Roy Speckhardt (born January 24, 1973 in Carmel, New York) is the Development Director for VoteRiders. He is also the former executive director of the

American Humanist Association The American Humanist Association (AHA) is a non-profit organization in the United States that advances secular humanism. The American Humanist Association was founded in 1941 and currently provides legal assistance to defend the constitutiona ...

, a non-profit

civil liberties Civil liberties are guarantees and freedoms that governments commit not to abridge, either by constitution, legislation, or judicial interpretation, without due process. Though the scope of the term differs between countries, civil liberties may ...

organization in Washington DC. In April 2021, he authored ''Justice-Centered Humanism'' via Pitchstone Press and in July 2015, he authored ''Creating Change Through Humanism'' via Humanist Press.

Biography

Speckhardt earned a Bachelor of Arts in sociology from

Mary Washington College The University of Mary Washington (UMW) is a public liberal arts university in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Founded in 1908 as the Fredericksburg Teachers College, the institution was named Mary Washington College in 1938 after Mary Ball Washing ...

and a Master of Business Administration, with a concentration in information systems management, from

George Mason University George Mason University (George Mason, Mason, or GMU) is a public research university in Fairfax County, Virginia with an independent City of Fairfax, Virginia postal address in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area. The university was origin ...

. In addition to his college education, he received specialized training in nonprofit tax law, financial management, grassroots organizing, fundraising, and dispute resolution. Early in his career, Speckhardt was a fundraiser for various causes, including

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

research and wildlife conservation, and worked on the "World Difference Campaign" of the

Anti-Defamation League The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), formerly known as the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, is an international Jewish non-governmental organization based in the United States specializing in civil rights law. It was founded in late Septe ...

. He worked for

The Interfaith Alliance Interfaith Alliance is a national interfaith organization in the United States founded in 1994 to counteract the religious right. Its stated goal is to protect faith and freedom by respecting individual rights, preserving the boundaries between re ...

from 1995 to 2001 as deputy director in charge of staff. Speckhardt worked as the director of membership and programs of the

for four years, is executive director. The American Humanist Association is the oldest and one of the largest groups of humanists and atheists in the United States.

Challenges to "Pledge of Allegiance"

In 2013 Speckhardt argued that the phrase "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance violates the Equal Protection Amendment of the Massachusetts Constitution. In May 2014 the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts ruled that the pledge was a "fundamentally patriotic exercise, not a religious one". In 2014, the AHA likewise brought suit against the state of New Jersey.Winston, Kimberley. "New Jersey lawsuit seeks to ban Pledge of Allegiance", Religion News Service, April 21, 2014
/ref> In February 2015 a New Jersey Superior Court Judge dismissed a lawsuit challenging the Pledge of Allegiance, ruling that "...the Pledge of Allegiance does not violate the rights of those who don't believe in God and does not have to be removed from the patriotic message."
/ref>

Other activities

Speckhardt serves on the board of directors of the

Humanist Institute The Humanist Institute is a training program for leaders within the humanist, and secular humanist movement. Purpose and organization The Humanist Institute offers several kinds of educational programs to the humanist community. These program ...

and the advisory board of the Religious Freedom Center of the Newseum Institute. Speckhardt has appeared on CNN ''Headline News'', Fox News' ''Fox and Friends'', ''Good Morning America'', and National Public Radio. He currently writes a regular column for The Huffington Post and Patheos.

Notes

External links

Speckhardt's column on Patheos

* ttp://www.wfs.org/J-F2010/Visionarie_Speckhardt.htm Finding Faith in Humankind article in March/April 2010 issue of the Futurist {{DEFAULTSORT:Speckhardt, Roy American activists American humanists People from Fredericksburg, Virginia University of Mary Washington alumni Living people 1973 births Secular humanists