meet our team

Bevin is a certified occupational therapy assistant with experience in clinical and home health pediatric, hospital acute, and skilled nursing facility care. Prior to her career in occupational therapy, Bevin worked in film and commercial production.

In the summer of 2021, Bevin left her work in occupational therapy to care for her terminally ill mother who has since passed away. She currently serves as a caretaker for her partner, Dave Warnock (who was diagnosed with ALS in 2019) as well as assists Dave with his travel, speaking, and media engagements for the "Dave Out Loud" outreach organization.

Bevin’s health care work with critically ill patients provided her insight into the vulnerability of patients in medical settings and often the difficulty patients can have in requesting and receiving the type of health care they desire, including that which addresses their emotional well-being. Her desire to ensure patients have autonomy in both their health and emotional care inspired her to co-found IADOL with Dave and Sheila Hoover.

As a caregiver to someone with ALS, Bevin is also acutely aware of the devastating ramifications of this disease, for both the ALS patient and their family members and loved ones. In keeping with the IADOL mission to enhance the quality of life for those facing a serious or terminal healthcare illness, Bevin is especially excited about the IADOL’s program of offering “bucket list” experiences to people battling ALS.

Sheila has spent the last 20 years, professionally and personally, advocating for vulnerable populations. She worked as a state victim advocate and liaison between victims of crime and the state’s board of probation and parole. She currently is the state director of a federal program that supports seniors and people with disabilities to transition out of long-term care facilities so they can receive their services in the community. She volunteers for various causes, among them are acting as a facilitator for a state restorative justice program. She also enjoys working with students as a judicial advisor in her state’s Youth and Government program. 

When Sheila first met Bevin and Dave, she shared her experience of severe religious intrusion by two nurses during the final hours of her mother’s life. The interactions upset and infuriated her, so she left the hospital for a few hours to calm down. Sadly, her mother died while she was gone, leaving her with emotions of regret, guilt, anger, and sadness. 

As her friendship with Dave and Bevin grew, so did their shared desire to remove unwanted religious overreach in health care and to empower individuals to amplify their voices in expressing their wants during a vulnerable time in their lives. Sheila is grateful to be a co-founder of IADOL and commits to fulfilling IADOL’s mission. 

Now retired, Marit worked in the accounting field for over forty years as a Controller for several mid-sized construction firms. Since the early 70’s she has been active in many social justice movements including the Coalition Against Police Abuse, and as a Board member, for the Los Angeles Chapter of National Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression. She currently serves on the Board of Atheists United, a regional non-profit based in LA, and leads their Food Distribution program.

Marit shares that she is involved in the mission of IADOL because she also has been one of the many people who have witnessed religious intrusion in end-of-life situations. In the last weeks of her late husband’s life, an outside care worker proselytized to her husband without his consent. It was a shameful and painful experience for her and her husband. Marit wants to ensure that it does not happen to others. 

Gabe has been a Graphic Designer in Marketing and Visual Communications for over 15 years. He’s had the privilege of previously working with Dave on the logo and graphics of That GD Show. 

Having spent the vast majority of his life in East Texas, Gabe witnesses the unwanted infiltration of religion in everyday activities and experiences. When someone is under the care of medical professionals, their vulnerability can be increased substantially by “well-intentioned” medical institutions and/or individual professionals.

Being a part of an organization that is focused on advocating for people in such a vulnerable situation is an honor. Gabe Urbina is dedicated and determined to use his skills to clearly communicate the IADOL message to as many people as possible.

Char is a research scientist in regenerative orthopedic medicine. 

She became involved in ALS advocacy at a young age, after learning that ALS was genetic in her family. She became a caregiver at the age of 8 when her own mother was diagnosed with ALS. After losing 5 family members in her lifetime to this devastating disease, it was clear that there were not enough secular resources available for people with ALS and their families. Between failed faith-healings, snake-oil miracle cures, and attempted exorcisms, Char witnessed first-hand how traumatizing religious influences could be for a family coping with ALS. She was immediately drawn to Dying Out Loud and its message of confronting death and dying with a secular, realistic approach without empty promises and faith. 

Wil is a primary care and urgent care physician in the Houston, TX area. He is also the state director for the American Atheists (Texas) and in leadership positions for both Houston Oasis and Houston Atheists. Wil also is chair of the Texas Secular Advocacy Team which gives voice to secularism and separation of church and state issues in the Texas state legislature. 

Wil's overarching goal is to decrease suffering and increase well-being for as many people as possible, including right to die issues. "I've treated people at all stages of their lives, including at the very end. Death is usually a very personal and powerful experience for both the patient and the family. I want to use my experience to help make that journey as peaceful and as beautiful as possible for everyone involved. I am honored to be included in the mission of IADOL."

Pete grew up just outside of Philadelphia, PA and his circuitous life journey has most recently landed him in Durham, NC. After a conversion experience in the early 1980’s Pete attended and graduated from Toccoa Falls College. Pete was in pastoral ministry until 2000 and de-converted over the next few years. Pete met Dave in 2015 via The Clergy Project. Presently Pete is involved in activities that directly oppose racism and the Patriarchy, particularly in his vocational field - real estate. He is passionate about the mission and vision of IADOL and its commitment to protecting individuals receiving medical care from religious intrusion and imposition when they, and their families, are most vulnerable. Pete lives with his wife Jen and two rescue dogs - Tarly and Kayda.  

Currently serving as COO and co-owner for an agency that supports individuals with developmental disabilities. Previously worked in the financial services industry in both tax, finance, and mergers/acquisitions. Hobbies include cycling, various volunteer projects, and spending time with family and friends. My passion for the IADOL mission stems both from my being a close friendship with Dave, along with a recent experience of my father going through hospice. During that time, I regularly asked myself WWDD (what would Dave do) to try and capture as many moments as possible. Additionally, the lack of situational awareness of well meaning medical staff who regularly brought religiosity into the conversation added to the difficulty of processing my own grief.

Darrel Ray, Ed.D. is an organizational psychologist and student of religion for over forty years. Raised in a fundamentalist Christian home, he knows religion from the inside out. He has a BA in sociology, an MA in religion and an Ed.D. in counseling psychology from Peabody College of Vanderbilt University. For thirty years, Dr. Ray was in practice as a clinical psychologist, then an organizational psychologist and wrote two books in that field. Teaming Up (McGraw-Hill, 1995) and The Performance Culture (IPC Press, 2001).

In 2009, Dr. Ray founded Recovering from Religion (RfR), an international organization and 501c3 non-profit, dedicated to helping people leave religion.