J. Clifford Hudson is Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Union Theological Seminary.  He was for 23 years the CEO of publicly-held Sonic Corp., until it was acquired by an affiliate of Roark Capital in 2018.  He also served as chairman of the board of directors of the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC), a presidential appointment, from 1994-2001.  He previously served as a trustee of the Ford Foundation, and chairman of the board of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Hudson graduated from the University of Oklahoma, where he was honored in 2011 with an honorary doctoral degree in humane letters, and Georgetown University Law Center. In 2014, he received Georgetown’s John Carroll award, its highest Award for University alumni.

Religious Affiliation: Presbyterian (PCUSA)

Rhonda Joy McLean is the President and CEO of RJMLEADS LLC, a leadership consulting company based in New York City.  She is the former Deputy General Counsel of Time Inc., a global media company, where she managed one-third of the legal department for nearly 20 years and provided legal counsel to over 200 clients, including the print, digital and social media marketing personnel for Time, People, Sports Illustrated, Fortune, Money, Entertainment Weekly and ESSENCE, among other top brands.  Prior to her work at Time Inc., she was the Deputy Director of the Federal Trade Commission’s New York Regional Office, specializing in consumer protection fraud and antitrust violations.  A co-author of popular books on leadership development for women, entitled “The Little Black Book of Success” series, Ms. McLean regularly works with Fortune 500 companies, global corporations, law firms, law schools, churches, universities and colleges.

A graduate of Yale Law School, Ms. McLean has served as Chair of the Yale Law School Executive Committee and a director of the Yale Law School Fund Board.  She is a past president of the Greater New York Chapter of the Links, Incorporated, an international organization of professional women of African descent with 16,000 members in the United States, the Caribbean and Great Britain.  The Links are dedicated to public service and provide over one million hours of community service to traditionally underserved communities each year.  Ms. McLean is also an active alumna of the New York Women’s Foundation Board of Directors and a past Board Chair.  In December 2020, she received the Constance Baker Motley Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Black Women Attorneys.  In June, 2023, she received The Lifetime Achievement Award from Rogue Media Group.

Religious Affiliation: Christian Non-Denominational 

Geoffrey Brown is the senior director of government relations for The Pew Charitable Trusts.  He directs government relations activities for Pew’s domestic and international environmental campaigns, which have ranged from addressing establishing marine protected areas around the world to promoting clean energy policies, and improving the ability of communities to cope with flooding and sea level rise.  Geoff joined Pew in 2008.  Previously, he was the legislative director for the National Environmental Trust and spent 10 years working in the U.S. Senate on a range of environment, energy, and economic development issues.

Geoff holds a master’s degree in resource policy and behavior from the University of Michigan and a bachelor’s degree in American studies from Yale University.  He lives with his wife Suzanne in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, DC and can often be found sculling on the Anacostia River.

Religious Affiliation: Episcopalian

William A. Candelaria is a partner in DLA Piper, specializing in corporate transactions, private equity, and capital markets. He was previously a partner in Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, and Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP. In addition to his board service with Union Seminary, he is an active member of the Board of Directors of the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund, and he serves on the board of the Economic Development Corporation of the City of New York. He received his undergraduate and Master of Arts degrees from Stanford University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School where he served as an editor of the Harvard Law Review. Following law school, Mr. Candelaria served as a law clerk for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in Los Angeles.

Religious Affiliation: Episcopalian

Wolcott (“Dick”) Dunham is former Chair of the Board of Union Seminary. Of counsel to the law firm of Debevoise & Plimpton, he is a preeminent insurance industry lawyer. In addition to his legal career in the financial sector, he regularly advises non-profit organizations and boards on governance matters. He is also Senior Warden of St. James’ Church in the City of New York, a trustee of the Episcopal Diocese of New York, a member of the boards of directors of the Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter and Dutchess Land Conservancy, and President of the Fund for Astrophysical Research. He is a former member of the board of Episcopal Charities of the Diocese of New York. He is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School.

Religious Affiliation: Episcopalian

Millicent Fortunoff is President of M. Fortunoff Communications. She has extensive experience managing global and national media relations campaigns. Prior to opening her own consultancy, she was a Senior Vice President in the Global Issues Communications Group at Ruder Finn (Finn Partners) from 1999-2009. Her non-profit issues clients include a range of Interfaith, theological, social justice, education and women’s organizations. She serves on the advisory councils of the American Friends of the Parents Circle-Families Forum, The Of Many Institute for Multi-faith Leadership at NYU and Let’s Win PC (pancreatic cancer). She is a graduate of Penn State University with a degree in Speech Communications and History.

Religious Affiliation: Jewish

The Rev. Dr. Mark Hostetter has had a dual career for the past 25 years as Associate Pastor at the First Presbyterian Church in the City of New York and as CEO of Vinik Asset Management, a large money management firm. Earlier in his career, Mark was general counsel for equity markets at Merrill Lynch, a securities lawyer with Cravath, Swaine & Moore in New York and London, and has worked in Washington DC as a tax analyst for the Congressional Budget Office and as a personal and press aide for U.S. Senator Jacob Javits.  Mark received his J.D. from Columbia Law School, his M.Div. and D.Div. from New York Theological Seminary, and his B.A from Harvard College.  Mark was the Moderator of the PCUSA General Assembly Way Forward Commission and is Chair Emeritus of Auburn Theological Seminary and Ghost Ranch Conference Center.  He has served on the boards of Montreat, The Actors Fund, New York Theological Seminary, Riverdale Country School, Holmes Presbyterian Retreat Center, and as an organizational consultant to the Presbyterian Foundation. Other projects have included the creation of Summit Preparatory School in Montana, one of the first not-for-profit therapeutic boarding schools.  Mark and his husband Alex have three college-age children.

Religious Affiliation: Presbyterian

The Rev. Nancy Jennings is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and an Honorably Retired member of the Presbytery of Long Island.  She has served that body as chair of the Committee on Preparation for Ministry and on the Committee on Ministry. As an interim minister with a focus on congregations experiencing conflict, transition or demographic change, she has served churches in East Hampton, Amagansett, Merrick, Sweet Hollow in Melville and currently Remsenburg, all on Long Island.

 She was trained at the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Direction and Oasis Ministries and has offered a ministry of spiritual guidance for individuals and groups for 25 years. She practices traditional sacred circle dance and movement meditation internationally and teaches in the US.

Nancy has served on a number of non-profit and educational boards, including the National Urban League, the Spence School and Auburn Seminary. She received the MDiv ’95 and STM ’99 degrees from UTS and a BA from Smith College n 1967.

A lifelong New Yorker, she was married for over 46 years to the late Richard B. Jennings, president of Realty Capital International, a commercial real estate investment banking firm.  

She is blessed with 3 daughters and 4 beautiful grandchildren.

Religious Affiliation: Presbyterian

Virginia Johnston received her Bachelor of Music (Summa Cum Laude, University Scholar) from Syracuse University and her Master of Music with Honors from Boston University in both composition and clarinet performance. She has also studied conducting at Westminster Choir College through their Continuing Education department and received her Certificate in Nonprofit Management from The Nonprofit Center at La Salle University. Starting as an Administrator with the Philharmonic Orchestra of New Jersey (now The Discovery Orchestra) in 1992, she assumed the responsibilities of Managing Director in 1999 and Executive Director in 2009, and remained in that role for 13 years. As of September 2022, Ginny assumed the Finance Director position. She brings strong organizational, problem-solving, and grant-writing skills to the Orchestra.

She has served as Executive Producer for several of the Orchestra’s award-winning educational public television programs. Ginny previously worked as Music Director at the Springfield (NJ) Emanuel United Methodist Church and is a professional clarinetist, conductor, and composer in the tri-state area. Her works, several of which are published, have been performed by various area ensembles, including the New Jersey Youth Symphony at Alice Tully Hall. In 1992, she co-founded Triad Arts Ensemble, a non-profit performing arts organization. Through Triad, Ginny has led the annual Canticles for Life AIDS Benefit Concerts since 1997 which raise funds for several New Jersey organizations supporting people impacted by HIV/AIDS. Over $200,000 has been raised to date through these concerts. Ginny currently serves as Conductor of the Triad Choir, and Assistant Conductor of the Garden State Symphonic Band and the Maplewood Community Band. Ms. Johnston performs locally as a singer-songwriter in folk-rock and jazz styles and has released two albums of original material.

Religious Affiliation: United Methodist
Spouse: Dan Crisci

The Reverend Doctor Serene Jones is the 16th president of the historic Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York. The first woman to head the 183-year-old nondenominational seminary, which is in Manhattan and neighbors with Columbia University, Dr. Jones came to Union after seventeen years at Yale University, where she was the Titus Street Professor of Theology at the Divinity School, and chair of Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. She was co-principal investigator on the “Women, Religion, and Globalization Grant” for the Henry T. Luce Initiative on Religion and International Affairs at Yale. Dr. Jones is a prolific and popular scholar in the fields of theology, religion, globalization, and gender studies. In addition to publishing five books, and 37 articles and book chapters since 1991, she has delivered a long list of professional papers and public lectures across the United States and around the world. In November 2016 she completed her term as the President of the American Academy of Religion. She holds degrees from the University of Oklahoma, Yale Divinity School and Yale University. Jones is ordained in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ. 

Religious Affiliation: Disciples of Christ, United Church of Christ

Dr. Timothy Light began his career at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where he held several teaching and administrative positions from 1960 to 1971. He was a faculty member and director of the East Asia Study Center at the University of Arizona between 1974 and 1980. He was a professor and chairperson of the Department of East Asian Languages and Literature at Ohio State University from 1980 to 1986 when he was named provost and professor of linguistics and Asian studies at Kalamazoo College. He went on to serve as acting president at Kalamazoo College in 1989-90 and then served for a year as president of Middlebury College before coming to Western Michigan University to serve as provost. He stepped down from that post in 2000 to pursue his academic work. He is currently a Professor Emeritus of Chinese Religion at Western Michigan University. He holds a BA from Yale College, an M.Div. from Union Theological Seminary an M.A. from Columbia University and a Ph.D. from Cornell University.

 Religious affiliation: Presbyterian (PCUSA)

Calvin M. Mew is an independent management consultant for nonprofit organizations. Previously he was Executive Vice President, Managing Director Latin America, at Bozell, Worldwide, Inc., the advertising agency. He is President of James Lenox House, Inc. (senior residences in Manhattan). He is a Trustee of Norfield Congregational Church, Weston, CT., a member of the boards of directors of the Religious Institute and Community Partners Consulting, and he is President of the Harvard Business School Club of New York. He is a graduate of Yale College, Union Theological Seminary and the Program for Management Development, Harvard Business School.

Religious Affiliation: Presbyterian (PCUSA)

David M. McAlpin has practiced architecture in New York City since 1979, and has led his own practice as principal since 1984. He is well-known for his ability to adapt and update structures to modern uses. David’s interest in design, education, and nature is the foundation of his professional practice and his public service efforts. He served New York Trinity School as a board member from 2001-2007, chairing its diversity committee. From 1997 to 2002 and from 2007 to 2015, David chaired the board at Manitoga/The Russel Wright Design Center, the house, studio and woodland garden of iconic mid-century industrial designer He also contributes to The Wild Center in the Adirondacks and New York City’s Broadway Mall Association as an advisory board member. David has taught and continues to be a visiting critic for Architectural design studios. David earned his Masters in Architecture and his B.A. cum laude from Princeton University. He and his wife, a book critic, have lived in New York City since 1980.

Religious Affiliation: Presbyterian

Rev. Robin R. Meyers, PhD is pastor of First Congregational Church UCC of Norman, Oklahoma, after serving as Senior Minister of Mayflower Congregational UCC of Oklahoma City for 35 years.  At Oklahoma City University, he is a Distinguished Professor of Social Justice in the Philosophy Department where he continues to teach courses in rhetoric and ethics.  His doctoral work combines contemporary persuasion theory and homiletics, and he is the best-selling author of eight books about religion and American culture, a fellow of the Westar Institute (home of the Jesus Seminar), a newspaper columnist, and a commentator for NPR.  Dr. Meyers lectures nationally and internationally on the merits of Progressive Christianity, gave the Lyman Beecher Lectures at Yale, and is the subject of a feature-length documentary about the unlikely success of his progressive ministry in perhaps America’s most conservative state:  American Heretics:  The Politics of the Gospel.  He is married to Shawn Meyers, MFA, an artist, and retired professor, and they are the parents of three children, Blue, Chelsea, and Cass, and grandparents to three remarkable granddaughters, Iris, Hazel, and Eleanora.

Religious Affiliation: United Church of Christ

Craig Miller is currently serving on several boards and providing consulting and advisory services to several companies, specializing in growth strategies and operational efficiency,. Mr. Miller brings more than 35 years of experience in building industry-leading technology systems and innovative customer facing products across a wide range of industries and prominent consumer companies.

Mr. Miller has served as Chief Digital & Information Officer of Planet Fitness, where he led the vision, strategy, and execution of the Company’s digital, data, and technology innovation to drive member growth, retention, and brand expansion.

Previously, he served as Senior Vice President and Chief Information and Technology Officer at Sonic Drive-In, where he was responsible for developing and executing the technology transformation growth strategies, including the implementation of new digital experiences and restaurant systems.

Prior to joining Sonic, he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Movie Gallery/Hollywood Video where he led strategic planning and development for the implementation of a new retail technology and analytics portfolio.

Mr. Miller previously held several senior technology executive roles at Bank of America, PepsiCo, Chyron, and Eaton Aeronautic Systems, which included leadership assignments on transformational business strategies, acquisitions, divestitures, and mergers.

He was also a co-founder of a software development/consulting firm that specialized in emerging technologies, advanced business solutions, large-scale implementations, and consumer products. Mr. Miller received his Bachelor’s degree from SUNY Stony Brook and Master’s from New York University. He is Six Sigma certified, and currently serves on several boards.

The Reverend Edward (Ted) D. Pardoe III ’05 currently serves on the board of the Interfaith Center of New York, the Isaac H. Tuttle Fund, The Provident Loan Society, the Sawtooth Society, Building One Community, and The Stanley Meditation Chapel. Prior to his retirement, the Rev. Pardoe served as the Rector of St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Greenwich CT.

Rev. Pardoe completed a Master of Divinity at Union Theological Seminary in 2005. Before pursuing ministry, the Rev. Pardoe worked in finance at Brown Brothers Harriman from 1979 to 1996, where he had held various management roles over the years. His undergraduate degree is from Trinity College in Hartford and he also holds a Master of Sacred Theology from General Theological Seminary in 2009.

Religious Affiliation: Episcopalian

Chang K. Park is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Universal Remote Control, Inc. He also founded Compo Micro Tech, Inc. and served as its CEO. He serves on the Boards of Common Cause and Bread for the World. He is also an active member of The Riverside Church. He holds an M.B.A. from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Michigan Technological University, where he was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Philosophy.

Religious Affiliation: Presbyterian (PCUSA)

The Reverend Susan Sgarlat ’07 is a graduate of Union Theological Seminary and an ordained Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Reformed Church in America. Until she retired in 2021 she served as a hospice chaplain. A graduate of Barnard College and Vanderbilt Law School, she practiced law on Wall Street and, for more than 25 years, was Associate General Counsel at Columbia University. She has been active in her denomination and in community service, including the Board of the Collegiate School, the Advisory Board of the Clarence Brown Theatre and the Community Board of Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi.

Susan lives in Knoxville, Tennessee with her husband Charles Fels, also ordained clergy and a recovering lawyer. They have a blended family of four children and three granddaughters.

Religious Affiliation:Reformed Church in America

The Rev. Madison T. Shockley II is the pastor of the Pilgrim United Church of Christ in Carlsbad, CA. He brings to Pilgrim Church a wealth of experience from his work in the religious, political, non-profit, and media environments. Madison was called to Pilgrim United Church of Christ (UCC) in 2004. Along with performing his pastoral duties with Pilgrim, Madison is very active in social justice causes in San Diego and serves on the board of directors of the Americans for Civil Liberties Union of San Diego, Compassion and Choices (compassionandchoices.org) and the Clergy Advocacy Board of Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

A native of Los Angeles he was educated at Harvard College and the University of Missouri-St. Louis. He holds the Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in New York City and has done post-graduate work at Claremont Graduate University in New Testament Studies.

Religious Affiliation: United Church of Christ

The Reverend Stan J. Sloan is the Managing Director at the Collegiate Church of New York. He began serving as Senior Strategist at Auburn Seminary in October of 2020 after having served four years as the CEO of Family Equality. Family Equality is the nation’s organization for LGBTQ families and for those who want to form families, including LGBTQ youth in the child welfare system who need parents. Prior to his work at Family Equality Council, Sloan was the longest-serving CEO in the history of Chicago House. Chicago House was a classic HIV-service organization that evolved into a national leader in LGBTQ poverty during Sloan’s tenure. Sloan and his husband Jan Lopes, a cardiologist from Sao Paulo, Brazil, currently reside in Jersey City.

Religious Affiliation: Episcopalian and Roman Catholic

Marian Marcus “Mim” Warden is a member of the Board of Directors of Warden Asphalt Company in Harrisburg, PA. She served as the President of MetroArts, a local arts agency for Pennsylvania’s Capital Region from 1979-1994, when she moved to New York to study at Union Seminary. She holds the MDiv and STM degrees, with concentration in Theology and the Arts. She now serves as the Chair of the Board of the Center at West Park, an interfaith not-for-profit agency working to develop a space for culture and community in partnership with the West Park Presbyterian Church. She serves on the Board of Advisors of the Miller Theatre at Columbia University.

Religious Affiliation: Jewish

A national leader in the Episcopal Church, the Rev. Winnie Varghese is known for her inspired writing, teaching, and preaching. Before becoming the 23rd rector of St. Luke’s as Rector, she served as Priest for Ministry and Program Coordination at Trinity Church Wall Street in New York City.

Ruth Wooden retired in 2011 after a 40+ year career as a marketing and  public policy communications professional. Early in her career she worked in the private sector at the Ralston Purina Company and NW Ayer Advertising. In 1987 she was elected President of the Advertising Council, the nation’s leading provider of public service advertising campaigns for government agencies (e.g. drunk driving prevention for Dept. of Transportation) and nonprofit organizations (e.g. United Negro College Fund).

She is a graduate of the University of Minnesota and has an honorary degree from Northeastern University, Boston Mass.  In 1996 She was named Advertising Woman of the Year and was a recipient of Matrix Award in Communications. She is currently consulting with a number of nonprofit organizations and graduated from Union Theological Seminary with an MA in Theology in 2016.  She now directs the Encore Transition Program there.

Religious Affiliation: Episcopalian

Jason Wright is president of the Washington Football Team. His responsibilities include leading the organization’s business divisions, including operations, finance, sales, and marketing. He is the first Black team president in the history of the NFL and currently is the youngest team president in the League. He is the fourth former NFL player to become president of a team.

Prior to joining the Washington Football Team, Jason was a partner in McKinsey & Company’s Washington DC office. His work focused on expanding the value of large, complex organizations through operations and culture transformations. Jason has specialized in steering companies through their toughest moments- in crisis and turnaround scenarios. Projects have covered topics from systemic personnel misconduct to financial distress to COVID-19 response. Jason also led McKinsey’s global inclusion strategy and recently spearheaded the rollout of McKinsey’s anti-racism and inclusion strategy. He co-founded the Black Economic Institute, a research entity that analyzes the racial wealth gap, and is a prominent voice in public discussions regarding racial equity in corporate America. Jason is also on the Board of Trustees at Union Theological Seminary where he is helping the institution better equip a changing student body focused on community organizing and social entrepreneurship.

Wright spent seven years as a running back in the NFL and was team captain and NFLPA player representative for the Arizona Cardinals during the 2011 NFL Lockout. He has a B.A. in psychology from Northwestern University, where he was an Academic All-American student-athlete, a two-time All-Big Ten football selection, and the president of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He received his M.B.A. in Operations and Finance, with honors, from the University of Chicago- Booth School of Business.

Religious Affiliation: Christian Non-Denominational