Speakers & Workshop Leaders

Rev. Dr. Pamela Lightsey, Keynote

Rev. Dr. Lightsey is currently the Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs and Associate Professor of Professor of Constructive Theology at Meadville Lombard Theological School in Chicago. Following service in the US Army and work as a civil servant, Dr. Lightsey received her academic and theological training at Columbus State University (BS), Gammon Seminary of the Interdenominational Theological Center (M.Div.) and Garrett-Evangelical Theological School (PhD). After ordination, she served first as a United Methodist congregational pastor and then as a theological school educator, scholar and administrator. Throughout her vocational life, she has been a leading social justice activist, working with local, national and international organizations focusing primarily on the causes of peacemaking, racial justice and LGBTQ rights. Dr. Lightsey’s publications include Our Lives Matter: A Womanist Queer Theology, "He Is Black and We are Queer" in Albert Cleage Jr and the Black Madonna and Child, “Reconciliation” in Prophetic Evangelicals: Envisioning a Just and Peaceable Kingdom, and "If There Should Come a Word” in Black United Methodists Preach!

Jia Johnson

Jia Johnson, a creative educator, social entrepreneur, spiritual activist, and life and leadership coach, brings extensive experience across nonprofit, corporate, and community collaborations. Johnson is the director of the Solidarity Building Initiative for Liberative Carceral Education at McCormick Theological Seminary, a program of higher education in jail. In this capacity, she fosters community collaborations and co-creates learning communities and curricula for incarcerated learners at Chicago’s Cook County Jial. Her role in this transformative initiative exemplifies her commitment to reshaping the landscape of higher education in jail settings. 
 
She is the passionate founder and CEO of Freedom Dream Collective, LLC, a dynamic coaching and consulting firm dedicated to fostering the growth and well-being of individuals and communities.  Jia takes a holistic coaching approach, addressing the interconnected well-being of clients and partnering with them to create sustainable practices for holistic transformative change. Currently, Jia co-authored a book chapter in the Higher Ed in Prison Manual and is engaged in another project focused on mental health and the Church. With empathy and creativity, Jia bridges perspectives and empowers collective growth, exemplifying a steadfast commitment to justice and liberation.

Father Shannon TL Kearns

Shannon TL Kearns is a transgender man who believes in the transformative power of stories. He is an ordained priest, a playwright/screenwriter, and a theologian. He’s been a Humanitas New Voices Fellow, a Lambda Literary Fellow, a Playwrights’ Center Jerome Fellow, and a Finnovation Fellow. His first book, “In the Margins: A Transgender Man’s Journey With Scripture” was published by Eerdmans. He’s the co-founder of QueerTheology.com which has reached more than a million people all over the world through videos, articles, and online courses and community. He is a sought after speaker on transgender issues and religion as well as a skilled facilitator of a variety of workshops.

Nordia Bennett

Nordia Bennett is a black queer non-binary womanist dedicated to creating immersive, participatory experiences for Black queer folx, especially youth, fostering self-discovery and spiritual wholeness. A scholar and practitioner, Nordia bridges black queer radical imagination and the concept of pleasure in their work. They earned a Master of Divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York in 2021. Nordia's thesis, "A Barbershop Theology: A Womanist Reflection on the Transformative Power of the Body and Reimagined Eucharist," has been instrumental in reshaping our understanding of spirituality, pleasure, and the body. Nordia enjoys iced matcha lattes and resides in Brooklyn, New York, where they continue their commitment to nurturing spaces of growth, healing, and empowerment for Black queer communities. Their journey is an inspiring testament to the power of radical imagination and the reclamation of pleasure as a source of personal and collective liberation.

Rev. Erica N. Williams

Rev. Erica N. Williams is a faith leader, organizer, international human rights activist and community leader, who is committed to serving with head and heart. Rev. Williams is a 2022 graduate of the Harvard Divinity School where she obtained a the Master of Religion and Public Life and a 2016 graduate of The Howard University School of Divinity where she obtained a Master of Divinity degree. The context of her ministry lies in the intersectionality of faith and organizing. Rev. Williams previously served as the National Social Justice Organizer for Repairers of the Breach, an interfaith organization founded by Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II and as an organizer for the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. Rev. Williams is the Founding Pastor of Set It Off Ministries, an international, interfaith, intergenerational ministry that seeks to empower, educate and emancipate poor and working-class communities around the world. She has done ministry/organizing work in South Africa, Ghana, Brazil and Palestine. Rev. Williams is ordained in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).