About Us
New York City Skeptics is a not-for-profit corporation founded in 2007. We are currently in the process of acquiring 501(c)(3) tax exempt status.
Our goals include the following:
- Promote critical thinking, skeptical inquiry, and science education among the general public.
- Act as a resource to the media and the general public regarding pseudoscientific and paranormal claims.
- Encourage fellowship among skeptics and like-minded individuals.
Board of Directors
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Michael's introduction to skepticism began in high school when his father bought him a copy of Carl Sagan's The Demon Haunted World. In college he interned at the James Randi Educational Foundation, and he has remained involved with the JREF and skeptical activism ever since. He is a founding member of NYC Skeptics and in his spare time works as an attorney in New York City. michael@nycskeptics.org |
| President Michael Feldman |
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Jamy Ian Swiss is a magician, author, and public speaker with more than 20 years of skeptical activism experience. A founding member of the National Capital Area Skeptics, he has been a member of the board of NCAS since 1987. Jamy has spoken and performed across the U.S. on behalf of the Center For Inquiry; and he has presented or performed at all five of James Randi's "The Amazing Meeting." Jamy is thrilled have been part of the creation of the New York City Skeptics, and privileged to serve as its first Vice-President. jamy@nycskeptics.org |
| Vice President Jamy Ian Swiss |
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Matt McCarthy has been active within the skeptical community since 2001. In mid-2007 he became a co-founder of NYC Skeptics and was elected Board Treasurer later that year. Matt's previous experience with non-profit development was in the mid 90's when he served as the Fundraising Manager of the Hartford Stage Company, a Tony award winning regional theater in Hartford, CT. Matt is currently an Associate Vice President of Fixed Income Development for Thomson Financial and is owner of McCarthy Technologies, a software development firm. He lives with his fiancee in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. matt@nycskeptics.org |
| Treasurer Matt McCarthy |
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Benny Pollak realized he had always been a passionate skeptic in 2005 after listening to a "Skepticality" podcast interview with James Randi. Passionate about critical thinking, he found skepticism very much in synch with his interest in science and Objectivism. In 2007 he started the New York Skeptics Meetup. It was there that he met a fellow Skeptic who had bigger ambitions. Soon after that, with two other committed skeptics who shared the vision, he became a co-founder of the NYC Skeptics. Benny makes a living as a V.P. in Equities Technology at Lehman Brothers in New York City. benny@nycskeptics.org |
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Secretary Benny Pollak |
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Board of Advisors
The NYC Skeptics Board of Advisors is comprised of leading skeptics who share our commitment to the promotion of skepticism, critical thinking, and science education.
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James Randi has an international reputation as a magician and escape artist, but today he is best known as the world's most tireless investigator and demystifier of paranormal and pseudoscientific claims. He has received numerous awards and recognitions, including a Fellowship from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in 1986. He is the author of numerous books, including The Truth About Uri Geller, The Faith Healers, Flim-Flam!, and An Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural. His lectures and television appearances have delighted — and vexed — audiences around the world. In 1996, the James Randi Education Foundation was established to further Randi's work. Randi's long-standing challenge to psychics now stands as a $1,000,000 prize administered by the Foundation. It remains unclaimed. |
| James Randi | |
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Dr. Michael Shermer is the Founding Publisher of Skeptic magazine, the Executive Director of the Skeptics Society, a monthly columnist for Scientific American, the host of the Skeptics Distinguished Science Lecture Series at Caltech, and Adjunct Professor of Economics at Claremont Graduate University. Dr. Shermer received his B.A. in psychology from Pepperdine University, M.A. in experimental psychology from California State University, Fullerton, and his Ph.D. in the history of science from Claremont Graduate University (1991). |
| Michael Shermer | |
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John Rennie is only the seventh editor in chief in the 162-year history of Scientific American magazine. Since his appointment in late 1994, he has been the creative force behind the modernization and reinvigoration of this great publishing institution. For several years, Rennie also worked by night as a sketch and improvisational comedian in New York, Boston and college venues. These days his major hobby is the study of Karate, in which he holds the rank of Yondan (4th degree black belt). John Rennie presented the inaugural lecture in the New York City Skeptics Public Lecture Series, which is available for download here. |
| John Rennie | |
NYC Skeptics Personnel
- William Kane - Forum Administrator
