During the May meeting of the Board of Trustees, we were thrilled to welcome five new members: Dr. Jenny Te Paa Daniel (Te Rarawa), Professor Emeritus at Hato Hoani/St. John’s Anglican Theological College and one of the Anglican Communion’s leading Indigenous women theological thinkers, writers, and teachers; Venerable Rosalyn Kantlaht’ant Elm, Coordinator of Indigenous Ministries in the Anglican Church of Canada; the Rev. Anna B. Olson, Canon for Faith, Leadership, and Collaboration for The Episcopal Diocese of Washington; the Rt. Rev. Rayford J. Ray, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Michigan; and the Rev. Mira Sawlani-Joyner, Minister of Justice, Advocacy & Change at Riverside Church, New York City.
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Dr Jenny Te Paa Daniel (Te Rarawa) is a theology undergraduate at the University of Auckland (becoming the first Maori in the world to obtain a university degree in theology). She holds a Master’s degree with Honours in Education from Auckland University and a PhD from the GTU in Berkeley, California, with a thesis on Race Politics and Theological Education. She has been awarded five international honorary doctorates, including one from her greatly esteemed and deeply respected school, EDS. In addition, she holds two prestigious Distinguished Alumni Awards from her respective alma maters.
She served for almost twenty-five years, first as a lecturer and then as Te Ahorangi (Principal) at St. John’s Anglican Theological College in Auckland. As the first Indigenous lay woman to hold such a leadership position anywhere in the worldwide Anglican Communion, she soon established herself as one of the Communion’s leading Indigenous women theological thinkers, writers and teachers. Over the past decade, she has worked as Te Mareikura (esteemed Indigenous scholar) and then as Acting Director of Rongomaraeroa, the National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. She is currently appointed as Professor Emeritus at Hato Hoani/St. John’s Anglican Theological College, assisting its transition towards becoming one of the most progressive, inclusive, Indigenous-facing and visionary Anglican seminaries in the Communion.
- The Venerable Rosalyn Kantlaht’ant Elm serves as Coordinator of Indigenous Ministries in the Anglican Church of Canada, with National Indigenous Archbishop Chris Harper and the Anglican Council of Indigenous People. She also serves as Archdeacon for Reconciliation and Indigenous Ministry in the Diocese of Huron, an Associate Chaplain at Renison University College (University of Waterloo) and previously served as the Chaplain to Her Majesty’s Royal Chapel of the Mohawks. Rosalyn is the first Indigenous woman ordained in the Anglican church’s Diocese of Huron, which covers most of Southwestern Ontario. An alum of Huron University (Master of Divinity), she has returned to instruct courses like The Good News and the Good Mind: Haudenosaunee Perspectives on Creation. Her teachings and academic publications focus on the lived experience of Indigenous Christians, the intersection of earth/medicine and sacramental healing, and untangling faith from colonial history.
- The Rev. Anna B. Olson is a graduate of Union Theological Seminary (Master of Divinity ‘98) and Stanford University (Bachelor of Arts in History ‘93). She is an ordained Episcopal priest, canonically resident in the Diocese of Washingon, where she serves as Canon for Faith, Leadership and Collaboration. She served from 2019-2021 as Director of External Relations for Cristosal, a human rights organization working in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. From 2011-2019, Anna served as Rector of Saint Mary’s Episcopal Church, an historic Japanese-American congregation in the diverse Koreatown neighborhood of Los Angeles. Her interests and expertise in parish ministry include working with historic congregations to connect with the needs and gifts of new neighbors; developing models for multilingual and inculturated liturgy and preaching; public liturgy; and leadership and congregational development strategies for the post-Christendom church. Prior to 2011, Anna served as the Los Angeles director for CLUE (Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice), Rector of Trinity Church in the East Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, Associate Rector at St. Luke’s Church in downtown Long Beach, Associate Rector of Holy Faith Church in Inglewood, CA and organizer for the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers’ Union. She is the author of Claiming Resurrection in the Dying Church: Freedom Beyond Survival (Westminster John Knox, 2016) as well as a number of published articles. She recently served as Associate Program Director at Episcopal Divinity School at Union.
- The Rt. Rev. Rayford Jeffrey Ray serves as the eleventh Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Michigan. His ministry is grounded in a set of values that shape every aspect of his leadership which includes the dignity of every human being, the power of shared ministry, the call to justice, and the sacredness of creation. Rayford is a graduate of Cameron University in Lawton, Oklahoma with a B.A. degree in History and Language and an M.Div. degree from Nashotah House Theological Seminary. He carries a deep grounding in Anglican tradition and sacramental life. His ministry in Oklahoma and Northern Michigan has been shaped by rural contexts, Indigenous relationships, and communities 2 where faith is woven into the rhythms of daily life. These experiences have formed in him a theology that honors the land, listens to local wisdom, and recognizes God’s presence in ordinary moments. His episcopacy reflects a commitment to collaborative leadership and the belief that the Church thrives when all its members are empowered to share in its mission. He has championed Baptismal ministry as a way of life where the gifts of every person are honored and respected as part of the body. He is known for his adaptive leadership, guiding the Church with creativity and courage in a rapidly changing world. Justice, environmental stewardship, and the flourishing of rural and marginalized communities remain central to his work. Rayford’s life experiences as a parent, teacher, priest and bishop have instilled in him a conviction that formation is not merely instructional but transformational, emerging from the stories, gifts, and lived experiences of those gathered in community doing God’s healing and reconciling work.
- The Rev. Mira Sawlani-Joyner serves as Minister of Justice, Advocacy & Change at Riverside Church, New York City. A pastor, preacher, educator and public theologian,Mira received her Master of Divinity degree from Wesley Theological Seminary where she earned an award for Excellence in Public Theology. Active during seminary working with congregants, community organizers and activists to end gun violence in Washington, DC. Mira has also served on the launch team of Resurrection City, a Queer and Black led church plant. Her decolonized approach to justice and advocacy has been informed by her lived experience as a “third culture kid” of Philippine and Indian heritage in her birthplace, Hong Kong, and by her extensive experience in ministry in multicultural communities from Australia to the United States. Her journey as a mother of three girls has fueled her desire to bring about social change for their futures and to bring to realization God’s kin-dom here on earth for all to experience.