The Rt. Rev’d Mary D. Glasspool came to the Diocese of New York as Assistant Bishop in April, 2016. Previously she had been Suffragan Bishop of Los Angeles (elected December 2009, consecrated May 2010). She was born on Staten Island, raised in Goshen, NY, where her father, Douglas Murray Glasspool, served as rector of St. James’ Church until his death in 1989, and graduated Bachelor of Arts Magna cum Laude from Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA in 1976. +Mary earned her Master of Divinity from Episcopal Divinity School, Cambridge, MA in 1981; was ordained a deacon in June 1981 by Bishop Paul Moore, Jr. of New York; and in March 1982 was ordained a priest by Bishop Lyman Ogilby of Pennsylvania.  From 1981 to 1984, she served as assistant to the rector, and later interim priest-in-charge, of St. Paul’s Church, Philadelphia, moving from there to be rector of St. Luke’s and St. Margaret’s Church, Boston, where she remained until 1992. She then moved to the Diocese of Maryland, first as rector of St. Margaret’s Church in Annapolis (1992-2001) and then, until her election in 2009 as suffragan bishop of Los Angeles, as Canon to the Bishops in the diocese. In her current role as Bishop Assistant, +Mary oversees the Reparations, Social Concerns, Ecumenical and Interreligious Life Commissions, serves as Bishop Liaison to the Diocesan Convention Planning Team, and truly enjoys the “bread and butter” work of weekly visitations to the congregations of the Diocese.

The Rev. Clara King has been researching and fostering healthy leadership in the Church for almost twenty years, specializing in adaptive leadership. An Anglican (Episcopal) Priest from Calgary, Canada, Clara has experience in multiethnic, multicultural urban congregations, as well as at the diocesan level developing lay leadership and alternative forms of ministry in rural congregations. She has taught adaptive leadership in the Church since 2018, and is proud to be a Mentor with the Leader’s Way Program at Berkeley Divinity School at Yale. Clara is presently a PhD candidate in Practical Theology at Fuller Theological Seminary, studying the pedagogy of adaptive leadership. With her husband Michael, she has two adult step-daughters, two characterful horses, and a delightful Border Terrier named Jonah.

Linda Lausell Bryant, Ph.D, M.S.W. is Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Clinical Associate Professor at the NYU Silver School of Social Work. She also directs the Adaptive Leadership in Human Services Institute at NYU Silver, while serving as the Katherine and Howard Aibel Executive-in-Residence. Prior to this, she was the Director of the Doctorate in Social Work program at Silver. She is devoted to developing the leadership capacities of social workers to spark change at the intersection of race, ethnicity, and social justice. In 2020, she co-developed and implemented a Faculty Antiracism Training to strengthen skill in antiracist pedagogy, inclusive teaching and mentoring for all NYU Silver faculty. In her 36-year career, she has been the Executive Director of Inwood House, serving young mothers in foster care, an associate commissioner at the NYC Administration for Children’s Services, and was appointed by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to the New York City Panel for Education Policy. She is currently president of the board of the National Crittenton Foundation, pursuing social and systems change for young women. She was featured in New York Times journalist Adam Bryant’s “Corner Office” column. Her insights were featured in Mr. Bryant’s 2014 book Quick & Nimble: Lessons from Leading CEOs on How to Create a Culture of Innovation. She is the recipient of the Latino Social Work Coalition’s 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award, NYU Silver’s Distinguished Contribution to Student Engagement Award and the 2022 Martin Luther King, Jr. Faculty Award. She has co-authored “A Guide for Sustaining Conversations on Racism, Identity and Our Mutual Humanity” and “Social Work: A Call to Action.” She is a sponsor and contributing author to Latinx in Social Work, a book of narratives for healing and justice. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and daughter, who are also social workers.

The Very Rev’d Andrew McGowan, Ph.D., was appointed Dean of the Berkeley Divinity School in 2014. An Anglican priest and historian, his scholarly work focuses on the life of early Christian communities, and on aspects of contemporary Anglicanism. He is author or editor of six books; his project of re-describing early eucharistic practice in relation to ancient food and meals is found in Ascetic Eucharists: Food and Drink in Early Christian Ritual Meals (Oxford, 1999) and in subsequent articles and chapters produced in conversation with members of the Meals in the Greco-Roman World group of the Society of Biblical Literature. In Ancient Christian Worship (Baker Academic, 2014; Italian translation Il Culto Cristiano dei Primi Secoli [Dehoniane, 2019]) he considers discursive and ritual practice in the ancient Church, including use of music and speech as well as sacramental ritual, acknowledging the diversity of early Christian belief and practice. He is currently working on how early Christian and other ancient Mediterranean groups used, changed, and created notions of sacrifice.

Westina Matthews, Ph.D., is an author, public speaker, spiritual director, and retreat leader who has found a way to connect with others through her books, essays, lectures, and teaching. She is a trustee of the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale, a facilitator and board member of the Gathering of Leaders, a board member of the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation, a mentor for the Trinity Leadership Fellows Program, and a former vestry member of Trinity Church Wall Street. Westina earned her Ph.D. in Education from the University of Chicago and completed postdoctoral research fellowships at both Northwestern University and the University of Wisconsin at Madison. After a successful 24-year career on Wall Street, she was a fellow at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University.

Brandon Nappi, D.Min., is the Executive Director of Leadership Programs at Berkeley Divinity School. With twenty years of retreat ministry, Brandon founded Copper Beech Institute, a worldwide spiritual community of 50,000 people from over 50 countries dedicated to sharing contemplative practice to heal our aching world. Brandon’s life has been deeply nourished by Christian mysticism, mindfulness, interreligious dialogue, and Zen practice. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame and Yale Divinity School, he holds a Doctor of Ministry degree in Homiletics from Aquinas Institute of Theology. Brandon walks alongside seekers as a spiritual director and supports emerging leaders as a lecturer in Homiletics at Yale Divinity School.

Helen Osman, president of Greater Wings, LLC, has 30+ years of experience in mentoring mission-focused organizations to integrate public awareness, catechetical expectations, and advocacy priorities. Osman has worked in communications for faith-based organizations since 1984, shortly after she moved to Central Texas with her husband, John. They returned to Austin in November 2015 after an eight-year hiatus in Washington, DC, where she coordinated communications for the US Catholic bishops and shepherded visits to the US for Pope Benedict XVI in 2008 and Pope Francis in 2015. She serves as a consultor to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communications, is president of the international board for SIGNIS, the World Catholic Association for Communications, and is a member of the board for the American Bible Society. She and John are parents to four children, four remarkable in-laws and 13 above average grandchildren. 

The Rev’d Blair Pogue, D.Min., is canon for vitality and innovation in the Episcopal Church in Minnesota, where she nurtures discipleship, congregational renewal, and innovative expressions of ministry. She has decades of congregational leadership experience in urban, suburban and rural settings, including serving as rector of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in St. Paul, Minnesota for over 16 years. A graduate of Whitman College (BA), Yale University (MDiv) and Luther Seminary (DMin), she also pursued doctoral studies in American religious history at the College of William and Mary.

Dr. Rae Jean Proeschold-Bell is a community psychologist and Research Professor of Global Health at Duke University. She conducts research on the physical and mental health – including positive mental health – of clergy and others in ‘servant-hearted’ roles such as teaching and caregiving. Since its establishment in 2007, Rae Jean has directed or been at the forefront of the Duke Clergy Health Initiative, including conducting the Spirited Life holistic health trial and the Selah stress management trial. Rae Jean directs the Clergy Health Initiative Longitudinal Survey, consisting of nine waves from 2008-2025 and involving over 2,900 North Carolina United Methodist clergy to enhance the understanding of the challenges and joys clergy face and how best to navigate them. Rae Jean has published in journals on critical issues for clergy, from the impact of obesity and chronic diseases among United Methodist clergy to the four behaviors that flourishing clergy engage in. With the Rev. Dr. Jason Byassee, she co-authored “Faithful and Fractured: Responding to the Clergy Health Crisis”. She enjoys making evidence-based practices accessible, and is currently working on a book, “How to Make Cancer Suck Less for You or Someone You Love.”

The Rev’d. Hillary Raining, D.Min. is the rector of St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania and founder of The Hive, an online spirituality and wellness community. In addition to parish ministry, she is a published writer in both church and academic fields. She has also served on numerous Diocesan and Episcopal Church Conventions, Committees and Boards. Currently, Raining serves The General Theological Seminary as the Director of the Center for Christian Spirituality and Affiliated Professor of Ascetic & Liturgical Theology. Additionally, Hillary is a spiritual director, yoga & meditation instructor, bee keeper, and forest therapist. Hillary teaches regularly at www.thehiveapiary.com and you are welcome to become a member!

Kerry Alys Robinson, M.A.R., is Executive Partner for Global and National Initiatives at Leadership Roundtable and Executive Director of the Opus Prize Foundation. Kerry has been with Leadership Roundtable since its inception serving first as its founding executive director for eleven years, then as its global ambassador for four years, and now as executive partner for global and national initiatives. Leadership Roundtable is dedicated to promoting excellence and best practices in the management, finances and human resource development of the Catholic Church by harnessing the managerial expertise and financial acumen of senior level lay executives. The Opus Prize Foundation, which Kerry has directed since 2021, is responsible for an annual international million-dollar honoring people of faith whose lives are dedicated to the alleviation of human suffering.

Emma Seppälä, Ph.D., is the Faculty Director of the Yale School of Management’s Women’s Leadership Program and is the author of The Happiness Track.  Her areas of expertise are positive leadership, emotional intelligence, well-being and social connection. Seppälä advises leaders on how to build a positive organization and is a frequent contributor to Harvard Business Review, the Washington Post, and Psychology Today. A repeat guest on Good Morning America, Seppälä’s work and research have been featured in top media and television outlets like The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, NPR, The Boston Globe, ABC News and CBS News. Her research on yoga-based breathing for military veterans returning from war in Iraq and Afghanistan was highlighted in the documentary Free the Mind. She is also featured in a number of other documentaries like The Altruism Revolution and What You Do Matters. She graduated from Yale (BA), Columbia (MA), and Stanford (PhD). Originally from Paris, France, she is a native speaker of French, English, and German and conversant in Spanish and Mandarin Chinese.

The Rev’d Carolyn J. Sharp, Ph.D., is Professor of Homiletics at Yale Divinity School. Her research explores the poetics and theology of biblical texts as resources for homiletical theory and practice. An Episcopal priest, she is interested in ways in which preaching can catalyze the spiritual formation of Christian believers via insights from biblical studies, feminist perspectives on power, and ecotheology. Professor Sharp’s books include a commentary on Jeremiah 26–52 (2022), a commentary on Joshua (2019), and Irony and Meaning in the Hebrew Bible (2009). Among the professional guilds in which she participates are the Societas Homiletica, the Society of Biblical Literature, and the Academy of Homiletics, for which she serves as convener of the Hermeneutics and Biblical Studies workgroup.

Miroslav Volf, Ph.D., is the founding Director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture. His books include Allah: A Christian Response (2011); Free of Charge: Giving and Forgiving in a Culture Stripped of Grace (2006), which was the Archbishop of Canterbury Lenten book for 2006; Exclusion and Embrace: A Theological Exploration of Identity, Otherness, and Reconciliation (1996), a winner of the 2002 Grawemeyer Award; and After Our Likeness: The Church as the Image of the Trinity (1998), winner of the Christianity Today book award. A member of the Episcopal Church in the U.S.A. and the Evangelical Church in Croatia, Professor Volf has been involved in international ecumenical dialogues (for instance, with the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity) and interfaith dialogues (on the executive board of C-1 World Dialogue), and is active participant in the Global Agenda Council on Values of the World Economic Forum. A native of Croatia, he regularly teaches and lectures in Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, and across North America. Professor Volf is a fellow of Berkeley College at Yale.

The Rev’d Dwight Zscheile, Ph.D., is vice president of innovation and professor of congregational mission and leadership at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is author of Leading Faithful Innovation: Following God into a Hopeful Future(with Michael Binder and Tessa Pinkstaff, Fortress, 2023), Participating in God’s Mission: A Theological Missiology for the Church in America (with Craig Van Gelder, Eerdmans, 2018), The Agile Church: Spirit-Led Innovation in an Uncertain Age (Morehouse Publishing, 2014), People of the Way: Renewing Episcopal Identity (Morehouse Publishing, 2012) and The Missional Church in Perspective: Mapping Trends and Shaping the Conversation (with Craig Van Gelder, Baker Academic 2011) and editor of Cultivating Sent Communities: Missional Spiritual Formation(Eerdmans, 2012). A graduate of Stanford University (BA), Yale University (MDiv) and Luther Seminary (PhD, Congregational Mission and Leadership), he is an ordained Episcopal priest and has served congregations in Minnesota, Virginia and Connecticut.