Conference 2024

Carmelle Beaugelin

Carmelle Beaugelin Caldwell is a Haitian-American multidisciplinary artist and organizational creativity consultant based in Princeton, New Jersey. Carmelle’s abstract and expressionist art draws influence from Afro-Latin Caribbean art styles and sacred themes. After earning a Master of Divinity at Princeton Theological Seminary, Carmelle founded BeauFolio Studio, a creative art house producing original art and hosting collaborative workshops with the mission to “create creators” at the intersection of sacred art, human-centered design, and restorative equity. Carmelle currently serves in leadership as the Associate Director of the Missing Voices Project at the Center For Religion And Culture at Flagler College (Saint Augustine, Florida) and on the Board of Artworks Trenton, a 501(c)(3) charitable corporation and visual art center that promotes artistic diversity, learning, and appreciation of the arts in Trenton, New Jersey.

Katrina E. Jenkins

The Rev. Katrina E. Jenkins serves as the Assistant Dean for Faith and Spirituality Initiatives at Rutgers University. For the past 23 years, she has been a college chaplain and previously served at colleges in Florida, Illinois, and Massachusetts. Rev. Jenkins earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Speech Communication from Syracuse University. She earned her Master of Divinity degree from Andover Newton Theological School. Rev. Jenkins is ordained through The American Baptist Churches, USA. Additionally, Rev. Jenkins is a certified mediator, spiritual director, and labyrinth facilitator. In 2009, she received her labyrinth facilitator certification. Since that time, she has conducted workshops on both domestic and international platforms. Throughout her career, Rev. Jenkins has served on several committees and boards. She has also presented at workshops and appeared on podcasts, addressing crucial topics such as race and interfaith matters. In recent years, her notable work garnered the attention of the Orlando Sentinel, leading to her authoring opinion pieces on the importance of having tough discussions about the difference between diversity and equity. Rev. Jenkins is also proud of editing a book on the spiritual life of the late singer Prince. In 2021, she was named one of the Most Influential people by Winter Park Magazine for her outstanding work in interfaith and social justice.

Nina Laubach

Nina Laubach is in the MDiv program at Princeton Theological Seminary with a Concentration in Theology, Ecology, and Faith Formation. Her current Seminary journey brings together, often in creative ways, the experiences from her previous career paths as a structural engineer, yoga teacher, and assistant school chaplain. Nina studied contemplative dialogue with a Benedictine oblate for four years and her other interests include interfaith spaces, and how the Gospel is preached and expressed in public life. Nina is pursuing clinical chaplaincy certification, and continues to advocate for diverse leadership in the Catholic Church.

Andrew Prevot

Andrew Prevot is a Black Catholic theologian specializing in spirituality and social justice. He holds a Masters and PhD in Theology from the University of Notre Dame and a Bachelors in Philosophy from Colorado College. After teaching at Boston College for ten years, here located to DC last summer to start a position as the Amaturo Chairin Catholic Studies at Georgetown University, where he is Professor in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies and a Senior Fellow at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs. He is the author of Thinking Prayer: Theology and Spirituality amid the Crises of Modernity (2015); Theology and Race: Black and Womanist Traditions in the United States (2018); and The Mysticism of Ordinary Life: Theology, Philosophy, and Feminism (2023), along with over thirty essays and articles. He is also the co-editor of Anti-Blackness and Christian Ethics (2017)

Julian Davis Reid

Julian Davis Reid (M.Div., Candler School of Theology) is a child of God, the husband of Carmen and father of Lydia, a son and brother, and a Black artist-theologian of Chicago who uses words and music to invite us into the restful lives we were created to live. A musician, speaker, and writer, Julian is the founder of the ministry Notes of Rest®, which invites the weary into the rest of God practiced in the Bible and Black music. Julian has released numerous records, including with his own ensemble Circle of Trust and the jazz electronic fusion group The JuJu Exchange. His most recent releases are Candid under his own name and JazzRx with The JuJu Exchange. Julian has performed at the Montreal Jazz Fest, The Cleveland Orchestra’s Severance Hall, Lollapalooza, and the Berlin Jazz Fest. He has worked or performed with Jennifer Hudson, Chance the Rapper, Tank and the Bangas, Andrew Bird, Jamila Woods, Derrick Hodge, Isaiah Collier, and Abiodun Oyewole from The Last Poets. An award-winning writer, Julian has written chapters on Notes of Rest in forthcoming books from Candler School of Theology at Emory University, Duke Divinity School, and Princeton Theological Seminary, respectively. He writes about faith, music, Blackness, and rest on his Substack “Julian’s Note.” Julian also consults with the boutique consultancy Fearless Dialogues. His work has been covered in The New York Times, Forbes, Sojourners, Billboard, and Downbeat.

Aizaiah G. Yong

Aizaiah G. Yong is an ordained Pentecostal Christian minister, practical theologian, and healing companion who has served in religious and higher education leadership for over 15 years devoting his energy to change work in solidarity with QTBIPOC communities. He can be found engaging and embracing intercultural and interreligious communities, facilitating spiritual retreats, and or working collaboratively with others at the intersections of spiritual, cultural, and relational transformation.

Mary Ellen Azada

Mary Ellen Azada is an ordained PC(USA) pastor for nearly 30 years. She has served as Associate Pastor at PC(USA) churches, as well as a church planter of an Evangelical Covenant Church in Hawaii. In addition to her work as a pastor, Rev. Azada served as an Executive Director for the Call Discernment office at Fuller Theological Seminary. In her retirement, she is serving as a spiritual director. For her, spiritual direction is a sacred space where we are invited to listen for God, and to the deepest parts of ourself. In this listening, we listen for greater wisdom and to encounter the Holy.

Melissa Berkey-Gerard

Melissa Berkey-Gerard seeker of the Spirit in all places– in nature, collaborating in community, struggling for justice, slowing down to walk at the pace of a toddler. She seeks to create space for others to listen deeply to what matters most to them, and to live from that place. She has extensive work with traumatized individuals and communities, and desire to help others find what heals them, what re-connects them, what energizes them.

Ruth Giraldo-Mangual

Ruth Giraldo-Mangual is an alumna of Princeton Theological Seminary. Ruth graduated with a Master of Divinity, with a certificate in Theology, Women, and Gender, and a certificate in Spiritual Direction from Oasis Ministries. During Ruth’s seminary journey, she was selected for the highly sought fellowship with Sacred Sector through the Center for Public Justice. Ruth also served as a Field Education Intern at a multicultural church in Plainfield.

Before Seminary, Ruth was an Assistant Property Manager for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Adjunct Professor at Monroe College and Suffolk Community College, and Executive Pastry Chef in NYC. Ruth utilized her knowledge of Pastry Arts when she worked for a non-profit organization as an Economic Empowerment Manager and Safe home Coordinator; she served women survivors of Labor and Sex Trafficking. Ruth has a passion for empowering women who are victims of domestic violence. She believes women and girls have the right to know they are loved, embraced, seen, and not forgotten.

Ruth’s ministry experience began in Brooklyn, NY, where she held multiple positions in a multicultural church. She served as a Sunday School teacher, Worship Team Leader, Youth Counselor, and Elder. She has worked in various other churches and departments, including Outreach ministries, Intercessory prayer, and mentoring teenage girls.

Minister Ruth is the owner and Executive chef of Azuca Patisserie. At Azuca Patisserie, their mission is to “Feed both the body and soul.” Providing an opportunity for wholistic transformation while feeding the 5,000 and MORE. Ruth is a mother, wife, and advocate for building beloved communities which embrace respect, diversity, truth, and justice for all of God’s creation.

Angela Hooks

As an ordained Baptist minister, professional writer, adjunct lecturer, and workshop leader, Angela Hooks created Heartbeat Formation, LLC, a spiritual direction practice shaped with the unconditional love of God as the motivation. As a spiritual director, Dr. Hooks helps others notice the rhythms and movements of God’s healing, joy, and grace in their lives. Rev. Dr. Hooks knows that the Holy Spirit is the Ultimate guide in her life and in her practice. Angela is an independent, interdisciplinary scholar writing about Christian Spirituality and diary and autobiographical life writing.

David Kim

Eunhyey Lok

Rev. Eunhyey Lok is a spiritual director and licensed marriage and family therapist. She believes that most people just need a safe space to explore what’s at the root of their struggles, and to begin experiencing the relief and transformation they desire to see in themselves and their relationships. She loves helping people delve deeper into what God has for them. Eunhyey specializes in working with leaders in Christian ministry as well as cross-cultural and international NGO workers. Eunhyey graduated from Fuller’s MS MFT program, and has an MDiv from Princeton Theological Seminary, as well as a Master of International Studies degree from Ewha Womans University. She is also an ordained pastor, is married and has one son.  Currently, she enjoys casual hikes around Los Angeles, reading YA fiction (especially by Asian American authors) and streaming SciFi and British period dramas.

Julia Mckeon

Julia has walked alongside many who have encountered grief, trauma and hardship in her work as a spiritual director, hospital chaplain and Episcopal priest. She received a certificate in spiritual direction through the Stillpoint Center with additional specialty training in group spiritual direction, enneagram, dreamwork and grief counseling. She is familiar with many modalities and forms of prayer and contemplative practices. Her Masters in Divinity degree is from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley. She lives in the Princeton area.

Leonard McMahon

Leonard McMahon is a doctoral candidate in theology at the Graduate Theological Union at Berkeley, with work in spirituality, theology, and politics. Leonard holds an MA in Religious Studies from UC Santa Barbara and an MDiv from Harvard Divinity School. His interest is in political theology and improving civic engagement. Through his consultancy, Common Ground Dialogue, he works to bring diverse citizens into deeper conversation for the sake of our democracy. For more information about his work, visit Common Ground Dialogue.  For more information on his faculty work, please visit his profile at the Pacific School of Religion website.

Erica McMurtry

Minister Erica McMurtry is a native of Chicago, Illinois and relocated to Michigan in 2019 to serve as the Director of the Gerholz Center for Christian Counseling, a ministry of the First Presbyterian Church of Flint. Minister Erica has always had a passion to serve the church and its community.  Her volunteer efforts ranged from working in the church’s food pantry to going door to door in the community in attempts to survey the residents’ needs and provide them with resources.  Her love for God and love for serving people, fueled her desire to bridge the gap between her two worlds.  As a result, she went back to school to receive a dual degree – a Master of Divinity and Master of Social Work from Princeton Theological Seminary and Rutgers University, respectively.  She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and also a Spiritual Director, in which she received her training from Oasis Ministries for Spiritual Development.  Minister Erica aspires to help people live their life more abundantly (John 10:10) by providing holistic services. She enjoys being a conduit by which God can transform lives. In her spare time, Minister Erica enjoys watching movies and traveling with her husband Robert.

Caz Pearson

Caz lives and works in Kensington, Philadelphia as the director of The Simple Way, a small organization supporting neighbors as they build a neighborhood they can be proud of. She trained as a Spiritual Director at Kairos School for Spiritual Direction and has offered individual Spiritual Direction since 2011. She learned the practice of Group Spiritual Direction with Shalem Institute in 2016 and continues to facilitate groups. Caz works at the intersection of faith and justice, integrating contemplation and action, and hopes to assist individuals and groups in finding ways to do the same.

Gabrielle Woods

Gabrielle Woods is a graduate of Rutgers University and an alum of Princeton Theological Seminary where she earned her MDiv and her Masters of Christian Education and Formation. Currently she is pursuing an MFA in Dramatic Writing at NYU where she is exploring the intersection between faith and the arts. As a product of the Pentecostal tradition, she believes the Holy Spirit is active in both our individual lives as Christians and in our pursuit of God’s justice in a broken and divided world.

Ruth Workman

Ruth Workman has certificates in Spiritual Direction and as a supervisor of Spiritual Directors.  She earned an M.Ed. from Rutgers University and an M.A. in Holistic Spirituality and Spiritual Direction from Chestnut Hill College.  Ruth offers individual direction and group spiritual direction on Zoom or by phone.  Ruth has trained spiritual directors through Oasis Ministries for Spiritual Formation where she served as the lead teacher for Deepening Year in Spiritual Direction, a year-long program for training spiritual directors who want to grow In the art of spiritual direction.  She also taught Spiritual Direction at Princeton Theological Seminary as an adjunct professor..  She served Presbyterian Congregations as a Director of Christian Education for 20 years.  Ruth retired as Pastoral Care Associate at Langhorne Presbyterian Church, where she was acting head of staff prior to the January 2008 arrival of a new called pastor.  She and her husband have two adult sons and eight grandchildren.

Alex Zubak