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Estate Planning Guide
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Board of Directors
Board Chair
American Baptist Churches
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Nichole is the Foundation's Board Chair and previously served as Secretary. A Norfolk State University graduate who focused on Journalism and Public Relations, Nichole is now a senior communications and public relations executive. With nearly 20-years of experience as a leader and a change agent, she has done publicity for USA Today and The Harlem Globetrotters just to name a few. Nichole's areas of expertise include national and international media relations, public relations, crisis and corporate communication, brand management, community and government relations.
Vice Board Chair
Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary
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A native of Rochester, New York, Rev. Jacquline L. Saxon has brought her financial and theological acumen to the Foundation's board since 2016. After earning a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in 1984 from Howard University (Washington, D.C.), she served as Financial Analyst for IBM in Endicott, New York, later moving to IBM's location in Austin, Texas, where she was an Advisory Financial Analyst. From 1996 to 2008 Jackie served as the associate pastor of the University Baptist Church in Austin. She then became the Admissions Counselor and Recruiter at her seminary alma mater (2006-2009) and Vice President for Student Affairs and Vocation (2009-2017). Her ministries have also included serving on a wider stage; for instance, she was nationally nominated as a representative to the General Board of the American Baptist Churches USA and was a convener of the American Baptist Women in Ministry Advisory Taskforce. In 2018 she began her present position as the Executive Minister for the Mid-American Baptist Churches of Iowa and Minnesota.
Board Treasurer
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Marcus Pereira has been on the Foundation's Board since 2015. His experience in banking serves him well in his role as the treasurer. From 2010 to 2014 Marcus was a branch manager for TD Bank and from 2014 to 2017 was a lender with Citizens Bank, covering eastern Pennsylvania with an emphasis on large and medium-sized businesses. Marcus' ability to speak Spanish, Portuguese, and English has helped him to assist business leaders from a variety of ethnic backgrounds. Presently, he is the business development manager with the Pennsylvania State Employees Credit Union, the oldest credit union in the state with more than $5 billion in assets and over 450,000 members. Marcus is an active American Baptist and civic leader, a popular public speaker, and an ambassador with the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce. He also serves as the Board Chair of the Nehemiah Wall, a non-profit organization sponsoring a home in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, which provides a place for women and children who have had economic challenges or have been victims of domestic violence.
Secretary
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Ken, originally from Memphis, Tennessee, is a long-time member of First Baptist of Washington, DC, with service in a variety of church and DC Baptist Convention positions. He has a B.A. from Rhodes College in Memphis, a law degree from Harvard University and a Master of Divinity from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington. His legal practice included emphasis in housing and community development financing and stints with the US Departments of Housing and Urban Development and Treasury. He also worked for over ten years as Senior Housing Advisor for SOME (So Others Might Eat), an interfaith homeless services provider in the District of Columbia, and is currently on their Board of Directors. Ken Joined the ABF Board in 2019.
Board Member
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Gene was installed as the sixth president of Judson University (Elgin, Illinois) on October 24, 2013. He led the University through its first comprehensive strategic planning process, resulting in Shaping Our Future: The Strategic Plan for Judson University, 2014-2019. During his tenure, he has secured significant financial support for operations and scholarships. Overall enrollment has increased by 5% and over a half dozen new academic programs have been developed. Before being at Judson, Dr. Crume served in a variety of positions for a number of institutions of higher education, including Saint Mary's University of Minnesota, the Peru State College (Nebraska), his alma mater, Western Kentucky University, Midland Lutheran College (now Midland University, Nebraska), and the Indiana State University. Dr. Crume grew up in Owensboro, Kentucky, and earned his Ph.D. from the University of Virginia. He joined the Foundation's board in October 2020.
Board Member
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Rev. Sharon T. Koh is the Executive Director of American Baptist International Ministries. A native of Los Angeles, CA, Rev. Koh is a graduate of the Westmont College, Santa Barbara, CA (B.Sc.) and Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California (M.Div., M.A.T.). During her eleven-year pastoral ministry, Sharon served as the Mission Pastor at Evergreen Baptist Church of Los Angeles. In 2016 she became the Executive Director of American Baptist International Ministries with oversight of American Baptist mission work in more than 70 countries.
Board Member
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Dr. C. Jeff Woods serves as General Secretary of American Baptist Churches USA. He is trained in board development and leadership growth and has served on many nonprofit boards. His degrees include a B.S. from Purdue University and a Ph.D. from Indiana University. He has taught courses and published numerous books and articles in research design, nonprofit leadership, and organizational development.
Board Member
Michelle, or Micky as she likes to be called, retired as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the American Baptist Seminary of the West (now named Berkeley School of Theology). During her tenure, Micky held several positions within the Seminary including Vice President for Institutional Advancement, Interim President, lecturer, and Student Council Advisor. In addition, Micky was a member of several accreditation teams for the Association of Theological Schools and served as Chair of the Chief Financial Officers Steering Committee. Micky currently serves on the Board of Directors for HumanGood and chairs the HumanGood Audit Committee. HumanGood is the largest nonprofit provider of senior living and services in California and one of the ten largest in the nation. Ordained in 1996, Micky is the fifth member of her family spanning three generations to be ordained by ABC/USA. Micky has been a member of the Advisory Committee for Women in Professional Ministry of ABC/USA, senator and treasurer for the Minister's Council of Northern California, and a member of the executive committee for the Evergreen Baptist Association. Micky received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Redlands, Master of Business Administration from California State Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and Master of Divinity from the American Baptist Seminary of the West. She lives in Danville, California with her husband Douglas. They have three grown children and four grandchildren.
Board Member
Rev. Mark Click has been serving in ministry since 1986 as a local pastor, Regional Area Minister, and Executive Minister. He's a 1984 graduate of Eastern University, St. Davids, 1994 graduate of the United Theological Seminary, Dayton and 2012 graduate of the CECL Program, GLCC. He currently serves as the Multi-Region Corporation Treasurer, and on the American Baptist Foundation Board, Finance & Personnel Committees. He's been married to his wife Kathy since 1994 and has two adult children - Joshua & Rachael, and a grandson - Henry. He resides in southwest Ohio.
Board Member
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Steve brings a wide range of regional experiences to the Board of the American Baptist Foundation. Before becoming the Executive Minister of the American Baptist Churches of the Rocky Mountains in 2008, he served the American Baptist Churches of the Central Region as Associate Executive Minister with duties in finance, administration and directing its interim ministry program. His passion for regional ministry grew out of his 18 years in pastoral positions in Kansas, Illinois, and Indiana. Steve has led pastoral discovery trips to such countries as Myanmar, Bulgaria, Bolivia, Lebanon, the Philippines and Zambia. He also has led or participated in mission work trips to India, Nicaragua, and Mexico. Steve earned his Master of Divinity degree from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1987 and his Doctor of Ministry degree from Northern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1994. He has been an adjunct professor at Ottawa University (Kansas) and at American Baptist Seminary of the West and has been on boards for organizations like the Colorado Council of Churches, Habitat for Humanity in Franklin County (Kansas) and the Chamber of Commerce in Ottawa.
Board Member
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Rev. Dr. Jesse Brown joined the Foundation's board in 2013, and three years later became the chairperson of the Board Advancement and Nominations Committee. He is the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Chicago, the oldest Baptist congregation in that metropolitan area. Jesse graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in political science in 1972 and earned his Master of Divinity degree (1977) and Doctor of Ministry degree (2012) from Northern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a past president of the American Baptist Churches of Metro Chicago and was part of the leadership team for Immerse 2012, the National Youth Event of the American Baptist Churches USA, held in Washington, D.C. He has taught Christian education workshops in the Chicago area and has led mission teams to Alaska, Jamaica, Cuba, and Costa Rica. For 19 of his 38 years as a pastor, Jesse worked for the General Motors Acceptance Corporation as a finance and insurance consultant.
Board Member & Investment Committee Advisor
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Michaele has brought stability to the Foundation's board during her 2004-2015 tenure and most recently by her return in 2018. Since 2007 she has served as the deputy executive director, treasurer, and chief financial officer for the American Baptist Home Mission Societies (ABHMS). There she oversees the areas of finance and socially responsible investing, partnering closely with the executive director to ensure that ABHMS maintains its strategic direction. Having served as the treasurer of the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society (2004-2006) and the assistant treasurer for the American Baptist Churches, USA (1998-2004), Michaele possesses vast knowledge of the various levels of American Baptist mission. She received her undergraduate degree in accounting at Rutgers University, Camden, N.J. in 1996 and became a certified public accountant in 2000. In 2013 she earned a masters degree in organizational development from American University in Washington, D.C. Presently, in addition to Michaele's role with the Foundation, she represents ABHMS in several additional key denominational arenas including being a member of the National Leadership Council, which serves as staff council for the denomination.
Board Member
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Jim Kelsey has been the Executive Minister of American Baptist Churches of New York State since August of 2012. He began his ministry as pastor of the Second Baptist Church of Germantown in Philadelphia and went on from there to the Park Avenue Baptist Church in Mansfield, Ohio. After that Jim and his wife Debbie, currently pastor of Tabernacle Baptist Church in Utica, served with International Ministries as missionaries in Europe. They worked with Dutch-language churches in Flanders and then moved to Italy where they served primarily with churches of African immigrants. In Italy, Debbie worked extensively with young women who had been trafficked into the country, and Jim provided theological training for immigrant pastors. Jim also taught courses in Vietnam for Baptist pastors.
Jim's priority for the Region is to add value to the ministries being practiced by Region churches and is committed to helping churches develop the competencies to assess and minister to their communities as those communities and our culture changes. He has led the Region in offering international and in-state hands-on mission experiences for our churches. He has made the training of lay leaders and Certified Lay Ministers an emphasis in Region ministry.
Jim has recently been studying and writing about Christian civility.
Jim earned a B.S. in accounting. He went on to receive an M.Div. and Ph.D. in New Testament from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary under the presidency of Dr. Roy Honeycutt. He did a term of research at Cambridge University as part of his doctoral studies.
Board Member
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Don Ng served as President of the American Baptist Churches, USA in 2014-15, the first Asian American to serve in this elected position. For 17 years, he was the Senior Pastor of the historic First Chinese Baptist Church in San Francisco that was started by the American Baptist Home Missionary Society in 1880. He retired from full-time ministry in June 2015. Presently, he is the Chair of the Friends of the Northeast Christian University, Nagaland, India; Co-coordinator of the MMBB Asian Colloquium; Chair of the Pacific Coast Baptist Association (PCBA); Member of the Board of Trustees of Andover Newton Seminary at Yale Divinity School, Member of the ABC Creation Justice Network and Advisor to the ABC Young Adult Caucus.
Previous board service includes: Vice-President and Past President of ABCUSA; Board Member of the American Baptist Home Mission Societies (ABHMS); Trustee of the American Baptist Seminary of the West (Berkeley), President of the Asian Alliance of ABCUSA, and other ecumenical and denominational groups. Denominationally, he served as national staff in ABC Educational Ministries in Valley Forge from 1978-1998 in the areas of youth ministry, Christian education, leader development and administration.
Don is married to Joy Shih Ng for 48 years and lives in Sausalito, CA. They have two married children, Greg and Heather who live in North Carolina and Lauren and Daniel in California with a total of six grandchildren.
Board Member
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Dr. Robert D. Cochran once served as a minister to youth, a pastor of varied churches, a Baptist missionary in both East and West Europe, and an associational employee. He went in 1995 to the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area to serve the D.C. Baptist Convention (DCBC). With the DCBC he worked in various staff positions alongside existing churches and new congregations in the Convention. Robert retired in 2020 as Executive Director/Minister of the DCBC. His continues ministry in service with the American Baptist Foundation as well as with several other Baptist institutions by developing partnerships with and soliciting resources from varied foundations.
Board Member
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Rev. Alan Vincent Ragland, DMin. became the second pastor of Third Baptist Church of Chicago (TBCoC), succeeding founding pastor Rev. Elmer L. Fowler in November of 1992. Ragland's tenure was twenty-six (26) years ending in November of 2018, at which point he became Pastor Emeritus. He graduated from the University of Memphis (BA), Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School (MDiv.), and McCormick Theological Seminary (DMin.). As an ordained minister of the Progressive National Baptist Convention and the American Baptist Churches, USA, Dr. Ragland's ministerial experiences are broad and have included the following: Director of Pastoral Care at the now named Region One Hospital and Trauma Center, fulltime faculty member at Memphis Theological Seminary (MTS), and Pastor of New Fellowship Baptist Church, all in his hometown of Memphis, TN. During his TBCoC tenure, Pastor Ragland continued to be active in theological education through seminary field education supervision and adjunct instruction at McCormick Theological Seminary and the University of Chicago Divinity School. Additionally, he has served as a board member of McCormick Theological Seminary, Hood Theological Seminary, and Colgate Rochester Divinity School, all of which are accredited by the Association of Theological Schools.
Dr. Ragland is a pioneer in a number of arenas, including being the first African American to work in fulltime instruction at MTS, as well the first African American Director of Pastoral Care at Region One.
In addition to the countless number of children born and Blessed, souls added to the church, families comforted in bereavement, and saints celebrated who now reside with the Lord, the following list of highlights are additional hallmarks of A. V. Ragland's pastoral impact in and through the TBCoC ministry:
Discipleship Training: Over 1,500 persons taking discipleship classes in more than twenty-five (25) consecutive years.
Development of Physical Plant: Successful church-wide capital campaign to retire the original mortgage, planning and construction of the multi-purpose, multi-level Life Center, and major additional renovations to the sanctuary and Heritage Plaza banquet complex.
Leadership Development: Ministers-In-Training Program, which developed over thirty (30) persons responding to a call to ministry, including the acceptance and ordination of women. Additionally, Dr, Ragland pioneered the training and ordination of women as deacons.
Care Ministries: Clergy Outreach and Visitation; GriefShare for recovery of the bereaved; Stephen Ministries for lay compassion support; Seniors Nursing Home Worship and Outreach; Caregivers Support Ministry; Prayer Shawl Ministry for the sick.
Congregational Ministry Developments: Annual Scholarship Awards for more than 25 consecutive years, Jail Visitation Ministry, Youth Ministry and Youth Church, Young Adult Ministry, Rites of Passage for Teens, Boy and Girl Scout Troops, Men's Ministry, Women's Ministry, Community Basketball League, Sewing Ministry, Christian Education Department, Praise Dance Ministry, Mime Ministry, CHIME Exercise program for seniors, and Adult Steppers Dance Classes. Also, Rev. Ragland co-founded (with his wife, Dr. Barbara Ragland) the Sociable Seniors and Retirees organization, operated from within TBCoC, which today has members from more than 50 Chicago area congregations.
Refreshment of Media Image: The Faith. Hope. Love. symbol is a product of a Young Adult Ministry task group to update our media profile and outreach capacity to rising generations. In it, the two colors are purple, which represents God's divinity as Sovereign King, and green, which represents our faith as both living and growing. The purple cross at the center represents the cross of Christ, and the three green arcs around it represent the three aspects of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The unclosed circle and arcs represent the Church and our congregation. They are not closed entities but open fellowships of faith, hope, and love (grounded in 1 Corinthians 13:13) as primary spiritual principles that guide us.
Organizational Expansions: The more than doubling of the administrative support staff more than and establishment of two non-profit organizations: Heritage Community Development Corporation (sponsors of Freedom School and Destination Safehaven) and Quantum Faith, NFP for cohesive and strategic management of TBCoC properties.
Missional Footprint Enlargement: United Power for Action and Justice for congregation-based community organizing; Interfaith Worshipping Partnership with B'nai Jehoshua Beth Elohim Synagogue (BJBE); Ghana Baptist Convention Missional Partnership with American Baptist Churches of Metro Chicago; TBCoC Food Pantry; One Church One School, partnership with Vanderpoel Elementary; M. L. King, Jr. National Monument Committee; Foster Grandparents for Latch-key school children; ALIVE! partnership of churches with Rush University Medical Center and National Institutes of Health, on improving health equity in African-American communities.
Alan V. Ragland is married to Barbara Ollie Ragland, PhD who has been his life-long partner in ministry. She is the Founder and President of The Lydia Group Institute: Faith-Based Strategies For Congregational Agility. Her husband serves as Vice President. They are the proud parents of one daughter, Melanie Loren Ragland, a professional actor whose stage name is Melanie Loren.
Board Member
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Katie Boatwright holds a Master of Science degree in Organizational Development and Leadership from Saint Joseph's University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Textile Manufacturing from Clemson University.
Her professional experience includes successful turn-around executive leadership in the Fortune 500 corporate sector, leading the turn-around of a private brand retail division from $10MM to $300MM in annual sales during her eight-year tenure. After a season of full-time parenting Katie returned focus to her career, aligning her career with her passion for ministry. For eight years Katie led a multi-site team that served young families. Her team provided parenting classes, material assistance, limited medical assistance, community service referrals/advocacy, and spiritual and emotional support to approximately 1000 clients annually. After eight years of executive leadership at this small regional ministry, Katie joined International Ministries as Chief Strategy Officer in October of 2020.
Katie's role at IM is multi-faceted and involves analysis of both IM's external environment and internal capabilities; and collaborating with the IM Board of Directors, IM executive leadership, and IM staff to develop and execute strategy which enables IM's continued pursuit of cross-cultural mission in a financially sustainable manner well into the future.
Katie delights in her family. Her two daughters, son-in-law, and grandbabies bring her constant joy and are the epitome of the 'gift of the Lord' described in Psalm 127.
Board Member
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As executive director of American Baptist Home Mission Societies and Judson Press, Dr. Jeffrey Haggray finds the heart of his ministry in motivating Christians to impact communities with their deeply-held faith; encouraging emerging leaders to discern and respond to God's call; and emphasizing God's loving concern for humanity's well-being, wholeness and justice.
Haggray works closely with diverse national and regional partners to provide a clear vision of the Christian mission in today's world, to cultivate relationships and to develop resources for transformational ministry with congregations, communities and regions across the U.S. mainland and Puerto Rico.
Having served congregations in New Jersey; Washington, D.C.; and Georgia, Haggray understands the day-to-day needs of local congregations involved in disciple-making, worship, leadership development, evangelism and mission engagement. As a regional executive minister for the District of Columbia Baptist Convention, Haggray found that access to necessary human and material resources allows congregations and institutions to positively impact their communities without limit.
"When a compelling mission-driven vision is coupled with faith in God and a strong determination to succeed, the required resources often follow," he says. "The United States of America is a strategic mission field for proclaiming the Christian gospel, developing Christian disciples, promoting justice, and collaborating and networking for ministry. As we impact America for Christ, we impact the world, and I am motivated by that prospect."
Investment Committee
Merill Lynch Advisor to Investment Committee
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Ken is a Senior Vice President of Merrill Lynch having 35 years of experience with advanced certifications as a Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor and a Certified Investment Management Analyst, a title conferred through a progressive education program developed by the Wharton School of Business. He was a member of an initial exploratory committee of the American Baptist Churches, USA (ABCUSA), which was part of the process toward founding the Foundation (ABF). He is a past ABF board member and presently serves on the Investment Committee. Ken has also been on the boards and finance/ investment committees of the Ministers and Missionaries Benefit Board and from 1998 to 2001 was the Budget Review Officer for ABCUSA. He is a past finance committee chair for Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School and the First Baptist Church of Rochester, where he has been a member for 30 years. He also is currently on the Investment Advisory Council for the American Baptist Home Mission Societies.
Investment Committee Advisor
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Anne has served on the Foundation board in many ways for more than three decades. She became the founding chair in 1985 and presently is on the investment committee, which oversees the endowment fund, trusts, and annuities. Following teaching for four years, Anne joined IBM and retired after 26 years having served in a variety of executive financial and planning positions. She then became vice president for business management and CFO of Ottawa University (Ottawa, Kansas) for eleven years. She also served as a mutual fund trustee for 28 years and board chair for the last ten. Currently, she is a Director of the Wind Crest Board, a non-profit corporation overseeing the thousand-unit senior living facility at Highlands Ranch, Colorado, and serves on the National Senior Campuses Investment and Treasury Advisory Committee. In addition to the American Baptist Foundation, her many denomination roles have included being the national lay financial officer for American Baptist Churches, USA, and chair of the American Baptist Churches Rocky Mountains investment committee. She also is an Ottawa University life trustee, Brown University trustee emerita, and Denver Art Museum volunteer. She serves on several other volunteer boards.
Investment Committee Advisor
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David brings vast investment experience to the Foundation in his position as the director of investments for the American Baptist Home Mission Societies (ABHMS) Common Investment Fund. He is proud of his involvement with socially responsible investing issues in conjunction with the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR). ABHMS is a founding member of ICCR, a nonprofit organization that influences corporations by advocating against practices and investments involving tobacco, liquor, gambling, militarism, discrimination, abuse, and exploitation. Having earned a BA from Washington and Lee University in 1974 and an MBA in finance from Loyola University of Maryland in 1978.
