Layli Phillips Maparyan is an associate professor and graduate director of Women's Studies and African American Studies at Georgia State University. She is a womanist in all senses of the word, bringing scholarship, community work, and spiritual practice together in ways that impact the well-being of everyday people and the societal and environmental contexts of life. Recently, she has shifted her focus to applied womanism and spiritual activism as emerging forms of social change work. She co-taught a 10-week community course entitled "World Religions and Women's Economic Empowerment: Womanist, Feminist, Sacred, and Secular Perspectives" with Professor Laurie Patton of Emory University's Department of Religion. Based on this course, she co-hosted a 10-part television series entitled Faith and Feminism, created by Emmy award-winning producer Angela Harrington Rice for Atlanta Interfaith Broadcasters (AIB-TV). Currently, she co-hosts a new spirituality-focused current affairs talk show called The Circle, which airs monthly on AIB-TV. Since August 2009 she has chaired the University Consortium for Liberia, a network of educational institutions with current or projected projects in Liberia. She is a member of the National Advisory Board of Foreverfamily. Professor Maparyan obtained a Ph.D. in psychology from Temple University, an M.S. in psychology from Pennsylvania State University; and a B.A. in philosophy from Spelman College.