Center for Advancing Pluralism

About

Since 2024, CAP has empowered educators, institutions, and organizations with cultural literacy training and resources about the Hindu Dharma traditions — supporting a more pluralistic and inclusive America.

Who we are

A trusted leader in pluralism education

The Center for Advancing Pluralism (CAP) empowers individuals and institutions with comprehensive cultural literacy training and services about Hindus and the Hindu Dharma Traditions. Our extensive partner base includes education, government, and corporate professionals from across the country.

Inspired by the core ethic of pluralism within the Hindu Dharma traditions — which developed some of the earliest frameworks for coexistence — our mission is to create pluralistic environments by enhancing cultural intelligence about Hindus and the Hindu Dharma Traditions.

Pluralism is to hold our many stories, not just one — to embrace our diversity and our potential to coexist.

Students impacted annually
0
Founded in 2003
0 + years
CA, TX, MD, GA, OK, OH, VA
0 + states
Education, corporate, government
0 sectors

Academic Advisory Board

Our scholars

Professor Barbara McGraw

J.D., Ph.D. Religion and Social Ethics, University of Southern California

Academic Advisor
A leading expert on American identity, the role of religion in public life, and religious pluralism. McGraw is a member of the Bar of the U.S. Supreme Court, founded the Center for Engaged Religious Pluralism, and has served as president of the AAR/Western Region. She has directed the Governmental Chaplaincy and Religious Diversity program for over a decade and serves as International Interfaith Ambassador for the McCollum Foundation for Peace.

Professor Leo D. Lefebure

Ph.D. — Matteo Ricci S.J. Chair of Theology, Georgetown University

Academic Advisor

Inaugural holder of the Matteo Ricci, S.J., Chair of Theology at Georgetown University and author of the award-winning Transforming Interreligious Relations. President of the American Theological Society, co-chair of the Interfaith Coalition Conference for Global Citizens, and a past president of the Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies.

Professor Jeffery D. Long

Ph.D. — Carl W. Zeigler Professor of Religion, Philosophy, and Asian Studies, Elizabethtown College

Academic Advisor

Specializes in the religions and philosophies of India. Author of Hinduism in America: A Convergence of Worlds, recipient of the 2022 Rajinder and Jyoti Gandhi Book Award for Excellence in Theology. Has spoken at Princeton, Yale, the University of Chicago, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi University, and the United Nations.

OUR TEAM

Staff & curriculum designers

Staff

Dr. Vijay Satnarine

Ph.D. Literatures, Languages and Cultures of Asia, University of Edinburgh

Senior Director of Education
Dr. Satnarine has over 15 years of research, teaching, and administrative experience in U.K. and U.S. higher educational institutions. He has created and instructed courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels, supervised Ph.D. students, and worked with state and district educational bodies facilitating teacher trainings and content review services.

Devala Rees

B.A Religious Studies, University of Minnesota

Education Research Assistant

Devala Rees works in education research and has experience teaching about Hindu traditions in the high school classroom setting. He has over six years of experience teaching about Hindu Dharma traditions online to a wide range of audiences, with his writings receiving over 108 million views.

Curriculum designers

Anneda Nettleton

B.Ed., M.Ed., Ed.S.

Curriculum Design Partner

Anneda Nettleton has been an English teacher for over 22 years at an independent K–12 school near Somerset, Kentucky. A passionate educator and seasoned curriculum writer, her professional interests include helping students become better communicators, integrating technology, and utilizing innovative activities to keep students engaged in learning.

Brooke Pillifant

M.A. Sociology, MSc. Mathematics

Curriculum Design Partner

Brooke is an educator, curriculum designer, and storyteller with advanced degrees in Sociology and Mathematics. She has taught at the college and K–12 levels, worked on NIH-funded research, and spent the past decade developing engaging, inclusive learning materials. In 2016, she founded a nonprofit that helps incarcerated individuals heal through art.

Partners & sponsors

CAP has partnered with leading education and government organizations across the country.

Special thanks to our sponsors