The Rev. Melvin Amerson is a member of the Texas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church and serves as Director of Congregational Engagement at Texas Methodist Foundation in Austin, Texas. His experience and passion lie in encouraging and developing generous, faithful leaders and congregations. 

Rev. Jamar A. Boyd II is senior pastor of Kenwood United Church of Christ in Chicago and Associate in the Office of the President at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Boyd was a graduate fellow of The Gift Collaborative of Black Theological Education & Black Faith Traditions. He holds a Bachelor of Science in sports management from Georgia Southern University and a Master of Divinity from the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology of Virginia Union University. Additionally, he is a member of the Aspen Institute’s Religion & Society Program and a board member of the Oikos Institute for Social Impact. 

Rev. Dr. Reginald Blount is the Co-Founder and Executive Director, The Oikos Institute. He serves on the faculty of Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary as Associate Professor of Formation, Leadership and Culture and teaches in the area of Christian Education, Congregational Leadership and Youth and Young Adult Ministry. He further serves the seminary as Program Director of the Garrett Young Adult Initiative (funded by the Lilly Endowment) and serves as advisor for the Doctor of Ministry in Strategic Leadership in Black Congregations. Dr. Blount serves the A.M.E. Church Fourth Episcopal District as Program Director of its Thriving in Ministry Initiative funded by the Lilly Endowment. 

Reverend Dr. Mycal Xavier Brickhouse is a dedicated pastor, educator, and community leader. He serves as the Managing Director of Programs and Grants at Leadership Education at Duke Divinity. A Tar Heel at heart, he earned dual B.A. degrees from UNC-Chapel Hill and an M.Div. and D.Min. from Duke Divinity. He has contributed to publications like Sojourners and Faith and Leadership and has been featured on BBC and NBC. A passionate advocate for social justice, he serves on multiple boards. He is happily married to Kristin, and they share three wonderful children, embodying the faith and love he preaches.  

The Rev. Valerie Bridgeman, Ph.D. is the founder, president, and CEO of WomanPreach! Inc. She is the Dean and Vice President for Academic Affairs at the Methodist Theological School in Ohio after serving one year as Interim Dean. She also is Associate Professor of Homiletics and Hebrew Bible since 2015, after having served as Visiting Professor for a year and a half. She is an alumna of Austin Presbyterian Seminary (MDiv), and received their Distinguished Alumna Award in 2018. She holds a Doctorate of Philosophy in Biblical Studies, with a concentration in Hebrew Bible, from Baylor University.  

Rev. Dr. Que English is a visionary leader and passionate advocate, excelling in driving public-private partnerships, public health advocacy, and faith-based community engagement to advance equity, policy change, and large scale social impact. She is the President and CEO of Elev8 Health Inc., an organization dedicated to addressing the social determinants of health in underserved communities and equipping faith-based organizations with the resources —including philanthropic funding, foundation support, and strategic tools—needed to improve public health outcomes nationwide. Dr. English is a nationally recognized public health leader known for her innovative strategies to address systemic inequities affecting underserved communities. 

Described an “idea whisperer,” Valaida Fullwood brings unbridled imagination and a gift for harnessing wild ideas to her work as a writer and project strategist. Valaida is author of Giving Back, a 400-page hardcover book profiling stories of Black philanthropy. She is co-creator of The Soul of Philanthropy, a multimedia exhibit that, to date, has toured to 30+ cities nationwide. Valaida is a founding member of NGAAP, a Black philanthropic collective in Charlotte, NC with 80 members and growing.  

LaKoya Gardner is the Director of the Mays Family Institute on Diverse Philanthropy at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. Before joining the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, Gardner served in several leadership capacities at Ivy Tech Community College in Indiana. She was executive director of resource development at the Anderson, Muncie, Marion and Henry County campuses, raising more than $14.7 million dollars in four years for new facilities, endowments and programmatic needs, as well as student scholarships and resources.  

Tasha Gibson is a senior program manager at Lake Institute on Faith & Giving, a part of the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at on the campus of IU Indianapolis. She is a licensed and ordained minister. Before joining the team at Lake, Tasha was a community engagement specialist at WFYI Public Media. Before working in public media, Tasha was a coordinator of children’s camps at Passport Camps. Before that, she provided administrative and development support for the executive director and publisher of Baptist News Global. She served as an associate minister on staff in local congregations after graduating from Duke Divinity School. 

Dr. Leah Gunning Francis is the Senior Vice President- Chief Mission and Values Officer at IU Heath in Indianapolis, Indiana. A frequent guest speaker, lecturer, preacher, and workshop facilitator, she draws on her marketing experience, pastoral leadership and academic training to creatively equip students, clergy, congregations and organizations for transformative social action. Her two books, Ferguson and Faith: Sparking Leadership and Awakening Community (Chalice Press, 2015) and Faith After Ferguson: Resilient Leadership in Pursuit of Racial Justice (Chalice Press, 2021), focus on clergy and young activist involvement from the Ferguson uprising through the U.S. Capitol invasion on January 6, 2021.  

Anthony L. Heaven is an Assistant Professor of Philanthropic Studies at Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, where he brings a wealth of experience from over a decade in the philanthropic sector. Before joining the Lilly Family School, Dr. Heaven held roles in donor relations, fundraising, and philanthropic consulting, culminating in his position as Vice President and Higher Education Practice Group Leader at Graham-Pelton. His career is marked by a commitment to advancing the discourse on philanthropy and justice, a commitment reflected in his extensive portfolio of conference presentations, panel discussions, and invited lectures.  

Pastor Bethany Johnson-Javois, MSW (she/her) is a health and racial justice advocate dedicated to the improved health and well-being of the people of the Greater St. Louis region and Southern Illinois. She is President & CEO of Deaconess Foundation, Pastor of Monument of Faith Church, Inc., former CEO of the St. Louis Integrated Health Network (IHN), and former Managing Director for the Ferguson Commission. 

David P. King is the Karen Lake Buttrey Director of Lake Institute on Faith & Giving as well as Associate Professor of Philanthropic Studies within the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. He arrived at IU Indianapolis in 2014 after serving as Assistant Professor of Christian History at Memphis Theological Seminary in Memphis, TN. As an American religious historian, his research interests broadly include exploring the practices of twentieth and twenty-first century American and global faith communities as well as more specifically investigating how the religious identity of faith-based nonprofits shapes their motivations, rhetoric, and practice. He is the author of the recent book, God’s Internationalists: World Vision and the Age of Evangelical Humanitarianism (UPenn Press 2019).  

Brent Leggs is the founding executive director of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund and a Senior Vice President of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Since 2005, he has worked at the National Trust in the Boston and D.C. office. Through the Fund, he leads a national community of leaders, preservationists, and activists to preserve the memory and legacy of Black American identity. Since the Fund launched in 2017, Mr. Leggs and his team have secured nearly $150 million, supported 300 preservation projects nationwide, and established a $16 million endowment to sustain the Fund’s future. Mr. Leggs‘ work is rooted in telling the nation’s full history – mitigating the erasure of African American cultural heritage and reconstructing national identity.  

Reverend McKenzie Scott Lewis leads Congregations with Community, after serving as the Northwest Director for the Center for Congregations. As Director, he also led the Center for Congregations’ diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. McKenzie’s commitment to diversity across multiple roles in his career has allowed him to lead award winning work honored in Diversity Inc. He is also the founder and leader of S-One Consulting and S-One Ministries, offering consulting, development, coaching, planning amongst other services. Committed to providing strong leadership, he has also led academic faculty and students as an adjunct professor, teaching workplace diversity and non-profit leadership and management. 

Al London joined Old National Bank in March of 2024. Old National Bank is the largest bank headquartered in the state of Indiana with over $50 billion in assets. Prior to joining Old National Bank Al had a long-standing career with JP Morgan Chase Bank for 28 years. Al brings a wealth of knowledge to his colleagues and community partners. In Al’s new role with Old National Bank, he is working on creating and delivering resources to the unbanked and underserved communities across Indiana that will help address the generational wealth gap for generations to come.  

Elizabeth Lynn has founded and led several programs designed to expand moral imagination for civic engagement, including the Center for Civic Reflection. Through her writings and creative leadership she has contributed to contemporary understandings of philanthropy and the humanities in American life. Elizabeth is directing a series of special projects for Lake Institute, focused on deepening conversation about the changing landscape of faith, philanthropy, and community. She lives in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Elder Luther Montgomery, a fifth-generation member of Witherspoon Presbyterian Church, has served faithfully as a Sunday School teacher, Youth Director, Deacon, Elder, and Assistant Clerk of Session. He engages in Bible study, participates in performing arts, and offers prayer and comfort to those who are facing life’s challenges. Luther graduated from Dillard University with a BA degree in Criminal Justice and Sociology. He has been employed in management at United Parcel Service for the past 18 years, having held positions as Corporate Investigator, Human Resources Supervisor, and now serves as the Division Compliance and Safety Supervisor for the Indianapolis Hub. Luther and his wife Kourtney have two children, Kara and Luther Matthew.

Dr. Patricia (Pat) Payne is an Indianapolis native who began her employment with the Indianapolis Public Schools in 1962 following graduation from Indiana University, Bloomington. She taught second grade students until 1987 when she was appointed to design and direct the IPS Crispus Attucks Center which comprised the Office of African Centered/Multicultural Education and the Crispus Attucks Museum of African &African American History. Presently, Pat directs the IPS Office of Racial Equity & Inclusion and the Crispus Attucks Museum. She has served IPS for over 63 years and attended IPS kindergarten through 12th grade, graduating from Shortridge High School. She is the recipient of numerous city, state and national awards.

Dr. Carlos W. Perkins is Assistant Research Scientist and Associate Director of Engagement in the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Lake Institute on Faith & Giving. Carlos is an ordained clergy with the Indiana Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and serves as the senior pastor of Bethel Cathedral AME Church, the oldest black congregation in the city of Indianapolis. he is currently serving his first term on the Indianapolis Marion County City-County Council, having been elected November 2023 to serve the residents of District 6.  

Karen Stone is a convening consultant with nearly two decades of experience in event and engagement management, meeting design, and communication. She has worked with diverse audiences and religious institutions across the theological spectrum on a variety of programs and events, creating unique and tailored opportunities for networking, learning, and celebrating. In a consultant role, she currently serves as the event and engagement manager for the Coordination Program for the National Initiative to Address Economic Challenges Facing Pastoral Leaders. Prior to her consultant work, Karen served as the Program Manager at Lake Institute on Faith & Giving. At Purdue University, she earned her B.A. and M.A. in Community Relations. 

Tiffany Tolbert is Senior Director for Preservation of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund (AACHAF) at the National Trust for Historic Preservation. In her position she leads the high profile national preservation programs and projects, such as the HBCU Cultural Heritage Stewardship Initiative and Preserving Black Churches and develops preservation strategies for nationally significant sites associated with African American cultural heritage; such as the Nina Simone Childhood Home, the John and Alice Coltrane Home, the Robert Smalls House and the Emmett Till and Mamie Till Mobley National Monument. Tolbert previously served as Director of the Northwest Field Office at Indiana Landmarks from 2006-2017. Tolbert is a native of Montgomery, Alabama and holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Huntingdon College (Montgomery, AL) in Political Science and History and Master of Historic Preservation from Georgia State University.  

Brian Williams is a program director at Lilly Endowment, Inc. In religion, his knowledge and experience aim to enhance the Endowment’s efforts to strengthen pastoral leadership in diverse communities and helps congregations develop stronger outreach ministries.  Rev. Williams also works closely with colleagues in the Endowment’s community development and youth divisions to further the Endowment’s efforts to strengthen youth programs and improve the quality of life in neighborhoods through faith-based collaborations. Prior to joining the Endowment, Williams served as a pastor of University United Methodist Church and associate pastor at North United Methodist Church in Indianapolis and at congregations in North Carolina.  Throughout his ministry, Williams has worked to be active in helping congregations develop ministries to serve their neighborhoods and strengthen collaborations with local community organizations.

Kia Williams is the Founder & CEO of Relevant Solutions Group, a consulting firm dedicated to seamlessly integrating racial equity into philanthropic strategies. With over 20 years of experience, Kia is a trusted advisor to thought leaders across industries—from entertainment and education to faith and finance. Rooted in a long familial legacy of civil rights and activism, her passion for social justice was ignited at a young age, shaping her lifelong commitment to driving meaningful change.