Program Directors
Recovering from Religion is thrilled to have a diverse and talented group of Program Directors on our staff. Each of them brings not only experience and skill, but a unique perspective on helping those who are dealing with the negative impact of religion in their everyday lives.
Travis McKie-Voerste, PhD, secular Therapy Project Director
Travis McKie-Voerste is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Dalton State College, where he teaches clinically focused courses to undergraduate Psychology students. He also serves as a faculty advisor to the Secular Student Alliance at Dalton State. He completed his Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision at the University of Georgia, where his dissertation focused on the experience of Atheists receiving Counseling in the Bible Belt of the United States. His research in this area continues and focuses on how religion impacts the counseling relationship. Travis also owns a private practice specializing in working with secular clients, as well as providing clinical counseling supervision.
Danny Boylan, Licensed Professional Counselor MS, NCC, CRC, LPC, Secular Therapy Project Vetting Team Lead
Danny Boylan is a Licensed Professional Counselor with a private practice in Gainesville, GA. He is the Team Lead of the Secular Therapy Project's Vetting Team and has extensive experience working on his own recovery from Fundamentalist Christianity. Danny is also a professional saxophonist that performs regularly in the greater Atlanta area. You can learn more about Danny at his website www.dannyboylan.com.
Rachel Hunt, Helpline Director
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.
Emily, Ambassador Program Co-Director
Emily is from Wilmore, Kentucky and found Recovering from Religion when she was a junior in high school and had doubts about the Mormon church, especially with how they view women. After reaching out to the Helpline, she joined the Online Community. As soon as she turned eighteen, she applied to volunteer as a Helpline Agent to help others who used to be in her spot. Since beginning her volunteer role as a Helpline Agent, she also co-hosts a Support Group where she meets others in her area who are recovering from religion once a month for dinner and discussion, and is an Ambassador where she represents Recovering from Religion at community events like conferences, running races, farmers markets, etc. Outside of Recovering from Religion, Emily was a student member of Secular Student Alliance while she attended Asbury University, a Christian university where she’s from in Wilmore, and after she graduated, she began co-hosting a local American Atheists affiliate. She also enjoys attending other secular groups like the Lost and Found Club, and Oasis. Something that makes Recovering from Religion extra special to her is that she met her sweetheart and a fellow volunteer, Erik, through the ex-Mormon channel in the Online Community. They co-host most of their secular events together. After a few years of co-hosting groups together, they decided to co-own a home together!
Steve “Ironside”, Ambassador Program Co-Director
Steve “Ironside” has a Bachelor of Arts in History and a Bachelor of Education for Primary, Junior, and Intermediate grades. He was baptized Anglican, but raised as a freethinker and considers himself a lifelong Secular Humanist. He is married to a United Church of Christ believer and has two young children who are being raised in an interfaith household. He and his wife understand the importance of religious literacy and their boys are free to choose their own path. Steve believes in the importance of friendly discourse and is an avid fan of Street Epistemology.
John “Lionheart”, Online Community Director
John “Lionheart” is a retired aerospace design engineer and was born and raised in England. He immigrated to the United States in 1987 to help with the redesign of the Solid Rocket Boosters for the NASA Space Shuttle program after the Challenger disaster in 1986 killing everyone onboard. He joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon) in 1980 and was ordained to the office of High Priest serving on the High Council in both England and the USA.
As the science of genetics in human DNA advanced, evidence showed that Native Americans and other indigenous cultures of South America and the South Sea islands were not remnants of a culture that were listed in the Book Of Mormon. John left that faith in 2005 and started questioning theism altogether, which eventually led him to becoming an atheist. He reached out to Recovering from Religion to help those struggling with their religious thoughts and indoctrinated beliefs. John resides in Southern California and is a proud father and grandfather and has recently become a great-grandfather.
Kara Griffin, PhD, Online Programming Director
Kara Griffin was born in Texas and raised in Southern Baptist, evangelical, and non-denominational mega-churches and private schools. After leaving the faith in the mid-2000s, Kara was able to pursue their passion for learning, traveling, and experiencing diverse cultures and perspectives. They hold undergraduate degrees in Psychology, International Relations, and Criminal Justice, a Master’s Degree in Dispute Resolution & Conflict Management, and a PhD in Anthropology.
Kara enjoys working with secular community services that support other people who may have experienced judgment, repression, or other struggles related to involvement with religious groups. At RfR, Kara volunteers as the Online Programming Director and hosts the weekly RfRx Talks sessions. In their free time, Kara can be found volunteering, teaching and lecturing at universities and conferences, reading all kinds of books (especially sci-fi), and spending time with their dog, Snow.
Nathan Williams, Program Services Director
Nathan was raised in Christian fundamentalism and grew up learning to conceal religious doubts under the repressive, authoritarian expectations of that insular tradition. He attended and later worked at a Christian university in South Carolina where the stakes of nonconformity only increased, but the disconnect between what was being taught and what he experienced and observed eventually led him to question and privately deconvert. After a number of years, the religious expectations became untenable, and he resigned and started exploring the secular world. Getting involved with secular/humanist communities locally and online has helped grow his understanding of his own experience and that of so many others, and it was interest in supporting work that helped people that led him to join Recovering from Religion in 2021. Nathan has many years of experience in software development and was quickly able to apply those skills to needs within RfR's nascent development team. Today he leads that team (succeeding former director Erik Huckvale), attending to goals that help RfR work more effectively and also serves on the board.
David Teachout, Resources Director
David Teachout is a mental health therapist, supervisor, and consultant. David grew up as a Christian fundamentalist, attending a bible college and received a bachelor’s in theology and psychology. During his studies there, David deconverted and went on to get a master’s in both forensic psychology and counseling psychology. Currently, the studies are focused on studying philosophy, ethics, and the law.David has been actively working within the field of psychology as a therapist, social worker, consultant, and subject-matter-expert, for over fifteen years. For the last couple years, David has been doing presentations on RfRx and when the opportunity came to step up involvement to be the Resources Director, it was a match with his love of research and reading. You can find his own writing on various topics at www.humanitysvalues.com
Kass, Social Media Director
Raised in Colorado as a Young Earth Creationist, Kass' early life was deeply rooted in faith until a pivotal moment. At 13, they were diagnosed with muscular dystrophy. This experience sparked profound questions about the existence of an omnipresent god and led to a 15-year odyssey of deconstructing their beliefs.
Since finding Recovering from Religion in 2024, Kass has become an enthusiastic figure in secular humanist activism. At RfR, Kass wears many hats—leading the social media team, training helpline agents and support group leaders, and supporting others in their recovery journey by leading several RfR support groups each month. Their dedication to fostering inclusivity, compassion, and growth drives their work. In their free time, Kass enjoys video-games, audiobooks, philosophical YouTube debates, and more secular humanist activism.
If you would like to help us achieve our mission to provide hope, healing, and support to those struggling with religious doubt and issues related to leaving religious organizations, join us as a volunteer.