About Us
Ministry of Ideas is a series of podcasts dedicated to investigating and illuminating the ideas that shape our society. It is an initiative of Harvard Divinity School and launched in partnership with the Boston Globe Ideas Section.
You can read an interview with our host, Zachary Davis, here and a profile of the show here. Ministry of Ideas is a proud member of Hub & Spoke, a growing collective of independent, idea-driven podcasts. In 2019 it received the 2019 Chandler Award for Excellence from the Religion News Association and in 2020 it was awarded a grant from the Templeton Foundation.
Praise
"Simply the best podcast out right now." — The Guardian
"Great little podcast." — Buzzfeed
"It's quite good." — Krista Tippett, host of On Being
"I've become totally obsessed with Ministry of Ideas. If you love smart people talking about big ideas, this is for you." — Alexandra Greenwald
Team
Nick Andersen | Senior Producer
Nick Andersen is an audio producer based in Cambridge. A native of the Detroit region and a 2012 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Nick is the archives producer for NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross. Before that, he was lead podcast producer at GBH’s MASTERPIECE, and before that, a producer for the WBUR / NPR talk show, On Point Radio. When he's not editing audio, Nick enjoys running, reading and cooking.
Caleb Brennan | Producer
Caleb Brennan is a reporter and writer from Minneapolis. His work has also appeared in publications like The Appeal, Vice, and Strikewave.
Zachary Davis | Executive Producer and Host
Zachary Davis is the Executive Director of Faith Matters and the Editor-in-Chief of Wayfare Magazine. He is also the founder and principal of Lyceum, an educational media studio. Zach is a founding member of the Hub & Spoke audio collective and the organizer of the Sound Education conference. Previously, Zach was Vice President for Content at Himalaya Media and a founding producer at HarvardX. He lives in Somerville, Massachusetts with his wife, Mariya and their three children.
Maria Devlin McNair | Senior Editor
Maria Devlin McNair received her PhD in English from Harvard University. Her research focuses on philosophy and literature, and she is currently writing a book on Ethics and Renaissance Comedy. She lives in St. Louis, Missouri.
Steve Larosa | Music Director
Steve LaRosa scores music for film, animation, concert music, and commercials. He studied at The Juilliard School and Il Conservatorio Di Milano under the tutelage of Gabriele Manca, Alessandro Solbiati, and Mario Garuti. Steve’s work has been performed in New York, Los Angeles, London, Milan, and Amsterdam.
Dan Pecci | Creative Director
Dan Pecci is an artist, illustrator, graphic designer, and theater director. He founded the Boston-based theater and fashion collective Street Corner Society and is the principal artist, designer, and illustrator for The Dan Pecci Company.
Liya Rechtman | Managing Producer
Liya Rechtman received her Masters in Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School and her Masters of Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. She is a lifelong student of faith and politics and she lives in Northern California.
Emeritus Producers: Galen Beebe, Pallavi Kottamasu, Virginia Marshall
Advisors: Diane Moore, Alex Kingsbury, Dante Ramos, Samuel Moyn, Christopher Lydon, John Summers, George Scialabba