Tony Banout is the inaugural executive director of the University of Chicago’s Forum for Free Inquiry and Expression. He earned his PhD from the University’s Divinity School, where he was a Martin Marty Center Junior Fellow and Provost Dissertation Fellow. His career has spanned leadership in social sector organizations including healthcare and community organizing, as well as academia. For over a decade, he served as the senior vice president for Interfaith America. A lifelong advocate for ideological diversity and inclusion in academia, Banout serves as a board member of the Heterodox Academy.