The Department of Religion’s Professional Development Advisory Board at the University of Florida was established in 2023 in order to promote the department and its values as well as to give students advice related to future careers. Consisting of 9 energetic and dedicated alumni, the Board meets once a year to advance its mission.
Mission Statement
The mission of the Department of Religion’s Professional Development Advisory Board is to assist the department in maintaining and promoting the excellence of its undergraduate and graduate programs. The Board’s primary role is to serve as a resource for students by providing career and graduate school guidance. Additionally, the Board serves as public relations ambassadors, raising the visibility of UF’s Department of Religion in the state and nation.
Main Tasks
The main tasks of the Professional Development Advisory Board are:
- To support the department in creating awareness about the value of studying religion to prospective and current students.
- To support the department in recruiting students to the study of religion.
- To provide advice to individual students related to future careers and possible job opportunity.
- To support the department in identifying opportunities for experience-based learning, such as internship.
- To participate in events organized by the department that promotes the value of studying religion.
The members of the advisory board are happy to advise any student on future career and job opportunities, and the department encourages you all to reach out to them.
Members of the Board
Shiri Abramson graduated with a BA in Religion and Sustainability Studies from the University of Florida in 2023 and is currently an Interpretive Park Ranger at Grand Canyon National Park (North Rim), where she facilitates the public’s connections to Grand Canyon’s natural resources through original educational programming. She also works to strengthen relationships between the National Parks Service and the 11 associated tribes that call the Grand Canyon home by sharing a more honest history of the Grand Canyon National Park’s legacy, organizing events like Heritage Days, cultural demonstrations and performances, etc. She will continue working for the Grand Canyon in the winter months, moving to the park’s education division where she will help restructure their curriculum to focus on the aridification of the Colorado River and TEK. While at UF, she received the Russell Jaberg Award, which recognizes outstanding achievement by a graduating religion major.
Contact: shiriabra@gmail.com
Jennifer Baum graduated with a BA in Religion and Russian from the University of Florida in 1995 and with an MA in Religion from UF in 1998. She earned an MS in Information Technology with a specialization in Informatics from the University of Maryland Global Campus in 2016. She is currently the head of U.S. Special Acquisitions at the Library of Congress, the world’s largest library and the nation’s oldest cultural heritage institution. Ms. Baum has been a leadership and professional development mentor at the Library of Congress for over 10 years and was invited to the Presidential Management Fellow Program twice. As the 2016 Staff Research Fellow, her peer-reviewed project titled, “‘It from Bit’: Cross-cultural and Interdisciplinary Links in Modern Computing”, at The John W. Kluge Center, provided an enriching opportunity to utilize the collections she works to acquire.
Contact: info@religion.ufl.edu
Jeff Buhler holds a BA with a major in Religion from the University of Florida and earned an MBA degree from the Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins College. He has an extensive background in a variety of consumer service, operations and coaching industries and is currently the Senior Vice President of Customer Service at Massey Services. He is also the Past President of the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP), of the Orlando Science Center Board of Directors, and of Pi Lambda Phi International Fraternity. In addition, Jeff is a Founding Director of the Elimination of Prejudice Foundation and has served on the board of the Winter Park YMCA, Camp Ridgecrest Alumni & Friends, North Texas Hotel & Lodging Association, Teach for America Orlando, and the Pi Lambda Phi Educational Foundation. Jeff is an ordained Elder in the Presbyterian Church and has experience with non-profit strategic planning and fundraising campaigns.
Contact: Jbuhler@masseyservices.com
Ken Chitwood graduated with a PhD in Religion from the University of Florida in 2019 and is a professional religion nerd, writer, and scholar. He is a Senior Research Fellow with the Muslim Philanthropy Initiative at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and Journalist Fellow with the University of Southern California’s Center for Religion and Civic Culture. He is president of the Religion News Association and Editor of ReligionLink, a resource with ideas, tips, and guides for journalists writing on religion. As a reporter, Ken has bylines with The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, Religion News Service, The Guardian, Christianity Today, and numerous other publications. He also worked as a consultant on interreligious encounter with Religions for Peace, the Capital Group, and the International Dialogue Center. Ken is currently working on his second and third books, the first called AmeRícan Muslims: The Everyday Lives of Puerto Rican Converts to Islam (University of Texas Press) and the second, a collection of stories entitled Engaged Spirituality: Stories of Religious Inspiration, Resilience, and Work for the Common Good.
Contact: info@religion.ufl.edu
Omar Lateef graduated with a BA in Religion from the University of Florida in 1995. He has led the RUSH team – and the nation – toward the future of healthcare with a steadfast eye on quality and equity. He has served as President and CEO of RUSH University Medical Center since May 2019, was appointed President of RUSH in 2021 and became CEO in July 2022. RUSH has set the nation’s standard in healthcare quality and safety, modeled excellence in clinical leadership both regionally and nationally, and maintained its long-standing commitment to health equity. RUSH is expanding its reach, making care more accessible through digital advancements, new locations and partnerships.
Contact: Omar_Lateef@rush.edu
Bhakti Mamtora graduated with a PhD in Religion from the University of Florida in 2019 and is currently an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Arizona. She has a M.A. in South Asian Studies from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. in Communications and Media Studies and International Political Economy from Fordham University. She has taught a range of introductory and thematic courses on South Asian religions. Her current book project examines how oral teachings become sacred texts and focuses on western India during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. More broadly, her research interests include community formation, digital religion, and migration. She has published peer-reviewed articles in academic journals and feature articles for The Revealer. As a graduate student, Bhakti Mamtora was involved in university-wide and national service. She served on the Graduate Student Council at the University of Florida and a Board Member and Student Director of the American Academy of Religion.
Contact: bhaktimamtora14@gmail.com
Sami Manausa (she/her) graduated with a BA in Religion from the University of Florida in 2019 and is currently the social media manager for the IfNotNow movement, working at the intersection of storytelling and human rights advocacy through content creation, graphic design, and digital organizing. At UF, she received both the Lead Major distinction for the Department and the Russell Jaberg Award for Academic Excellence. While studying Religion, Conflict, and Peace at Harvard Divinity School, Sami developed a passion for being a vocal Jewish advocate for Palestinian rights. Following her 2022 graduation from Harvard with her Master of Theological Studies (MTS), she researched Israeli militarism in Jerusalem and the West Bank before returning to the U.S. and joining the IfNotNow staff.
Contact: info@religion.ufl.edu
Louis Reinstein graduated with a BA in Religion and with minors in Sociology and Jewish Studies from the University of Florida in 1996. After leaving the University of Florida, Louis attended Emory University in Atlanta and earned a MA in Jewish Studies. He then taught middle school and high school for four years at the David Posnack Jewish Day School before attending law school at the Shepard Broad Law Center at Nova Southeastern University. He was elected to the Plantation City Council in November 2022. He is married to his wife Adi, and lives, with their two sons, Daniel (15) and Jonathan (12), in Plantation, Florida.
Contact: louisreinstein@gmail.com
Austin Young graduated with a BA in Religion and Political Science from the University of Florida in 2018 and joined Teach for America in Memphis to help address educational inequity in under-resourced communities. In Memphis, he also provided leadership on several political organizing initiatives, including voter engagement with the Memphis Inter-Faith Coalition for Action and Hope (MICAH). After Memphis he joined the Harvard Graduate School of Education and earned a master’s degree in education, focusing on educational ethics. During graduate study, Austin focused on educational ethics and served as a case study contributor to the Justice in Schools Project. Today, he serves as the Director of Learning Operations and Product Development at Empathetics, a start-up that delivers patient experience, well-being, and risk-management training for healthcare organizations.
Contact: austiny44@gmail.com