About TRT

Dr. Iqbal Akhtar is the Program Director of the Covenantal Pluralism Initiative at Templeton Religion Trust.

He has taught at Florida International University as an associate professor in the Departments of Religious Studies and Politics & International Relations. Iqbal completed his doctorate at the University of Edinburgh, focusing on the early modern religious history of Indian Ocean mercantile networks, with fieldwork experience in Pakistan and Tanzania. His first monograph is entitled The Khōjā of Tanzania.

DeAndra V. Cartwright a Program Associate for Templeton Religion Trust’s Covenantal Pluralism initiative.

Prior to working at TRT, she worked for the Bahamas Government with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and has also served at the United Nations. DeAndra obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish Language and Literature from the College of The Bahamas, now University of The Bahamas, and a Master of Arts degree in Human Rights from the City University of New York.

Melinda Cartwright is a Grant Administrator at First Trust Bank Limited, Trustee of Templeton Religion Trust.

Sandra Darville is the Manager of Grant Operations and Administration at First Trust Bank Limited, Trustee of Templeton Religion Trust.

She previously held the role of Assistant Financial Controller. She completed her Bachelor of Science at Beloit College, and post-graduate studies at the University of Wales. Prior to joining First Trust, she was employed as an Assistant Manager at Societe Generale and Manager at Fortis Fund Services (Bahamas) Limited. She has worked in the financial services industry for almost 30 years.

Demetrius Delancy is a Grant Administrator of First Trust Bank Ltd.

Prior to working for FTBL, he was employed in various administrative roles at higher education institutions, and more recently at a global environmental nonprofit. He has a Bachelor of Music degree from Fisk University, and a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Illinois at Springfield.

Rhandi A. A. Elliott is a Communications Associate of Templeton Religion Trust.

Prior to working for TRT, he worked with a local marine conservation non-profit organization and served in various marketing and communications roles throughout the Bahamian private and public sectors.

Rhandi obtained a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from Florida International University in Miami, FL with a concentration in Latin American & Caribbean Studies.

Sheena Fox is the System Administrator of Templeton Religion Trust.

She is responsible for providing technical and functional support for internal and external users of the grants management system for the three affiliated organizations. In addition, Sheena is responsible for developing new workflows and forms, reviewing data quality and testing
new system functionality.

Sheena formerly served as Grants Administrator for First Trust Bank Ltd. Prior to working for the bank, she was an Assistant Manager at a big-four accounting firm.

Sheena completed an undergraduate degree in Accounting and a minor in Finance from the University of Tampa. She is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

Vonetta L. Glover is Senior Bank Administrator, Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO), and Compliance Officer of First Trust Bank Ltd.

Ms. Glover completed her LL.B. at Holborn Law Tutors in London, and has been a member of the Bahamas Bar for over 20 years.

Kara K. Ingraham is Chief of Staff for Templeton Religion Trust. Prior to working for TRT, she worked for a grant-making organization in Washington, D.C., that funds impact evaluations of health programs in Sub-Saharan Africa.

She has a Bachelor of Arts from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, and a Master of Arts in International Development from American University in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Giavana Jones is a Program Officer for Templeton Religion Trust’s Social Consequences of Religion (SCORE) initiative.

Giavana most recently held the position of Director of Programs at Lyford Cay Foundations, a private philanthropic organization based in The Bahamas. She served as Assistant Professor and Lecturer of Psychology at the University of The Bahamas, where she taught undergraduate courses and supervised senior research and practica opportunities.

Giavana obtained an M.A. and Ph.D in Applied Social Psychology from the University of Windsor, Canada. She also holds an M.S. in Mental Health Counseling and a B.A. in Psychology. Her dissertation focused on hope and resilience in youth. She has published peer-reviewed articles on resilience and risky behavior in youth and is the author of the book, The Strong One: Redefining strength and finding freedom in your true identity.

V. Amanda Lewis is a Senior Program Associate of Templeton Religion Trust. Amanda most recently worked as a Grants Administrator for First Trust Bank Limited, Trustee of Templeton Religion Trust.

Prior to this, she served as the inaugural development director for a mid-size Bahamian non-profit, and has worked for both investment and development banks. She completed an undergraduate degree in Finance and Marketing at Dalhousie University in Canada, and an MBA at the University of Miami.

Sarah Major is a Program Associate for Templeton Religion Trust’s Methods of Inquiry initiative.

Prior to working for TRT, she spent 13 years at Templeton Global Advisors Limited, home to Sir John’s value investing philosophy and pioneer mutual fund. Sarah obtained a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with concentrations in Financial Management, Hotel & Resort Management and Human Resources Management with minors in Accounting and Economics from Florida Southern College in Lakeland, FL.

Juliette Smith-Munroe is an Executive Assistant of Templeton Religion Trust. Prior to working at TRT, Juliette served in various roles across the aviation and healthcare sectors in The Bahamas, and most recently with the University of The Bahamas. She brings more than 15 years of administrative experience and holds an Associate of Arts degree in Law and Criminal Justice along with numerous professional certifications.

Kimon Sargeant is the Senior Program Director of Templeton Religion Trust’s Methods of Inquiry initiative. 

Previously, he served as the Executive Director at the Snider Foundation and VP, Programs at the John Templeton Foundation, where he managed the Human Sciences, Character Virtue Development, and Individual Freedom & Free Markets departments. Sargeant was responsible for developing new research and engagement initiatives on virtues such as generosity, purpose, and gratitude, and how these can contribute to human flourishing. His portfolio also included projects that document and analyze global trends in religion and spirituality, as well as those that examine the connections between spirituality and health. Prior to joining JTF, Sargeant served as a program officer at The Pew Charitable Trusts. He received his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Virginia, and earned his B.A. in history from Yale University. He is the author of Seeker Churches: Promoting Traditional Religion in a Nontraditional Way and co-editor of Spirit and Power: The Growth and Global Impact of Pentecostalism.

W. Christopher Stewart is the chief grants officer of the Templeton Religion Trust. He joined the Trust in 2013, after twenty years on the faculty of Houghton College in New York State.

Ereoshi Turnquest is a is a Program Associate for Templeton Religion Trust’s Social Consequences of Religion (SCORE) initiative.

She most recently held the position of Finance Specialist with The Nature Conservancy, a global environmental non-profit organization. Ereoshi completed an undergraduate degree in Economics at Acadia University in Nova Scotia, Canada, and obtained both an MBA and Master of Science in Accounting from the University of Illinois.

Dennis R. Hoover is Research Advisor for Templeton Religion Trust’s Covenantal Pluralism Initiative, Editor in Chief of The Review of Faith & International Affairs, and a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Global Engagement.

Dr. Hoover earned his DPhil and MPhil in Politics from the University of Oxford. He has published extensively on issues of religion (especially evangelical Christianity) and politics, pluralism, and peace. He is co-editor of Religion and Security: The New Nexus in International Relations, co-editor of Religion and World Affairs: Essential Readings, editor of Religion and American Exceptionalism, and co-editor of the forthcoming Routledge Handbook on Religious Literacy and Global Engagement. He has also published numerous scholarly articles and chapters, and his op-eds have appeared in diverse outlets including Religion News Service, America magazine, Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, Capital Commentary, Comment, and more. He is a former resident fellow at the Leonard Greenberg Center for the Study of Religion in Public Life, Trinity College, Hartford, CT.

Dominic Johnson is Principal Advisor for Templeton Religion Trust’s Social Consequences of Religions (SCORE) initiative. Dr. Johnson is also the Alastair Buchan Professor of International Relations at St. Antony’s College, University of Oxford.

Dr. Johnson is the Co-Director of the Oxford Martin School Natural Governance Programme and the author of three books. His most recent, God is Watching You: How the Fear of God Makes Us Human (Oxford University Press, 2015), examines the role of religion in the evolution of cooperation, and how cross-culturally ubiquitous and ancient beliefs in supernatural reward and punishment have helped to overcome major challenges of human society.

Dr. Johnson earned his D.Phil from the University of Oxford in evolutionary biology and a Ph.D. from Geneva University in political science.

Chris Seiple is Principal Advisor for Templeton Religion Trust’s Covenantal Pluralism Initiative, and Senior Fellow for Comparative Religion at the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington. He is widely known and sought after for his decades of experience and expertise regarding issues at the intersection of geopolitics, US foreign policy, Asia, conflict resolution, human rights, and religion. He has pioneered innovative solutions in the U.S. Marine Corps, at the U.S. State Department, and as the President – now President Emeritus – of the Institute for Global Engagement.

Dr. Seiple earned his Ph.D. in International Relations at The Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy at Tufts University. He also has an M.A. in National Security from the Naval Postgraduate School, and a B.A. in International Relations from Stanford University. He is the recipient of the 2019 Religious Freedom Award from the J. Reuben Clark Law Society, and the 2019 International Award from the International Religious Liberty Association. Dr. Seiple’s 1996 book, The U.S. Military/NGO Relationship in Humanitarian Interventions, is a seminal work in the field, and he is the 2003 founder of the The Review of Faith & International Affairs. He is also co-author of International Religious Freedom Advocacy: A Guide to Organizations, Law, and NGOs, co-editor of The Routledge Handbook on Religion & Security, and co-editor of the forthcoming Routledge Handbook on Religious Literacy and Global Engagement.

Bonnie Poon Zahl is Principal Advisor for Templeton Religion Trust’s Science & Religion in Context program strategy.

Dr. Zahl’s background is in social psychology, specializing in empirical approaches in psychology of religion. She has published on religious cognition, attachment theory, and research methods, and has taught psychology of religion at the University of Cambridge and at St John’s College, Nottingham. She is particularly interested in the scientific study of the cognitive, affective, and social dimensions of religion and non-belief. Born and raised in Hong Kong, she received her B.A. in psychology from Harvard College and her Ph.D. in social and developmental psychology from the University of Cambridge.