Our Team

Thomas Sheedy is the President and Founder of Atheists for Liberty. His influence extends beyond the confines of the organization, as he has been featured in notable media outlets such as Vanity Fair and mentioned on The Joe Rogan Experience. Thomas has made appearances on various shows, blogs, and podcasts, establishing himself as a key advocate for atheist activism. With a background in public policy, he specializes in the largest growing demographic, atheism, and is a dedicated proponent of the separation of religion and government, as well as religious freedom. Thomas Sheedy holds a B.S. in Public Policy & Management from the University at Albany's Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy. His focus lies in addressing the escalating civilizational conflict between advocates of liberty and those who prioritize faith-based feelings over fact.

Cherry Teresa is the Vice President at Atheists For Liberty. She holds a Master of Science in Data Analytics from Western Governors University and a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems Management from the University of Maryland Global Campus. She has over a decade in non-profit experience, working for both large and small organizations. Cherry previously wrote articles for the James Randi Educational Foundation's Swift Blog and Skeptic Ink Network, as well as blogging on her own site, cherryteresa.com. Her written work on atheism and skepticism has been featured on the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science's website and the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry's Skeptical Briefs newsletter. Cherry is also a classically trained musician. She's a keyboardist, vocalist, and bedroom producer. Her solo work includes atheistic, humanistic, skeptical, and political themes in styles ranging from baroque pop to synth pop. She has recorded and gigged in alternative, metal, and rock bands as well. Cherry Teresa currently lives in Los Angeles, CA and her hometown is Baltimore, MD.

James Cowell is the Assistant to the President at Atheists for Liberty. He's earned his degree in Political Science at the University of Tennessee Knoxville. Before joining the AFL team James served in a multitude of roles, including President, Student advisor, Campus Coordinator for Turning Point USA at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, and more. During his time in Knoxville, he brought famous culture war commentators to campus as part of his commitment to free expression and open debate. He was also a Campus Ambassador for the Leadership Institute. He has filled various roles for many different campus groups such as Young Americans for Freedom and the College Libertarians. Among many other extracurricular activities, James is also a columnist for the school paper. He plans to pursue a degree in International law after he completes his BA. In his free time, James greatly enjoys reading, writing, and debating. He is a strident Anti-theist and ardent defender of freedom of speech. His passion for these subjects led him to work for us.

Max Carlisle is the Media Production Director at Atheists for Liberty. As a full-time YouTuber, musician, and former radio host, Max brings many years of public relations experience to AFL as well as his expertise in the video, photo, and graphics fields. Originally from Seattle, Washington, now living in Los Angeles, California, Max is an atheist and passionate supporter of enlightenment values such as separation of church and state, self-determination, individualism, constitutional government, and the pursuit of knowledge. Additionally, Max is a private pilot, paragliding pilot, science and military history enthusiast, and supporter of veterans organizations.

Francis Trezza serves as the CISO and interim IT department lead at Atheists for Liberty. His main role is keeping all AFL internet related systems safe and secure. His two greatest loves in life are Information Security and his fiancé Autumn. He holds a Certified Ethical Hacker designation from the EC Council among other high-level certifications, and works daily to secure the nation's critical infrastructure through defensive and offensive cyber operations in the public and private sectors. Seeing parallels in the failure of the New Atheism movement — driven by Atheism+ and the like — to what is currently happening in the information security community, he chose to join forces with Atheists for Liberty, as a group that protects constitutional rights and that considers Freedom of Speech to be directly related to the pursuit of knowledge. It is his dream to bring forth a future where freedom of expression and open sharing of ideas will be valued over conformity, censorship, gatekeeping, and the exclusion of those who think differently.