About Us

The Faith & Politics Project was created by a team of Harvard graduate students dedicated to creating space for interfaith dialogue and action with roots in religious traditions, social justice, and progressive politics. This project is grounded in our vision of a society where people from religious, spiritual, and secular walks of life collaborate to build a more just world. Through the Faith & Politics Project, we hope to create community and inspire action among religious progressives of all traditions.

Meet the Team

Ben Fleisher

Ben was raised in a Reform Jewish home in Dallas, Texas. After graduating from the University of Chicago, he worked in the Jewish advocacy world as a development officer for nearly five years. He currently studies at Harvard Divinity School, learning about the history of American Jewish political engagement. He also works for the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism as a legislative associate, researching and advocating for democracy reform. Ben brings his knowledge of fundraising, non-profit management, and the history of religion in American politics to the team. When not working, he enjoys reading, cooking, and swing dancing.

Maddie Ulanow

Maddie is a Master's in Public Policy student at the Harvard Kennedy School. Prior to HKS, she taught in UNRWA schools as a Fulbright fellow and worked for Faith in Minnesota mobilizing voters in communities of faith. An alum Jewish day schools, Habonim Dror summer camps, and the Avodah Justice Fellowship, Maddie is deeply rooted in Jewish movements toward racial and economic justice. She is also a passionate tour guide, baseball player, and interfaith activist, and is interested in the intersections of those passions where they exist: notably in women's access to sport, spirituality, and public space. 

Zamin Husain

Zamin is a Muslim who has been excited by the relationship of community and religion since high school. He has led Campus Ministry service organizations at Boston College exploring the relationship between spirituality, community, and social justice, sung in a gospel choir in Washington, DC, and worked with religious communities in Mozambique where he served in the Peace Corps. Recently, Zamin worked at the Federal Highway Administration at the U.S. Department of Transportation, and he is hoping to work in the migration policy space after graduating from HKS. 

Claire Kim

Claire is a joint degree student at Harvard Business School and the Kennedy School of Government. She was raised in a Christian home and served in missions with her family in Ukraine, Mexico, and across the US. Her relationship to faith has shifted throughout her work in progressive politics and making sense of this intersection is at the core of her interests and daily reflections. Claire wrote her college thesis on sex education reform in Texas to better understand the relationship between religion, education groups, public health, and the moral panic surrounding sexuality in certain Texan communities. Since then, she has been committed to uncovering and illuminating religion’s role in public life.

Hannah Santos

Hannah is a MTS candidate at Harvard Divinity School and holds a BA in Religious Studies and History from Brown University. Raised in a Unitarian Universalist home, she has been a part of progressive religious spaces since childhood. Hannah is passionate about nuancing public dialogue about religion, especially around issues of religious freedom law. As an agnostic attending divinity school, she is deeply engaged in the future of the Religious Nones and their emerging role in progressive politics. Having recently worked at the Religious Freedom Center, NARAL Pro-Choice America, and Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Hannah hopes to return to non-profit advocacy after graduate school.