U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom "continues to provide new data and insights into the dimensions and impact of religious repression and intolerance in countries worldwide. The Commissioners on this bipartisan federal body assess and propose U.S. foreign policy action to advance freedom of thought, conscience, and religion and other freedoms needed to protect people at risk of abuses, such as killing, detention, or torture. In carrying out this work, Commissioners begin by examining conditions in countries, then review how the U.S. government is responding, and as warranted, formulate options for further action. Commission recommendations and reports have prodded a wide array of new bills in Congress and policy measures by the Executive Branch.  Through this work, we seek to advance the visibility of and serious thinking about how the United States can best address the challenges of religious extremism, intolerance, and repression throughout the world."

Staff
Accessed September 2007:
 * Joseph R. Crapa, Executive Director
 * Tad Stahnke, Deputy Director for Policy
 * David Dettoni, Deputy Director for Outreach
 * Judith Ingram, Director of Communications
 * Angela Stephens, Assistant Communications Director
 * Carmelita Hines, Director of Administration
 * Dwight Bashir, Senior Policy Analyst
 * Patricia Carley, Associate Director for Policy
 * Elizabeth K. Cassidy, International Legal Specialist
 * Catherine Cosman, Senior Policy Analyst
 * Deborah DuCre, Receptionist
 * Scott Flipse, Senior Policy Analyst
 * Mindy Larmore, Policy Assistant
 * Jackie Mitchell, Executive Assistant
 * Kody Kness, Legislative Assistant
 * Stephen R. Snow, Senior Policy Analyst
 * Christopher Swift, Researcher

Commissioners 2007
Accessed September 2007:
 * Michael Cromartie, Chair - Vice President, Ethics and Public Policy Center (Appointed by:George W. Bush President)
 * Preeta D. Bansal, Vice Chair - Partner, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom (Appointed by: Hon. Harry Reid (D) Senate Majority Leader)
 * Richard D. Land, Vice Chair - President, Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (Appointed by: Hon. Bill Frist (R) Senate Majority Leader)
 * Don Argue, Commissioner - President, Northwest University (Appointed by: Hon. Harry Reid (D) Senate Majority Leader
 * Imam Talal Y. Eid, Commissioner - Founder and Director of Religious Affairs, Islamic Institute of Boston (Appointed by: George W. Bush President)
 * Felice D. Gaer, Commissioner - Director, Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights; The American Jewish Committee (Appointed by: Hon. Nancy Pelosi (D) House Majority Leader)
 * Leonard A. Leo, Commissioner - Executive Vice President of the Federalist Society (Appointed by: George W. Bush)
 * Elizabeth H. Prodromou, Commissioner - Associate Director of the Institute on Culture, Religion and World Affairs and Assistant Professor of International Relations at Boston University (Appointed by: Hon. Nancy Pelosi (D) House Majority Leader)
 * Nina Shea, Commissioner - Director of the Center for Religious Freedom, Hudson Institute (Appointed by: Hon. Dennis Hastert (R) Speaker of the House)
 * John V. Hanford III, Ex-Officio, Non-voting Commissioner, Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, U.S. Department of State
 * Joseph R. Crapa, Executive Director

===Commissioners (as listed in 2000 Annual Report) ===
 * David Saperstein - Chair
 * Michael K. Young - Vice Chair
 * Elliott Abrams
 * Laila Al-Marayati
 * John R. Bolton
 * Firuz Kazemzadeh
 * Theodore Edgar McCarrick
 * Robert A. Seiple (ex officio)
 * Nina Shea
 * Charles Z. Smith

Related Sourcewatch

 * Debra Liang-Fenton
 * Amy Hawthorne
 * Elliott Abrams/Foreign Policy Hawk