Archives: Speakers

Ally Henny is a writer and speaker. She holds a Master of Divinity (2020) from Fuller Theological Seminary, with an emphasis in Race, Cultural Identity, and Reconciliation and a B.S. in Psychology from Missouri State University (2008). She hopes to pastor a church someday.

Ally has been writing about race, identity, culture, and racial conciliation on Twitter, her personal Facebook profile, and on her blog, The Armchair Commentary, since 2014. She is Vice President of The Witness: A Black Christian Collective, where she also writes about Black liberation, Black motherhood and other topics related to the Black experience.

Ally has participated in several panels and facilitated discussions on America’s race issue and has conducted numerous personal education and coaching sessions for individuals seeking to participate in racial conciliation.

Ally is a dynamic and engaging speaker who is able to draw connections from history to speak to current issues. Her style is thoughtful and engaging, challenging her listeners to think beyond their current paradigms to see a unique perspective. She has the ability to speak to and engage a variety of audiences. Ally is more than a speaker, she is also an excellent teacher who is able to appeal not only to her audience’s hearts but also their minds.

In addition to speaking on issues of race, identity, and culture, Ally is a student of the Bible and can speak and write on issues of faith. She has more than a decade of experience ministering to people of all ages in the context of the local church. Most of her time in ministry has been ministering to youth and serving as a senior leader within various church contexts.

Alicia T. Crosby (she/hers) is a justice educator, activist, and minister whose work addresses the spiritual, systemic, and interpersonal harm people experience. Through her teaching, writing, speaking, and space curation, Alicia helps individuals, communities, and institutions explore and unpack topics related to identity, justice, journey, and intersectional equity. This native New Yorker channels her creativity into her writing, speaking, and work with nonprofits, educational institutions, corporate entities, faith grounds, and communities around the US.

Alicia’s passions for justice, spiritually engaged activism, and community engagement led her to pursue a M.A. in Social Justice and Certificate in Non-Profit Management & Philanthropy at Loyola University Chicago. She also holds a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies with concentrations in Education, Psychology, and Pastoral Studies from Hollins University.  Her interest in religious violence, abuse, and trauma led her to Duke Divinity School where she obtained a Master of Theological Studies degree.

Above all, Alicia loves people and considers it a joy to accompany them as they work to consider who they’ve been, who they are, and who they desire to be.

The Rev. Stephen Lewis is the president of the Forum for Theological Exploration (FTE).

Stephen is a former banking executive with experience at Moody’s Investors’ Service and Bank of America. Prior to joining the Fund, he served as a training manager for the Institute for Church Administration & Management, where he focused on developing business and administrative capacities among clergy and lay leaders. He was a teaching assistant for the Black Church Studies Department of the Candler School of Theology at Emory University while serving as assistant pastor of Trinity Tabernacle Baptist Church in Atlanta. Stephen holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a Master of Divinity degree from Duke University. He is affiliated with the American Baptist Church, the National Baptist Church and the Progressive National Baptist Church.

Leroy Barber has dedicated 30 years living and working towards what Dr. King called “the beloved community.”

Leroy starts projects that shape society. In 1989, burdened by the plight of Philadelphia’s homeless, he and his wife, Donna, founded Restoration Ministries to serve homeless families and children living on the streets. In 1994 he became Director of Internship Programs at Cornerstone Christian Academy. Leroy was licensed and ordained at Mt Zion Baptist Church where he served as Youth Director with Donna, and also served as Associate Minister of Evangelism.  In 1997 he joined FCS Urban Ministries in Atlanta, GA working with the Atlanta Youth Project to serve as the founding Executive Director of Atlanta Youth Academies, a private elementary school providing quality Christian education for low-income families in the inner city.  Leroy also helped found DOOR Atlanta, Community Life Church, South Atlanta Marketplace, and Community Grounds Coffee shop in Atlanta, as well as Green My Hood and The Voices Project. Leroy is an innovator, entrepreneur and lover of the arts. Leroy has a Masters Degree in Divinity and D. Min.

Leroy is currently Director of Innovation for an Engaged Church serving the Greater NW area of the United Methodist Church. Leroy is the Co-Founder of the Voices Project and Adjunct professor at Multnomah University. Rev. Barber has served on the boards of The Simple Way, Missio Alliance, The Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN), and the Former Board Chair of the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA).

He is the author of four books:

• New Neighbor: An Invitation to Join Beloved Community (2008, Mission Year)
• Everyday Missions: How Ordinary People Can Change the World (2012, Intervarsity Press)
• Red, Brown, Yellow, Black and White: Who’s More Precious In His Sight? with Velma Maia Thomas, 2014, Faith Words/Hachette Book Group)
• Embrace: God’s Radical Shalom For A Divided World (2016, Intervarsity Press)

Leroy currently lives in Portland Oregon and has been married to Donna for the past 35 years. Together they have six children.

Josephine Jael Jimenez is a Latinx artist, writer, and podcaster from Southern California. She is a passionate voice for change and justice for all people and is a proud member of the Irreverent Media Group, a new podcast collective bursting at the seams with some of the greatest creative minds in the Deconstruction space. Co-host of the Speaking in Church podcast, Josephine aims to amplify the voices of people who may not otherwise be passed the microphone. Through projects like her book, On Love, she pushes all types of envelopes in the hope to get rid of them altogether. In other words, she’s just trying to make it through life without causing too much trouble. Just kidding, she loves trouble.

Rev. Lawrence T. Richardson is a pastor, prophet, and writer. He is a graduate of St. Catherine University and Liberty Seminary. Rev. Richardson is Senior Pastor at Salem United Church of Christ, is a doctoral candidate at Berkeley School of Theology, and an executive clergy coach for Convergence US. The author of, I Know What Heaven Looks Like, Rev. Richardson writes about and advocates for LGBTQ people, people of color, and the flourishing of all Creation; with his works appearing in Huffington Post Religion, The Root, Believe Out Loud, The Salt Collective and numerous national and international publications. When he is not ministering, researching, or writing about what he researches, Rev. Lawrence loves reading, trying different cuisine, traveling, spending time with family, and empowering people to live life from a place of joy, abundance, faith and gratitude.