Galloway degree from Villanova University and his P.D in activist and founding collective member of the 9:15 Voices of Reason Concert Linda Stephens Astrophysics from Harvard in 1993. He taught Flying Squirrel Community Space in Rochester, Concert by Atheist United - LA Choral “The View from Under the Bus” at the Enrico Fermi Institute at the University of N.Y. Susan is a member of the editorial board of Group, concluding with Dan Barker tango Chicago, and did postdoctoral research at MIT. Rochester Indymedia. She has been an advocate Sunday, October 26 Carroll specializes in dark energy and general for the separation of church and state since 9:30 Welcome & “Invocation” 8:30 a.m. Coffee, tea and rolls set at 8:30 a.m. relativity. Carroll, an open atheist, occasionally elementary school when in 5th grade she refused FFRF Director of Operations Lisa Strand, Heisenbergen Room takes part in formal debates or discussions with to sing in her school’s Christmas concert. Susan Dan Barker & Annie Laurie Gaylor 9:00 Annual Business Meeting theists including a Caltech event in 2012, “The was a plaintiff in the Supreme Court lawsuit, Town Invocation by Tim Earl Open to all current FFRF members, Great Debate: Has Science Refuted Religion?” In of Greece v. Galloway. followed by Annual State Representatives MARCI HAMILTON is a leading state/church scholar 9:45 An Atheist Actor in Hollywood 2014, Carroll debated Christian apologist William meeting to conclude by Noon who holds the Paul R. Verkuil Chair in Public Scott Clifton, “Theoretical B.S.” Note about Meal Tickets: Please hold on to your meal tickets Lane Craig as part of the Greer-Heard Forum in (tucked in with your name badge). They are will be collected by New Orleans on “The Existence of God in Light Law at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, hotel staff once you are seated. of Contemporary Cosmology.” Author of several Yeshiva University. Her undergrad degree is from Vanderbilt, 1979, her M.A.s from Pennsylvania BARBARA MANCINI is a member of FFRF who University Sturm College of Law with a 4.0 GPA. State and her law degree from University of lives in Philadelphia with her husband and two Seidel is a former Grand Canyon tour guide and Thirty-Seventh Pennsylvania. Hamilton clerked for Justice Sandra daughters. Her father, Joe Yourshaw, was raised accomplished nature photographer. He joined the Day O’Connor, and is the author of “God and the Catholic and became a freethinker as a young FFRF staff in November 2011 and is married to Liz Annual Convention Gavel: The Perils of Extreme Religious Liberty,” adult. Barbara was charged with aiding suicide in Cavell, FFRF intake attorney. newly updated this year. She wrote FFRF’s amicus 2013 for handing her dying father his prescribed LINDA STEPHENS is from Greece, N.Y., a suburb of brief before the Supreme Court in the Hobby morphine. The prosecution nearly cost her her Rochester, has a B.A. in English (Western Michigan Freedom From Lobby challenge of the contraceptive mandate. livelihood and put her in the spotlight of a national University), M.A. in English (SUNY-Brockport), Her new blog is found at www.hamilton-griffin. debate on end-of-life choice. She will be featured master of library science (SUNY-Geneseo), Ed.D. Religion com where she writes on issues such as protection in a forthcoming edition of “60 Minutes,” and will (Syracuse University) and is now a retired librarian. of children. She’s received many honors for her discuss her prosecution, how religiosity intruded in Stephens was the atheist plaintiff in the Town of public advocacy and scholarship. this criminal case, and the implications for all of us Greece v. Galloway Supreme Court decision. She Foundation PATRICK ELLIOTT became FFRF’s second staff who will be facing end-of-life issues one day. is an event organizer for the Atheist Community attorney in July 2010. He hails from St. Paul, Minn., REBECCA MARKERT attended the University of of Rochester (ACoR) and the vice president and Millenium Biltmore Hotel earned a degree in legal studies and political Wisconsin at Madison and received her B.A. in web administrator for the Rochester chapter of science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison political science, international relations and Americans United for Separation of Church and Los Angeles, California in 2005 and graduated from the Wisconsin Law German in 1998. Markert spent one year working State. Stephens was vice chair of Monroe Citizens October 24 – 26, 2014 School in 2009. He’s a member of the State Bar as a legislative fellow at the German Parliament for Public Education and Religious Liberty of Wisconsin, and is admitted to practice in the in Bonn, Germany, then, in 1999, she became before it disbanded and also the past president United States District Court for the Western and a legislative correspondent and assistant to the of the Greater Rochester chapter of the National Eastern Districts of Wisconsin. chief of staff for U.S. Senator Russ Feingold in Organization for Women. Stephens is a long-time DONALD C. JOHANSON is an internationally known Washington, D.C. Markert became FFRF’s first staff FFRF Member and new Lifetime Member. paleoanthropologist who discovered the fossil of a attorney in 2008. She’s a member of the State Bar “Nothing Fails Like Prayer” Awardees giving secular female hominid australopithecine known as “Lucy” of Wisconsin, Dane County Bar Association, and invocations: Dan Courtney, Tim Earl, Amanda in the Afar Triangle region of Hadar, Ethiopia, in is admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court Novotny 1974. He earned his bachelor’s degree in 1966 from for the Eastern and Western Districts of Wisconsin. Convention Emcees: Co-Presidents Dan Barker and the University of Chicago, as well as his Master’s She and husband Mike Markert have two adorable Annie Laurie Gaylor and Ph.D. Although he’s served as a professor of children, Dexter, 3, and Audrey, 1. Additional staff in attendance: Katie Daniel, Jackie anthropology at several distinguished universities, ANTHONY PINN became the first African-American Douglas, Lisa Strand his reputation is based on his archaeological work to hold an endowed chair at Rice University after Official Photographer:Ingrid Laas in the field. Johanson is founding director of the earning degrees Columbia (MA and MDiv) and Staff Photographer: Andrew Seidel Institute of Human Origins, a human-evolution Harvard (Ph.D, 1994). He’s Agnes Cullen Arnold Convention audio engineer: Buzz Kemper think tank, at Arizona State University. He has Professor of Humanities and Professor of Religious Official Videographer: Scott Taylor, assisted by Beth authored and co-authored many books, and will Studies at Rice University and research director at Taylor sign copies of “Lucy’s Legacy: The Quest for the Institute for Humanist Studies. His many books Volunteers include: Ian Ameny-Luthi, Dan Diskin, Human Origins” and “From Lucy to Language.” as an African American humanist include “Why, Charlene Dryer, Sam Erickson, Christine Jones, CHRISTOPHER JOHNSON is a New York-based Lord? Suffering and Evil in Black Theology” (1995), Cheryl Kolbe, Eric Lawrence, Kent Martin, Melissa photographer and filmmaker who traveled the “The End of God-Talk: An African American Myers, Lisa Pedersen, Todd Peissig, Jan Rasmussen, world photographing atheists for a fascinating 254- Humanist Theology” and his new memoir, “Writing David Redmond page book, “A Better Life: 100 Atheists Speak Out God’s Obituary: How a Good Methodist Became a Voices of Reason: Diego Davidenko, Derek Houck, on Joy & Meaning in a World Without God” (2014). Better Atheist.” Christine Jones, Erin Keith, Amanda MacLean, He is working on a video version. He received his ANDREW SEIDEL graduated cum laude from Jeff Mock, Mark Nowitzky, Robyn Reagan, Yari undergraduate degree in film production (minor Tulane University with a B.S. in neuroscience Schutzer, Monk Turner, Kiahna Watkins. in religious studies) from Concordia University in and environmental science, and magna cum A very special thanks to Jan & the Friends of Freethought! Montreal, Quebec. His work in art direction and laude from Tulane University Law School, where Note: No one may record speeches or events without express production design can be seen in the filmsLes he was awarded the Haber J. McCarthy Award permission. FFRF’s audio and video of speeches will go Mercredis de Rose and The Pen and the Sword. for excellence in environmental law. In 2011, online, and transcripts will be reprinted in Freethought Seidel completed his Master of Laws at Denver Today. Photos are fine!