Our People
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Rev. N. David Cooper, MDiv, MSW, CPM
Executive Director
United
Methodist Urban Ministries of Richmod
Rev. N.
David Cooper is leading efforts in Richmond Virginia to connect congregations and communities for a city of well-being,
co-creating communities of justice, kindness and hope, and forming
and nurturing partnerships via an asset-based community development model,
Communities of Shalom.
In
his urban ministry work, Rev. Cooper draws upon professional training and
practice in macro social work, theology and nonprofit management and strong
career experiences in heavy construction administration & management,
Christian Education, retirement center and hospice chaplaincies, and urban
ministry work in Atlanta Georgia and Richmond Virginia.
Dave
has studied under former South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu and is invested
in replacing punitive justice with restorative justice. He serves on the
Virginia Prisoner Reentry (ex-offender) Policy Academy subcommittee for
Financial Obligation, Housing, Financial & Community Resources and serves on
its local counterpart for the Richmond Re-entry Pilot Project.
Dave
is married, has an adult daughter, enjoys mountains and the sea, and actively
hikes, bikes, canoes, rescues feral cats, and reads extensively
|
Beth
Reddish Wright, MSW, is a graduate of Boston University School of
Social Work.
Her work is informed by her experiences
working at Freedom House in Boston, at Open
House Ministries among South Florida’s
migrant farm communities, and the summers she
has spent working with Richmond’s youth at
Camp Alkulana. She is a member of Alkulana’s Camp Support Team, and is
interested in youth-led initiatives.
|
|
Board
of Directors
Kathy
Ashby Merry,
President,
Kathy began her work life as a customer service
representative for an HMO in Columbus, Ohio.
Over 20 years in the health insurance industry,
she wore many hats and most recently served as Senior
Vice President of Service Operations for Anthem Blue
Cross Blue Shield (formerly Trigon).
After a successful (and hectic) career, she
left the corporate world in 2004 in order to spend
more time with her family. Kathy quickly became involved with numerous organizations
including St. Mark’s United Methodist Church where
she served as Chair of SPRC for two years and is now
serving as Executive Director.
Kathy also serves as an organizational
consultant for several non-profit organizations.
Pat
Shipley,
Vice President,
Pat
Shipley is a United Methodist Minister who is
currently serving at Centenary United Methodist
Church. She has a particular passion for mission and
serves as the Chair on Christian Unity and
Inter-religious Concerns and Co-chair of the Mission
Relationships Team for the Virginia Conference Board
of Global Ministries. Before, she became a minister,
she had also served in the Peace Corps as a Math and
Science Teacher in Ghana, West Africa and was on the
faculty in the Department of Microbiology of the
Medical College of Virginia.
Rev.
Marc D. Brown,
Secretary, Marc
is a graduate of Radford University and Wesley
Theological Seminary. Before he was appointed as the
District Superintendent for Richmond District, he
served as a local church pastor throughout Virginia
and has served the Conference as Vice President of the
Board of Discipleship, Associate Candidacy Registrar
for the Board of Ordained Ministry, and as a member of
the Equitable Compensation Commission. As
superintendent of the Richmond District, Marc seeks to
be a partner in ministry with clergy and laity in
helping local congregations to become mission outposts
of the Virginia Conference. Marc has led visioning
workshops for local churches and districts and has
served as a consultant in conflict resolution in
churches
Marilyn
Heckstall,
Treasurer, Marilyn
is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University with
a BA in both History and Religious Studies. She
received her M. Div. from Union/PSCE in 1997 and is
now an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church.
She currently serves at Asbury United Methodist Church.
John
Andrews,
Chair Program Committe,
John has been in ordained ministry for 34 years in the
Virginia Annual Conference of the United Methodist
Church. In this time he has worked in and with many
various missions, peace and justice ministries
and feels lead by God to serve as an instrument of
God’s grace and healing. Currently, he is the Senior
Pastor at Welborne UMC.
Roth
Sykes,
Chair Finance Committe,
Roth
Sykes has been in the Financial Services industry for
21 years and is currently President of Capital
Management Services, Inc. In addition to this, he has
been an active member of Bon Air UMC for 35 years and
serves on it's Church Council, as President of it's
United Methodist Men's group and on Usher and Teller
teams. Roth is also the Richmond District United
Methodist Men President, the Chair of the Finance
Committee for Westview on the James Christian Camp,
and serves on the board of the PACE United Methodist
Campus Ministry at VCU.
Jackson
E. “Jack” Reasor, Jr., Chair Fund Development,
Jack Reasor was born in Danville, VA and received his B.A.
from Lincoln Memorial University in 1975. later he
graduated from the T.C. Williams School of Law at the
University of Richmond, VA. Since then Jack has served
as a Vice President of First Virginia Bank and
President of Premier Trust Company in Bluefield. He
has also served as a VA state Senator from 1992-98.
Currently, Jack is the President and CEO of Old
Dominion Electric Cooperative and the Virginia,
Maryland, and Delaware Association of Electric
Cooperatives and serves on several other boards
including Averett University, the Virginia Center for
Coal and Energy Research, and the Virginia College
Fund.
Members
At Large:
Milton
Cerny
Milton
Cerny received his B.S. from American University and
his J.D. from the Washington College of Law. He
worked for 28 years for the IRS in the
Administration of Tax Exempt Organizations and is a
retired partner at Caplin & Drysdale. He has
also served as the Vice President for Impact
Richmond and is a member of the Board of Directors
of the Wesley Theological Seminary Foundation. While
doing all of this, he has additionally served in
various leadership roles in his home church.
Pat
Compton
Pat
Compton, a graduate of West Virginia University, has
participated in the life of the United Methodist
Church, always with joy. She has served as
Virginia Conference President of United Methodist
Women, Secretary of the Conference Council on
Ministries, Vice President of the Conference Board
of Church and Society, Archivist of the World
Federation of Methodist and Uniting Church Women,
District Lay Leader, Delegate to the 2000 General
Conference and to Jurisdictional Conferences.
For many years Pat monitored the General Assembly
for the United Methodist Church. She is
currently serving as Associate District Lay Leader
and is on the following boards and committees:
UMUMR Board, the Ferrum College Board of Trustees
(chairing the Academic Affairs Committee), the
United Methodist Family Services Board of
Associates, the District Committee for Ordained
Ministry and the Strategy Committee for Parish
Development.
Lynda
Moore
Lynda
received a Bachelor of Social Work degree from
Virginia Commonwealth University and a Master of
Divinity degree from the former School of Theology
at Virginia Union University, now known as the
Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology. She
was ordained by Fourth Baptist Church in Richmond,
VA in 1992. In 2003 she joined Bon Air United
Methodist Church and later received her first clergy
appointment as pastor of Highland Park United
Methodist Church. Starting July 1, 2007 she will be
serving as the Associate Pastor if Ramsey Memorial
United Methodist Church. Her ministerial interests
include racial reconciliation, women's ministries,
and urban outreach. In addition to all of this she
is also involved with the City Coalition,
Colaborando Juntos, and Richmond public Schools ESL
service providers coalition.
Mary
S. D. Moore
Mary
S. D. Moore earned a B.A. in Political Science from
Guilford College, Greensboro, North Carolina. She
currently serves as Director of Development and
Administration for Cross Over Ministry. Mary also
serves on a variety of local and regional boards and
committees, including those of REACH, the Richmond
Christian Leadership Institute, St. Mary’s
Episcopal Church, the Community Health Services
Plan, the University of Richmond Bonner Center for
Civic Engagement, and the Homeward Executive
Director Workgroup.
Joe
Winfree
Joe
Winfree is a graduate of Virginia Tech (BA Political
Science) and the Chandler School of Theology at
Emory University (M.Div.) and has served in the
Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church
since 1979. During that time he has been the
Director of Portsmouth Community Ministries and the
Regional Planning Director for the United Way of
South Hampton Roads among other things. Currently,
he is the Senior Pastor at Ramsey Memorial United
Methodist Church.
Ex-Officio:
Rev.
David J. Bonney
Rev.
David J. Bonney is on the UMUMR Board by virtue of
being the Chair of the Board of Missions for the
Richmond District of the United Methodist Church. He
currently serves as the Senior Pastor of St. Mark's
United Methodist Church in Midlothian, Virginia.
Rev. N. David Cooper, MDiv,
MSW, CPM, Executive Director United Methodist
Ministries of Richmond
Sheelagh
Davis
Born
and educated in England, Sheelagh worked as a
Librarian in London and in the South West of
England. Later she taught English as a foreign
language in Switzerland. In 1997 Sheelagh moved to
Richmond with her husband and joined Reveille United
Methodist Church where she has been called and
encouraged to become more involved in the church and
in living out her life as a Christian. There she has
served in many capacities including as a Stephen
minister, a past United Methodist Women vice
President, the Outreach chair, and President of the
UMUMR
Garth
Griffith
Ruth
Wilkinson
Ruth
is a very active member of the Untied Methodist
Church. At her local church, Good Shepherd, she
serves on the Reach
& Relate,
Care & Connect and Send
& Serve crews. She also serves on the
District level as the United Methodist Women
coordinator of Mission Trips and on the Conference
level as a member of the Conference Legislative
Network Committee.
|
