summit 2026 presenters
We have carefully hand-selected our presenters to hold space, provoke thoughtful reflection, and challenge us to move deliberately from theology into practical, embodied praxis.
Justice is calling, It’s time to answer!
alex barrientos
Alex Barrientos serves as Senior Pastor of Sligo SDA Church in Takoma Park, MD. Born and bred in Washington, D.C., he is passionate about creating spaces for communities to grow in grace and developing opportunities for Kingdom service. A graduate of Washington Adventist University and Andrews University Theological Seminary, Alex is pursuing his PhD in Theological Ethics at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, and serves as an adjunct instructor in the Department of Religion at Washington Adventist University. He has served more than fifteen years in church leadership roles across the Potomac Conference (Capital Spanish, Beltsville, Capital Memorial, Meadowbridge, Gloucester churches), Florida Conference (Spring Meadows church), community organizations, and NAD committees.
Nathan Blake
Nathan Blake is the Deputy Colorado Attorney General for Consumer Protection, where he oversees the units that protect Coloradans against violations of the law in the areas of antitrust, consumer fraud, Medicaid fraud, consumer credit, false claims, and civil rights. He previously served as Chief Deputy Iowa Attorney General and, before that, prosecuted Iowa Consumer Fraud Act cases as an Assistant Iowa Attorney General.
Prior to his state government service, Nathan worked on anti-hunger policy at the United States Department of Agriculture. He began his legal career in private practice before joining the Obama campaign in 2007. Nathan is a graduate of Union College, Yale Law School, and Yale Divinity School.
Nathan Brown
Nathan Brown is a writer and book editor, based near Melbourne, Australia. He holds degrees in law, literature, English, writing, justice and theology, and human rights. Nathan is author or editor of 22 books, including Practising Justice, Do Not Be Afraid, A House on Fire, Advent, Of Falafels and Following Jesus, and For the Least of These. He continues to write regularly for publications around the world.
Charles Eaton
Charles Eaton is a Federal Public Defender in Riverside, California, seeking to free people from spiritual and physical bondage. A product of Adventist education, the Black Church, and a loving family, he is a graduate of Loma Linda Academy, Oakwood University, The University of Chicago Law School, and Yale Divinity School. He has served as pastor of four churches and currently serves as Interim Teaching Pastor at Kansas Avenue SDA Church. Charles is dedicated to building the Kingdom of God in both legal and ministerial arenas. He is married to Kiara Stoddard, and together they have one daughter.
Stephen Erich
Stephen Erich is the pastor for operations and community engagement at Takoma Park Church in Washington, DC. He previously served as the chaplain for Advent Collegiate in New York, where he acted as a religious life advisor at Columbia University and NYU. In 2021 he co-founded Anti-Racist Hot Dog, a consultancy that uses food and music to facilitate dialogue around race. He is an alumnus of Andrews University and Yale Divinity School.
Stephen has coordinated justice-oriented events including an interfaith singing resistance in Takoma Park, a conference on mass incarceration at Yale, and multiple social consciousness summits at Andrews University. He has led committees for anti-racism and interfaith dialogue and holds a certificate in restorative practices from NYU.
Priscilla Flores
Priscilla Flores (she/ella) is a Queer Latina New Yorker and visionary actor, director, and theatre practitioner whose work lives at the intersection of artistry, activism, and community transformation. As a dynamic performance artist, she has performed across New York City at Playwrights Horizons, The Tank NYC, Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture, Alpha Omega Theatrical Dance Company, The Danny Kaye Playhouse, and Frederick Loewe Theater. A proud "artivist," Priscilla harnesses the power of applied theatre to elevate marginalized voices, ignite courageous conversations, and cultivate spaces for collective healing and liberation.
Beyond the stage, Priscilla serves as a Program Director, leading and collaborating with exceptional teaching artists across NYC public schools. Through Theatre in Education (TIE), she designs and implements programming that strengthens participants' social-emotional development, leadership capacity, and critical life skills to see themselves as storytellers and change-makers.
Pax Fordham
Pax Fordham is a communications professional working at the intersection of media and politics. He currently serves as a Communications Assistant in the U.S. House of Representatives for Congresswoman LaMonica McIver (NJ-10), where he helps craft public messaging, develop digital content, and manage relations with local and national press.
A graduate of Oakwood University (B.A. in Communication: Film & TV Production, minor in Political Science), Pax believes media is the most powerful tool for shaping political thought and civic culture. He has worked as a production assistant on projects for media entities including CNN, PBS, Spotify, and Post Malone. He began his work in politics as a field organizer in his hometown of Nashville, TN for the successful 2024 transit referendum campaign, Nashville Moves, and interning on Capitol Hill as a Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Intern.
Cindy Giago
Cindy Giago is an enrolled member of the Oglala Lakota Sioux Tribe from the Lacreek District and a proud member of the Shangreaux, Ruff, and Black Eyes Tióšpaye. She is a leader, advocate, and program developer dedicated to strengthening Lakota families and protecting children. Cindy holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Services from Oglala Lakota College and a Master’s Degree in Management with an emphasis in Project Management from Colorado Technical University. Her work focuses on culturally grounded family support, ICWA advocacy, and community-based initiatives that promote healing, accountability, and self-determination.
Darriel Hoy
Being sprayed by a skunk, chased by drug dealer's dogs, and coming too close for comfort to alligators are just a few of the adventures Pastor Darriel Hoy has experienced while engaging the community and serving the Seventh-day Adventist Church. She is an ordained minister who has dedicated 21 years in the roles of pastor, conference community ministries director, and conference youth director. Pastor Hoy earned a Bachelor's Degree in Public Policy from Duke University and a Master’s of Divinity Degree from Andrews University. Her motto for ministry: In order to reach the people no one has reached, we have to do the things that no one else has done. She applies Jesus' model of ministry — socializing, sympathizing, serving, and securing trust — to summon the people she encounters to Christ.
Pastor Hoy began ministry in college organizing churches in rural North Carolina to provide free medical clinics for the uninsured. After graduating Duke, she worked as the Southern Regional Organizer for the Children's Defense Fund, engaging in community organizing and legislative advocacy on behalf of children living in poverty. After graduating seminary, Pastor Hoy led an urban ministry in Baltimore, initiating a faith-based job training program, a 150-member youth service team, and Dinner with a Doctor health ministry. She currently has “the best job in the world” ministering with the Southwest Region Conference as Community Services Director and pastor of the Baton Rouge Faith and Lafayette Morning Star congregations.
Cicely A. Jervis
Cicely A. Jervis is a passionate educator, policy researcher, and social justice advocate dedicated to advancing public education, race equity, and housing policy. She holds a Master of Public Policy from American University, with a concentration in Education, Race, and Housing Policy, and a Bachelor of Science in Social Science Education from Oakwood University. Cicely's policy research includes a cost-benefit analysis of marijuana legalization in Texas and a study of administrative efficiency in traditional public and charter schools in Washington, DC.
Currently, Cicely serves as a social studies teacher and eighth grade Team Lead at Hardy Middle School in Washington, DC, where she designs rigorous, student-centered curricula that promote academic achievement and social-emotional learning. She has led equity-focused initiatives impacting hundreds of students and has conducted research with Brown University's Watson Institute. Cicely also served as a panelist at the Maryland Pro Bono Resource Center's Partners for Justice Conference, presenting “From Cradle to (In)Carceration: The Plight of Black Women Oppressed by the Criminal Justice System.”
Kelly Jackman
Kelly Jackman is a proud Martu, Manyjilyjarra woman from the Gibson Desert in Western Australia. She currently works in the education sector as an Aboriginal Community Engagement and Liaison Coordinator, where she is dedicated to strengthening relationships between schools, Aboriginal communities, and families.
With extensive experience in health promotion, wellbeing, and community engagement, Kelly's work is grounded in a commitment to supporting the educational and holistic development of Aboriginal students. She has led and contributed to a range of initiatives that promote positive health outcomes, cultural identity, and community connection. Kelly is passionate about creating culturally safe and empowering spaces that celebrate Aboriginal voices and perspectives, ensuring that culture remains at the heart of education and wellbeing programs.
Sung Kwon
Sung Kwon is an Associate Professor of Leadership and Director of the MA in Leadership with a concentration in Social Innovation at Andrews University. With more than two decades of experience leading national community engagement initiatives, he previously served as Executive Director of Adventist Community Services in the North American Division, Executive Director of Good Neighbor House in Ohio, and President of the North American Association of Community Services Directors.
Dr. Kwon holds advanced degrees in leadership, public administration, theology, and urban ministry, and is a Milton Murray Foundation Fellow for Harvard Business School Executive Education. He also serves as a Chaplain (Major) in the Civil Air Patrol and is a certified instructor with the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation. His book, Burst the Bubble: Finding Your Passion for Community Outreach, explores the transformative power of service and social impact.
Jordan Leddy
Jordan Leddy is a therapist dedicated to supporting individuals in their mental health journeys through compassion, cultural humility, and evidence-based care. He earned a Master’s degree in Counseling from the School of Behavioral Health Professions at Loma Linda University. Jordan identifies as part of the LGBTQ+ community and is passionate about creating affirming spaces where people of all identities feel respected, heard, and supported. His approach to therapy emphasizes empathy, collaboration, and helping clients build meaningful change in their lives.
Jordan is a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, a son of a pastor, and grew up attending SDA schools from first grade through his Master’s. His faith informs his commitment to service, integrity, and holistic well-being—recognizing the importance of mental, emotional, relational, and spiritual health.
Esther Loewen
Esther Loewen is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a former Seventh-day Adventist minister. She is also a transgender woman who continues to espouse deep faith while helping people from all walks of life heal and thrive. Through her experiences with injustice, privilege, trauma, major life transitions, and secret keeping (and telling), Esther's story both challenges and inspires. She currently is working in private practice and in community mental health in the Inland Empire of Southern California, and podcasts regularly on Transgender Woman Talking, in between bike or beach trips with her wife of 20 years and two children.
Julius Nam
For ten years, Julius J. Nam worked for the U.S. Department of Justice. He served as a federal civil rights, terrorism, and appellate prosecutor in Los Angeles and Riverside, California. He also worked in DOJ's Office of Legal Policy and Office of Legislative Affairs as Senior Policy Counsel on criminal justice and civil rights issues. Most recently, he was the acting director of DOJ's Community Relations Service, a civil rights conflict resolution agency known as "America's Peacemaker."
Before joining DOJ, Julius clerked for federal judges in the Central District of California and the Ninth Circuit. He is a graduate of UCLA Law. Prior to his legal career, he worked as a religion professor at Pacific Union College and Loma Linda University and a pastor in Adventist churches in South Korea, Michigan, and Los Angeles. He holds a PhD in Adventist Studies from Andrews University.
Chris Ngugi
Chris Ngugi (he/him), a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, founded the ministry The Rainbow in the Room, a space for community members and professional presenters to gather and discuss what it means to care for our LGBTQ+ neighbors in an informed way while respecting cultural, religious, and political differences — all within the context of a Christian denomination which is non-LGBTQ affirming.
Chris Oberg
Chris Oberg serves as CEO of Path of Life Ministries, which provides emergency shelter throughout Riverside County to those living in unsheltered spaces or experiencing homelessness. Under her leadership, the organization operates beds in three locations and offers transitional housing, crisis housing, and permanent supportive housing to support people on their journey to stability. Path of Life also conducts street outreach, engaging people living outdoors one-on-one to offer services, and provides workforce development programs. Unique initiatives include college student housing and housing for families whose students face housing challenges in local school districts.
Bridgette Peteet
Dr. Peteet is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at Loma Linda University (LLU) and a California Licensed Clinical Psychologist. She earned a bachelor's degree in psychology and criminal justice from Kent State University and a Master's and doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Cincinnati.
At LLU, Dr. Peteet teaches graduate-level clinical courses in addiction, cultural diversity, and human sexuality. She directs the Resilience and Disparities (RAD) Lab, where her research examines health inequities in substance use disorders (SUDs) through a culturally responsive and community-engaged lens. She is the author of (dis)Honor Thy Mother: Daughterhood, Dysfunction, and Deliverance (Wiley 2025), a hybrid memoir-scholarly text that integrates personal narrative, clinical cases, and empirical research to illuminate the underexamined phenomenon of maternal maltreatment.
Anissa Pérez
Anissa Pérez, MPA, is a Senior User Experience (UX) Researcher and emerging children's author. As a second-generation Latina, her life and work are deeply committed to immigration advocacy, dismantling racism, and championing diversity, equity, and inclusion. Her work as a Senior UX Researcher helps organizations better serve their communities. In October 2025, she was part of the team that won a Service Design award for developing new licensing standards and forms that increase equity in approving kin caregiver homes for child welfare agencies.
In her personal time, she is actively involved in social justice work, volunteer work, and Christian ministry alongside her husband and son. She is also an avid cook of global cuisine. Across the Greater Washington, D.C. area, Anissa has coordinated free, informational immigration events and led initiatives such as coat drives and breakfast programs for day laborers. Anissa created a children's Latino Heritage Month (LHM) curriculum to connect her son with their culture. This curriculum has since been adopted by schools across the country. She writes purpose-driven children's literature to educate, inspire, build empathy, and spark critical thinking in young readers.
Vanessa Quintana
Vanessa Quintana earned her Doctorate in Marriage and Family Therapy from Loma Linda University. With more than 10 years of clinical experience, she is passionate about enhancing relational well-being. As the founder and director of Connecting Families Mental Health Services, PLLC, she provides therapy to individuals and families and has recently expanded her practice to incorporate emotional expression and connection through art. Dr. Quintana's approach emphasizes empathy and collaboration, fostering a creative space for healing.
A dedicated consultant and speaker for community organizations, she actively advocates for marginalized families, striving to improve their well-being and access to essential mental health resources. Additionally, Dr. Quintana has participated in various community initiatives aimed at promoting inclusivity for neurodiverse individuals and immigrants.
Reginald Richardson Jr.
Reginald Richardson Jr. is a Seventh-day Adventist pastor, associate hospital chaplain, and community organizer. He serves as the pastor of a multi-church district in Portland, Oregon, where his ministry is shaped by the conviction that the local church is not an escape from the world's wounds but a training ground for faithful presence within them. Richardson's faith and public engagement are rooted in the abolitionist and reformist heritage of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He believes Adventist eschatology is not speculative theology but a moral framework that calls believers to resist injustice, religious nationalism, and state violence while bearing faithful witness in public life.
Richardson also serves as an Associate Chaplain at Adventist Health Portland, where he provides frontline spiritual care amid shootings and cases involving abduction and family separation. His public engagement intensified in 2020 during the Black Lives Matter uprisings following the killing of George Floyd, particularly amid sustained protests in Portland. Since then, Richardson has remained actively involved in community organizing and public witness related to police violence, immigration enforcement, and state power, including ICE and CBP activity. He has marched, been tear-gassed, and stood in direct confrontation with systems he believes undermine human dignity. He has served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention representing the state of Oregon and was the first Oregon delegate to publicly endorse Vice President Kamala Harris.
Edward Woods, III
Elder Edward Woods III serves as the Director of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty for the Lake Region Conference of Seventh-day Adventists and as Chairperson of the Conscience and Justice Council. With 18 years of dedicated service, he firmly believes that Public Affairs and Religious Liberty (PARL) ministry is one of the most essential ministries of the church in these critical times. In addition to religious liberty, he actively addresses systems of oppression, including ableism, ageism, classism, racism, and sexism—affirming the God-given dignity of all people.
In addition to co-hosting the monthly CJC Conversations and serving as a columnist for Message magazine, Woods is a recipient of the A.T. Jones Religious Freedom Medal from the North American Religious Liberty Association for grassroots leadership, the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Legacy of Freedom Award from Andrews University, and official commendations from the California State Assembly and the United States Congress. He completed a fellowship in faith and politics at Princeton Theological Seminary, is married to Donnarie (pronounced Dah-nah-ree), and they are proud parents of two young adult children, Megan and Michael.
Lauren Zarabia
Lauren Zarabia was born and raised in Seattle and discovered her passion for supporting others during a high school mission trip. While earning her master's degree in Global Community Development, she worked in multiple countries doing mission and nonprofit work. Visiting refugee camps lit a fire in her that has not dimmed. Lauren spent the last six years working in refugee resettlement in the Pacific Northwest and helped build an asylum seeker program in Washington State. Following the close of the national resettlement program, she pivoted to working with the unhoused and eviction prevention. She enjoys spending cozy time at home and working in her garden.
Renewed Heart Ministries is a fiscal sponsor of JustLove Collective.