Donna Claycomb Sokol has served as the pastor of Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church in downtown Washington DC since 2005 where she led the congregation through a multi-million dollar property redevelopment and helped the congregation transform from 50 people with an average age of 82 to a growing, diverse congregation that includes an abundance of young adults. She earned the MDiv from Duke Divinity School, DMin from Wesley Theological Seminary, and an Executive Certificate in Religious Fundraising from the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University. She is a former White House intern and has also served on the staffs of U.S. Congressman Eric Fingerhut, U.S. Senator Tom Harkin, and as the Director of Admissions at Duke Divinity School.
Since 2013 L. Roger Owens (PhD, Duke University) has been associate professor of leadership and ministry at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. An ordained elder in the United Methodist Church, Roger spent eight years as a pastor in North Carolina serving churches with his wife, Rev. Ginger Thomas, before moving to Pittsburgh. Now as a professor, writer, and retreat leader he offers students and other audiences a new, refreshing way to think about ministry.
Roger is the author of three books, the editor of two others, and he has written numerous articles. He is a frequent faculty presenter in the Upper Room’s Academy for Spiritual Formation, teaching broadly in Christian spirituality. He also leads workshops on spiritual leadership.
