OUR LEADERSHIP


Image

Eric Patterson

President


Eric Patterson, Ph.D. serves as President of the Religious Freedom Institute. Patterson is past dean of the Robertson School of Government at Regent University and a Research Fellow at Georgetown University’s Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, where he previously served full-time.




Image

David K. Trimble

Vice President for Public Policy
and Education


After serving as a principal and Of Counsel at the leading D.C. firm of Van Scoyoc Associates for many years, Mr. Trimble now leads the Religious Freedom Institute’s nationwide and international initiatives in secondary and higher education. Within that context, he brings a wealth of experience to the academy and civil society in international affairs, foreign policy, higher education, and shaping domestic and international public policy.




Image

Thomas F. Farr

President Emeritus


Thomas Farr, Ph.D. served as President of the Religious Freedom Institute (RFI) from its founding until January 2023. RFI is a non-profit that works to advance religious freedom for everyone, both as a source of individual human dignity and flourishing, and as a source of political stability, economic development, and international security.




Image

Byron Johnson

Senior Fellow


Byron Johnson, Ph.D. serves as Senior Fellow at the Religious Freedom Institute and a Distinguished Professor of the Social Sciences at Baylor University. He is the founding director of the Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion (ISR) as well as director of the Program on Prosocial Behavior.