About Us
In a country where liberty is a cornerstone value, what happens when the liberty of insular religious groups impedes the rights of individuals raised to abide by religious doctrines and do not have the freedom to live life according to their own values and needs?
There is often a pervasive lack of support when individuals leave isolated communities—support they desperately need and deserve. What duty does the public have to intervene, and how should that duty be exercised?
The Rights and Religions Forum is a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded to create spaces and conversations around these often-ignored and complex questions. Through our network of organizations, we give a voice to the issues that affect those raised in IRGs.
Our Board of Directors
Malkie Schwartz
Founder / board chair
Malkie Schwartz is an attorney who works at the Hunter College Foundation and the Director of the Eva Kastan Grove Fellowship Program at Hunter College. In her role as Director, she works with policymakers, politicians, and advocates to engage students in projects that advance the public good.
In 2000, Malkie chose to leave her community of origin, and three years later founded Footsteps, the first organization in North America to assist people who wish to leave the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community and live in mainstream society.
To date, Footsteps has served over 1300 individuals and has an annual budget of over $2 million. Malkie has also worked for the Institute of Southern Jewish Life as their first Director of Community Engagement, and is a co-founder and board member of the Rights and Religions Forum.
Pamela Whissel
Board member
Pamela Whissel is a lifelong activist with extensive experience in fighting to protect church/state separation in the U.S. She is the Managing Director of the Campaign to End Religious Abuse of Children and was the Editor-in-Chief of American Atheist magazine for nine years.
Prior to that, she worked in the law office of the late Edwin F. Kagin when he was the National Legal Director at American Atheists. She was the Weekend News Anchor for NPR’s affiliate WNKU-FM in Kentucky, a news writer for the CBS affiliate in Cincinnati, and a volunteer pledge-drive spokesperson for the PBS affiliate in Cincinnati. She was also a volunteer interviewer for the Shoah Foundation, which was founded by Steven Spielberg to film the in-depth eyewitness testimonies of all Holocaust survivors willing to participate.
Jena Renae
board member
Jena is a grassroots organizer and political strategist born and raised across the western United States. She grew up Mormon and left during college, now identifying primarily as a humanist. Jena has a background in issue advocacy work at the state and federal level, including work with peace advocacy nonprofit and as the policy director for the campaign of the youngest candidate for the Utah State House of Representatives.
In her work with Secular Strategies, she was particularly focused on political communications and digital advocacy engagement. Jena has worked for two different state legislatures and has a deep passion for accessible political participation at every level.
Our Staff
Sarah Levin
project director
Sarah Levin is the founder and principal of Secular Strategies, a consulting firm specialized in advancing secularism in public policy and activating nonreligious voters. She served in various roles at the Secular Coalition for America from 2013-2019.
Sarah worked for the Secular Coalition for America from 2013–2019 in various roles, including Director of Grassroots and Community Programs and Director of Governmental Affairs. Prior to joining the Secular Coalition, Sarah completed a year of AmeriCorps service and graduated cum laude with a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies from American University, where she served on the leadership board of the university’s Secular Student Alliance affiliate.
In 2022, the Secular Strategies team conducted a survey of the leaders and activists RARF seeks to serve. The project was designed and implemented by Secular Strategies associates with personal experiences leaving insular religious groups—Mormon and evangelical, respectively. The team presented our preliminary findings at the 2022 RARF conference. You can read the full report here.
Kyle C
social media and Community manager
Kyle was raised in a small, conservative town in Northern California that had no stop lights and even less desire for social change. Knowing this myopic and religiously oppressive environment was the antithesis of her moral compass, she escaped, seeking a brighter, more inclusive atmosphere to grow and thrive.
She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Southern California and has lived in Los Angeles for over 15 years. As a social media marketing and branding specialist, Kyle started her company Socially Aware in 2015 and has thoroughly enjoyed advocating for clients ranging from small businesses to large corporations, across a dozen industries.
With a particular skill for storytelling, she helps shape and amplify the unique voices of her clients and their organizations, with an ethos of integrity as the guiding principle of her work. As an Ex-vangelical, atheist, and fierce advocate for women’s equity, supporting the RARF community is personally and professionally fulfilling.
About our Founders
The Rights and Religions Forum was co-founded in 2019 by Sarah Haider, Founder of Ex-Muslims of North America and Malkie Schwartz, Founder of Footsteps.