Tiffany Puett, Executive Director
Tiffany (she/they) is a scholar of American religions and a community educator. In 2015, she founded IDCL to research, document, and foster conversations about the rich diversity of Texas. Her work explores religion and politics in Texas and narratives of belonging as well as methods of oral history and community-engaged research. She also teaches in the Department of Religious Studies at St. Edward’s University. She holds a PhD in Religious Studies from the University of Waterloo and a master’s degree in Ethics from Boston University. Her work is inspired by the rich diversity of Texas, the power of storytelling, and her commitment to mutual liberation. She lives in Austin with her spouse, two lovely children, and two energetic dogs.
Lucianne Nelson, Director of Learning and Community Engagement
Lucianne is a researcher, writer, problem-solver, and aspiring beekeeper. She has studied and taught about religion, public policy, identity, faith & justice, and pop culture. Lucianne’s previous experience in academia transformed her perspectives around data and storytelling, and she now leverages her expertise in mixed-methods research to reframe and amplify narratives of belonging. Lucianne asks big questions about the stories we tell ourselves and how we make meaning through community. She is particularly interested in the contradictions, modes of resistance, and imaginaries that emerge in moments of civic transformation.
Lucianne also has an extensive background in the social impact, civic engagement, and democracy spaces. She has collaborated with other scholars, activists & organizers, government leaders, artists, and communities to create systems for mutual co-learning.
Van Wagner, Community Archive Coordinator
Van (they/them) holds an MS in Information Studies from the University of Texas at Austin and an MA in Religion from Yale Divinity School. They received their BA in Religion from Trinity University in San Antonio. Van has experience with both ethnographic interviewing and oral history archival work, each with relevance to religion, culture, and historic events. Their research interests include contemporary conservative evangelicalism in the US as well as its intersections with civic religion and conservative political engagement. In their free time, Van enjoys baking, playing tabletop RPGs, and writing fiction.