USCIRF Welcomes Senator Charles Schumer’s Appointment of Frederick A. Davie to U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom

Washington, DC – Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) announced on June 17 the appointment of Frederick A. Davie, Executive Vice President of the Union Theological Seminary in New York City, to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).

“We are thrilled to welcome Frederick A. Davie as our newest Commissioner,” said USCIRF Chair Gayle Manchin, “He brings a wealth of knowledge as an active member of the New York City community and having previously served on the White House Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships. We look forward to learning from his experience in implementing strategies for effective partnerships between federal agencies and faith-based organizations.”

In his current role as Executive Vice President, Frederick A. Davie serves as an advisor to the Union Theological Seminary’s President for the structure and administration of the executive office, strategic planning, institutional advancement, and vision implementation. He is also the chief administrative officer. Davie came to Union from the Arcus Foundation, where he served as Interim Executive Director and Senior Director of the Social Justice and LGBT Programs.

He previously served on President Barack Obama’s transition team, performing agency reviews for faith-based and community initiatives, and accepted an appointment by President Obama to the White House Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

His experience on the international front includes supporting faith-based youth programming in South Africa while at the Ford Foundation; promoting international social justice and sexual minorities rights in East Africa during his tenure at Arcus; and assisting in joint programming between Union Seminary and Gaston Berger University in Senegal. Davie also has extensive international travel to countries and regions such as China, Tibet, New Zealand, South East Asia, Europe, and Central and South America. 

He has long been an active member of the New York City community through service as Chair of the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB), a member of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Clergy Advisory Council (CAC), co-convenor of the CAC’s public safety committee (with a focus on community safety and improving police-community relations), and a number of leadership roles in public administration for the City of New York, including Deputy Borough President of Manhattan, and Chief of Staff to the Deputy Mayor for Community and Public Affairs, and Chief of Staff to the President of the NYC Board of Education.

“Frederick A. Davie’s extensive experience demonstrates his commitment to promoting and protecting religious freedom,” USCIRF Vice Chair Tony Perkins added. “He will no doubt be a valuable member of the Commission and we look forward to his diverse insight and expertise.”

USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and leadership of both political parties in the Senate and House of Representatives.

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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on threats to religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected] or Danielle Ashbahian at [email protected].