Past Mentors

Rev. Dr. Phaedra D. Blocker has a passion for empowering individuals and organizations (particularly clergy and churches) to move toward wholeness and actualize their potential. She is Affiliate Professor in Leadership & Formation and Assistant Director of Openseminary at Palmer Theological Seminary of Eastern University. Formerly Director of Programs for New Baptist Covenant, her ministry experience includes oversight of discipleship and pastoral care ministries, counseling, serving as an associate pastor for a congregation of 10,000-plus members, and as assistant pastor for a small Liberian congregation. She also has more than 30 years’ experience in management, community relations, communications and marketing, and program and organizational development. Dr. Blocker earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Temple University, a Master of Divinity from Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary (Palmer), a Doctor of Ministry in Spiritual Transformation from Northern Theological Seminary, and has done clinical training in marriage and family therapy at the Council for Relationships.

The Rev. Dr. Gail Davis serves ministry with a spirit of creativity. As owner of The Winning Image, an award winning, graphic design and marketing company, Dr. Davis combined her fashion and design skills with evangelism when she served as Director of Evangelism/Marketing at Berean Baptist Church, Brooklyn.  She also served as Director of the Brooklyn Women’s Business Center where she was responsible for providing assistance to women (and men) who wanted to start and grow businesses and designing workshops with relevant topics to enhance the growth and knowledge of entrepreneurs. She is currently a member of Arts on a Mission, an intergenerational team of creatives at Berean where evangelism and worship intersect with art, drama, film, music and dance and the scriptures. Dr. Davis currently serves as a mentor with the RISE Together Mentor Network and New York Theological Seminary to support and encourage women in ministry.

Tony is a pastor (of The Quest Church in Novato California), filmmaker, and the founder of BraveMaker, a non-profit film arts organization that exists to elevate brave voices through film . As an entrepreneur he works with companies to create space for transforming conversations on justice, diversity and inclusion. For more info go to www.bravemaker.com.

Currently serves as ABC-USA Past President, after finishing his term from January 1, 2018 – December 31, 2019.  He previously served as Vice President, and also served as President of the ABCUSA Hispanic Caucus.  A member of the First Baptist Church of Río Piedras, P.R. He has held various positions in his local church as well as being the former president of the ABC USA Region of Puerto Rico.

Gómez-Menéndez is a member of the Puerto Rico Bar, works as a lawyer and is currently the Administrative Director of the Puerto Nuevo Baptist Academy, a college prep in the San Juan area with 800 students serving since 1956.  He holds a Ph.D in Business Management from LSU and a J.D. from the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico. 

Molly Grisham is recognized as a courageous and passionate communicator whose programs inspire and set people in motion. She is passionate about developing individuals and leaders, building teams and creating custom workshops. She has helped athletes exceed personal goals, teams become more productive, leaders achieve new heights, and companies grow more competitive in their markets through highly engaging programs, curricula and workshops. She is backed by 20 years of experience in coaching at the collegiate, high school and club levels; the entrepreneurial spirit of a successful business builder; the communication skills of an author and storyteller; and more than 10 years as an adjunct professor and curriculum builder.

In January 2021, Marie became Associate General Secretary for Mission Resource Development overseeing fund development, communications, marketing, and public relations with ABCUSA. Prior to that, Marie was Regional Executive Minister of ABC Wisconsin for over six years where she envisioned and sowed several initiatives, including the New Wineskins Grant Program for innovative ministries, the POST online faith community, the Circuit Project for intentional interim ministry, and the Ministry of Conversation, encouraging and equipping for difficult conversations across human differences. Marie journeys toward wholly knowing her divine calling and living into that call in all aspects of life—family, vocational ministry, personal networks, and community—in ways that are driven by her instructive convictions of God as Creator of Good, Jesus as purifying power, and Holy Spirit as innovative source. Her doctoral work in intercultural and transformational leadership at the Berkeley School of Theology (formerly ABSW, DMin 2017, MDiv 2004) continues to inform her pursuits in cross-cultural community formation and racial justice advocacy, inclusive of her editing and writing contributions to Trouble the Water: A Christian Resource for the Work of Racial Justice (Nurturing Faith, 2017). Marie also has a BS in Business Management from Binghamton University, NY and brings her retail executive, local church pastor, seminary staff experiences, and denominational leadership to all her endeavors and networking.

Often called “D.C.’s Pastor,” the Rev. Thomas L. Bowen is director of the Office of Religious Affairs for Washington, D.C.’s Mayor Muriel Bowser. Additionally, he provides leadership to the Mayor’s Office on African American Affairs and the Commission on Fathers, Men and Boys. He is also the Earl L. Harrison Minister of Social Justice at the historic Shiloh Baptist Church of Washington. He has held several advocacy and nonprofit positions, including senior religious advocate for the Children’s Defense Fund. He is a founding member of the Jamestown Project think tank, a member of the Leadership Council for the United Negro College Fund Washington and serves on the board of the Nannie Helen Burroughs School. National co-chair of the Collective National Finance Council, he serves on American Baptist Home Mission Societies’ Socially Responsible Investment Council.

Molly Grisham is recognized as a courageous and passionate communicator whose programs inspire and set people in motion. She is passionate about developing individuals and leaders, building teams and creating custom workshops. She has helped athletes exceed personal goals, teams become more productive, leaders achieve new heights, and companies grow more competitive in their markets through highly engaging programs, curricula and workshops. She is backed by 20 years of experience in coaching at the collegiate, high school and club levels; the entrepreneurial spirit of a successful business builder; the communication skills of an author and storyteller; and more than 10 years as an adjunct professor and curriculum builder.

The Rev. Dr. Debora Jackson is director of Lifelong Learning at Yale Divinity School, where her responsibility is to develop a robust program that leverages the school’s intellectual and professional resources for the betterment of churches and other ministries. She previously served as executive director of the Ministers Council of American Baptist Churches USA and senior pastor of First Baptist Church, Needham, Mass. Before heeding the call to ministry, she worked in business for 20 years, including as COO/CIO of an Internet-based energy services provider and as managing director of an information technology consulting group. She is author of “Spiritual Practices for Effective Leadership: 7R’s of Sanctuary for Pastors” (Judson Press, 2015). She earned a Doctor of Ministry in Leadership with Honors from Andover Newton Theological School. 

The Rev. Dr. Amaury Tañón-Santos is networker for Synod of the Northeast, the region of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) that serves 1,100 gospel communities, organized in 22 presbyteries, serving New England, New Jersey and New York. Ordained by American Baptist Churches of New Jersey, he has pastored congregations in New York and New Jersey. He also served as director of programs in multicultural ministry, faith and public life, and Latina/o leadership formation at Princeton Theological Seminary. He was later received into membership of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to serve in congregational ministry and more recently in regional life. He holds degrees from the Universidad de Puerto Rico as well as both Princeton and New Brunswick theological seminaries.

The Rev. Dr. Chakravarthy Zadda-Ravindra is associate regional minister of American Baptist Churches (ABC) of Metro Chicago and moderator/administration coordinator for the Alliance of Asian American Baptist Churches. He previously oversaw campus ministry for ABC of Metro Chicago and was director of the International Student Affairs Office at Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. He is part of American Baptist Churches USA’s Emerging Theologians Task Force. As the Danker Foundation Scholar and the Grover Wright Scholar, Zadda-Ravindra received a Ph.D. in World Christianity and Missions from Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. He has lectured in missiology at Baptist and Lutheran seminaries in the United States and in India. He has served the National Council of Churches of India.

John (“J.L.”) Zoeckler is an educator, mediating experiences in which appropriate challenge and rigor allow each learner to develop new understandings and to act on them. A research and innovation expert, he has worked with companies at all stages of development, from Fortune 100 companies to early-stage start-ups. A catalyst, he helps learners progress by identifying the most important problem to solve and the most effective approach to achieve tangible results. Highly creative, Zoeckler brings a new approach to challenges, while facilitating a process to generate new ideas. He earned an M.A.T. at the University of Southern California and a B.A. at the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay.