Georgia Southern University to Host Author and Activist Reza Aslan and Philanthropic Entrepreneur Jessica Jackley

December 14, 2011

Georgia Southern University will host author and activist Reza Aslan and philanthropic entrepreneur Jessica Jackley, at 7 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 30, 2012 in the Russell Union Ballroom. The couple will speak about the international impact social media is having on politics, activism and philanthropy.

“Changes in technology and communication are having a huge impact on our global community,” said Georgia Southern Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management Teresa Thompson, Ph.D. “As we prepare our students to become leaders in their fields, we think it is important for them to hear from experts like Reza Aslan and Jessica Jackley who have used social media to make a difference in attitudes and opportunities for people around the world.”

Aslan is the author of No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam, which has been named one of the most important 100 books of the last decade by Blackwell Press. Aslan is a frequent guest and contributor for national media on Islam, the Middle East and Muslim American issues.

Jackley is the co-founder of Kiva, the world’s first person-to-person micro-lending site, which allows people to loan money to small and start-up businesses in developing countries and in the United States. She is also the founder and CEO of ProFounder, a new platform providing innovative ways for start-ups and small business entrepreneurs in the U.S. to access start-up capital through crowdfunding and community involvement.