Joan Bell-Haynes
he Executive Regional Minister for the Central Rocky Mountain Region is an alumna of the Disciples Divinity House and the University of Chicago Divinity School. As an ordained Disciples minister, she has an extensive record of service in all expressions of the church. She served as first vice moderator of the General Assembly, secretary of the National Convocation, and has also served on the board of the Christian Church Foundation and Disciples Church Extension Fund.Colton Lott
Colton is pastor of El Reno Christian Church in El Reno, Oklahoma. Lott was ordained on June 2018 at First Christian Church in Ada, Oklahoma where he was born and raised. He received his bachelor’s degree from Eureka College in Eureka, IL in 2015 and is a graduate of Disciples Divinity House of the University of Chicago.Michelle Scott-Huffman
Michelle Scott-Huffman is Campus Minister for Ekklesia, a progressive campus ministry at Missouri State University. Scott-Huffman studied at Central Missouri State University and Eden Theological Seminary and is currently enrolled in the DMin program at Phillips Theological Seminary. She formerly served as pastor of Table of Grace Church in Jefferson City, Missouri.Lonora Graves
Lonora Graves assumes the role of Chairperson of the Board. Graves is a Disciples layperson who resides in Sacramento, California and serves as Branch Chief of the Native American Liaison Branch of the California Department of Transportation. She has previously served on the Regional Board of the Christian Church in Northern California and Nevada as well as the General Board of the wider church. She has been a participant in and a facilitator for HELM’s Disciples Leadership Institute. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from California State University-Sacramento.
Santiago Piñón
Santiago Piñón will serve as Vice-Chair of the Board. Piñón is an Associate Professor of Ethics at Texas Christian University and an ordained Disciples minister. His research and teaching are diverse, including Latinx Studies as well as Theology and Human Rights. He is a graduate of the University of Chicago and is an alum of the Disciples Divinity House. He has been actively involved with the Hispanic Theological Initiative.
Pam Sparks
Pam Sparks is the new Board Secretary. Sparks is a Disciples layperson residing in Dallas, Texas. She is a life-long Disciples and is a graduate of Texas Christian University. She has worked previously as a community college professor. Pam and her husband have been strong supporters of DDH Chicago and are very much interested in supporting leadership development throughout the church. Pam is an avid photographer and an experienced global traveler.