Leadership

Reverend Michelle Thomas-Bush

Michelle Thomas-Bush, Associate Pastor of Youth and Their Families at Myers Park Presbyterian Church, Charlotte. I have the privilege of ministering to young people at lock-ins, retreats, mission trips, morning prayer breakfasts AND at midnight vespers. It is a thrill to accompany our youth through the joyous and turbulent waters of adolescence, and a pleasure to serve at a denomination where there is a deep commitment to transformative ministry with and for young people.

Reverend Stan Wood

Dr. Robert Stanley Wood, Vice President of Academic Affairs/Dean,Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program, Clara Scott Professor of Parish Ministry, and Editor of The Memphis Theological Seminary Journal joined the Memphis Theological Seminary community in July of 1998. He is an ordained minister in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in America. He has served in ten pastorates since 1965. Since May 2011, he has been serving as the pastor of the Mt. Tabor Cumberland Presbyterian Church in America, Jackson, Tennessee. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Bethel College (McKenzie, TN) in 1967; his Master of Divinity degree in 1970 from Memphis Theological Seminary; his Doctor of Ministry degree from Vanderbilt University Divinity School in 1981. Bethel College awarded him an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree in 1990. He and his wife, Patricia, have two adult children, Kevin and Diantha, and one grandson, Lance.

Reverend Daniel J. (Jay) Earheart-Brown

Dr. Daniel J. “Jay” Earheart-Brown is the President of Memphis Theological Seminary since 2005 and has also served the seminary as associate professor of theology and has served in a teaching role at MTS since 1997. He has served churches in Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky and Mississippi. He has devoted himself to the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in numerous other capacities including serving three times as a commissioner to the General Assembly and as a delegate to the organizational assembly of Churches Uniting in Christ. Dr. Earheart-Brown was reared in Oklahoma. He and his wife, Mary, have been married for 27 years and have two sons, Paul, age 19 and Carter, age 15.

Reverend Cláudio Carvalhaes

Cláudio Carvalhaes, a theologian and artist, was born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil. At age 8 he was a shoe-shining boy on the streets of São Paulo and wanted to be a professional soccer player. Since he could not become a soccer player, he studied and earned his theology degree from the Independent Presbyterian Theological Seminary. He was ordained by the Independent Presbyterian Church of Brazil. He has studied at the World Council of Churches and the Ecumenical Institute (Sao Paulo) and done doctoral studies at Union Theological Seminary. From 2007 to 2012, he was the Associate Professor of Worship and Preaching at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Starting in June 2012 he will be the associate Professor of Worship and Liturgy at Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia.

Reverend Theresa Cho

Pastor, St. John’s Presbyterian Church in San Francisco and Moderator, Presbytery of San Francisco. Theresa graduated from McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago with awards in preaching and theology. She is a pastor at St. John’s Presbyterian Church in San Francisco, where she lives with her husband, Rev. InHo Kim and 2 kids, Ian and Isabella. She has been active in all levels of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. She regularly blogs for Christian Century, Sojourner’s God’s Politics, ecclesio.com, and The Presbyterian Leader. Check her out at www.theresaecho.com.

Jeffrey Harper

Jeffrey Harper is a touring musician based in Nashville, TN. He received a degree in commercial music from Belmont University where he studied guitar and piano. When not on tour, he loves playing music at retreats around the country, though this is his first Triennium experience.

Reverend Jorge Sayago-Gonzalez

Jorge Sayago-Gonzalez is Associate Pastor for Youth and Young Adults at Second Presbyterian Church in Louisville, Kentucky. Originally from Puerto Rico, Jorge has worked for more than 15 years as a worship and music leader in Puerto Rico and the United States. He earned his undergraduate degree in music from the University of Puerto Rico and received his M.Div. from Louisville Seminary. Jorge is a singer/ songwriter with special interest in multicultural, contemporary, emergent worship, and the power of liberation and unity through music.

Omayra is a journalist, movie lover and super passionate about the church. From media reports, pictures and videos, she takes every free minute to work in different organizations of the Presbyterian Church, both locally and internationally. As an elder in the Presbyterian Church in Hato Rey, she works with youth society and finance ministries. Omayra has an understanding that all parts of the church are equally important, thus she enjoys following committees of the General Assembly of the PCUSA and helping lead recreation at youth events.

Neil serves as Director of Christian Education and Youth Ministry at Pioneer Memorial Presbyterian Church in Solon, OH. In a previous career Neil worked as a sportscaster and statistician. He loves the Michigan State Spartans, Detroit Tigers, golf and tennis. He and his wife Heather are looking forward to welcoming their first child in November 2012. Neil has been part of previous Trienniums as a participant, presbytery delegation leader and design team member.

Joanna is originally from rural southwest Missouri where she grew up attending the Orange Cumberland Presbyterian Church. She has a degree in Commercial Art Graphic Design and frequently does freelance work. Joanna now lives in Nashville where she works as the youth director at Brenthaven Cumberland Presbyterian Church and is enrolled in the Center for Youth Ministry Training program. Only one year left to finish her Masters in Religion through Memphis Theological Seminary! Joanna has served in various leadership roles for the Cumberland Presbyterian Church and Triennium. Her favorite time of the year is summer and wishes camps were all year long. If you want to bribe her, Dove dark chocolate might do the trick.

Tim is a junior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he’s studying Sociology and Religious studies and plans to attend graduate school but does not know where at the moment. Tim grew up in Hickory, NC but his family now lives in Baltimore, MD. He is the youngest (but tallest) of three brothers. His mother is a Presbyterian minister, so he has grown up in the church his whole life and has been involved in youth groups and conferences, even attending Triennium in 2010! He loves UNC and is a huge fan of all college sports, especially Carolina basketball. At UNC, Tim is a part of Presbyterian Campus Ministries and he spent last summer doing an internship in a small Rancho in Guanajuato, Mexico.