Nevia Selmon is a researcher, communicator, and community builder who brings deep expertise in pluralism, interfaith dialogue, and inclusive policy to her role as Senior Associate at Cohesion Strategy. She holds a Master of Theological Studies in Religion, Ethics, and Politics from Harvard Divinity School, where her studies focused on religious literacy in government and pluralism in education.
Nevia has contributed to interfaith and civic engagement efforts at local, national, and institutional levels. As a Graduate Research Associate at Harvard’s Pluralism Project, she helped document interfaith infrastructure and promising practices across the United States—analyzing how communities cultivate and sustain interreligious collaboration.
She also authored a comprehensive report (forthcoming) on the history of interfaith activity at Harvard University, providing a rare longitudinal look at institutional pluralism. In addition, she collaborated with the Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations to support dialogue across faith and identity lines around intentional pluralism, and contributed to inclusive policy development at the U.S. Department of Education’s Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.
Nevia’s work with Harvard Hillel and the Harvard Divinity School Multifaith Council further reflects her commitment to bridging difference through dialogue. She co-led dinner and dialogue events open to all 13 Harvard schools in partnership with Candid Constructive Conversations, fostering inclusive spaces for reflective discussion across lines of identity, ideology, and discipline.
Her experience includes:
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Leading public events like the Abraham’s Bridge interfaith panel, which brought together Muslim, Christian, Jewish, and secular voices to reflect on civic inclusion and moral imagination. The event centered on the Abrahamic faiths’ shared sacred spaces and co-located congregations, sparking a broader campus-wide conversation about intentional pluralism, proximity, and interdependence in institutional life.
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Researching and writing on best practices for institutional interfaith engagement, community partnerships, and religious literacy education.
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Supporting anti-discrimination and pluralism-building initiatives through roles with Harvard Hillel and the broader university community.
At Cohesion Strategy, Nevia plays a key role in research design, storytelling, and stakeholder communications. She approaches pluralism as both a democratic ideal and a lived practice—one grounded in rigorous inquiry, dialogue across difference, and intentional community building.
In her free time Nevia loves to lift, hike, try new vegetarian recipes, and find a local coffee shop to try with friends.