Rev. Laura Mariko Cheifetz
Vice President of Church & Public Relations and Editor of These Days Presbyterian Publishing Corporation |
Reverend Laura Mariko Cheifetz serves as Vice President of Church & Public Relations and Editor of These Days at the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation and is an ordained teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church (USA). She has served with the Forum for Theological Exploration and at McCormick Theological Seminary. She is multiracial Asian American of Japanese American and white Jewish descent, and grew up a double pastors kid in the Pacific Northwest. Laura holds a BA from Western Washington University, an MBA from North Park University, and an MDiv from McCormick Theological Seminary. Most recently, she contributed to “Race in Post-Obama America: The Church Responds” (Westminster John Knox Press). She is a co-contributor on “Asian American Religious Leadership” in the SAGE Reference “Religious Leadership” volume, a contributor to “Streams Run Uphill” and “Here I Am,” and co-editor of “Church on Purpose” (all from Judson Press). She has written and blogged for Horizons Magazine, Ecclesio, Unbound, the Salt Collective, the Covenant Network, McCormick’s CURE, NEXT Church, and Columbia Connections.
Laura and her spouse enjoy their four nieces and one nephew. Her claim to fame is having lived in a town of 180, a city of 8 million, and everything in between. For fun, she watches television, hangs out with her rescued Shih Tzus, reads fiction, delves into post-colonial feminism and critical race theory, and rages against the system of which, she is clear, she is a part. Laura blogs very occasionally at http://churchrelations.blogspot.com and tweets at @lmcheifetz |
April Moreno
Ph.D Candidate Claremont Graduate University |
April Moreno has been involved in community organizations for over 5 years, with the YWCA Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley on the Board of Directors. April is also a 2011 alumna of Leadership Los Angeles and the International City/County Managers Association Emerging Leaders Development Program.
Ms. Moreno is interested in continuing with nonprofit board membership and is establishing a nonprofit to mentor and promote women in technology and health equity leadership. Ms. Moreno is currently a CDC/CSTE Health Systems Integration Fellow and is also a PhD candidate at Claremont Graduate University in Community and Global Health Informatics. |
Rev. JC Moon
Senior Pastor New Horizon Community Church |
Rev. JC Moon is the Senior pastor at New Horizon Community Church. He is also a Professor for Washington University of Virginia and a Senior Analyst at Freddie Mac.
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Justine Heoreon An
Strategic Initiatives Advisor International House Philadelphia |
Justine Heoreon An is a strategic initiatives advisor with an experience in crafting, managing, and implementing multi-faceted policy initiatives in partnership with the U.S. and foreign governments, corporations, and non-profit organizations. She currently works at Institutional Advancement of International House Philadelphia (IHP), where she specializes in coalition building, policy analysis, and relationship management. Prior to IHP, she was a research scholar of Asian American Studies Program at University of Pennsylvania (Penn). While she was working at the universities, including Penn, as a visiting scholar, she conducted research on the academic experiences of East Asian immigrant students within the American educational system.
As a fellow in the Network of Korean American Young Professionals, she is also passionate about capacity building and leadership development in the Korean American community. Along with the scholarly work, she has been active in faith-based community service; she has served on the board for women’s fellowship of Presbyterian church for three years and supported inner city students, young girls, and teenage moms in Philadelphia. As a member of iBelieve and ABCS (Academically Based Community Service), she has also organized meal event for homeless, prepared and served them at St. United Methodist Church. Justine has an M.S.Ed. from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. Prior to Penn, she received her Ph.D. in Korean Literary Criticism in Korea. |
Breana van Velzen
Master's Candidate Duke University Divinity School |
Breana van Velzen is a native of Wilmington, NC, former English teacher, current minister and social worker. She attends Duke University Divinity School and UNC School of Social Work as a Master's candidate. She is interested in reconciliation through postcolonial theological studies and decolonizing systems and communities as well as community development. This past year she has worked in refugee mental health and in cultural education and conversations with faith communities.
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