Headlines Workgroup
ICLRS HEADLINES
The International Center for Law and Religion Studies maintains a Law and Religion Headlines service covering news and events concerning freedom of religion or belief internationally. Headlines digests are sent to subscribers three times a week. All interested may subscribe to this service, free of charge, using the link below.
Jordan Pendergrass
Headlines Lead
Jordan Pendergrass is a paralegal for a government agency. He has a Master’s Degree in International Law and Politics (Georgetown University) and a Bachelor’s Degree in Geography (Brigham Young University). Jordan is married and has five children. Jordan began to volunteer for the International Center for Law and Religion Studies in 2010. He has performed a variety of tasks for the Center including: writing country reports; assisting with website maintenance; tracking law and religion headlines; and reporting on the Annual International Law and Religion Symposium. In mid 2020 he took over primary reponsibility for assembling and disseminating the International Law and Religion Headlines digests.
Donlu Thayer
Senior Fellow – Consultant
Following her retirement from Brigham Young University at the end of 2019, Donlu DeWitt Thayer assumed a role as Senior Fellow for the International Center for Law and Religion Studies, where she was most recently Publications Director. During her more than ten years with the Center, Donlu oversaw print and electronic publications, including building and managing the Center’s websites — the ICLRS website and its companion database, Religlaw. She also managed the website and case table of the Strasbourg Consortium, which tracked the freedom-of-religion-or-belief jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights. She developed the Center projects Law and Religion Headlines and the blog, Talk About: Law and Religion. She was More …
Blythe Shupe
Communications Specialist
Blythe Shupe joined the International Center for Law and Religion Studies in September 2015 as a Communications Specialist. In this role she manages the Center’s social media outlets and works on the ICLRS website and has responsibility for media and documentation at major Center conferences, including the Annual Symposium, the Religious Freedom Annual Review, and the international G20 Interfaith Forums. She has charge of the Center’s Annual Reports and other publications featuring the Center. Before coming to the Center, she had spent the previous ten years as an account manager in the world of pre-employment screening. In this position, she worked closely with Human Resources, Compliance Departments, and Security Departments More …
Summer Braithwaite
Headlines Assistant
Summer Braithwaite joined the International Center for Law and Religion Studies in 2022 as an Editorial Assistant. She is a junior at Brigham Young University, and majors in Music Education. Summer finds and screens headlines pertaining to law and religion, and then enters them into the Center’s database. The headlines are part of the Center’s three-times weekly law and religion digest, which has more than 9,000 subscribers. While holding this position, she has gained a deep appreciation for international religious freedom and its intersection with human rights. Summer is from Rochester, New York, and enjoys playing in the BYU Philharmonic, hiking, baking, current events, and spending time with her family and friends.
Boyd Bauer
Global Engagement Specialist (Volunteer)
Dr. Boyd Bauer is a Global Engagement Specialist, an independent consultant specializing in international education and business development. Throughout his professional life he has worked, taught, lectured, and traveled in numerous countries. He is an innovative thinker dedicated to building bridges of understanding between individuals and diverse groups in the United States as well as other locations around the world. He has been a keynote speaker for economic conferences and community organizations, speaking on a wide range of topics including but not limited to understanding the American healthcare puzzle, strategic planning, and motivational topics. More …