Rick Steves is a popular public television host, a best-selling guidebook author, and an outspoken activist who encourages Americans to broaden their perspectives through travel. Rick is the founder and owner of Rick Steves’ Europe (RSE), a travel business with 100 full-time employees. RSE operates a successful small-group tour program which brings 30,000 people to Europe annually. The company contributes annually to a portfolio of climate-smart nonprofits, essentially paying a self-imposed carbon tax. Through the Rick Steves Fund, he supports organizations and causes that reflect the worldview he’s gained through his travels. Since 2017, this has translated to $40 million in support to organizations in the U.S. and around the world. He lives and works in his hometown of Edmonds, Washington, where his office window overlooks his old junior high school.

The Reverend Shelley Bryan Wee has served as bishop of the Northwest Washington Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America since 2019. A public theologian and speaker on Christian nationalism, democracy, and the role of faith in public life, she addresses the dangers of merging Christian identity with political power. Her work explores how Christian nationalism can distort religious faith, erode democratic values, and threaten the dignity and rights of vulnerable communities.

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