Amanda Tyler to head Baptist religious liberty organization

by Christian Century staff in the October 25, 2016 issue

Amanda R. Tyler will be the next executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, an organization committed to defending religious free exercise and separation of church and state.

Her predecessor, Brent Walker, retires at the end of this year.

“I feel called by God to do this work,” Tyler said. “There are many challenges and opportunities surrounding our First Freedom, such as increasing religious pluralism and the unease it can bring.”

Tyler, who grew up in a Baptist church in Austin, Texas, earned degrees from Georgetown University and the University of Texas School of Law. She volunteered at the BJC office during college and joined the staff as assistant to the BJC general counsel from 1999 to 2001.

“She represents both the BJC’s history and its future,” wrote Daniel Glaze, who chairs the BJC board of directors and led the search committee. “Having served on staff at the BJC under the leadership of James Dunn and Brent Walker, Amanda knows the rich legacy of ministry and advocacy we enjoy.”

Tyler is currently on the staff of Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D., Texas).

“In my district, I have seen her listen to and fight for the underserved and underrepresented,” Doggett told the BJC. “This makes her a natural to represent the cause of religious liberty and minority faiths.”

This article appears in the October 25, 2016 issue.