Humanism as Resistance: Live from the World Humanist Congress 2026 Part 1

James Croft is University Chaplain and Lead Faith Advisor at the University of Sussex, the first humanist to head a chaplaincy team at a UK university. He took up the role in February 2023.

Before moving to Sussex he was Senior Leader of the Ethical Society of St. Louis, one of the largest humanist congregations in the United States, where he became a prominent voice on humanism, social justice and community building.

Educated at Homerton College, Cambridge and the Harvard Graduate School of Education, his doctoral research examined intellectual autonomy and the development of free thinking. He writes and speaks on meaning, morality, wonder and the art of being human, and has contributed widely to Patheos and TheHumanist.com.

Maggie Ardiente is an American humanist leader, non-profit executive and advocate at the intersection of secularism, social justice and civil rights. In 2025 she was elected President of Humanists International, becoming the first woman of colour to lead the organisation.

Maggie served for 12 years as Director of Development & Communications at the American Humanist Association and editor of TheHumanist.com. She later joined PFLAG National as VP of Development, bringing her fundraising skills to LGBTQ+ rights work, and currently serves as Director of Philanthropy at Physicians for Social Responsibility, a Nobel Peace Prize-winning advocacy organisation for climate solutions and a nuclear weapons-free world.

As a Board Member and President of the Secular Coalition for America from 2020 to 2025, she led a coalition of 20 secular, humanist and atheist organisations working to defend religious freedom, separation of church and state and equal representation of nonreligious Americans.

She is a commentator on humanism, religious freedom, reproductive rights, and equality, and has appeared on NPR, The Washington Post and Fox News.

Dr Bob Reuter is President of AHA Lëtzebuerg (Allianz vun Humanisten, Atheisten an Agnostiker), Luxembourg's national organisation for humanists, atheists, agnostics and sceptics. Founded in 2010, AHA campaigns for the separation of church and state, secular education, ethics grounded in evidence rather than dogma, and secular alternatives to religious ceremonies. It is a member organisation of Humanists International and the European Humanist Federation.

Bob holds a PhD in psychology, having trained in experimental cognitive psychology at the Université Libre de Bruxelles, and works as a learning scientist and assistant professor in educational technology at the University of Luxembourg. His research examines the digital transformation of schooling, and he advises schools and the Luxembourg Ministry of Education on the national Digital(4)Education strategy.

Raised in a rural Catholic family in Luxembourg, he served as treasurer on the AHA board before being elected president in May 2019, succeeding biologist Dr Laurent Schley. In July 2025 he led AHA's hosting of the Humanists International conference in Luxembourg City, on the theme "From Awareness to Action: Strengthening Open Societies Through Scientific Literacy". He also describes himself as a vegetarian, eco-activist and cycling advocate.

Since 2018, Nick Fish has served as the president of American Atheists. Nick first joined American Atheists in 2012 and has spent his career defending the separation of religion and government, advocating for equality under the law, and protecting civil rights for all Americans. Nick was born and raised in Michigan but now calls Philadelphia home.

Urtė Žukauskaitė-Zabukė is Founder and CEO of Laimingas Žmogus (Happy Human), a social enterprise based in Lithuania dedicated to making ceremonies accessible and meaningful.

Happy Human have played a key role in developing humanist ceremonies throughout Lithuania, training over 60 celebrants and overseeing nearly 2,000 ceremonies. In 2025 they launched the global Humanist Ceremonies Accelerator, a pioneering initiative designed to help humanist organisations around the world establish sustainable social enterprises through humanist ceremonies.

Christian Lomsdalen is the president of the Norwegian Humanist Association and has held that position since 2021. Assistant professor in religious studies at the University College of Western Norway and doctoral candidate at the University of Bergen in didactics of religion.