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Matt Cherry is Executive Director of the Institute for Humanist Studies, the Continuum's parent organization. He has spent a dozen years as a professional leader in the humanist movement in three different countries, making him uniquely qualified to author Introduction to Humanism: A Primer on the History, Philosophy, and Goals of Humanism, the COHE demonstration course.

Cherry has appeared on over 50 radio and TV shows around the world and has spoken to more than 100 meetings and conferences in 10 different countries. He has written nearly 100 published articles, and his work has been translated into 12 different languages.

In May 2004, Cherry was elected President of the United Nations NGO Committee on Freedom of Religion or Belief. The U.N. Committee works within the United Nations to promote and defend international agreements protecting freedom of religion and belief. His term as secretary of the committee from 2002 to 2004 made him the first humanist to serve as an elected officer of this committee. Cherry is also an official NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) delegate to the U.N., representing the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU).

Cherry has served as International Editor for the New Humanist magazine, published by Britain's Rationalist Press Association, for which he wrote a quarterly column, International Insight.

Before joining the Institute for Humanist Studies in 2000, Cherry served as Executive Director of the Council for Secular Humanism, publisher of Free Inquiry, the most widely circulated humanist magazine in the U.S. During his five years at the Council, Cherry's numerous responsibilities included Acting Executive Director of the International Humanist and Ethical Union (1995-6), Executive Editor of Free Inquiry magazine, and editor of Secular Humanist Bulletin, the Council's quarterly newsletter.

In 1998, at the special invitation of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, Cherry gave expert testimony on the treatment of the non-religious in the United States. The testimony was used in the U.N.'s first-ever report on freedom of religion and belief in the U.S.

In 1994 and 1995 Cherry worked in The Netherlands as Secretary for Development and Public Relations for the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU), the international umbrella organization for humanists, with more than 90 member organizations in over 30 countries. In the early 90s Cherry worked at the British Humanist Association (BHA), initially as Public Relations Assistant and then as Public Relations Director from 1991-1993. He was also editor of the BHA journal, Humanist News.

Cherry is the co-editor of the book Imagine There's No Heaven: Voices of Secular Humanism and is the author of an 80-page manual, Running a Local Secular Humanist Society.

Cherry graduated from University College London with a BA (Honours) in Philosophy in 1989.