Dr. Darrel W. Ray,

Board president

Dr. Ray is the founder and President of the Board of Directors of Recovering from Religion. He has been a psychologist for over thirty years and is the author of four books: two on organizational teamwork as well as "The God Virus-How Religion Infects Our Lives and Culture" and "Sex and God-How Religion Distorts Sexuality".

Dr. Ray has been a student of religion most of his life and holds a Masters Degree in religion as well as a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology/Anthropology with a Doctorate in Psychology. 

Phil Session,

Board Member

Phil Session was born and raised just outside of Dallas, TX, in two church homes, one Baptist and the other a Free Church of God in Christ.

After getting involved with the secular community in 2013, his efforts centered around volunteerism and community service projects. That passion led him to organize and attend hundreds of volunteer activities in groups centered around non-belief in Austin and San Antonio over the past few years.

Phil is the volunteer coordinator for the Freethinkers Association of Central Texas and serves on its board of directors. He is also the head organizer/coordinator for Austin Atheists Helping the Homeless. Phil previously served as vice president and volunteer coordinator for the Atheist Community of Austin, was a co-host for The Atheist Experience, and served as a lay leader at the Atheist/Humanist Meeting on Lackland Air Force Base.

Shana Rubio,

Board Secretary

Shana Rubio was born and raised in Colorado as a Jehovah’s Witness. After awaking from the cult in 2017 she quickly started her own Ex-Jehovah’s Witness Meetup in the Denver metro area. She is an active member of The Secular Hub as well as managing the membership database for Jefferson Humanists. Shana was invited to participate in the A&E Leah Remini Scientology: The Aftermath Season 3 Special Jehovah’s Witnesses in 2018.

She is passionate about helping fellow “awoke” members of society to help navigate the secular world. She works as an Administrative Assistant for the city government while enjoying all the beauty the rocky mountains have to offer.

David Klinge,

principal engineer

David has lived most of his life in Washington State, born in raised in rural Washington, and more recently in Seattle. He has worked professionally in technology for the last 20 years and serves as the principal engineer for Recovering from Religion and the Secular Therapy Project. David is also passionate about the arts and social justice. A classically trained bass vocalist, David has sang with a variety of choirs, mostly members of the Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses.

Raised as a strict Evangelical Christian, the son of a Pentecostal preacher, and once a self-proclaimed “Young-Earth Creationist” David used logic and the scientific method to break free from that ideology and emerge a secular humanist. As such he is passionate for social justice and an activist and ally in the LGBTQ+ community.

Shanon Nebo, 

Treasurer

Shanon Nebo was the co-founder and President of Be Secular, an apparel company that promotes secularism and humanism with branding, image, and donations to secular organizations.

She has blogged on Patheos about current events and her life as a secular mother and volunteered for the Reason Rally managing their social media platforms. 

Shanon is a humanist, feminist, and atheist who advocates strongly for the ideas espoused in those labels. She might also describe herself as a coffeeist, believing firmly in the goodness inherent in it and its ability to inspire, motivate, and bring comfort to those who most need it. 

Sherrie D’Souza,

Board Member

Sherrie D'Souza was born and raised in Sydney Australia as a Jehovah's Witness, devoting much of her youth to full-time volunteering for the religion. After learning of the gross cover-up of child sexual abuse in the religion, she left the religion in 2016 (following her husband Sacha, who had patiently waited for his wife to wake up from the cult).

In 2018 Sherrie & Sacha joined the JWsurvey team (now JWWatch https://jwwatch.org/) as Editor of the Global JW Survey and Aftercare & Support Manager, answering the initial emails from awakening Jehovah's Witnesses the world over. In June 2019, Sherrie & Sacha hosted the largest gathering of former Jehovah's Witnesses in Sydney, an afternoon focused on healing, recovery, and positivity. Among the attendees was Federal Justice, the Honourable Angus Stewart, who had been the senior legal counsel in the Australian Royal Commission of Institutional Response to Child Sexual Abuse, investigating the Jehovah's Witnesses in Case Studies 29 & 54.

Sherrie is passionate about supporting others and in April 2020 started the first RfR Support Group in Sydney. With a secular background in healthcare administration, Sherrie now works from home and enjoys the flexibility this gives her to do more in establishing RfR in Australia. When she isn't banging away at her keyboard, you will find her playing with her Abyssinian cats, Abernathy & Sidney, indulging in her hobbies of cross-stitching and diamond painting, or just chilling watching Sci-Fi with Sacha.

Rachel Hunt,

Parliamentarian

Rachel is a motorcycle-riding ballroom dance teacher from rural Texas.
Married with two adult children, Rachel has a strong interest in psychology, philosophy, and communication, in addition to the creative arts and home improvement. She was raised in Christian Science but drifted off as a teenager. She explored Scientology, Law of Attraction, and a variety of Protestant churches before settling comfortably into atheism.
Since joining RFR in late 2020, Rachel has come to view this community as a core part of her life. She has become friends with many of her fellow volunteers and loves the opportunity to grow her peer support and leadership skills. You may have seen her hosting the Women’s Support group, posting in the Online Community as Spinouette, or at the Fall Excursion.

Nathan Phelps, 

Emeritus Board Member

Nathan is an author and speaker on religion and child abuse,as well as an outspoken LGBT advocate, and the Executive Director for the Center For Inquiry in Calgary. He has dedicated his life to spreading his message and has become an inspiration to those who grew up in oppressive religious families.

The son of the notorious Fred Phelps, Nathan was raised inside Westboro Baptist Church, America's most infamous church family. He grew up physically and emotionally bullied daily by his father, all in the name of God, until his 18th birthday when he managed to finally escape. Despite his background, Currently, Nathan is completing a documentary with filmmaker Brad Johnson called Not My Father's Son, which chronicles his own journey from faith and fundamentalism to tolerance and freethought.

Ambassador Events

Recovering from Religion Ambassadors are volunteers who are especially passionate about our mission, have been trained in our Ambassador Program, and have been with us long enough to understand not only our mission, but our culture. Our Ambassadors represent us at local events, in the news, and on podcasts and other interviews. Check our calendar of events where you can see or hear one of our Ambassadors:

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