Speakers & Guests
Saturday, May 30 | Arch Street Meeting House
May 30, 2026America Beyond 250 brings together advocates, public thinkers, scholars, and community leaders to discuss how to reclaim our history and confront the threats facing our nation — while working to build a more inclusive, democratic future.
Our Speakers & Guests
Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta
State Representative
181st District of Pennsylvania
Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta is a barrier-breaking public figure, becoming the first openly LGBTQ+ person of color and one of the youngest people elected to the Pennsylvania General Assembly in 2018.
Throughout his career, Rep. Kenyatta has been a vocal proponent of protecting workers’ rights and rooting out government corruption and waste.
Rep. Kenyatta lives in North Philadelphia with his husband, Dr. Matthew Kenyatta, and their dog, Cleo.
Rep. Kenyatta will be delivering opening welcome remarks virtually.
Bishop Dwayne Royster
Executive Director
Faith in Action
Bishop Dwayne D. Royster is Executive Director of Faith in Action, a global faith-based organizing network. An ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and former General Secretary of Higher Ground Christian Fellowship International, he is also a Ph.D. candidate at Eastern University.
His work focuses on building collective power for justice, faith-rooted organizing, and advancing a multiracial democracy.
Elizabeth Reiner Platt
Director
Law, Rights, and Religion Project
Under Liz’s leadership, LRRP has become a nationally recognized thought leader on the meaning, purpose, and protection of religious freedom.
Liz’s work has been published in The Hill, Salon, Religion Dispatches, Religion News Service, Rewire, Canopy Forum, Columbia Law Review Forum, Sojourners, and The Review of Faith & International Affairs, among others.
She holds a J.D. from New York University School of Law and a B.A. from the University of Chicago.
Maggie Siddiqi
Senior Advisor
Interfaith Alliance
Maggie Siddiqi is senior advisor at Interfaith Alliance, a national network of people of diverse faiths and beliefs from across the country working together to build a resilient democracy and fulfill America’s promise of religious freedom and civil rights not just for some, but for all. Her expertise is in coalition-building across lines of difference, countering hate, and advocating for religious freedom.
Maggie recently concluded her appointment to the Office of the U.S. Secretary of Education, where she served as Director of the Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Prior to joining the Biden-Harris administration she served as senior director of the Religion and Faith team at the Center for American Progress.
Philip Lindsay
Director
Democracy Innovation Hub
Philip is the Director of the Democracy Innovation Hub of the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College where he runs workshops for public servants and educators on citizens' assemblies and participatory democracy.
Before joining the Hannah Arendt Center, Philip helped run a small community health center in NYC. He has a BA in Latin American Studies from Temple University, where he focused on political economy and social movements. He spent a year in Germany as a Congress-Bundestag (CBYX) Fellow focusing on the politics of climate change.
In Philadelphia he leads the Philadelphia Ethical Society. In his free time, he enjoys organizing intimate concerts and building community through the arts.
David Krueger
Executive Director
Dialogue Institute at Temple University
David M. Krueger is the executive director of the Dialogue Institute at Temple University. He is a scholar, author, and educator who is passionate about public history, religious literacy, and dialogue. His areas of academic expertise include American religious history, religious pluralism, and race and ethnicity.
He received an M.Div. from Palmer Theological Seminary, a Th.M. from Princeton Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. in religious studies from Temple University.
His book, Myths of the Rune Stone: Viking Martyrs and the Birthplace of America, was published by the University of Minnesota Press.
Although he grew up as a farm kid in Minnesota, he has come to love Philadelphia and its fascinating history since moving there in 1995.
Nick Fish
President
American Atheists
Since 2018, Nick Fish has served as the president of American Atheists.
Nick has spent his 20-year career defending the separation of religion and government, advocating for equality under the law, and protecting civil rights for all Americans.
Nick was born and raised in Michigan but now calls Philadelphia home.
Sean Connolly
Executive Director
Arch Street Meeting House Preservation Trust
Sean Connolly is Executive Director of the Arch Street Meeting House Preservation Trust (ASMHPT), which operates the Arch Street Meeting House as a historic site and museum.
His previous work experience includes overseeing the Education Department at Pennsbury Manor, Assistant Director of Historic Philadelphia Inc.’s Once Upon A Nation program and the Executive Director of the Manayunk Theatre Company.
He has also taught Public History at Drexel University. Sean has a MA in Theatre and Non-Profit Management from Villanova University and a BA in History from York College of Pennsylvania. He lives in the East Falls section of Philadelphia with his wife Meredith and dog Aurora.
Geoffrey T. Blackwell
Legal Director
American Atheists
As Legal Director, Geoffrey oversees American Atheists’ efforts to repair officials’ and judges’ understanding of the First Amendment and the separation between religion and government. He takes point in crafting American Atheists’ litigation strategy, monitors federal legislation and policy developments, weighs in on relevant court cases through amicus briefs, and works to educate the legal community through outreach and scholarly writing.
Geoffrey also has a passion for international human rights law and volunteers each year as a judge for the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition. While earning his J.D. from Rutgers School of Law, he participated in the school’s Human Rights Advocacy and Litigation Clinic and served as the president of the International Law Society at Rutgers University School of Law (Camden).
Sam McGuire
Director of Grassroots Organizing & Advocacy
American Atheists
Sam works with local grassroots activists, volunteers and affiliates to help them engage on emerging local civil rights issues, advocate for state level legislation, and build thriving communities.
Sam became involved in secular organizing and activism following the 2012 Reason Rally, first becoming a founding member of the Southern Maryland Chapter of the Washington Area Secular Humanists (WASH) and later President of the regional organization. Sam previously served as a volunteer regional director overseeing the local activism in the Washington DC, Virginia, and Maryland areas for American Atheists, earning her the Atheist Activist of the Year award in 2019.
Sam has a B.S. in Neuropsychology from the University of Massachusetts and a M.S. in Counseling from Johns Hopkins. She is a National Certified Counselor and a Certified Humanist Celebrant.