Presenters & Presentations

Timothy Knepper is Professor of Philosophy at Drake University, where he directs The Comparison Project, a public program in global, comparative religion and local, lived religion. He is the author of books on the future of the philosophy of religion (The Ends of Philosophy of Religion, Palgrave, 2013), the sixth-century Christian mystic Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite (Negating Negation, Wipf & Stock, 2014), and an introductory textbook in global-critical philosophy of religion (Philosophies of Religion, Bloomsbury, 2022). He is the editor of student-written photo-narratives about religion in Des Moines (A Spectrum of Faith, Drake Community Press, 2017) and in Beijing (Religions of Beijing, Bloomsbury, 2020), as well as The Comparison Project’s lecture and dialogue series on ineffability (Ineffability: An Exercise in Comparative Philosophy of Religion, Springer, 2017), death and dying (Death and Dying: An Exercise in Comparative Philosophy of Religion, Springer, 2019), and miracles (Miracles: An Exercise in Comparative Philosophy of Religion, Springer, 2022). The Comparison Project programming currently includes a biennial lecture and dialogue series, a monthly series of open houses at local places of worship, an annual interfaith youth camp, photo-narrative projects about local-lived religion, on-line guides to the “religions of Des Moines,” and more.

Timothy Knepper is Professor of Philosophy at Drake University, where he directs The Comparison Project, a public program in comparative religion, religious literacy, and interfaith leadership. He is the author of three books and many articles and essays as well as the editor of three academic volumes and two student-written photo-narratives about local-lived religion.

Emily holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from Central College with a specialization in sexual health and earned her Master's in clinical mental health counseling from Drake University in 2023. Recognized for her expertise in the national sex education community, she is a leader in innovative content creation and implementation.

With extensive classroom and training experience, Emily is dedicated to making learning accessible and engaging. She prioritizes meeting participants where they are, fostering an inclusive environment that encourages growth and open dialogue. Her training sessions are known for their welcoming atmosphere, practical takeaways, and engaging delivery.”

Claudia Schabel is the Founder, President and CEO of Schabel Solutions Inc., a full-service workplace culture, leadership development and diversity, equity and inclusion consulting firm helping organizations across the U.S. normalize inclusive behaviors and build the skills, confidence and plans needed to achieve and sustain successful workforce, workplace and marketplace/community outcomes.Born and raised in Brazil, Claudia lived and worked in Japan for five years prior to moving to Iowa in 1999. Claudia’s approach as a sought-after consultant combines her international, multicultural background with over 20 years of workplace culture, diversity, equity and inclusion, and human resources practitioner experience, largely with Fortune100 and Fortune 500 companies, and many years of committed board of director leadership experience. Her expertise and background position the firm to offer customized consulting, training and coaching services in the areas of workplace culture, leadership, diversity, equity and inclusion, and cultural competency. Claudia is aCertified Virtual Facilitator™ (CVF™) by the International Institute for Facilitation as well as Intercultural Development Inventory® (IDI®) certified for conducting organization-wide workplace culture assessments, which the firm leverages when helping clients develop and implement robust and sustainable workplace culture and diversity, equity and inclusion strategies.

Jazlin Coley is a public speaker, social-justice strategist, and Director of the Crew Scholars Program at Drake University, where she’s spent nearly a decade advancing equity and belonging. With a master’s in Leadership Development and a strong foundation in DEI strategy and youth empowerment, she creates spaces for real, relevant, and courageous conversations. Outside of her professional life, Jazlin is usually thrifting, tackling a creative DIY project, or deep in a binge-watch - currently obsessed with Yellowjackets and Severance. She’s a proud cat mom of two, loves volunteering on community initiatives, and finds joy in community spaces that spark meaningful conversations. Jazlin partners with CultureALL to connect her passions for justice, storytelling, and cultural expression with audiences across sectors.