PRRI President and Founder Robert P. Jones, Ph.D., and PRRI Board Secretary Janelle Wong, Ph.D., were elected to the 2026 Class of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Chartered in 1780, the Academy recognizes accomplished leaders in academia, the arts, industry, journalism, philanthropy, policy, research, and science. Induction ceremonies for the new class will take place in October 2026.

PRRI Board Chair Ruth Braunstein, Ph.D., became the director of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University on August 1, 2026. Johns Hopkins University President Ron Daniels described Braunstein as a consummate scholar with the ability to bridge academic research and public impact.

PRRI Board member Gerardo Martí, Ph.D., was awarded the 2026 Sandra Barnes Anti-Racist Scholarship Award during the American Sociological Association meetings of the Sociology of Religion Section. Martí noted that much of his research recognized by this award will culminate in the forthcoming book Aspiring to Antiracism: The Pursuit of Racial Justice in White Progressive Churches, written with Mark Mulder and Kevin Dougherty (Oxford University Press, 2027).

Congratulations to these deserving public scholars and thought leaders!