Sound of the Genuine: Recent Episodes
FTE Leaders
Sound of the Genuine is the Forum for Theological Exploration’s podcast exploring meaning and purpose. In each episode, we’re invited into the vocational journey of leaders of the church and academy.
In this episode Kimberly focuses on building a supportive community for entrepreneurs and provides practical steps to create the support system you need. She outlines the advantages of staying connected to the community through three steps: identify, engage, and build. Kimberly emphasizes that the entrepreneurial journey can often feel isolating and lonely. She discusses how connecting with the community can provide resilience, a sense of belonging, and a competitive edge. She encourages introverts to engage in intimate, one-on-one conversations or small gatherings to build their networks comfortably. Kimberly also highlights the value of having a personal advisory board, recommending Kathryn Finney's book, "Build The Damn Thing," for further guidance. She encourages entrepreneurs to leave their comfort zones and leverage the DO GOOD X LinkedIn community to build their needed supportive network.
IN THIS EPISODE:
- [1:01] Kimberly discusses the importance of connecting within the entrepreneurial community
- [2:45] Kimberly outlines the advantages of staying connected to the community in three steps: identify, engage and build
- [3:48] Identify the best types of communities where you thrive and how to engage within those communities
- [6:34] Kimberly speaks to introvert entrepreneurs
- [9:34] Gain clarity of people and Kimberly refers to the book by Kathryn Finney, Build The Damn Thing, where she recommends selecting a personal advisory board
- [13:02] Kimberly encourages you to build the community you need, get outside of your comfort zone and take advantage of the DO GOOD X LinkedIn community
TAKEAWAYS:
- The community can provide a source of resilience, help you see that you are not alone, give you a place of belonging, and give you a competitive advantage as an entrepreneur
- If you enter a relationship with a sense of reciprocity and curiosity, you will learn their story and how you can serve them. In return, they will be interested in your story
- Introverts should focus their engagement on more intimate conversations. One-on-one conversations or small gatherings of people will make the introvert more comfortable
LINKS:
DO GOOD X - Startup Accelerator Program
DO GOOD X - LinkedIn
DO GOOD X - Instagram
DO GOOD X - YouTube
DO GOOD X - Spotify
Kimberly Daniel - LinkedIn
Stephen Lewis - LinkedIn
Build The Damn Thing - Book on Amazon
Kimberly R. Daniel catalyzes entrepreneurs and organizations to do good. She is co-founder and project director of DO GOOD X, a community that provides programs and support for faith-driven social entrepreneurs whose businesses focus on positive Change.
Stephen Lewis is the president of the Forum for Theological Exploration (FTE) and creator and co-founder of DO GOOD X. This community provides programs and support for faith-driven social entrepreneurs whose businesses focus on positive change.
Stephen and Kimberly co-authored Another Way: Living and Leading Change on Purpose (2020) and A Way Out of No Way: An Approach to Christian Innovation (2021).
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In the final episode of season four, Dr. Patrick Reyes answers questions from staff and previous guests that help him reflect on his past and present. He shares his thoughts on theological education, advancing technology, and the things in his life that contribute to his thriving and bring him joy. In typical Patrick fashion, his reflections are braided with deep gratitude for the people and places that continue to shape him.
Dr. Patrick B. Reyes is the bestselling and award-winning author of The Purpose Gap: Empowering Communities of Color to Find Meaning and Thrive, and Nobody Cries When We Die: God, Community, and Surviving to Adulthood. A Chicano educator, writer, futurist, and cultural change strategist, he is the dean at Auburn Seminary. He was the Senior Director of Learning Design at the Forum for Theological Exploration and former host of the Sound of the Genuine podcast. He is the current board President of the Religious Education Association and co-dean of the Children's Defense Fund Dale Andrews Freedom Seminary. He serves on several boards in higher education and the non-profit sector, supporting the next generation of Black, Indigenous, and Chicano leaders and educators. Patrick lives in New Mexico with his family, loving and belonging to the land and his people.
You can learn more about Patrick and his work at thepurposegap.com.
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This week, Dr. Patrick Reyes talks to FTE’s own Allison Arsenault. The two discuss her nomadic childhood and how she found deep affirmation and a welcoming community within the walls of Presbyterian churches. Allison has spent a lot of her life discerning her own vocation and now uses her experiences to help others do the same.
Allison is an experience design manager at FTE, where she works with programs supporting young adults in discernment and grantee partners. She received her Master of Divinity degree from Emory University’s Candler School of Theology and is currently a candidate for ordination in the Presbyterian Church (USA). She also serves on the alumni board of her alma mater, Millsaps College, and on the board of Memorial Drive Ministries. Allison and her husband live with their daughter and two corgis in Atlanta, Georgia.
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This week Dr. Reyes talks to Rev. Sandhya Jha about their multiracial, interfaith upbringing, which is deeply rooted in both a love of Jesus and the fight against injustice. Their work in politics, the church, and non-profits is where they find community, inextricably tied up with the sacred.
Sandhya Jha (they/them) is an anti-oppression consultant who particularly loves helping organizations get diversity, equity, and inclusion teams off the ground. Sandhya is the founder and former executive director of the Oakland Peace Center, a collective of 40 organizations working to create equity, access, and dignity as the means of creating peace in Oakland and the Bay Area. An ordained pastor with a master’s in public policy, Sandhya is comfortable in the pulpit, on the picket line, or hanging out with friends and friends-to-be over a good cup of tea and a good story. Sandhya’s fifth book with Chalice Press, Rebels, Despots, and Saints, is now available where books are sold.
Portrait Illustration by: Triyas
Music by: @siryalibeats
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This week, Dr. Patrick Reyes talks with Rev. Dr. Montague Williams. He recounts his early life navigating Chicago and serving as a cultural translator for his immigrant family. Steeped in church life as the child of a pastor, he didn’t always think ministry was in his future but always felt a deep sense of who God is and what is possible through prayer and connecting theology with people's lived experience.
Montague Williams is an ordained elder in the Church of the Nazarene and has served in congregational, non-profit, and educational ministry over the past 15 years. His doctoral research offers an ecclesiological proposal that takes seriously the experiences and pastoral needs of youth and young adults in multiracial and multicultural ministry contexts. He has written articles and chapters for several publications and regularly speaks at conferences and retreats about the church's presence and engagement with society. His latest book, Church in Color: Youth Ministry, Race, and the Theology of Martin Luther King, Jr. is available wherever books are sold.
Portrait Illustration by: Triyas
Music by: @siryalibeats
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This week Dr. Patrick Reyes sits down for a conversation with Ched Myers and Elaine Enns. Each talks about their radically different upbringings and how their peacemaking and restorative justice work led to their chance meeting. Ched and Elaine have spent the past 25 years at the helm of the Bartimaeus Cooperative Ministries, whose motto is “Revisioning the intersection of Word and world. Animating communities of discipleship and justice.”
Ched, an ecumenical activist theologian, is a well-known educator, writer, teacher, and organizer committed to animating and nurturing church renewal and radical discipleship and supporting faith-based movements for peace and justice.
Elaine, a Canadian Mennonite, is an educator, writer, facilitator, and trainer in conflict transformation. She focuses on how restorative justice applies to historical violations, including intergenerational trauma and healing.
Their latest book, Healing Haunted Histories: A Settler Discipleship of Decolonization, and other publications are available at Bartimaeus Cooperative Ministries.
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This week Dr. Reyes talks to Belle Liang about the transition from her early years, feeling the drive to succeed in order to meet the expectations of her family and community, to pushing past those expectations to reshape how she defined success for herself. The strong mentoring she received as a graduate student led to her own desire to study the positive outcomes of mentoring that lead young people to discover their sense of purpose.
Dr. Belle Liang is a professor of counseling, developmental, and educational psychology in the Lynch School of Education and Human Development at Boston College. She is a licensed clinical psychologist, and an expert in mentoring and youth purpose. She founded the Purpose Lab, and has published nearly dozens of peer-reviewed journal articles and chapters to advance the science and practice of mentoring and cultivating purpose in schools and workplaces. She co-authored, "How to Navigate Life: The New Science of Finding Your Way in School, Career, & Beyond" (St. Martin's Press, 2022).
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This week, Dr. Reyes talks to Rev. Tuhina Rasche about growing up in an American context as the child of devout Hindus. Her experiences in college and after, forming deep community with friends and then finding the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), led her to seminary. She credits foundational mentor experiences as core to her development as a leader who is exploring her vocation through writing and research.
Tuhina is the Senior Research Associate of the Religion & Society Program at the Aspen Institute. Prior to joining the Religion & Society Program, she served as the Digital Campus Pastor at University African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in Palo Alto, CA and as the Young Adult Coordinator for Arts, Religion Culture: A Society for Theopoetics in Boston, MA. Tuhina comes to the Religion & Society Program with the lived experience of being raised in a devout Hindu household and ordained as a Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Tuhina has a Master of Divinity degree from Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary and a BA in French Language and International Trade with an emphasis on Applied Economics from Clemson University.
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This week Dr. Reyes talks to Rev. Dr. Angela Gorrell about her struggles in early childhood as she sought spaces to belong and the supportive family and community that cultivated her early gifts in writing and public speaking. She is passionate about creating collaborative communities where people can prevent illnesses of the soul, unlamented pain, and uncultivated belonging.
Angela Williams Gorrell is an author and consultant, working with people and teams to help them thrive. She is an ordained pastor in the Mennonite Church USA. Her most recent work includes the book Always On: Practicing Faith in a New Media Landscape and she co-hosts The Grief Sisters podcast. You can find out more about Angela at angelagorrell.com.
Content Warning: There is brief talk of suicide in this episode. If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, please reach out for help. Call 988 to get connected to the National Suicide Prevention Line.
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This week, Dr. Reyes has a conversation with Kaitlin Curtice. She recalls the destabilizing effects of moving around a lot in childhood, her early experiences with conservative theology, and how she found refuge in expressing her love for people and stories through writing.
Kaitlin Curtice is an award-winning author, poet-storyteller, and public speaker. As an enrolled citizen of the Potawatomi Nation, Kaitlin writes on the intersections of spirituality and identity and how that shifts throughout our lives. In her new book, Living Resistance: An Indigenous Vision for Seeking Wholeness Every Day, she examines the journey of resisting the status quo of hate by caring for ourselves, one another, and Mother Earth.
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In this week’s episode, Rev. Dr. Stephen Ray shares his journey from growing up in Jamaica Queens, New York, to serving as president of Chicago Theological Seminary. In his role as an educator and administrator, Dr. Ray has always sought ways to contribute to shaping the future of teachers and students in the academy.
Dr. Ray recently retired as president of the Chicago Theological Seminary and is the immediate past president of the Society for the Study of Black Religion.
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This week, Dr. Reyes talks with Dr. Michaela O’Donnell about her journey from a small town in the Midwest, through the American South, out to Los Angeles, then returning home to the people and places that nurtured her. The foundational love of family coupled with extensive wandering allowed Michaela to find new experiences and perspectives that she carries with her in both family and work life.
Michaela’s current work as executive director of the Max De Pree Center for Leadership at Fuller Theological Seminary allows her to help leaders across industries think about how they can show up in their work in ways that graft onto God’s redemptive mission in the world. She believes that spiritually formed leaders can and do change the world. Michaela is the author of Make Work Matter: Your Guide to Meaningful Work in a Changing World.
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To kick off season four of the Sound of the Genuine, Dr. Patrick B. Reyes has a conversation with Cole Arthur Riley. She talks about being a shy, often non-verbal child and how her love of words, nurtured by her family, helped her express herself as a writer at a very young age.
Cole currently serves as the spiritual teacher in residence with Cornell University’s Office of Spirituality and Meaning Making. She is also the creator of Black Liturgies, a space that integrates spiritual practice with Black emotion. Her debut book, This Here Flesh is a New York Times bestseller and available wherever books are sold.
Portrait Illustration by: Jeanne Lolness
Music by: @siryalibeats
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In this special episode, Rose J. Percy speaks with Puanani Rosario Poti Calvillo from a live recording at FTE’s Christian Leadership Forum. Puanani talks about her identity as a partner, teacher, mother, and spiritual director and how wearing a lot of different hats helps her connect with people. She lives out her call and ministry by creating spaces for BIPOC folx to lean into the wisdom of their own bodies.
Puanani is a proud Samoan Ilocana from Southern California. She is a spiritual director, facilitator, educator and weight lifter. She is a former elementary school teacher and co-led El Puente Community Church with her husband Jonathan in their beloved city of Santa Ana, a bilingual neighborhood ministry centered on healing, mentorship, accompaniment and community care. You can find out more about Puanani’s spiritual practice at puananirosario.com.
Rose J. Percy is a womanist theopoet whose work engages theologies of imagination, critical pedagogy, and Black literature to birth spaces for rest, belonging, and community care. She is the creator and host of the podcast, Dear Soft Black Woman.
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This week, Dr. Reyes talks to Rev. Dr. K. Monet Rice-Jalloh about her early call as a young girl in a context that did not affirm women in ministry. She recounts tales of skipping school to go to church and then later to audit classes in religion and theology at the local college. Her fascination with deep questions and her compassion are a natural fit for ministering to and with students and the academic community she serves.
K. Monet is an associate university chaplain at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC. She is also vice president of the Association for Chaplaincy and Spiritual Life in Higher Education (ACSLHE) and an ordained minister in the Baptist tradition.
Vector Illustration by: ReAl_wpap
Music by: @siryalibeats
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In this special episode, Nikole Lim talks to Jean Nangwala. Jean shares her experience of growing up in Zambia, the expectations for women and girls in her culture, and her continuing journey of healing and thriving as a survivor and advocate for people experiencing sexual violence.
Jean Nangwala is a singer, speaker, survivor-advocate, and creative producer. Born and raised in Lusaka, Zambia, her passion for social justice stems from her personal experience of injustice and witnessing the same inequality across the globe. Her mission is to empower women to come together and alleviate systems that perpetuate social injustice. She uses music and dance to inspire others to find liberation through art. Soni, Jean's single heard at the end of this episode, can be found on all streaming platforms.
Nikole Lim is a speaker, educator, author, and the founder and international director of Freely in Hope. You can learn more about Nikole's work in her book Liberation Is Here: Women Uncovering Hope in a Broken World.
Content warning: This episode includes conversations about sexual violence.Instagram: @jean.nangwala
Twitter: @jean.nangwala
Website: Talesofablackgirl.com
Vector Illustration by: ReAl_wpap
Music by: @siryalibeats
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This week, Dr. Reyes talks to Kat Armas about growing up in the Cuban community in Miami, her lifelong passion for stories, and the foundational relationship with her abuela that helped form her as a writer seeking to center the stories of women of faith.
Kat is a Cuban American writer and podcaster from Miami, FL. She holds a dual MDiv and MAT from Fuller Theological Seminary where she was awarded the Frederick Buechner Award for Excellence in Writing.
Her first book, Abuelita Faith: What Women on the Margins Teach Us About Wisdom, Persistence, and Strength, sits at the intersection of women, decolonialism, the Bible, and Cuban identity. She also explores these topics and more on her podcast, The Protagonistas, which centers the voices of Black, Indigenous, and other women of color in theological spaces.
Kat is pursuing a ThM at Vanderbilt Divinity School in Nashville, where she lives with her spouse and new baby. She is also working on her second book, Sacred Belonging: A 40-day Devotional on the Liberating Heart of Scripture.
Instagram: @kat.armas
Twitter: @kat_armas
Vector Illustration by: ReAl_wpap
Music by: @siryalibeats
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Dr. Reyes and Dr. Kate Ott discuss her Catholic upbringing in a tight-knit community in the Midwest, her inherent love of learning, and her deep desire to do good in the world. She talks about being fueled by relationships and how her call manifests in creating moments to help the next generation figure out how religion fits into their daily lives and vocation through her writing, advocacy, and teaching.
Kate Ott is a Christian social ethicist addressing the formation of moral communities with specializations in technology, sexuality, youth and young adults, pedagogy, and professional ethics. Her newest book is Sex, Tech, and Faith: Christian Ethics in a Digital Age (2022).
Kate was recently appointed as the Jerre and Mary Joy Stead Professor of Christian Social Ethics and is director of the Stead Center on Ethics and Values at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL.
Instagram: @kates_take
Twitter: @kates_take
Vector Illustration: ReAl_wpap
Music by: @siryalibeats
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This week, Anthony Ramos joins Dr. Reyes for a conversation about his early years searching for direction and meaning in his life and how role models set him on a faith journey where he learned to trust God’s plan for him. Anthony uses hip-hop as a platform to share his life and faith experiences with the young adults he teaches and mentors.
Anthony “A-Ram” Ramos is a Philadelphia native of Puerto Rican descent. He is the project director at Esperanza Inc. and an adjunct professor at Esperanza College of Eastern University.
Instagram: @a.ram_official
Twitter: @ARam_Official_
The songs from this episode, "So Close" and "Can't Deny," can be found on all streaming platforms and for sale on iTunes and Amazon.
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In this episode, Dr. Kathryn House joins Dr. Reyes to talk about her childhood in the foothills of North Carolina, where her deep love for the church led to a call to ministry as a young person. She credits the faithful voices of friends and mentors who challenged and affirmed her to recognize her gifts in ministry and teaching.
Kathryn is a theologian and Baptist pastor who calls Louisville, KY home, by way of Boston, MA, and Morganton, NC. Her research interests include white evangelical purity culture, anti-racist theology, trauma and theology, theologies of vocation, religious leadership, and Baptist theology. Kathryn works to join in the creation of communities committed to deeper liberation and greater flourishing for all.
Rate, review, and subscribe to Sound of the Genuine on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
In this episode, Dr. Reyes talks to Nikole Lim about her artistic childhood and how her love of storytelling developed into a photography and filmmaking career. She discusses the transition from capturing stories of the pain and suffering in the world, to aligning herself with survivors of sexual violence. She notes that this survivor-led approach, centered around education, leadership, and resourcing for women and girls, is the catalyst of community transformation.
Nikole is a speaker, educator, author, and the founder and international director of Freely in Hope. A native of the Bay Area, she graduated with a bachelor's degree in film production from Loyola Marymount University and has a master’s in global leadership from Fuller Theological Seminary. She is trained in Compassion-Based Resilience through the Nalanda Institute for Contemplative Science. You can learn more about Nikole's work in her book Liberation Is Here: Women Uncovering Hope in a Broken World.
Content warning: This episode briefly mentions sexual assault and self-harm.
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This week’s episode features a talk from Rev. Dr. Chelsea Brooke Yarborough. Chelsea served as the Theologian in Residence for FTE’s online experience supporting young adults through short discernment gatherings. Her reflection serves to inspire young adults to explore their many calls while reminding them they are loved.
Chelsea is assistant professor of African American Preaching, Sacred Rhetoric, and Black Practical Theology at Phillips Theological Seminary. Her research reimagines the nature and purpose of preaching and worship through the rhetoric and ritual practices of Black women. Chelsea is also an ordained minister, a poet, and an enneagram teacher, aiming to create spaces for healing and wholeness for all with whom she engages. She lives by the motto “live to love and love to live” and is excited to continue curating curiosity in the communities she serves.
Vector Illustration by: ReAl_wpap
Music by: @siryalibeats
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This week, Rev. Dr. Cláudio Carvalhaes takes us from his childhood in São Paulo, Brazil, to his early days in ministry in small communities outside the city. He talks about the support of his family and ancestors, clearing out the noises of life to listen to what matters, and finding the sound of the genuine in our relationship to the earth.
Cláudio is an associate professor of worship at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. A much sought-after speaker, writer, and performer, he has given academic presentations and performances and delivered sermons at over 50 conferences and academic societies. His most recent books are Ritual at World’s End: Essay on Eco-Liturgical Liberation Theology and Praying with Every Heart - Orienting our Lives to the Wholeness of the World.
Website: www.claudiocarvalhaes.com
Twitter: @ccarvalhaes
Instagram: @ccarvalhaes
Vector Illustration by: ReAl_wpap
Music by: @siryalibeats
In this live recording at FTE's Christian Leadership Forum, Rev. Bill Lamar recounts his childhood steeped in the deep love of family, embracing a call to ministry as a young person, and finding personal and professional freedom in centering joy.
William H. Lamar, IV is pastor of Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church in Washington, DC, and is a graduate of Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University and Duke University Divinity School.
He's penned articles for the Washington Post, Christian Century, The Anvil, The Christian Recorder, The Afro-American Newspaper, Divinity Magazine, and the Huffington Post.
Vector Ilustration by: ReAl-spap
Music by: @siryalibeats
Janet Wolf has worked as a poverty rights organizer, United Methodist pastor with urban and rural congregations; college and seminary professor; learner, teacher, animator with think tanks inside prisons. She works with the Children’s Defense Fund focusing on public theology, transformative justice and nonviolent direct action organizing to disrupt and dismantle the cradle to prison pipeline through leadership by and partnership with those who are now or have been caged. She is the Dean of CDF’s Proctor Institute’s Dale P. Andrews Freedom Seminary and a member of the Coordinating Committee with the National Council of Elders. Her recent book is Practicing Resurrection: The Gospel of Mark and Radical Discipleship.
Instagram: @jlw48
Twitter: @wolfhaley
Vector Illustration by: ReAl_wpap
Music by: @siryalibeats
Janet Wolf has worked as a poverty rights organizer, United Methodist pastor with urban and rural congregations; college and seminary professor; learner, teacher, animator with think tanks inside prisons. She works with the Children’s Defense Fund focusing on public theology, transformative justice and nonviolent direct action organizing to disrupt and dismantle the cradle to prison pipeline through leadership by and partnership with those who are now or have been caged. She is the Dean of CDF’s Proctor Institute’s Dale P. Andrews Freedom Seminary and a member of the Coordinating Committee with the National Council of Elders. Her recent book is Practicing Resurrection: The Gospel of Mark and Radical Discipleship.
Instagram:@jlw48
Twitter: @wolfhaley
Vector Illustration by:ReAl-wpap
Music by: @siryalibeats
Rose J. Percy (she/her) is a Haitian-American womanist theopoet. She hosts a podcast called “Dear Soft Black Woman.” Rose also co-creates sacred spaces at Quni Community. Her work engages theologies of imagination, critical pedagogy, and Black literature, to birth spaces for rest, belonging, and community care.
Rose holds a Master of Divinity from Boston University School of Theology. Rose was born in Les Cayes, Ayïti, and raised in Pawtucket, RI. She resides in Boston, MA.
Website: A Gentle Landing
Instagram: @dearsbw
Twitter: @DearSBW
Vector Illustration by: ReAl_wpap
Music by: @siryalibeats
Matt Bloom, Ph.D., is emeritus professor at the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame. For 20 years he led the Flourishing in Ministry and WorkWell research projects that focused on the wellbeing of helping and caring professions. Matt has worked with a variety of not-for-profit organizations, both in the United States and internationally, helping them learn about and integrate wellbeing research into their programs and initiatives. Matt and his wife Kim live in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Vector Illustration by: ReAL_wpap
Music by:@siryalibeats
Darlene Marie Hutto serves as the Director for Experience Design for the Forum for Theological Exploration, Atlanta, GA. In her role at FTE she accompanies and builds relationships with denominational and organizational leaders, journeys with students in discernment and directs FTE’s Vocational Discernment work with the next generation of leaders who desire to serve the church and make a difference in the world. She is an ordained Itinerate Elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church and has served as an Associate Pastor, Youth Pastor and Campus Minister. Rev. Hutto’s work, born from her passion for personal, communal and organizational transformation seeks to celebrate the gifts, knowledge and experiences of all creation as we call the Kin-dom of God near. She holds a BA in Religion and Philosophy from Wilberforce University, Wilberforce, OH and a Master of Divinity from Candler School of Theology, Atlanta, GA. Revered Hutto is currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry degree at Candler School of Theology at Emory University.
Instagram:@revvyrevdarlene
Vector Illustration by: ReAl_wpap
Music by: @siryalibeats
Dr. Frank Tuitt is the Vice President and Chief Diversity Office and a Professor of Education at the University of Connecticut. His research explores topics related to access and equity in higher education; teaching and learning in racially diverse college classrooms; and diversity and organizational transformation. Dr. Tuitt is a co-editor and contributing author of the books Race, Equity, and the Learning Environment: The Global Relevance of Critical and Inclusive Pedagogies in Higher Education (2016), Black Faculty in the Academy: Narratives for Negotiating Identity and Achieving Career Success (2014), Contesting the Myth of a Post-Racial Era: The Continued Significance of Race in U.S. Education (2013), and Race and Higher Education: Rethinking Pedagogy in Diverse College Classrooms (2003).
In 2019, Dr. Tuitt was awarded the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education Individual Leadership Award which is presented to a NADOHE member for outstanding contributions to research, administration, practice, advocacy and/or policy, and whose work informs and advances the understanding of diversity and inclusive excellence in higher education.
Dr. Tuitt is a Boston native of Caribbean descent and received his doctorate from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2003 and his BA in Human Relations in 1987 from Connecticut College, where he currently serves as an emeritus trustee.
Music by: @siryalibeats
Vector Portrait by: Rafli
Dr. Luther E. Smith Jr. is Professor Emeritus of Church and Community at the Candler School of Theology of Emory University. His current research focuses on the writings and correspondence of Howard Thurman, advocacy on behalf of children, and a spirituality of hope. Smith is an ordained elder in the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church.
In 2009, Smith received the Phillips School of Theology “Bishops Thomas Hoyt and Paul Stewart Institutional Ministry Award for Outstanding Service to the Ministry of Academics.” In 2010, he was the recipient of Emory University’s “2010 Emory Williams Distinguished Teaching Award,” which is given “in recognition of the important role of classroom teaching in classroom teaching in collegiate and graduate education.”
Luther’s books include “Howard Thurman: The Mystic as Prophet”, “Intimacy and Mission: Intentional Community as Crucible for Radical Discipleship”, and “Pan-Methodist Social Witness Resource Book”.
Music by: @siryalibeats
Portrait Illustration: Olivia Lim
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AnneMarie Mingo works as an Assistant Professor of African American Studies and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Penn State University, and an affiliate faculty member in the Rock Ethics Institute at Penn State. As a Social Ethicist her research and writing centers on the lived experiences of Black Churchwomen involved in Black Freedom Struggles including the U.S. Civil Rights Movement, South African Anti-Apartheid Movement, and Global Movement for Black Lives. She is the founder of the Cultivating Courageous Resisters Project which works collaboratively with intergenerational religious activists to help meet critical contemporary needs for social justice. She is also the founder and CEO of Sister Scholars, an organization for women of African descent who have or are pursuing doctorate degrees in various fields. Dr. Mingo seeks to join theory and praxis in the Academy, the Church, and broader society in ways that transforms lives and transforms the world.
Twitter: @annemariemingo
Instagram: @annemariemingo
Web: https://courageousresisters.com & https://sisterscholars.org/
Music by: @siryalibeats
Portrait Illustration: Olivia Lim
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Sandy Ovalle Martínez is a native of Mexico City. As a table setter, Sandy values curating spaces for people to join together at the intersection of healing, identity, and belonging. Currently, she serves as the Director of Campaigns and Mobilizing for Sojourners in Washington, DC. where she leads the strategy behind SojoAction, the mobilizing arm for Sojourners. Before this, Sandy worked with immigrant and refugee communities, providing direct legal and resettlement services as well as mobilizing faith groups for advocacy around issues that impacted these communities. Sandy has also worked in campus ministry with college students in Texas and California.
She holds an MA in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary.
Instagram: @itovalle
Twitter: @itsovalle
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Valerie Bridgeman is the Dean and Vice-President of Academic Affairs and Associate Professor of Homiletics & Hebrew Bible at Methodist Theological School in Ohio. She holds an M.Div from Austin Presbyterian Seminary and a Ph.D. in Religion with a concentration in Hebrew Bible from Baylor University.
Rev. Dr. Bridgeman is Founding President of 11-year-old WomanPreach! -- an organization that helps bring preachers to their full prophetic voice. She has been in licensed and ordained ministry for 44 years.
Instagram: @vbridge90
Twitter: @DrValerieB
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Sarah Raquel Gautier is a 2nd-generation Latina who has devoted her life to building people up to live in wholeness with purpose. Sarah serves as the lead Pastor of Living Stones in East Boston, MA. She is also a CrossFit coach, attorney, and the author of Color Me Yellow - Finding Your Voice in the Tension Between God's Promises and their Fulfillment. Sarah co-created the Collab Convo Cards - a conversation starter deck to equip Latinx young people in discerning their identity, calling, and purpose. Sarah believes that through intentional conversation and mentorship, Latinx young people can live their greater stories.
Instagram: @sarahrgautier
Podcast: Alive Living
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Reverend Matthew Wesley Williams is the 11th President of the Interdenominational Theological Center, a historically Black ecumenical graduate theological school in Atlanta, GA. Rev. Williams, an expert in the field of theological education, has built national programs and partnerships to advance opportunities for institutional change, faculty development, doctoral education, leadership formation, young adult vocational discernment, and diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education.
Reverend Williams was the Vice President of Strategic Initiatives for the Forum for TheologicalExploration (known as FTE), a national leadership incubator. During the 15 years Rev. Williams was with FTE, he designed and led initiatives that built the capacity of academic institutions and faith-rooted organizations to inspire, form, and equip emerging leaders.
This is the second of a two part Sound of the Genuine with Rev. Williams.
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Reverend Matthew Wesley Williams is the 11th President of the Interdenominational Theological Center, a historically Black ecumenical graduate theological school in Atlanta, GA. Rev. Williams, an expert in the field of theological education, has built national programs and partnerships to advance opportunities for institutional change, faculty development, doctoral education, leadership formation, young adult vocational discernment, and diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education.
Reverend Williams was the Vice President of Strategic Initiatives for the Forum for TheologicalExploration (known as FTE), a national leadership incubator. During the 15 years Rev. Williams was with FTE, he designed and led initiatives that built the capacity of academic institutions and faith-rooted organizations to inspire, form, and equip emerging leaders.
This is the first of a two part Sound of the Genuine with Rev. Williams.
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Portrait Illustration by: Olivia Lim
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Christina Repoley serves as the Senior Director of Experience Design at the Forum for Theological Exploration. Her team works to make spaces for discernment, connection, resourcing and community building amongst various FTE constituencies including young adults, campus ministries, high school youth theology institutes, denominational organizations, intentional communities and faith-rooted volunteer service organizations. Prior to joining FTE, Christina founded the national organization Quaker Voluntary Service and served as its Executive Director for nearly a decade. She serves on the board of directors of Friends Fiduciary Corporation and on the National Advisory Council to the North Carolina Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission. Christina holds an MDiv from Emory University's Candler School of Theology and a BA from Guilford College.
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James Howard Hill, Jr. is a scholar of religion and Black studies, photographer, and documentarian. He is currently the Assistant Professor of Religion at the University of Oklahoma where his research and teaching examines 20th and 21st century US. Religious History (emphasis on Black Religious Experiences throughout the Americas) and the Politics of Black Popular Culture. In 2020, Hill, Jr. was awarded the Rubem Alves Award for Theopoetics in recognition for his contributions as an artist and scholar whose work reflects a commitment to the role of imagination, art, and embodiment in faith and reflection on religion. His scholarship has been recognized and supported by The Heidelberg Center for American Studies (Heidelberg, Germany), The Henry Luce Foundation (Sacred Writes), the Forum for Theological Exploration, and The Louisville Institute among others.
Twitter: @james_hhilljr
Dr. Jorge Juan Rodríguez V is the son of Puerto Rican migrants who came to the United States a year before he was born. Jorge grew up with his parents, grandmother, and uncle in an affordable housing community in urban Connecticut. His story has propelled his academic journey, leading to degrees in biblical studies, social theory, liberation theology, and a Ph.D. in History from Union Theological Seminary.
Dr. Rodríguez’ experience in higher education and academic work in religion and social movements has led him to write for multiple publications including Truthout, speak at organizations across the country including the National Head Start Association, and consult with multiple universities to improve policies and systems including Texas A&M University's Cantu Endowment.
Dr. Rodríguez is the Associate Director for Strategic Programming at the Hispanic Summer Program.
Instagram: @jjrodriguezv
Twitter: @jjrodv
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Jon Ivan Gill is currently Visiting Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Gustavus Adolphus College and Cross-Community Coordinator at the Center for Process Studies. He also co-owns Serious Cartoons Records and Tapes in San Bernardino, Ca. with Michael Adame. His 2019 hardcover monograph, Underground Rap as Religion: A Theopoetic Examination of a Process Aesthetic Religion, releases in paperback June 30, 2021 through Routledge. He edited a Claremont Colleges student volume on Afrofuturism and philosophy of religion entitled Toward Afro-diasporic and Afrofuturist Philosophies of Religion which released in April 2022. Under the alias "Gilead7," Gill raps in the collectives Tomorrow Kings, Echoes of Oratory Muzik, and Crystal Radio.
Instagram: @gilead7
Twitter: @gilead7
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Erica Littlewolf is Northern Cheyenne from southeastern Montana. She is knowledgeable in restorative justice, critical race theory, Indigenous issues, and decolonization. Erica enjoys conceptualizing new, old Indigenous ways of doing things outside of white supremacy culture.
Instagram:@reclaimingourstories
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Robin L. Owens, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Religion at Mount Saint Mary’s University. She brings experience in both corporate and social work settings to the classroom to inform her transformational teaching. When she is not in the college classroom, Robin teaches, mentors, and coaches high-achieving leaders to help them to discover and express their leadership purpose. She is the host of the popular podcast “Leadership Purpose with Dr. Robin.”
Also, she is the author of two forthcoming books – “Purpose-Based Decisions: An Inspirational Guide to More Meaning, Purpose, and Passion in Your Leadership, Business or Career” (Balboa Press, 2022) and “’My Faith in the Constitution is Whole:’ Barbara Jordan Signifies on Scriptures” (Georgetown University Press, 2022).
Instagram: @robinlowenphd
Website: robinlowens.com
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Sandra Soto (she/her) is a teacher at heart and believes in the power of education to empower communities and transform society. She loves to build bridges, smash silos, and bring people together. Sandra also loves to learn; she has a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Boston University and a master’s degree in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. In the summer of 2020, she co-founded a nonprofit called Libraries for Liberation, which provides opportunities and resources for individuals and their communities to awaken to the reality of systemic racism and the myth of white supremacy. Sandra is currently living in an intentional community as part of Life Together, an Episcopal Service Corps program in Boston, Massachusetts. She is exploring education outside of a traditional K-12 setting this year as a Youth Development Program Coordinator through her site placement with Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción.
Twitter: @smsoto7
Instagram: @sandra.soto7
Alisa De Los Santos (she/her) is a facilitator, connector, and educator focused on racial justice in multiple spaces, including the public education system and the Catholic Church. She believes in reflection, dialogue, and action as mechanisms to heal ourselves and our communities. Alisa had the privilege to earn a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from UCLA and a master’s degree in Education Policy and Management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. In 2020, she joined the newly-imagined non-profit Libraries for Liberation, which provides opportunities for people to awaken to the reality of systemic racism and the myth of white supremacy. Alisa is currently working with several public school districts, focusing on racial equity and power sharing in decision-making with families. She is also partnering with the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles to develop strategies for addressing racism in institutions and systems.
Instagram: @alisadelossantos
Website: librariesforliberation.com
Instagram: @librariesforliberation
Twitter: @librariesforlib
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Erika Sanchez a skilled community development practitioner currently serving as College & Career Manager at KidWorks. Equipped with a bachelor's in Sociology and Biblical studies from Biola University and a Masters in Transformational Urban Leadership (MATUL) from Azusa Pacific University, Erika spent three formative years in the Philippines living in slum communities and launching faith rooted programs that equip and empower urban poor youth to critically address issues of urban poverty, environmental justice, land rights, health, and education in their community. Experienced in the faith community, grass-root movements and community organizing. She is fluent in English, Spanish and Tagalog.
Instagram: @Ms.ErikaSanchez
You can find Dr. Jonathan Calvillo's book The Saints of Santa Ana: Faith and Ethnicity in a Mexican Majority Citywherever books are sold.
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This is a special episode of the Sound of the Genuine where the co-founders of Do Good X, Stephen Lewis and Kimberly Daniel, share from their book,A Way Out of No Way, with Do Good X Fellow Dr. Kit Evans Ford. Dr. Evans-Ford talks to our hosts about building a business to do good in the world, Argrow’s House of Hope and Healing.
Dr. Kit Evans-Ford is the founder of Argrow's House, a bath and body business that employs female survivors of domestic violence and sexual violence. She is a trainer and activist working in the areas of nonviolence education and healing from abuse. She holds a Doctor of Ministry in Spiritual Direction and is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Theology at St. Ambrose University. Dr. Kit is the author of 101 Testimonies of Hope: Life Stories to Encourage Your Faith In God and A Children's Book on Bishop Richard Allen: A Nonviolence Journey.
Instagram: @ArgrowsHouse
Website: www.argrowshouse.org
Learn more about Dr. Kit at https://www.kitevansford.com/
Do you have an idea for a social good? Become a DO GOOD X Fellow like Dr. Evans-Ford. Apply to the accelerator.
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This is a special episode of the Sound of the Genuine. Today we are going to look back at FTE’s signature event, the Christian Leadership Forum. FTE’s senior director of experience design, Christina Repoley, will be joining Dr. Reyes to talk about several speakers from the previous Forums: Rev. Dr. Elizabeth Conde-Frazier, Rev. Gail Song Bantum, and Dr. Bayo Akomolafe. These theologians, preachers, and teachers help the next generation of Christian leaders discern their next most faithful step. The episode previews what participants can expect at the upcoming Christian Leadership Forum to be held in Atlanta, Georgia, June 1-4, 2022.
Sign up for the Christian Leadership Forum at fteleaders.org/events. Remember to follow FTE on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for alerts on new episodes.
The Rev. Dr. Pamela Lightsey is the Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs, and Associate Professor of Constructive Theology at Meadville Lombard Theological School. Prior to her appointment, Dr. Lightsey served as Associate Dean of Community Life and Lifelong Learning, Clinical Assistant Professor of Contextual Theology and Practice at the Boston University School of Theology.
Dr. Lightsey brings a special mix of life experience and professional proficiency to the position. Following service in the US Army and work as a civil servant, she received her academic and theological training at Columbus State University (BS), Gammon Seminary of the Interdenominational Theological Center (M.Div.) and Garrett-Evangelical Theological School (PhD). After ordination, she served first as a United Methodist congregational pastor and then as a theological school educator, scholar and administrator. Throughout her vocational life, she has been a leading social justice activist, working with local, national and international organizations focusing primarily on the causes of peacemaking, racial justice and LGBTQ rights.
Her publications include the book, Our Lives Matter: A Womanist Queer Theology (Wipf and Stock), "He Is Black and We are Queer" in Albert Cleage Jr and the Black Madonna and Child (New York: Palgrave Macmillan), “Reconciliation” in Prophetic Evangelicals: Envisioning a Just and Peaceable Kingdom (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company), and "If There Should Come a Word” in Black United Methodists Preach! (Abingdon Press).
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Kimberly R. Daniel is senior director of communications at the Forum for Theological Exploration (FTE). She also co-founded and directs DO GOOD X, an accelerator for diverse Christian social entrepreneurs and an innovation of FTE. Kimberly has over a decade of experience developing and leading communications strategies and efforts at non-profit organizations, is a certified life coach, and has helped to catalyze entrepreneurs to do good. She is driven to inspire people to align with their purpose and to make magic happen with their gifts. In 2021, Kimberly co-authored A Way Out of No Way: An Approach to Christian Innovation.
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Kim Jackson serves as Senator for Georgia State Senate District 41, representing portions of Dekalb and Gwinnett counties. Kim works every day to build a safer, fairer, and more prosperous Georgia, and bring the diverse voices of her district to the Capitol.
An Episcopal priest from the rural South, Kim made Georgia home over a decade ago. After graduating from Furman University, Kim volunteered as an EMT and advocated for Criminal Justice Reform. Upon receiving her M.Div from Candler, Kim commenced her vocation as a priest. Over the past 10 years of ministry, she has served as a college chaplain, nationally renowned consultant and preacher, and parish priest. As Vicar of Church of the Common Ground, Kim co-creates Church with people experiencing homelessness in downtown Atlanta.
She and her spouse live on a small urban farm with goats, ducks, honeybees, and chickens.
Instagram: @KimforGeorgia
Twitter: @KimforGeorgia
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Hear more stories and work with leaders like Rev. Jackson by signing up for one of our cohort experiences.
Stephen Lewis is an organizational change strategist and facilitator, and a leadership development specialist, focused on helping leaders to discover their purpose, passion and calling in life.
He is the President of the Forum for Theological Exploration (FTE), a national leadership incubator that cultivates wise, faithful and courageous leaders who make a difference in the world through the church and academy. In 2017, he founded DO GOOD X, a start-up accelerator for diverse, faith-rooted entrepreneurs creating social good ventures. Stephen has earned degrees from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Duke University.
You can learn more about him and his work at www.leadanotherway.org, www.fteleaders.org and www.dogoodx.org.
Buy A Way Out of No Way: An Approach to Christian Innovation today.
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Betsy Lay is the co-founder and owner of Lady Justice Brewing in Aurora, CO. She began her career working in education-based non-profits, including serving two terms as an AmeriCorps VISTA, where she met Kate Power and Jen Cuesta. Together in 2014, the three friends founded the philanthropic Lady Justice Brewing Company. She holds a certificate from the Siebel Institute of Technology's Concise Course in Brewing Technology and also earned a Master in Theological Studies from Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University. In her time off from the brewery, Betsy can be found with a good whiskey, a good book, and a good dog.
Instagram: @LadyJusticeBrewing
Twitter: @BetsyLay
Website: ladyjusticebrewing.comFollow FTE on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for alerts on new episodes.
Ready to build your business like Lady J? Register for DO GOOD X's course Built for This. https://dogoodx.org/built-for-this
BONUS EPISODE!
Dr. Erica M. Ramirez is Auburn’s Director of Applied Research. Before joining Auburn, she was the Richard B. Parker Assistant Professor of Wesleyan Thought and Heritage at Portland Seminary in Portland, Oregon. A rising star in the field of U.S. Latinx religion, and a scholar of Pentecostalism, she brings to the Auburn team a vital sociological imagination and a deep commitment to research and writing that troubles the waters and heals the world.
Ramirez holds the Ph.D. in Sociology of Religion, having studied at Drew University under the late Otto Maduro, a leading sociologist of his generation. Her dissertation revisited the Azusa Street mission revival through the frame of the maternal divine, working with themes of revolution, disruption, and the carnivalesque. She holds the M.A. in the History of Christianity from Wheaton College and the B.A. in Counseling and Psychology from Southwestern Assemblies of God University. With broad interests in religion, contemporary politics, and culture, Ramirez is particularly interested in “how radical religious traditions present as a challenge to and resource against social oppression.”
She is a fifth-generation Texan, with deep roots in San Antonio. Ramirez enjoys music, hiking, and all things pop culture. With her husband Chris, she has three children: Judah, Julia, and Camilla.
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Christy graduated from the University of Virginia and then received her MA in Applied Theology and the Arts from Regent College in Vancouver, BC. At Theological Horizons, she directs the Horizons & Perkins Fellows programs as well as coordinates student and community engagement. She lives just outside Charlottesville with her husband Chris, a writer and philosopher, their four children, flock of hens and rescue dog. Christy is also a visual artist and you can find her work at www.christenyates.com.
Instagram: @christenbyates
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Kamilah Hall Sharp is a native of St. Louis, Missouri, and currently residing in Desoto, Texas, with her spouse Nakia and daughter Anaya. After practicing law for ten years, she accepted a call to ministry. As a Ph.D. candidate in Biblical Interpretation-Hebrew Bible at Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University, her scholarship focuses on the intersection of race, gender, and class with the biblical text and contemporary culture. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Economics from Florida A&M University, a Master of Divinity from Memphis Theological Seminary, and a Juris Doctor from Indiana University-Bloomington. Kamilah is a co-author of The Gathering, A Womanist Church: Origins, Stories, Sermons, and Litanies. She was ordained as a minister in the Disciples of Christ (Christian Church) and currently serves as co-pastor of The Gathering, A Womanist Church in Dallas.
Instagram: @kamilah.h
Twitter: @kamilahmh
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Robert Chao Romero is an associate professor in the departments of Chicana/o Studies and Central America Studies, and Asian American Studies at UCLA. He is also the Director of the Brown Church Institute. He received his Ph.D. from UCLA in Latin American History and his Juris Doctor from U.C. Berkeley, and is also an attorney. Romero is the author of Brown Church: Five Centuries of Latina/o Social Justice, Theology, and Identity; The Chinese in Mexico, 1882-1940; Jesus for Revolutionaries: An Introduction to Race, Social Justice, and Christianity; and Mixed Race Student Politics. The Chinese in Mexico received the Latina/o Studies book award from the Latin American Studies Association and Brown Church was written with the support of a Louisville Institute Sabbatical Grant for Researchers. Romero is also an ordained minister and faith rooted community organizer.
Instagram: @RobertChaoRomero
Twitter: @ProfeChaoRomero
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Daisy L. Machado was born in Cuba and migrated to the U.S. with her parents when she was 3 years old. She was raised in NYC where she earned her B.A. (Brooklyn College), her MSW (Hunter College School of Social Work, and her M.Div. (Union Theological Seminary). She is an ordained minister and has served inner city congregations in Brooklyn and Manhattan, NY, Houston, TX, Fort Worth, TX. Her experience of living in the Texas borderlands led her to pursue and complete a PhD in Modern Church History at the University of Chicago where Dr. Martin Marty was her dissertation advisor. She has taught in seminaries in Texas, Kentucky and currently in NYC. She has also served as the first Latina dean at Lexington Theological Seminary (KY) and at Union Theological Seminary. She was the first director of the Hispanic Theological Initiative and is currently the director of the Hispanic Summer Program.
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Stephanie originally hails from near Portland, Oregon and now makes her home near Portland, Maine. She holds a PhD in Theological Ethics from Boston College (2019), where her interdisciplinary research focused on the ties between Christian theology and trauma, particularly in the case of pharmaceutical memory modification. Stephanie's interest in such work has its roots in her "other" career as a social worker (MTS/MSW, Boston University 2011), wherein she has practiced diverse service delivery, grant writing, and non-profit management for nearly a decade. Interweaving both her non-profit and theological expertise, she now serves as the Executive Director of the Boston Theological Interreligious Consortium (BTI), and lectures in ethics and theology at Boston College and the University of Southern Maine. She lives in Biddeford, Maine with her husband and rescue dog, EmmyLou.
Instagram: @_steds_
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A second generation Korean American, Hardy was born in Seoul, South Korea, and grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia, and near Detroit, Michigan.
Hardy studied government at Harvard University, law at the University of Michigan, and then received his M. Div. from McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago. A year of volunteer service in Belfast, Northern Ireland, working with at-risk youth and young adults, solidified his sense of call to ministry.
Hardy serves as Pastor at Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church, in the heart of Silicon Valley. His previous ministry work has focused on evangelism and ministry to young adults in Atlanta and Chicago.
Hardy lives with his wife, Hyunjung, and their kids Jonah and Haeil. Hardy enjoys food and travel that connects him to different cultures and their generative intersections, and struggles to make room for the spiritual discipline of running.
Instagram: @hardyhkim
Twitter: @hardykim
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Eric D. Barreto is Weyerhaeuser Associate Professor of New Testament at Princeton Theological Seminary and an ordained Baptist minister. He is the author of Ethnic Negotiations: The Function of Race and Ethnicity in Acts 16 (Mohr Siebeck, 2010), the co-author of Exploring the Bible (Fortress Press, 2016), and editor of Reading Theologically (Fortress Press, 2014).
Instagram: @eric.barreto
Twitter: @ericbarreto
Personal Website: ericbarreto.com
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A native Southerner, Rich grew up in Gloster, Mississippi – a small town with a population of 960. After calling Alabama and Georgia home for seven years, Rich moved to Chicago in 2014 to work as a Church Starting Resident at Urban Village Church. After his one-year residency program, Rich became Pastor and Executive Director of the Inclusive Collective, a campus ministry at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and he has spent the past five years leading the relaunch of this ministry. He feels called by God to create faith communities where all people are both truly welcome and invited to follow Jesus with all they’ve got. Rich holds a BA in Religion from Samford University in Birmingham, AL, and a Master of Divinity from Mercer University in Atlanta, GA. Rich is a frequent retreat leader and speaker and has taught in the Theological Studies Program at Lee Arrendale State Prison.
Instagram: @rkhavard
Twitter: @rkhavard
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Boyung Lee, a native of Korea, is Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty and Professor of Practical Theology at Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Colorado. She is also an ordained United Methodist Clergy who has served churches in Korea, California, Massachusetts and Connecticut. She is the first Korean American woman academic dean at the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada. Prior to her current position, for 15 years she taught at Pacific School of Religion and the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA where she became the first woman of color to receive tenure in 2007. She is the program chair and the incoming president of the Religious Education Association.
Instagram: @bleebkdist
Twitter: @Bleeiliff
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Claudia Aguilar Rubalcava is pastor at First Mennonite Church of Denver, Colorado. Being bilingual, bicultural, and binational is part of her call to build bridges among different groups of people. She is a certified yoga instructor and loves music, dogs, cooking, and baking. She is interested in ecumenical and interfaith efforts to bring justice and peace to every being. When not working, she is spending time in her garden with her husband Doug and their dog Bruno.
Instagram: @clau.aguilar.rubalcava
Twitter: @AxiaDharma
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Kaitlin (“Kata”) Ho Givens was a minister with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship for 12 years, received her Masters of Divinity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and is currently a church planter in East Boston. She cares about the empowerment of lay leaders, radical hospitality of "outsiders," cross-cultural communities committed to reconciliation and justice. She loves languages, working out, and gardening.
Instagram: @kata_givens
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Rev. Dr. Christopher Carter’s teaching and research interests are in Black & Womanist Theological Ethics, Environmental Ethics, Religion & Food, and Religion & Animals. His publications include The Spirit of Soul Food (University of Illinois Press, 2021), “Blood in the Soil: The Racial, Racist, and Religious Dimensions of Environmentalism” in The Bloomsbury Handbook on Religion and Nature (Bloomsbury, 2018) and the co-edited volume The Future of Meat Without Animals (Rowman & Littlefield, 2016). In them, he explores the intersectional oppressions experienced by people of color, the environment, and animals. Currently he is an Assistant Professor of Theology at the University of San Diego and a Faith in Food Fellow at Farm Forward.
Instagram: @dr_chris_carter
Twitter: @Dr_ChrisCarter
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Dr. Lynn Cooper is the Catholic Chaplain at Tufts University, where she serves on an interfaith chaplaincy team. She holds a Masters of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School and a Doctor of Ministry in Transformational Leadership from Boston University School of Theology. Dr. Cooper’s ministry is grounded in Catholic Social Teaching. She seeks to help students make meaningful connections between their education, faith, and the work for justice. Her doctoral work explored loneliness in higher education, proposing a model for embracing friendship as the sacrament that it is. Her spouse, Andrew, is a Unitarian Universalist minister and chaplain. Together they delight in their son Rory. If becoming a mom has taught her anything it is that spirituality can—and must—thrive in the messy, mucky, and mundane.
Instagram: @tufts_catholic_chaplaincy
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Dr. Kah-Jin Jeffrey Kuan is President and Professor of Hebrew Bible at Claremont School of Theology. Dr. Kuan has served on the faculties of the Pacific School of Religion and the Graduate Theological Union as well as Dean and Professor of Hebrew Bible of the Theological School at Drew University. Dr. Kuan’s research and teaching interests include ancient Israelite and Near Eastern history, Asian and Asian American hermeneutics, the Book of Job, as well as approaches to biblical instruction for the churches. He is an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church and holds a B.Th. from Trinity Theological College in Singapore, an M.T.S from the Perkins School of Theology at SMU, and a Ph.D. from Emory University.
Instagram: @presidentkuan
Twitter: @JeffreyKuanCST
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Theresa S. Thames is the Associate Dean of Religious Life and the Chapel at Princeton University. As an ordained Elder in the United Methodist Church, she served as a pastor in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area for nine years. Theresa is a graduate of Howard University, received her Master of Divinity from Duke University Divinity School, and a Doctorate of Ministry from Wesley Theological Seminary in Leadership Excellence exploring how best to equip young clergywomen of color to thrive in ministry. Theresa is also the founder of Soul Joy Yoga LLC, an in-person and online gathering that inspires womxn and folx of color to discover their deepest truths and cultivate joy. Theresa is a wife, transformation coach, challenging preacher, certified yoga teacher, dog mama, and devoted friend. She is a lover of life who prioritizes self-care and believes that radical joy is resistance.
Instagram: @theresa_s_thames
Twitter: TSThames
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Sheehan Scarborough is Senior Director of the Harvard Foundation and Interim Director of the Office of BGLTQ Student Life (the QuOffice). His work oversees the programming and services provided by the QuOffice and develops the strategic vision for supporting BGLTQ students at Harvard College.
Sheehan’s academic focus includes religion and sexuality, pastoral care and counseling, and politics. He loves squash (the sport), graphic novels, video games, the Hebrew Bible, and good storytelling. Sheehan holds a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University and a Master of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School.
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Dr. Hongis Assistant Professor of Educational Ministry and Director of DEdMin Program at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia. Her interests include decolonial approaches to religious and interreligious education as well as Asian American spiritualities and the spiritual and theological formation of children and adolescents among communities of color. Christine is a teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and has spent time as a religious educator and youth and young adult minister in New York and Southern California. She received her B.A. from the University of Washington, holds a Th.M and M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary, and has a Ph.D. from Claremont School of Theology.
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Rev. Dr. Marilyn Pagán-Banks (she/her/ella) is a queer womanist minister, healer, writer, and life-long co-learner committed to the liberation of oppressed and colonized peoples, building power, and creating community. She currently serves as executive director of A Just Harvest, pastor at San Lucas UCC, and adjunct professor at McCormick Theological Seminary.
Rev. Pagán-Banks received her Masters of Divinity from McCormick Theological Seminary and her Doctorate in Ministry from the Chicago Theological Seminary where she has twice been named Hispanic Scholar. She is a joyful contributor in the newly released book “Words of Her Mouth: Psalms for the Struggle.” Rev. Pagán-Banks lives in Chicago with her spouse and loves laughing and dancing with her beautiful grandchildren.
Instagram: @hood_n_holy
Twitter: @mujerdediosMPB
Music by: @siryalibeats
Vector Portrait by: Rafli
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Dorlimar Lebrón was born in Puerto Rico and raised in New York. She currently serves as Lead Pastor at the First Spanish United Methodist Church, also known as, “The People’s Church” in Spanish Harlem. Dorlimar holds a Bachelor in Sociology concentrating on Black and Latinx Studies from the City College of New York and a Masters in Divinity with a focus in Liberation Theology and Ethics from Boston University School of Theology. Her passion centers around de-cloaking, naming and resisting injustice in our society. She is a sister, a daughter and believer in change. In all things she strives to create spaces where love, hope, peace, justice, and liberation are imagined, created and sustained.
Instagram: @marimosa243 @FSUMC
Twitter: @habichula
Music by: @siryalibeats
Vector Portrait by: Rafli
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Sound of the Genuine is the Forum for Theological Exploration’s podcast exploring meaning and purpose. In each episode, we’re invited into the vocational journey of leaders of the church and academy. The first three episodes will drop on Spotify and Buzz Sprout on June 6. Subscribe, listen and share these stories with a friend!