Our Community

The John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics draws on the vast experience and resources of many people to fulfill its mission: to deepen academic and public understanding of religion and politics in the United States.

line drawing of three people speaking and superimposed on each other

National Advisory Board

Our National Advisory Board is a group of distinguished representatives from the fields of American religion, politics, and journalism. This Board helps the Center have the greatest possible impact on current discussions relating to religion’s long role in U.S. politics.

Thomas O. Bean
Partner, Verrill Dana LLP

David L. Boren
Former United States Senator from Oklahoma; Former President, University of Oklahoma

David Brooks
Author; Columnist, New York Times

John C. Danforth
Former United States Senator from Missouri; Partner, Dowd Bennett LLP

Gerald Early
Merle Kling Professor of Modern Letters and Director of the Center for the Humanities, Washington University in St. Louis

Sarah Barringer Gordon
Professor of Constitutional Law and Professor of History, University of Pennsylvania

Arsalan Iftikhar
Senior Research Fellow for the Bridge Initiative at the Prince Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, Georgetown University

Ruth Langer
Professor of Jewish Studies and Director, Center for Christian-Jewish Learning, Boston College

Charles Marsh
Professor of Religious Studies, University of Virginia

John T. McGreevy
Charles and Jill Fischer Provost and Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History, University of Notre Dame

Jon Meacham
Author; Executive Vice President and Executive Editor, Random House

Eboo Patel
Founder and President, Interfaith America

Barbara D. Savage
Professor of American Social Thought and Professor of History, University of Pennsylvania

Alan K. Simpson
Former United States Senator from Wyoming; Co-Chairman, the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform

Mary Stillman
Founder, Hawthorn Leadership School for Girls, and Chair, Hawthorn Leadership School Foundation Board

Krista Tippett
Founder and CEO, The On Being Project; Host, On Being and Becoming Wise; Curator, The Civil Conversations Project

William G. Tragos
Co-Founder and Former Chairman, TBWA Worldwide

Jonathan L. Walton
President, Princeton Theological Seminary