OUR CURRENT BOARD
Rev. Cameron Trimble
Rev. Pam Driesel
Brian D. McLaren
Rev. Dr. Scott Thumma
Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia A. Thompson
Rev. Dr. Audrey Price
Rev. Dr. Chad Abbott
Rev. Cameron Trimble
Rev. Cameron Trimble is a serial entrepreneur committed to the triple bottom line – a concern for people, progress and the planet. Driven by an adventurous spirit, she co-founded and serves as the CEO of Convergence, an international church consultancy. She serves as a senior consultant, a frequent speaker on national speaking circuits, is a pilot and an author.
Cameron is particularly focused on human transformation and leadership. Her coaching clients are primarily executive leaders going through dynamic culture transformations. Diversity, she believes, is the source of lasting innovation and the driver of fair profit.
As a pilot, Cameron learns many of her leadership lessons through the adventures of the cockpit of her airplane. She has authored six books including Searching for the Sacred and Piloting Church. She has also enjoyed a career as an ordained pastor in the United Church of Christ, serving as the pastor of four congregations in the Atlanta area. Hers has been an eclectic career path – undoubtedly with more adventures to come – and she welcomes the wisdom she gains each day on the way.
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Rev. Pam Driesel
For twenty years, as a Presbyterian (USA) minister, Reverend Pam Driesell reminded the people gathered on Sunday mornings that “we don’t come to church; we ARE the church! We come to worship, and we leave to Be The Church in the world!”
She began her ordained ministry in 1999 as the organizing pastor of a PCUSA new church plant near Athens, Georgia and served the Oconee Presbyterian Church until 2010, when she was called as the fourth Senior Pastor of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, Georgia. In collaboration with Trinity’s staff and members, Pam sought to lead the congregation in Making God’s Love Visible through faithful, creative, and inspiring worship; a shared life of compassion and care; and in reaching out beyond themselves to serve the common good by working for a more just, compassionate, and joyful world as they followed in the way of Jesus.
Pam has served on numerous councils and commissions including moderating the Tri-Presbytery New Church Development Commission, Princeton Institute for Youth Ministry’s formative Advisory Council, Columbia Theological Seminary Board of Trustees, Montreat Conference Center Board of Trustees. She and other Trinity leaders were founding members of the interfaith organization, Outcry: Faith Voices Against Gun Violence. She is a member of the Leadership Atlanta Class of 2020 and in 2017-18 she co-led a formation group for The King Center’s Better Together Initiative, which joined Atlanta pastors diverse in denomination, race, and political ideology in the work of racial justice and community transformation.
Pam is a graduate of James Madison University, Hollins University, and Princeton Theological Seminary, where she was awarded the James T. Galloway Prize in Expository Preaching. Some of her extracurricular preaching invitations include The PCUSA Big Tent, Princeton Youth Forums, Princeton’s Engle Institute of Preaching, Duke University Chapel and Candler School of Theology.
Pam is married to Joe Loveland, a retired lawyer and between them they have four adult children. They love to spend time together with family and friends on a small island in Maine, where they hike, kayak, read, talk politics and religion, culture and psychology, literature and the arts; sing and dance, cook and eat together, gaze at the stars, marvel at the light, and give thanks!
Brian D. McLaren
Brian D. McLaren is an author, speaker, activist, and public theologian. A former college English teacher and pastor, he is a passionate advocate for “a new kind of Christianity” – just, generous, and working with people of all faiths for the common good. He is a core faculty member and Dean of Faculty for the Center for Action and Contemplation, and a podcaster with Learning How to See. He is also an Auburn Senior Fellow and is a co-host of Southern Lights. His newest books are Faith After Doubt (January 2021), and Do I Stay Christian? (May 2022). His next release, Life After Doom: Wisdom and Courage for a World Falling Apart, is available for pre-order now and will release in May 2024.
Born in 1956, he graduated from University of Maryland with degrees in English (BA, 1978, and MA, 1981). His academic interests included Medieval drama, Romantic poets, modern philosophical literature, and the novels of Dr. Walker Percy. In 2004, he was awarded a Doctor of Divinity Degree (honoris causa) from Carey Theological Seminary in Vancouver, BC, Canada, and in 2010, he received a second honorary doctorate from Virginia Theological Seminary (Episcopal).
Rev. Dr. Scott Thumma
Dr. Scott Thumma is Professor of Sociology of Religion and director of the Hartford Institute for Religion Research at Hartford International University. He has published numerous research reports, website documents, articles, and chapters on religious life in addition to co-authoring three books, The Other 80 Percent, Beyond Megachurch Myths and Gay Religion. He has researched and written on megachurches, evangelicalism, gay religious life, the rise of nondenominationalism, and the changing religious landscape.
Scott is the PI for a Lilly Endowment Thriving in Ministry grant and a large 5-year grant to study the impact of the pandemic on churches. He co-leads the Faith Communities Today national research project and has conducted 7 national studies of megachurches and 3 national studies of nondenominational churches.
Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia A. Thompson
The Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia A. Thompson is the newly elected General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ. Rev. Thompson is the first woman and first woman of African descent to serve as leader of the denomination.
Prior to this call, Rev. Thompson served in the national setting of the United Church of Christ for 14 years – two years as Minister for Racial Justice, eight years as Minister for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations and four years as the Associate General Minister for Wider Church Ministries and Co-Executive for Global Ministries. She was elected as AGM in 2019. Her passion for justice and equity moved her work on behalf of the UCC into a global context, affording the opportunity to participate globally in efforts to reduce the marginalization experienced by African descendant peoples and other communities globally.
Before joining the national staff, Rev. Thompson served in the Florida Conference United Church of Christ as a Pastor and on the Conference staff as the Minister for Disaster Response and Recovery. She also worked in the nonprofit arena for over 10 years in senior leadership positions.
Rev. Thompson earned a Bachelor of Arts from Brooklyn College in New York, a Master’s in Public Administration from North Carolina Central University in Durham, NC, and a Masters of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in New York. She also studied Public Policy at Duke University and earned her Doctorate in Ministry at Seattle University. She was awarded an honorary doctorate from Heidelberg University.
Rev. Dr. Audrey Price
Rev. Audrey Price, Ph.D., is the Deputy Director of the Religion & Society Program at the Aspen Institute. Leveraging 30 years of experience as a project manager, religious leader, and scholar, Rev. Dr. Price serves as advisor and thought-partner to the Executive Director on high-level strategy, while managing the day-to-day implementation of the program strategy. She leads major initiatives within the Religion & Society Program, such as the Racial Justice & Religion and, Religion & Philanthropy initiatives. As the Deputy Director, Audrey manages the development of Religion & Society’s programming, operations and communications, as well as support staff and consultants.
In her work at the Institute, Rev. Dr. Price leverages her years as an ordained pastoral leader and as Executive Minister and judicatory leader in the United Church of Christ where she led the program elements exploring how racial justice intertwines with religion and strengthening the understanding of religion’s role in advancing equity and the common good.
Rev. Dr. Chad Abbott
Rev. Dr. Chad Abbott has been the Conference Minister in the Indiana-Kentucky Conference since 2017. Originally ordained in the Indiana-Kentucky Conference, he has served churches in Kentucky, New Jersey, and Indiana. He received his bachelors from Greenville University in philosophy and religion, a Masters of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary with a focus on the sociology of religion and race, and recently received his Doctor of Ministry degree from Christian Theological Seminary in Church and Community Leadership. Chad is the author of a couple of books about creativity and discernment among local churches, his latest of which is Incline Your Ear: Cultivating Spiritual Awakening in Congregations and Sacred Habits: The Rise of the Creative Clergy. He is passionate about local churches, pastors, mental health, and integrating contemplative spirituality into daily work and social justice. He is a trained labyrinth facilitator, spiritual director, and storyteller. He grew up in nearby Illinois and felt the call to ministry at age 10. Chad and his wife, Shannon, live in Indianapolis with their two kids, Isabel and Solomon, and dogs, Zoe and Finn.
OUR ALUMNI BOARD MEMBERS
Jo Hudson
Rev. Dr. Alice Hunt
Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis
Bishop Yvette Flunder
Rev. Dr. John Dorhauer
Diana Butler Bass
Glennon Doyle
Mel Toomey
Larry Scott
Jo Hudson
Jo Hudson is a spiritual leader, pastor, mentor and community builder, currently serving as Co-Pastor of the New Church – Chiesa Nuova, United Church of Christ in Dallas, Texas. Jo has also taught at Brite Divinity School on the campus of Texas Christian University in Fort Worth and has taught at and served as a Hardin Family Preaching Mentor at Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University. Jo is frequently sought by the media for her perspectives. She writes a blog, “A Place At The Table,” where she comments on all aspects of life and spirituality. She has also served as Senior Pastor of Cathedral of Hope United Church of Christ (UCC) in Dallas, Texas, the world’s largest liberal Christian church with an historic and primary outreach to lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender, queer/questioning people, their friends, families and allies.
Rev. Dr. Alice Hunt
Professor Hunt is the President of Chicago Theological Seminary. Her research interests include biblical interpretation and engagement in the public square, historiography and the Bible, Second Temple Studies, critical theological reflection and theological education, and leadership education. Her current project focuses on the Bible in relation to the U.S./Mexico immigration issue.
Reverend Hunt was ordained at the historic Fifteenth Avenue Baptist Church, National Baptist Convention, in Nashville, Tennessee. She holds dual standing with the United Church of Christ in the Chicago Metropolitan Association. Involved in the broader issues of religious affairs and theological education, Hunt has chaired the American Academy of Religion Committee on the Status of Women in the Profession and the Social-Scientific Studies of the Second Temple Period Section for the Society of Biblical Literature. She currently serves on the Board of Commissioners for the Association of Theological Schools and chairs the Historical Books section for the Society of Biblical Literature’s international meeting. She enjoys preaching and teaching in local congregations.
Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis
Dr. Jacqui Lewis is Senior Minister Middle Collegiate Church in the East Village of Manhattan. Middle Church is a dynamic 900-member multiracial, multicultural, inclusive congregation in which everyone is welcome just as they are as they come through the door. Lewis is also the Executive Director of The Middle Project, an institute that prepares ethical leaders for a more just society. Dr. Lewis graduated from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, with a B.S. in Business Administration. She earned her Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1992, focusing on preaching, urban ministry and education. Lewis earned a M.Phil. (2002) and a Ph.D. (2004) in Psychology and Religion from Drew University. Ordained in the Presbyterian Church (USA), Dr. Lewis is a nationally recognized author, activist, speaker, and preacher on the topics of racial, economic, and gender/LGBTI justice. Author of The Power of Stories: A Guide for Leaders in Multi-Racial and Multi-Cultural Congregations and a children’s book that celebrates diversity, You Are So Wonderful!, Lewis has published numerous articles and sermons, and blogs for The Huffington Post. She is working on a spiritual memoir about getting a grown-up God.
Bishop Yvette Flunder
Rev. Yvette Flunder founded the City of Refuge Community Church UCC in 1991 in order to unite a gospel ministry with a social ministry. Preaching a message of action, the church has experienced steady numerical and spiritual growth and is now located in the south of Market area of San Francisco at 1025 Howard Street. A native San Franciscan, Rev. Flunder is a third-generation preacher with roots in the Church of God in Christ.
Rev. Dr. John Dorhauer
John grew up Roman Catholic, and spent eight years studying for the priesthood before choosing another pathway. He met and married Mimi, and a few years later attended Eden Seminary and getting ordained into the United Church of Christ. He served two churches in outstate Missouri for 15 years. From there, he served as Associate Conference Minister on staff in Missouri, and then seven years as Conference Minister for the United Church of Christ in the Southwest. In June of 2015, he was elected to serve as General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ. He is the author of two books, “Steeplejacking: How the Christian Right Is Hijacking Mainstream Religion:;” and “Beyond Resistance: The Institutional Church Meets the Postmodern World.” He is the recipient of Eden Seminary’s Shalom Award, given by the student body for a lifetime commitment to peace and justice. He has a Doctoral degree in White Privilege studies, witha focus on how white privilege affects the church. Father of three and grandfather of one, married to Mimi now for 31 years, John finds much joy and pride in and with his family. He is an avid biker and baseball fan.
Diana Butler Bass
Diana Butler Bass, Ph.D., is an award-winning author, popular speaker, inspiring preacher, and one of America’s most trusted commentators on religion and contemporary spirituality.
Glennon Doyle
Glennon Doyle is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller UNTAMED a Reese’s Book Club selection, which has sold over two million copies. She is also the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller LOVE WARRIOR, an Oprah’s Book Club selection,as well as the New York Times bestseller CARRY ON, WARRIOR. An activist and “patron saint of female empowerment” (People), Glennon hosts the WE CAN DO HARD THINGS Podcast. She is the founder and president of TOGETHER RISING, an all-women-led nonprofit organization that has revolutionized grassroots philanthropy – raising over $50 million for women, families, and children in crisis. Glennon lives in California with her wife and children.
Mel Toomey
Holding an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters for his contributions to establishing leadership as a
profession, Mel Toomey was an educator, executive advisor, and organizational consultant. He was the
founder of both the Center for Leadership Studies and the Generative Leadership Group, and principal
designer for one of the first Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership programs ever offered at a
University. Mel served as Scholar in Residence at the Graduate Institute in Bethany, Connecticut, taught an Integrating Change certification program at the University of Arkansas, Sam Walton College of Business’ Tyson Center for Spirituality in the Workplace, was a member of the Tyson Center for Faith and Spirituality in the Workplace Advisory Council, and was Principal for the Center for Leadership Studies Degree & Certification Programs.
