The Pantheon Foundation Advisory Board is growing, and in June we welcomed four new advisors to help guide the work of Pantheon’s Diversity Committee, a working group committed to advancing justice, inclusion, and pluralism within the broader Pagan community. The Diversity Committee will help Pantheon respond appropriately to the needs of under-served communities, including people of color, LGBTQ Pagans, English language-learners, and others. The new advisors are Carolina Amor, Crystal Blanton, Lou Florez, and Mary Gee. Brief bios of each member are posted at the Pantheon Foundation website. Please take a moment to get to know these talented and dedicated volunteers.
This summer, along with Pantheon board members Janet Hayes and Jessica (Rabbit) Matthews, the new advisors are crafting Pantheon Foundation’s non-discrimination and diversity policies. We will be publishing the final documents on our website within the next few weeks.
In addition to their work with the Diversity Committee, each of our advisors brings a range of other valuable skills and experiences. Some will be serving Pantheon Foundation in multiple capacities. A new working group soon will start developing sexual conduct and safety guidelines that are sensitive to the complexities of Pagan communities, including non-heteronormative power dynamics. Other topics the Diversity Committee will address include age discrimination and recognition of the unique needs of diversely-abled people.
I am pleased to announce the members of the 2014 Diotima Prize Selection Committee: Rev. Dr. Bonnie Dlott, Christina Gargiullo, Christine Hoff Kraemer PhD, and Hayden Reynolds, PhD. Their bios can be found here. Along with myself as chair, they will be reading the application essays of Pagan M.Div seminarians to determine who will receive this year’s Diotima Prize of $1000.
