KNOX THAMES
​Knox Thames is a globally recognized human rights lawyer, advocate, and author who has worked for over two decades to promote human rights, defend religious minorities, and combat persecution worldwide.
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Over his 20 years of service in the U.S. government, Knox held several key positions advocating for freedom of religion or belief, including at the State Department and two different U.S. government foreign policy commissions. A career spanning service under the Bush, Obama, and Trump administrations, Knox has deep experience regarding South/Central Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and U.S. foreign policy relating to global affairs, religion, and human rights. ​Known for his nonpartisan approach to advocacy, both the Obama and Trump administrations appointed Knox as the Special Advisor for Religious Minorities in the Near East and South / Central Asia at the State Department.
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Currently, Knox is a Senior Fellow at Pepperdine University and directs the Program on Global Faith and Inclusive Societies from the Washington, DC, campus. A research initiative supported by the Templeton Religion Trust, the Program pioneers innovative strategies to foster religious freedom, pluralism, and interfaith cooperation through policy engagement, cultural heritage, and storytelling.​​
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A recognized expert, Knox has spoken before the U.S. Congress, the United Nations, the European Parliament, the Organization of American States, the OSCE, as well as to the Atlantic Council, the Foreign Service Institute, and U.S. military war colleges. He has written widely, including for USA Today, the Washington Post, Foreign Policy, TIME, CNN, Newsweek, RealClearPolitics, the Times of London, the Harvard Human Rights Journal, the Yale Journal of International Affairs, the Small Wars Journal, and others. His new book, Ending Persecution: Charting the Path to Global Religious Freedom (Notre Dame Press, 2024), comprehensively explores strategies to combat religious oppression worldwide. He was also the primary author of International Religious Freedom Advocacy: A Guide to Organizations, Law and NGOs (Baylor, 2011), which has become a foundational resource for advocates and practitioners.
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​During his 25-year career of service, Knox has also worked at the U.S. Institute of Peace, the U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (the Helsinki Commission), the U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), AmeriCorps VISTA, and the U.S. Army War College as an Adjunct Research Professor. In addition, from 2004-2012, he was a State Department appointee to the OSCE Panel of Experts on Freedom of Religion or Belief. He was also a finalist to serve as the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief.
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Originally from Kentucky, he received a Bachelor of Arts from Georgetown College, a Juris Doctorate (cum laude) from American University's Washington College of Law, and a Master's in International Affairs from the School of International Service at American University. In addition, he studied at Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland.