About the Essayists

MaryAnn Almeida

MaryAnn Almeida is a senior at Willamette University, majoring in Politics and Spanish. On campus, she competes for Willamette’s Debate team and participates in the College Democrats and S.A.R.A. Energized and inspired by her work in the Oregon State Legislature during her time at Willamette, she plans to pursue a career in campaigns and political consulting.

Anya Ballinger

Anya C. Ballinger is a Theatre Major at Willamette University. With a keen interest in words and language, she is completing her thesis Meaning and Understanding Through Storytelling. In 2008, her short play, Nothing Left To Lose was performed at the regional American College Theatre Festival. She has also written for various local newspapers. What she would really love to do is to write children's literature. Whether it is written, performed, or spoken, Anya hopes to continue creating art in a way that benefits her community and fosters compassion in the world.

Daniel Bullard

Daniel Bullard is currently a sophomore at Willamette University with a major in Music. He participates in the Jazz Ensemble at Willamette and works on various other musical projects. Interest in the subject of this volume came from his fascination with the emergent church movement and development economics. He is president of the Respectable Knitting Society.

Mark Conliffe

Mark Conliffe works in the Department of German and Russian at Willamette University, where he teaches courses on Russian language, literature, and culture and from where he advocates for a campus ice hockey rink.

Ivo Dimitrov

Ivo Dimitrov is a Ford Scholar and a native of Bulgaria. He graduated from Willamette University in 2008 with a B.A. in History and Spanish. He is committed to responsible promotion of democracy and civic leadership among youth.

James Frew

James Frew is in his twenty-fifth year as a member of the Willamette University faculty, teaching courses in econometrics and forecasting, as well as microeconomics, finance, urban economics and real estate. He has published articles in and served on the boards of several journals, including the AREUEA Journal, the Journal of Urban Economics, the Journal of Urban Studies, the Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, the Journal of Real Estate Research, Real Estate Appraiser and Analyst, and the Journal of Real Estate Practice and Education. His most recent article "Apartment Rents and Locations in Portland, Oregon: A Comparison 1992 - 2002" (with Beth Wilson) appeared in the Journal of Real Estate Research (2007).

Albert Furtwangler

Albert Furtwangler has taught English and Humanities at the University of Chicago, Linfield College, and Mount Allison University in Canada. He is now an Independent Scholar at Willamette, where he continues to write about Lewis and Clark and other figures in Northwest history. His recent work Bringing Indians to the Book (2005) examines the ideals and disillusionments of Jason Lee and other pioneer missionaries in this region.

David S. Gutterman

David S. Gutterman is Assistant Professor of Politics and the Associate Director of the Center for Religion, Law and Democracy. He teaches courses on political theory, religion and politics, and political dissent and is the author of Prophetic Politics: Christian Social Movements and American Democracy (Cornell University Press, 2005). He can often be found up on the third floor of Smullin Hall working on a project exploring the reigning political narratives in the 21st century United States. His door is often - but not always - open.

Nicholas Robinson

Nicholas Robinson is a senior politics major. Since his graduation from high school in Norman, Oklahoma, he has worked as a political activist for the Democratic Party and as a community organizer for various political campaigns. As a member of the Willamette debate team, Nicholas has earned top honors at national tournaments across the country including a first round bid to the National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence. After graduation, he hopes to continue his work in political campaigns and public policy development.