Washington, DC – (February 14, 2014) – IGE is pleased to announce that Dr. Chris Seiple has accepted an invitation to join the Board of Director’s of the Religious Freedom and Business Foundation. The president of this exciting new initiative is Dr. Brian Grim, a leading expert on international religious freedom and the socio-economic impact of restrictions on religious freedom. Prior to becoming the Foundation’s president, Dr. Grim directed the largest social science effort to collect and analyze global data on religion at the Pew Research Center. He has also been a frequent speaker at Institute for Global Engagement (IGE) conferences, both domestically and abroad, and a frequent contributor to IGE’s flagship journal, The Review of Faith & International Affairs.

Dr. Seiple commented that, “I welcome this opportunity not only because of my friendship and respect for Brian Grim personally, but also because of our organizations’ shared commitment to freedom of conscience or belief, and to advancing that cause in every innovative manner possible — especially in ways that harness enlightened self-interest. IGE looks forward to continued collaboration with Brian and our new working relationship.”

The Religious Freedom and Business Foundation will educate the global business community about how religious freedom is good for the economy. The Foundation will help the business community join forces with government and non-government organizations in promoting respect for freedom of religion or belief. It envisions a future of innovative and sustainable economies where religious freedom and diversity are respected. The Foundation is the first organization dedicated to educating businesses about why religious freedom will enable them to be more productive and successful, and how they can effectively incorporate religious freedom in their strategic business plans for the benefit of their stake holders, their employees, and society. For more information the Foundation’s work, please see their website.

About the Institute for Global Engagement – The Institute for Global Engagement works at the critical intersection of religion and global affairs, building sustainable environments for religious freedom worldwide. Through local partnerships, IGE works transparently to convene, connect, and build consensus among government, religious leaders, and scholars to ensure that all people, of any religion or no religion, have full freedom of conscience and can participate as equal citizens in public life. To learn more about IGE or our various overseas programs, please contact James Chen at jchen@globalengage.org.