Avalon Jade Theisen
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Mail code: 4302Campus: Tempe
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Student Information
Graduate StudentReligious Studies
The College of Lib Arts & Sci
Graduate Student
Nonprofit Leadership and Management
Watts Col of Pub Ser & Com Sol
Avalon Jade Theisen is a PhD student at Arizona State University where her research focus is the intersection of religions, environment, and nonprofit organizations. In addition to her roles as a graduate student and graduate teaching assistant, she is the Book Reviews Coordinator for the Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature and Culture, an instructor at Athena's Advanced Academy, and an intern at the U.S. Department of State Office of International Religious Freedom. In 2024, Theisen received a $25,000 research award after being named a 2024-2025 P.E.O. Scholar and special designation as the 2024-2025 Jane B. Smith Endowed Scholar.
A Day in the Life: Avalon Jade Theisen, Religious Studies PhD student (March 2022)
PhD student travels to the United Nations headquarters for assembly (February 2023)
Arizona State University (ASU), Tempe, Arizona. PhD Student, Religious Studies, Anthropology of Religion track, 2021-Present
Arizona State University (ASU), Tempe, Arizona. Master of Nonprofit Leadership and Management Student, 2024-Present
Arizona State University (ASU), Tempe, Arizona. Master of Arts in Religious Studies, In-Passing, May 2023, Graduated With Distinction
University of Florida (UF), Gainesville, Florida. Post-baccalaureate 2021, Religion and Nature in North America
University of South Florida (USF), Tampa, Florida. Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies, Certificate in Food Studies, December 2020, Graduated summa cum laude
Honors Thesis: “Religious Impact on Diet & Agriculture: How 16 Faith Traditions Consider Food."
St. Petersburg College (SPC), Tarpon Springs, Florida. Associate of Arts in General Studies, May 2018, Graduated summa cum laude
Religious Environmentalism
Religious Nonprofit Organizations
Environmental Humanities
Publications (peer reviewed)
"Adamah: A Jewish Environmental Nonprofit Organization." The International Journal of the Humanities, forthcoming. 2024.
“Traditional Ecological Knowledges in the Environmental History of the United States.” Religions: Undisciplining Religion and Science, forthcoming. 2024.
“Avatar & Religious Justification for & Against Mining.” Thrive: Undergraduate Research Journal: Vol. 1, No. 1, Article 7. 2021. [University of South Florida]
"Religious Implications for Agriculture, Diet, and Social Issues." The Macksey Journal: Vol. 1, Article 30. 2020. [Johns Hopkins University]
Publications (public-facing)
“Religious Engagement in Democratization.” Department of State, Office of International Religious Freedom. April 2024.
“Democracy, Parties, and Religion: Political Institutions Literature.” Department of State, Office of International Religious Freedom. March 2024.
“Religious Freedom Advocacy Literature Review Guidebook: Causes of Religious Conflict and Effective Lobbying of Religious Freedom.” Department of State, Office of International Religious Freedom. August 2023.
“Social Inclusion Advocacy Literature Review Guidebook: Social Causes of Religious Conflict and Promotion of Religious Freedom at the Community Level.” Department of State, Office of International Religious Freedom. May 2023
“Intergroup Contact Theory Issue Brief Infographic: How Segregation Furthers Religious Conflict, While Formal and Informal Means of Interacting with People of Other Religions Further Religious Freedom.” Department of State, Office of International Religious Freedom. January 2023
Book Reviews
Theisen, Avalon Jade. "Book Review of Strang, Veronica. Water Beings: From Nature Worship to the Environmental Crisis." Nova Religio, forthcoming. 2024.
Book Reviews Coordinator, Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature and Culture, September 2021 to present.
Research Internship, U.S. Department of State, Office of International Religious Freedom, September 2022-May 2025 (3 annual terms). Effective Methods and Theories in Advancing Religious Freedom.
Arizona Student Representative, American Academy of Religion, Western Region. 2024-2025.