Maureen Gerald

Maureen Gerald is the Executive Pastor of Shiloh Baptist Church; Spiritual Director at Princeton Theological Seminary; U.S. Congressional Interfaith Director representing New Jersey’s 12th district; and business owner of Momentum, Counseling, Coaching, & Consulting LLC.  Her expertise in training, teaching, and preaching personal and organizational growth solutions to multicultural communities has led her across the world. Her life’s work in getting people to move forward meets at the intersections of theology, social science and justice work. One of her clients include Princeton Alliance Church, ta mega church that is comprised of first-generation immigrants.  Rev. Gerald’s work with third-world countries helps survivors of catastrophic events. In 2010, Dateline NBC featured her story as one of the few survivors of the historic Haiti earthquake. Maureen has received State Congressional commendations for her work nationally and abroad.

Rev. Gerald’s academic background includes the College of St. Elizabeth, Columbia University, Princeton Theological Seminary and Oasis Ministries. Most importantly, Maureen enjoys her journey with her life partner, Kevin and holds immeasurable love for her beautifully blended family which keeps her grounded and grateful. 

Follow her on social media: IG: @MaureenGerald; Twitter: @Maureen_Gerald

Yvette R. Blair-Lavallais

Reverend Yvette (pronounced “why”-vette) R. Blair-Lavallais (pronounced Lah-vu-lay) serves as the Senior Pastor of First Christian Methodist Evangelistic Church in the Red Bird area of Dallas. A licensed pastor and elder in The Methodist Church, Yvette’s ministry is centered in the social justice narrative of the Gospel. As a womanist theologian, she uses her prophetic voice to dismantle the systems of patriarchy, institutionalized racism, and sexism. She is featured in the award-winning 2019 documentary Shatter the Silence produced by WOW Films. 

Yvette is a candidate for the Doctor of Ministry at Memphis Theological Seminary, with an expected graduation date of May 2021. Her work focuses on the intersection of food insecurity, famines, displacement and gentrification of Black, Brown and Indigenous peoples. She has presented her research at conferences including the Political Network Conference at Union Theological Seminary in New York City and the MLK 50 Memphis Teach-In at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee. She has also published opinion pieces about food insecurity and food apartheid. 

Rev. Blair-Lavallais is a Public Voices Fellow of The OpEd Project, a 2018-2020 fellow of Vanderbilt Divinity School’s Public Theology and Racial Justice Collaborative cohort, and a 2017 academic fellow of Princeton TheologicalSeminary’s prestigious Black Theology and Leadership Institute.  She is also a 2013 Magna Cum Laude graduate of Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University, where she served as president of the student body.
             
Rev. Blair-Lavallais is a native of Dallas, Texas, holds a BA in Journalism from the University of North Texas, and has more than 25 years of experience in media, corporate communications, public relations and non-profit, including receiving a congressional appointment to serve as the Public Relations Specialist at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC.  She is also an award-winning accomplished writer and has written for several media outlets including Blavity, The Dallas Weekly, Texas Metro News, and the Star-Telegram. A published author of literary and theological work, her most recent book is Being Ruth: Pressing Through Life’s Struggles with Fearless Faith. Learn more about Yvette at: yvetteblair.com and follow her on social media at IG: preachergirl716, Twitter: YvetteRevYBlair 

Donna GreenE

Donna Wills Greene (she/her) lives in Fort Collins, Colorado, though “home” still includes various places in the South where she grew up. Donna transitioned to a second career in ministry after a first career of over thirty years working in a variety of settings as an Occupational Therapist. She graduated May 2020 with an M.Div. from Phillips Theological Seminary, and serves as a Commissioned Minister at Heart of the Rockies Christian Church. Donna’s ministry passion is social justice and pastoral care. She serves on the Central Rocky Mountain Regional Racial Reconciliation team, with Just Hope based in Tulsa, OK and Nicaragua, and with the Public Theology and Racial Justice Cohort at Vanderbilt. Nature is Donna’s source of re-creation, where she spends time with her family biking, hiking, kayaking and camping. Donna is grateful to be part of any spiritual or advocacy work that centers bringing the Creator’s shalom and justice to bear for all human beings.

Geran Lorraine

Geran Lorraine grew up on the lands of the Haudenosaunee and currently lives on historic Powhatan land. He has grown up in the Christian faith and is also guided by his Indigenous spirituality. He has been organizing around economic justice, racial justice, health equity, and worker’s rights issues since 2008. He is also an ardent advocate for environmental justice having grown up with a continual awareness of harmful environmental policies affecting his people. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Union Presbyterian Seminary and a Bachelors degree in Psychology from Penn State. Geran is actively involved in several local non-profits, most recently helping to establish an affordable preschool in Richmond, Virginia’s East End.  

Sophia Hayes Jackson

Sophia Jackson is a graduate of Pacific School of Religion where she earned her Master of Divinity and Certificate of Spirituality and Social Change. She is a member of First Christian Church of Alameda and City of Refuge UCC. Sophia is currently the Moderator for the Bay Association in the Northern California Nevada Conference of the United Church of Christ and clergy lead for WOSA (Women of Spirit Action), a women’s ministry group in the Christian Church Disciples of Christ. Sophia is ordained in the Christian Church (Disciples). She has served as a Chaplain Intern at UCSF Medical Center in San Francisco, interim pastor of New Community of Faith in San Jose California, and she preaches as pulpit supply in the Episcopal church, as well as the United Church of Christ; her hope is to one day become a Prison Chaplain. Sophia is founder of Phoenix Outreach, a Recovery and Re-entry program designed to assist those most impacted by incarceration who are seeking change and transformation. 

Joshua Smith

Rev. Joshua T. Smith is a native of Miami, Florida and an ordain Baptist clergyman, having accepted his calling at the tender age of 16. He graduated with academic honors from Wiley College with his bachelor’s degree in Religion, thus making him the first college graduate in his family. From there, he went on to attain a master’s degree in Theological Studies from Southern Methodist University. Currently, Rev. Smith is finishing his Ph.D. in Heritage Studies at Arkansas State University where his research interest is around the historic cultural development and future of the “Negro Church”. In addition to Rev. Smith’s academic accomplishments and aspirations, he has served in several ecclesiastical and higher educational roles. He currently serves as the Teen Pastor at Saint Paul Baptist Church in Memphis, TN under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Christopher Davis. Rev. Smith also currently works at Arkansas State University in the office of Diversity and Community Engagement as the Assistant Director of Multicultural Affairs.