IAF LEADERSHIP
JASON BENELL - President
Jason Benell is a father, a combat veteran, a humanist,a community volunteer, and an atheist living in Des Moines, Iowa. Jason has been a community volunteer in central Iowa having been a member of Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers for more than a decade as well as sitting on the board of multiple non profits that provide cultural, economic, and educational enrichment for community members of all ages. He lives with his wife and two children and enjoys trail cycling, video games, community volunteering, and discussing politics over a drink or two.
BOB COOK - Vice President
vice-president@iowaatheists.org
I was raised a good Presbyterian on a farm in Ottumwa, Iowa. I am a lifelong skeptic ever since ninth grade when I discovered that ancient aliens aren’t real and Erich von Däniken is a god damned liar. I have been an atheist since my college days in the early eighties. I shed the last of my religious belief after taking a philosophy class from a professor who was really good at his job. (It turns out that atheism makes way more sense than an omnipotent, loving god who drowns the world in a fit of pique.)
I work in medical imaging at a local hospital. I enjoy science fiction conventions, growing my own tomatoes and peppers, and I make a mean salsa.
HOWARD HOY - Treasurer
I am originally from Waterloo IA, a third generation atheist. After obtaining two degrees from Northern Iowa, my first career was as a railroader. When that went South in 1980, I went to work for Internal Revenue Service, retiring from there in 2007. I have a son and granddaughter in Clear Lake. In retirement I occupy my time with bicycling, model railroading, politics, and being doorkeeper for three cats. I particularly enjoy IAF's weekly Meet Ups.
Vacant - Secretary
JENA LUKSETICH - Board Director At-Large
I was born and raised in Iowa. I lived in San Francisco for ten years, and Chicago for two before making my way back to Iowa to raise my kids with the support of family. I grew up Catholic and remember questioning many stories in catechism class as early as elementary school. I never had any personal negative experiences with religion, but it was easy for me to separate myself from a power structure that is too often used to manipulate and harm vulnerable people. The value I have worked to instill in my kids is, “Do good and be kind to other humans because it is the right thing to do, not because you think will be rewarded or out of fear of punishment.
RORY MOE - Board Director At-Large
Hello, I’m Rory! I was a Lutheran raised South Dakota farm boy, and I never seemed to catch the “god virus”, but instead held a strong love and fascination with all things science. While attending a confirmation class at the Trinity Lutheran Church, I asked the pastor what made him think this was the right church and the reply sealed my fate: “Because the others are man made”!
When Carl Sagan’s “Cosmic Connection” was published in 1973 it was like a breath of fresh air: enlightening, fascinating and quite the opposite of religious teachings! In 1979 I graduated from the University of South Dakota with a bachelor’s degree in anthropology, and began my fascination with ancient Egypt.
Attending my first meeting of IAF in late 2012, I quickly became involved with the organization through meetups and activism. I attended my first protest with IAF of the Family Leadership Summit in 2013. It wasn’t long after that I was elected to the IAF Board of Directors first as an At Large Board member, then Vice President, and served as President from 2017-2019. During this time I was part of the formation of the Humanists of Iowa and served on the Secularity USA committee that brought Richard Dawkins to Des Moines. I also served as the Coordinator for the Central/Eastern Iowa Coalitions of Reason and worked with the United Coalition of Reason to put up the “Godless? So are we!” billboards at various locations around the state and appeared on various radio programs discussing the purpose and goal.
My passions include defending the wall of separation between church and state, maintaining our LGBTQ+ rights, and attempting as best I can to sound the alarm of the existential threat of climate change. My many hobbies include amateur astronomy, philately, baking, and gardening. I live in Des Moines with my fiancé Jillian Stark and tortoise shell cat, Savannah.
ZACH ALETHEIA - Information Technology Chair
VACANT
SOCIAL CHAIR
EDUCATION CHAIR
COMMUNITY SERVICE CHAIR
NOMINATIONS AND ELECTION CHAIR