President & Event Coordinator

"I have traveled from deity-believer to deity-nonbeliever. Rational thinking and the scientific method are where I have been for many years.

"I have assisted in producing television shows about Freethought Day and Darwin Day for showing on Access Sacramento’s channel 17. I view it an honor to serve on the AOF Board."

Director at Large

"As a nearly lifelong nonbeliever I have argued in support of science and rational thought for several decades. I have also produced television shows about Freethought Day as well as Darwin Day for showing on Access Sacramento's channel 17. I would be honored to serve on the AOF Board."

AOF Vice President, Director, Library Curator

Mynga, who has served over a decade as AOF's vice president, was one of the founders of the organization in 1993, became its president in 2002, and served as its newsletter editor for many years. After a 10-year board hiatus caregiving for her late husband, Mynga is once again ready to become more active and is now running for a voting spot in AOF, an organization very close to her heart.

Mynga's own AOF presidency was a year of forceful activism during which AOF went "all-out" celebrating its 10th anniversary (yoohoo!), invited interesting speakers from afar, carried on its highway cleanup, campus outreach and feed-the-needy programs, and implemented a brand new initiative - Sacramento's Freethought Day, which eventually grew into the current California Freethought Day. She also served over ten years as AOF's representative to Atheist Alliance International and originated the CFD educational project -"Freethought Gallery of Independent Thinkers" - which also continues to this day.

See her Wikipedia page entry. Way Cool!

Director at Large, Newsletter Editor, Library Technician

Activist and former Cartographer and Geographer at the Bureau of Land Management, Fran joined AOF in mid-2014, has been energetic within our freethought community since 2011, endearing himself to us all with his humor, practicality, political barbs, volunteerism, humorous stories, and fabled affinity for ferrets. (We just love to say that.)
Among other duties, Fran edits the AOF newsletter, and helps manage the Freethought Library at Reason Center.

Treasurer, Registrar, Web Lackey, Empties Wastebasket

Ken serves AOF as a director, treasurer, membership registrar, web developer & floor sweep. Joining AOF in December 1993, before it had a proper name, he became Treasurer in 1995, and Registrar (membership database keeper) in 2004. His early life was a mad-mouse ride between religious belief and skepticism. Now he styles myself not as an atheist, not even an agnostic, but an apatheist. In other words, it all seems to be a lot of fuss over nothing. Let's just stop fighting.

"My vision for AOF," he says, "is to pinch pennies, sell merchandise, develop the website, and keep AOF solvent as best we can. I also hope to build bridges to the other freethought and skeptical groups in the Sacramento area, enforcing our Community of Reason. And as a freethinker and humanist, I see opportunity for cooperative action between AOF and more open-minded believers. Freethought has escaped the intellectual ghetto that held it for almost a century; the horizon is open if our hearts are open, and if we do not fear to change."

His personal story is at https://infidels.org/library/modern/testimonials-nahigian/, if you care to read it.

Advisor 

Kaeleigh Pontif is currently serving her second year as an Advisor to the AOF Board of Directors. Prior to her role as Advisor, she served on the Board for several years. She was the President of the Secular Student Alliance at Sacramento State University, as well as a member of the organization's National Leadership Council. Kaeleigh received her BS in Environmental Studies and is a passionate advocate for environmental justice, animal rights, and secular values. Enthusiastic about helping AOF grow, she looks forward to organizing exciting and informative events with our local community of freethinkers.

Secretary

A spiritual humanist and fond friend of the freethought community, Ruth takes impeccible notes, or only slightly peccible, and prepares the elegant minutes of our Board Meetings. Without her we would be aimless, rudderless, and ruthless. Ouch.

Director at Large

I was raised in suburbia in a Presbyterian household, and initially bought into that, even giving a sermon to the congregation as part of a "youth Sunday". But as I began to develop more independent thinking in college, I recognized that there was no extraordinary evidence to back up their extraordinary claims (thanks, Carl Sagan!) and I developed a personal belief system that focused on rational thought and personal responsibility. I was amazed and delighted some years later (pre-internet) when I came across the Humanist Manifesto -- there were others who felt as I did!

Locally I was one of the financial founders of the original Reason Center and have attended sporadic events there and AOF picnics but have not been as active in events as I'd like due to family and professional responsibilities, although I have continued to support the Reason Center, FFRF (life member), AHA, and AOF financially. Now my youngest (another freethinker) is away at college and I have more time to contribute to organizations that foster freethinking.

My professional background may offer some experience that the board could find valuable: I have served on multiple boards including the Permanente Medical Group, the Sacramento medical society (including two terms as president), the Sacramento Waldorf School (including president), and Sutter Independent Physicians where I am also CEO.

I have the time, energy, and motivation to contribute to AOF.

Director at Large

My religious background was minimal and largely cultural. I was nominally raised Lutheran—my parents dropped me off at church and Sunday school for a short time but never discussed religion at home. Although my grandfather, uncle, and cousin were Lutheran ministers, that tradition did not continue in our immediate family. I came to recognize that my views did not align with the beliefs being presented, and over time I identified as an atheist.

I was active in the National Organization for Women for nearly two decades, including service as Vice President of Membership for Texas NOW and as Treasurer for both North Dallas NOW and Contra Costa County NOW. I also participated in AIDS Walk San Francisco as a fundraiser, walker, and volunteer.

For the past 13 years, I’ve worked with Distributed Proofreaders and served six years on its board. I continue to support the production of public-domain books for Project Gutenberg.

I am pleased to serve on the AOF Board.

Videographer, Audio/Video System Technician

"On an IQ Test, 50% of the people in the world would score below average. People of the religion of egalitarianism believe in an equal brain for all.  I don't believe that religion. And I refuse to be labeled as an oppressive white male that keeps others down."

As is evident, Dave is a laconic gent, a thoughtful mind, a man of few words. He also once wrote, "... I enjoy the freethinking side of me than the atheist side -- atheism seems so obvious. Also, I enjoy that atheistic methodology, Science." Terse and pithy. But without our Sound Technician, AOF would be a wet mess.

AOF Postmaster (mailings)

Ben spent his youth in the Philippines, a country deeply rooted and immersed in rabid Christianity. There he practiced architecture for some years before moving to America in the mid '80s to write pioneering software for the then-emerging personal computer. Now retired, unchurched and happily unmarried, he enjoys golf and reading and photography and spending time with his four grandchildren.

His naturalistic worldview generally aligns with the current secular/freethought/humanist movements. In Sacramento he tries to help with their objectives in whatever ways he can.

In memorium 1955-2026

Don, a long-time member and supporter of AOF, believed strongly that logic and reason provide a deeper and more visceral connection to morality than ancient writ absorbed by a believer. So it naturally followed that compassion for animals, disadvantaged peoples, and the planet was a lifelong passion. He supervised and led our Adopt-a-Highway cleanup effort,
as well as our Feed the Hungry program in Davis.

Don was such a paragon of ethics that we just wanted to hug him and weep for our own stained souls. He is sorely missed.