Diana Cates is a current professor and former chair of the UI Department of Religious Studies. Her teaching focuses on promoting respect for persons, especially in regard to issues of global religious diversity, gender and sexuality, and biomedical ethics. Her scholarship focuses on the relationship between the religious imagination, emotions such as love, compassion, anger, and hatred, and the recognition of human dignity. Professor Cates has been on the Advisory Board since 2002 and served as Chair from 2014-2018.