In Trust Center Board Members

Meet the driving force behind In Trust Center’s strategic vision and decision-making. Our board members are a diverse and accomplished group of individuals, who bring a wealth of expertise, dedication, and leadership to guide our mission. Together, they steer our organization toward success, ensuring that we remain true to our values and objectives.

Dr. Priscilla AdoyoVice President for Academic Affairs
International Theological Seminary
Dr. Priscilla AdoyoVice President for Academic Affairs
International Theological Seminary

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 has 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. Additionally, she was on the team that developed the African Study Bible.

She holds a doctor of missiology, specializing in peace building, from Fuller Theological Seminary, Master of Arts in conflict transformation from Eastern Mennonite University, Master of Divinity from Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology (now Africa International University) and Bachelor of Art in education from Nairobi University. She is married to Pastor Jonathan Maritim and has three stepchildren and one very lovely grandson.

Prof. Anne Anderson, C.S.J. Board Chair
St. Joseph's Health System,
Diocese of Hamilton Ontario
Prof. Anne Anderson, C.S.J. Board Chair
St. Joseph's Health System,
Diocese of Hamilton Ontario

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.

Mr. Bryan BlankenshipVice President of Finance and Administration
Member, Sr. Leadership Team, Asbury Theological Seminary
Mr. Bryan BlankenshipVice President of Finance and Administration
Member, Sr. Leadership Team, Asbury Theological Seminary

Bryan Blankenship has served as the vice president of finance and administration and a member of the senior leadership team at Asbury Theological Seminary since 2007. He was the seminary’s executive director of finance for the prior three years, and from 1996 to 2004, he was a faculty member and director of finance at Central Christian College of Kansas.

At Asbury Seminary, Blankenship oversees the Accounting/Business Office, Auxiliary Services, Facilities & Security, and Human Resources, as well as direct responsibility for other functions including the annual budget, benefits management and negotiation, capital planning, endowment administration, legal matters, and risk management.

In addition to his service on the In Trust Center board, Blankenship currently serves on the Boards of Directors of The Martha R. Jones Foundation for Health Education, Inc., and The Foundation of Central Christian College. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Greenville College in Illinois, an M.B.A. from the University of Kentucky, and a Master of Arts from Asbury Theological Seminary.

Mr. René EspinosaTreasurer, In Trust Center
Vice President of Administration and Finance, Oblate School of Theology
Mr. René EspinosaTreasurer, In Trust Center
Vice President of Administration and Finance, Oblate School of Theology

René Espinosa has been a member of the administrative team at Oblate School of Theology since 2005, initially serving as the 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 30 years of experience in public accounting, manufacturing, and nonprofit organizations. He has been as member of the board of commissioners of the Commission on Accreditation of the Association of Theological School (ATS) and participates in at least one accreditation visit per year. Recently, he was also a member of the ATS task force responsible for the redevelopment of the 2020 Standards of Accreditation.

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

The Rev. Dr. Doris García Rivera Academic Coordinator, Pathways for Tomorrow Grant, Lexington Theological Seminary
The Rev. Dr. Doris García Rivera Academic Coordinator, Pathways for Tomorrow Grant, Lexington Theological Seminary

The Rev. Dr. Doris García Rivera is present Academic Coordinator for Lilly's Pathways for Tomorrow Grant at Lexington Theological Seminary (LTS), where she specializes in developing post-secondary curricular pathways contextually appropriate and theologically relevant for underserved communities. She is also part of the Contingent Faculty of LTS in Old Testament, and Missions and Evangelism. García Rivera also collaborates as a sage and mentor in the Hispanic Theological Initiative (HTI) Latinas in Leadership Program .

A strong believer in justice-based education and collective sustainability, García Rivera is passionate about a teaching-learning process that empowers spiritual and human dignifying experiences. As a result, she has served educational, church related and nonprofit organizations for over two decades. As Interim Director of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America (BPFNA-Bautistas por la Paz) (2019-2022), she managed to navigate the Covid 19 pandemic redefining goals and programs while engaging donors to support BPFNAs’ mission. García Rivera became the first Hispanic woman President of the Evangelical Seminary of Puerto Rico  (2014-2019) overseeing the reopening, renewal, rebuilding, and restoration of the school after the devastation of Hurricanes Irma and María in September 2017. García Rivera was instrumental in developing the physical and technological infrastructure to modernize operations and educational offers of the school.

García Rivera’s focus on intercultural education and human rights as a Missionary of International Ministries of American Baptist Churches (IM-ABC) (1990-2013) resulted in the development of educational, theological, and social programs centering and dignifying the history and cultures of indigenous communities in Mexico and Afro-Costa Ricans. In collaboration with missionaries, nonprofits and churches in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, she developed the Seminario Intercultural Mayense (SIM) with theological programs (certificates and college degree), youth and adult learning programs, and a women’s cooperative project, Skinal Nichimetik .

García Rivera is a frequent conference speaker, teacher, and workshop leader throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, and Central America collaborating with myriad journals and digital spaces. She is a board member of In Trust Center (2020-2026).

García Rivera is an ordained Baptist minister of the ABC - Puerto Rican Baptist Churches. Her interests are in Interculturality, Ancient Near Eastern culture, Prophetic speech analysis and literature. She enjoys science fiction, writing, and listening to music. She is a proud white Afro-descendant Puerto Rican woman and mother of three adult children.  

The Rev. Dr. Charisse L. Gillett Vice Chair, In Trust Center
President
Lexington Theological Seminary
The Rev. Dr. Charisse L. Gillett Vice Chair, In Trust Center
President
Lexington Theological Seminary

Dr. Charisse L. Gillett became the 17th president of Lexington Theological Seminary in September 2011. Her appointment is historic in the 156-year history of the seminary.  She is the first woman and first African American to lead the seminary as president.  

She holds a doctorate in education and educational specialist degree from Northern Illinois University and a Master’s in Education and Bachelor of Arts with a major in social work from the University of Northern Iowa. Her dissertation is Transforming Two-year Colleges into Four-Year Colleges: Critical Factors in Senior Leadership and Organizational Change. In her 12th year at Lexington, she has led the seminary through a period of transformation in its academic programs, enrollment, finances, and strategic vision. Central to this transformation was the introduction of technology into the classroom, a strategic plan to help guide the institution, and a fully engaged Board of Trustees. She has spearheaded the receipt of over $3.5 million in grants and a successful capital campaign of $4.8 million in gifts.

She is a member of the Board of Directors for the Association of Theological Schools, with responsibilities as a member of the Finance Committee. She is the vice chair of the Board of Directors for the In Trust Center for Theological Schools, a member of the Transylvania University Board of Trustees, serving on the Student Experience Committee and Academic Affairs Committee, and a member of the Bluegrass Community and Technical College Theatre Advisory Board. She is also an active member of the Kentucky African American Heritage Commission. Dr. Gillett believes that service on boards and committees is a valuable means of supporting institutions and an important means of diversifying an organization’s governance and leadership.

Dr. Gillett received a $15,000 Reflective Leadership grant from Leadership Education at Duke Divinity in 2018 to think carefully about leading in the midst of crisis. She wrote about her journey and strategies for navigating difficult moments in an essay, Reflections on Leadership in an era of COVID-19 and in the Midst of a Reckoning on Racial Injustice, which was published in the Journal of Higher Education Management 2021 by the American Association of University Administrators. In addition, she was recognized as an ATS Woman of Influence in March 2023.

Ms. Kathryn Glover Nonprofit Consultant
Ms. Kathryn Glover Nonprofit Consultant

Following a 19-year career in theological education administration, Kathryn Glover founded Open Gate Solutions, LLC. Glover works with clients in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors, guiding and supporting governing boards, executive leaders and teams in the areas of organizational development and change, visioning, strategic planning and board development.
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 holds a certificate in organization consulting and change leadership from Georgetown University’s School of Continuing Education.

Ms. Amy L. Kardash President
In Trust Center for Theological Schools
Ms. Amy L. Kardash President
In Trust Center for Theological Schools

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 the In Trust Center’s work in resourcing more than 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, 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.

The Rev. Dr. Byron Klaus Board Chair, In Trust Center
Vice President, ChildHope
The Rev. Dr. Byron Klaus Board Chair, In Trust Center
Vice President, ChildHope

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.

The Rev. Dr. Jeffrey Kuan President Emeritus and Professor of Hebrew Bible
Claremont School of Theology
The Rev. Dr. Jeffrey Kuan President Emeritus and Professor of Hebrew Bible
Claremont School of Theology

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.

Ms. Patricia Maloney Principal Engineer
The Aerospace Corporation (retired)
Ms. Patricia Maloney Principal Engineer
The Aerospace Corporation (retired)

Patricia Maloney served as a senior technical and programmatic executive and has more than 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 President
Calvin Theological Seminary
Rev. Jul Medenblik President
Calvin Theological Seminary

Rev. Jul Medenblik is the 7th 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 thirteenth year as president of Calvin Theological Seminary. He has been married to his wife, Jackie, for more than 40 years and is the father of two adult children.

The Rev. Dr. Alton B. Pollard III President Emeritus
Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary
The Rev. Dr. Alton B. Pollard III President Emeritus
Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary

A graduate of Fisk University, Harvard Divinity School, and Duke University, Alton Pollard III is president emeritus 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.

Dr. Luis R. Rivera Secretary, In Trust Center
Sr. Scholar of Theology and
former Academic Dean
Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary
Dr. Luis R. Rivera Secretary, In Trust Center
Sr. Scholar of Theology and
former Academic Dean
Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary

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).

Dr. Karen L. Sawyer Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy
Arcadia University
Dr. Karen L. Sawyer Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy
Arcadia University

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.

The Rev. Dr. Richard R. Topping President and Vice Chancellor
Vancouver School of Theology
The Rev. Dr. Richard R. Topping President and Vice Chancellor
Vancouver School of Theology

Richard R. Topping, Ph.D., is president and vice chancellor 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 several theological schools in Asia.

Topping is a graduate of the University of Waterloo and 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.