An intelligencer is someone who brings news or an agent who brings back intelligence. Intelligencer’s goal as a nonprofit organization is to produce active citizens who share news and discuss its implications through civil discourse. Part of our objective is researching how people participate in discourse creating the conversational technology needed in order to have meaningful conversations. Our desire is that at the end of the day it is realized that a person does not have to agree with or even respect another person’s opinion but can understand it and respect their right to hold such an opinion.

In today’s heavily polarized society it seems only fitting that we refresh ourselves on what civil discourse actually looks like. Beyond refreshing ourselves, creating a methodology that advocates can share and begin to utilize in their personal, professional, and daily lives is crucial for spreading the idea of civil discourse. By looking at ideas for what they are instead of their political affiliation, religious affiliation, social affiliation and so on, we put ourselves in a position to better understand people and the world we reside in.

We are here to take off our own personal worldview lens and put on another so we can understand. We are here, as Aristotle said, to entertain a thought without necessarily accepting it. We are here to have a conversation about the conversation so that we may mend the brokenness in our discourse as we currently know it.

Intelligencer seeks to provide people with the means, tools, and methodology to engage in civil discourse.

The Intelligencer Institute is a non-partisan, non-profit, educational organization that explores the role of individual and institutional perspective and worldview and it’s impact on private and public discourse.

Jan Seehusen is from Laguna Beach, California and she received a masters degree in Art History at Towson University in Baltimore, Maryland. She has travelled extensionally viewing art around the world within the context of numerous cultures. Jan believes art has played a central role in shaping worldview throughout human history.

Chelsea Van Es is from Fairfield, Iowa. She currently works in marketing and web development and has worked with Intelligencer since 2014 as the website programmer and developer.  

Tina Leary is from Warrenton, Virginia. She is currently a Junior at Christopher Newport University and is a Communications and Philosophy major. She was selected as Bonner Service Scholar at Christopher Newport University and has been in that role since the beginning of her Freshmen year.

At Intelligencer Tina coordinators the Christopher Newport University team and the projects they lead. She joined the Intelligencer April of 2016.  

Asa Townsend, from Chesapeake, VA, is a senior at Christopher Newport University. He is majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies, integrating leadership, philosophy, and psychology, and minoring in Spanish. Asa previously volunteered with the Hampton Roads Center for Civic Engagement, which sought to engage citizens in community building through region-wide initiatives.

Parker Bowden is from Suffolk, Virginia. He is a Junior and is studying Accounting and Finance with a Minor in Leadership Studies at Christopher Newport University. Parker is a Bonner Service Scholar as well as a member of the Varsity Football Team at Christopher Newport University. Joining Intelligencer in April of 2016, Parker assists in project and idea development.

Sean Cuskelly is from Ashburn, Virginia. He is currently a Freshman at Christopher Newport University and hopes to be a Computer Science major. He hopes to further his web development skills at Intelligencer as well as help come up with and lead projects. He is a CNU Bonner and has been at Intelligencer since October 2016.