Vanessa Gomez Brake

Vanessa Gomez Brake

AHA Board Member

Pronouns: she/her/siya
Email: vgomezbrake@americanhumanist.org
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Availability: Summer

Vanessa Gomez Brake is the Associate Dean of Religious & Spiritual Life at the University of Southern California. She is the first humanist chaplain to serve in this capacity at any American university. In her role, she works to support and promote university religious and spiritual life broadly conceived, and helps oversee more than 90 student religious groups and 50 religious directors on campus. She also serves as an advisor to the USC Interfaith Council and the Secular Student Fellowship.

Previously, Vanessa worked at Stanford University’s Office for Religious Life, where she led campus programming and worked closely with student-led religious groups. At Stanford, she oversaw all programs at the historic Stanford Memorial Church and CIRCLE: Center for Inter-Religious Community, Learning, and Experiences, and played a supporting role at the Windhover Contemplative Center.

As an accomplished Filipino folk dancer and multi-instrumentalist, Vanessa has performed at the White House and Carnegie Hall for Filipino American History Month celebrations. Her folk artistry is an extension of her interfaith work, as her performances showcase the diverse traditions, rituals, and beliefs of Muslim, Christian, and indigenous peoples of the Philippines.

Honorarium Terms

Negotiable, travel required.

Speaking Interests

Gen-Z religion & spirituality trends; higher education, chaplaincy, interfaith and their intersections with humanism