Board Of Directors

Anne Anderson served as dean of the Faculty of Theology at the University of St. Michael’s College from 2001-8 and then served as president and vice-chancellor from 2008-15. She served ATS as a member of the Commission on Accrediting from 2004-10 and chaired the Commission from 2008-10. A Roman Catholic, she is a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada. She currently serves as chair of the board of directors of St. Joseph’s Health System of the Diocese of Hamilton. She continues to represent St. Michael’s on the curriculum committee of the board of the Bat Kol Institute in Jerusalem. She also continues to teach in the Faculty of Theology.

Dr. Priscilla Adoyo is the vice president for academic affairs at International Theological Seminary in California. She has served in that role since 2018 and brings a wide range of academic and ministerial experience. 

She served as the director of the Institute for the Study of African Realities at Africa International University in Nairobi, Kenya. She also served as a missionary in Nigeria with the Navigators and has served on the board of several organizations, including as a board member of the Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology. She also was on the team that developed the African Study Bible. 

She holds a doctor of missiology, specializing in peacebuilding, from Fuller Theological Seminary, a master of arts in conflict transformation from Eastern Mennonite University, a master of divinity from Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology (now Africa International University) and a bachelor's of art in education from Nairobi University. 

She is married to Pastor Jonathan Maritim and has three step-children and one very lovely grandson. 

René Espinosa has been a member of the administrative team at Oblate School of Theology since 2005. He was vice president of finance for 13 years before being named vice president of administration and finance in 2019. In his current role, he oversees finance, accounting, human resources, information systems, and plant operations.

Espinosa is a certified public accountant with more than 26 years of experience in public accounting, manufacturing, and nonprofit organizations. He is a member of the board of commissioners of the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) and participates in at least one accreditation visit per year. Recently he was a member of the ATS task force responsible for the redevelopment of the Standards of Accreditation.

Espinosa is a member of the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICIPA), the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO), and the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR).

In 2019, Doris García Rivera, Ph.D., was named interim director of Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America (Bautistas por la Paz), a network of peacemakers in Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the United States, which supports national and international peacemaking initiatives.

Born in Puerto Rico, she spent 23 years as an American Baptist missionary in Costa Rica and Mexico. From 2014 until 2019, she was the first female president of the Evangelical Seminary of Puerto Rico, where she oversaw multiple relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Maria, which required collaboration with relief organizations, partner denominations, seminaries, and volunteers.

García Rivera is a frequent conference speaker, teacher, and workshop leader throughout the United States and Central America. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s degree in microbiology. She also earned a master’s degree in cross-cultural evangelism from Andover Newton Theological School and a doctorate in biblical studies from Boston University.

Dr. Gillett was named president of Lexington Theological Seminary in 2011. She is the first African-American and woman to hold this position in the 154-year history of the seminary. She has held leadership positions at Transylvania University, Midway College, Robert Morris College and the University of Northern Iowa. 

Dr. Gillett served as the moderator of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada 2003-2005. In this capacity, she presided over the work of the general board and administrative committee and presided at the 2005 General Assembly in Portland, OR. She has served on numerous boards and committees including the National Convocation Board, the Historical Society Board of the Christian Church, the Foster Parent Association of Fayette County, the African-American Clergy Leadership Development Committee of the National Convocation, and Transylvania University's Presidential Taskforce on Diversity. In 2008, she received the Diversity Award from the Faculty for outstanding contributions to the faculty on diversity issues. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the In Trust Center and is the Chairperson for the organization's Finance Committee. She was recently elected to serve as a Director of the Association of Theological Schools Board of Directors.

Dr. Gillett holds a doctorate in education from Northern Illinois University and undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Northern Iowa. She completed a continuing education program Foundations of Christian Leadership with Leadership Education at Duke Divinity, in collaboration with the Center for Creative Leadership. In 2019 she received a $15,000 Reflective Leadership grant from Leadership Education at Duke Divinity to reflect upon ways to lead Lexington Theological Seminary from crisis to stability. Under her leadership in 2018 the seminary received a $1,000,000 Thriving in Ministry grant and in 2019 the seminary received a $1,000,000 Thriving Congregations grant both from the Lilly Endowment Inc., to implement programs to sustain pastors in ministry and strengthen congregations. She is commissioned by the Christian Church in Kentucky and serves as an associate minister at East Second Street Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

Kathryn Glover is a certified senior human resources professional. Currently a consultant in governance, leadership, and organizational development, Glover also serves on the Episcopal Church’s national Task Force to Develop Churchwide Family Leave Policies. In her previous role as Vice President for Administration and Institutional Effectiveness and Secretary of the Corporation at Virginia Theological Seminary, she oversaw multiple departments including human resources, communications, hospitality, and the seminary’s early learning center.

Glover is a graduate of Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts, and George Mason University, where she earned a master’s degree in public administration with a concentration in nonprofit management. She is a certified senior professional by the Society for Human Resources Management, is certified in organization consulting and change leadership from Georgetown University, and is co-author of the book Community Rules.

Amy Kardash has been the president of the In Trust Center for Theological Schools since 2017, serving as director of programs for eight years prior.

She oversees and directs all the In Trust Center’s work in resourcing over 230 seminaries, theological schools, and affiliate organizations. In 2012 she helped launch Resource Consulting, offering a new way of connecting leaders in theological education with resources they need to make transformative changes at their institutions.

In addition to Resource Consulting, she oversees the organization’s work in In Trust magazine and in building learning communities via focused initiatives and through the In Trust Center’s popular webinar series, which she initiated in 2011.

Before joining the In Trust Center, Amy Kardash enjoyed a ten-year career in corporate banking and marketing at PNC Bank and Wilmington Trust Company. She holds both a B.S. in marketing and management and an M.B.A. from the University of Delaware.

Debra Kellar (Debbie) was appointed vice president of Finance in 2011. She also served Denver Seminary previously as associate vice president of Finance from 2006 to 2011 and director of finance from 2000 to 2006. In her current position, Kellar oversees finance; accounting; risk management, safety, and compliance; information technology; housing and auxiliary services; human resources; and facilities.

In 1996 Kellar earned an M.B.A. from the University of Kansas with emphasis in process reengineering and total quality management. She earned a B.A. in accounting from New Mexico State University in 1990. A certified public accountant, she has many years of business experience in nonprofits and corporations.

Kellar serves on the board of the local chapter of the Christian Leadership Alliance (CLA) and is a member and former board member of the Association of Business Administrators of Christian Colleges (ABACC). She is also a member of the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO), the Colorado Society of Certified Public Accountants, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR), and the South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce. Kellar and her husband, Scott, have two sons.

Byron Klaus served as president of the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary in Springfield, Missouri from 1999-2015. He previously served for 20 years on the faculty and in the administration of Vanguard University of Southern California.

Klaus presently serves as Vice President of ChildHope, a child development ministry engaging more than 100,000 children at risk in the Caribbean and Latin America. He also serves as a consultant for educational and ministry leaders globally.  His articles and books have been published by Baker Books, Crossway Books, Logion Press, Moody Press, Regal Books, Regnum Books and Routledge Publishers. He is an ordained Assemblies of God minister.

Kah-Jin Jeffrey Kuan has served as president of Claremont School of Theology since 2013. Previously he was dean of Drew Theological School and served on the faculty of the Pacific School of Religion and the Graduate Theological Union. He is a graduate of Trinity Theological College in Singapore, Southern Methodist University, and Emory University.

An ordained elder in The United Methodist Church, Kuan has served as vice president and chair of the denomination’s Division of Higher Education, as a member of its University Senate, and as chair of its Commission on Theological Education. Additionally, he has served as chair of the board of trustees of the Foundation for Theological Education in Southeast Asia. He was previously chair of the Member Council of the Hispanic Theological Initiative.

Patricia Maloney served as a senior technical and programmatic executive and has over 30 years' experience in aerospace, defense, and energy. A Roman Catholic laywoman, she previously served on the board of Washington Theological Union and chaired the board of Louisville High School, the Catholic school in Woodland Hills, California, from which she graduated. She is also on the board of Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and Franciscan Mission Service. 

In 2017, Maloney was honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award from California State University, Northridge, for her contributions to aerospace and engineering, she currently serves on their foundation board. She also earned an M.B.A. at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.

Rev. Jul Medenblik is the seventh president of Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is a graduate of Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Illinois, (B.A.) and obtained his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Florida. He is a former practicing attorney who then went on to Calvin Theological Seminary (M.Div.) and became a church planter. During his sixteen years as founding and senior pastor of New Life Christian Reformed Church in New Lenox, Illinois, he also served as Point Team Leader for Church Planting for Christian Reformed Church Home Missions. Rev. Medenblik is in his twelfth year as president. He has been married to his wife, Jackie, for over 40 years and is the father of two adult children. 

A graduate of Fisk University, Harvard Divinity School, and Duke University, Alton Pollard III is president of Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Dean of the Howard University School of Divinity from 2007 to 2017, he previously served in academic positions at St. Olaf College, Wake Forest University, and Candler School of Theology at Emory University.

Pollard is a past chair of the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools. He is co-editor of The Black Church Studies Reader and author of Mysticism and Social Change.

Luis R. Rivera has worked in theological education since 1986, first on the faculty of the Evangelical Seminary of Puerto Rico and then at McCormick Theological Seminary and Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. Prior to his teaching career, Rivera served as a Baptist lay minister in Puerto Rico. He has been a member of the United Methodist Church since 2004.

A graduate of the University of Puerto Rico, the Evangelical Seminary of Puerto Rico, and Harvard Divinity School, Rivera chairs the Member Council of the Hispanic Theological Initiative. He is a former board member of the Hispanic Summer Program (HSP), of the Hispanic Theological Initiative (HTI) Member Council, and is currently the Interim President of the Board of Directors of the Association for Hispanic Theological Education (AETH).

Karen L. Sawyer, DPT, has been a member of the physical therapy faculty at Arcadia University since 1994. As the director of national and international experiential learning, she develops and oversees student two-week experiences primarily in the Caribbean and Central America. Since the international program’s inception in 1996, more than 400 students have participated in global health experiences.

In addition to leading teams of student physical therapists to middle-income countries, she has co-taught courses and co-led trips to Israel-Palestine and Istanbul that have incorporated a multinarrative approach to understanding people with divergent opinions or opposing worldviews. Her conviction is that the appreciation of backgrounds, fears, and aspirations of others is a key to relationship development.

She has served on the board of trustees at Missio Seminary since 1994, most recently completing two three-year terms as board chair. She is vice chair of Friends of the Redeemer United, a nonprofit organization that provides physical therapy and other services in rural Jamaica.

Sawyer is a member of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Maple Glen, Pennsylvania. She holds an undergraduate degree in classical archaeology from Dartmouth College, master’s degrees from Duke University (physical therapy) and Missio Seminary (counseling), and a clinical doctorate degree from Arcadia University.

Richard R. Topping, Ph.D., is principal of the Vancouver School of Theology, an ecumenical seminary on the campus of the University of British Columbia, where he holds the St. Andrew’s Hall chair in studies in the Reformed tradition. He teaches in the areas of Reformed and systematic theology, Reformation history, and theological interpretation of scripture.

From 2000 to 2009, Topping was lead minister at the Church of St. Andrew and St. Paul in Montreal. He also taught at Presbyterian College, part of the Montreal School of Theology, for eight years.

During Topping’s leadership, the Vancouver School of Theology has set new thresholds in enrollment, donor commitment, innovative programming, and strategic partnerships. It has also expanded its partnerships around the world, including with Durham University in the United Kingdom and with a number of theological schools in Asia.

Topping is a graduate of the University of Waterloo and of St. Michael’s University and Wycliffe College, both of which are part of the Toronto School of Theology. He is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church in Canada and is currently minister-in-association at Richmond Presbyterian Church in Richmond, British Columbia.