About Us
The City of Brotherly Love: Religious Diversity, Freedom, and the Founding of the Nation in Philadelphia Institute focuses on religious communities of early Philadelphia and their significance in the founding of the U.S.
Historic Arch Street Meeting House. Photo by Dan Mall.
Meet Our Team
Co-Director
David M. Krueger, Ph. D., serves as co-director of the institute. He is a scholar, author, and educator who is passionate about public history, religious literacy, and dialogue. His areas of academic expertise include American religious history, religious pluralism, race, and ethnicity. Dr. Krueger is a sought-after lecturer and speaker and has frequently served as a narrator and scholarly contributor on the Science Channel. He received an M.Div from Palmer Theological Seminary, a ThM from Princeton Theological Seminary, and a PhD in religious studies from Temple University. His book, Myths of the Rune Stone: Viking Martyrs and the Birthplace of America, was published by the University of Minnesota Press. Dr. Krueger is a versatile and seasoned educator who has taught at several area colleges, universities, and community-based settings. He also served as a faculty trainer and education consultant for the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program based at Temple University. Although he grew up as a farm kid in Minnesota, he has come to love Philadelphia and its fascinating history since moving there in 1995. His articles and essays have appeared in several publications, including Religion Dispatches and The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia. He enjoys offering tours of diverse religious and historical sites in the city.
Co-Director
Zain Abdullah, Ph.D. serves as co-director of the institute. He is an independent scholar, consultant, curator, and associate professor emeritus of Religion & Society and Islamic Studies at Temple University. Dr. Abdullah has held national directorships and convened numerous programs. He is currently co-directing an NEH (National Endowment for the Humanities) summer institute for K-12 educators sponsored by the Dialogue Institute titled, The City of Brotherly Love: Religious Diversity, Freedom, and the Founding of the Nation in Philadelphia.
Zain has been quoted in the New York Times, The Washington Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Atlantic magazine, along with making radio and television appearances. He has earned awards from agencies like the Smithsonian Institution and the Ford Foundation, curated programs and exhibitions for arts institutions, organized film festivals, and planned national conferences on public issues. Dr. Abdullah was granted the New Jersey State Assembly Resolution in recognition of distinguished service, leadership, and commitment on behalf of the citizens of the State. As a Muslim Chaplain and interfaith activist, he served on the Bishop’s Commission on Ecumenism and Interreligious Affairs in Trenton, NJ, the Chaplaincy Consulting Committee, and as a consultant for the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office and NJ State Troopers, the NJ Attorney General’s Stop Hate Crimes Committee, among other agencies. In 2017, he was inducted into the East Orange (NJ) Hall of Fame among luminaries like Queen Latifah, Dionne Warwick, John Amos, and the late Whitney Houston. In film, he is consulting for and appearing in a PBS series on Muslim Americans and advised a six‑part series on Malcolm X for Netflix.
Besides his ethnographic work, Black Mecca: The African Muslims of Harlem (Oxford U Press), he has published numerous book chapters and top-tiered articles for journals such as the Harvard Divinity Bulletin and the Journal of the American Academy of Religion (JAAR). He has edited and contributed to a historic special issue for The Muslim World entitled, Black Muslim Portraiture in the Modern Atlantic.
Admin Assistant
Sayge Martin serves as the administrative assistant and digital curriculum director for the institute. She attended Albright College and graduated with an interdisciplinary degree of Video Game Design/Simulation and Digital Media, as well as a minor Religious Studies. She specializes in software management, social media management, marketing, and web development and management. By evaluating the unique ways her interests intersect, Sayge hopes to contribute to the growth of digital learning initiatives in the Humanities.
At the Dialogue Institute, Sayge manages all media, marketing, and digital learning platforms. She supports our community by producing content for our social media accounts, as well as designing and implementing a consistent brand for promotions, appeals, reports, and other correspondence. Since starting with the DI, her work has been a vital part of our organization's communications process.
In addition to social media and marketing management, Sayge provides computer/technical support for virtual and in-person program logistics. She assists with troubleshooting problems and orients staff to new software and digital tools.
Academic Advisor
Andi Laudisio, Ph.D., serves as academic advisor and administrative consultant for the institute. She is the Program and Administrative Director at the Dialogue Institute and a scholar on themes such as Sectarianism, Islam, Dialogue, Nationalism, Democracy, and Pluralism. She curates, executes, and manages our Dialogue Institute programs for High School, College, and adult educators. Andi also creates custom programming for community groups and members of international agencies and manages DI conferences and contracts locally and abroad.
Andi earned her PhD in Religion from Temple University, exploring sectarian violence in Iraq post-2005, received her MA in Religious Studies from Arizona State University with a focus on the Bremer Period of Iraq, and earned her BA in Cultural Anthropology and Linguistics at SUNY University at Buffalo. Andi began her work with the Dialogue Institute in 2016 as a Program Associate for the Study of the US Institute (SUSI) student and scholars programs on Democracy and Religious Pluralism. Andi has worked with international groups for over a decade and taught ESL to adult refugees for years in Buffalo and Philadelphia while helping them prepare for the United States Citizenship exam. Andi is an Editorial Associate for the Journal of Ecumenical Studies, where she leverages her extensive background in research and program management to support the publication's mission. With a scholarly focus on sectarianism, Islam, dialogue, nationalism, democracy, and pluralism, Dr. Laudisio brings a rich perspective to the editorial team.
About The Dialogue Institute
We train civic, religious, and academic leaders to be agents of change in the U.S. and around the globe who practice pluralism, and democracy, and advance understanding, compassion, and dialogue across differences.