Heather Shayne Blakeslee is a Philadelphia-based non-profit and small business executive with a 25-year career working in social justice, arts, media, and environmental spheres. In response to a climate of self-censorship and degraded discourse in our broader culture, she founded the print journal Root Quarterly, and believes in the idea that art and ideas can bring us together to celebrate our common humanity. It was named a Best New Magazine by Library Journal when it launched in 2019, and is a grantee of the Mercatus Center’s Pluralism and Civil Exchange Program. Blakeslee is also an award-winning singer songwriter who leads the folk-noir band Sweetbriar Rose. She has served as a volunteer Arts Fellow with FAIR since 2022, and is also a volunteer Pennsylvania state co-coordinator with the political depolarization organization Braver Angels. She is proud to serve on the board of directors for FAIR.