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Polaris Leadership Summit 2026

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Program Overview

The Polaris Leadership Summit 2026 brings together young adult Christian leaders shaping the future of public health, education, healthcare, the arts, ministry and more. Attendees will deeply explore their own stories of faith and leadership, reflecting on how their personal stories intersect with God’s story. Compelling stories of faith and leadership will be celebrated during two story share sessions and the Summit’s storytelling festival and gala.

Participant Bios

Jordan
Braswell
Philanthropy & Ministry

Jordan Braswell

Jordan is a Charlotte-based civic and faith leader working at the intersection of community development, public theology, and economic justice. He is a program officer at Local Initiatives Support Corporation Charlotte, where he supports administration of $2 million in philanthropic capital focused on historically disinvested communities. His work emphasizes financial stewardship, institutional sustainability, and translating capital into long-term, community-centered outcomes. 

Jordan also serves as youth pastor at Sanctuary Charlotte Church, where he focuses on leadership formation and vocational discernment, helping young people integrate faith with public life. Jordan holds a bachelor's degree from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University and a Master of Divinity from Duke Divinity. He is pursuing a master’s in real estate at Georgetown University. He serves on nonprofit boards and has been recognized as a Knight Foundation Emerging City Champion and with an Elevate Lifestyle Top 30 Under 30 Future Leader of Charlotte award. His vocation is rooted in the conviction that faith communities can be stewards of both people and place. 

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Chandler
Carrington-Cotton
Education

Chandler Carrington-Cotton

Chandler is a 23-year-old Tulsa, Oklahoma native, and the youngest of three children. He serves as an educational administrator at the charter school that once shaped him, which is a full-circle moment that defines both his work and his purpose. Chandler earned a degree in biology from Tennessee State University, where years of student leadership prepared him for professional moments that require steadiness, discernment, and courage. As a young administrator of a charter school, he is learning in real time the honor of being entrusted with something as sacred as children and their futures. 

Chandler leads with honesty, consistency, and care. His commitment to pour back into the same community that poured into him is one of intention, resilience, and personal significance. He is guided by a belief in what is possible when someone chooses to come back home and build. 

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Kristin
Coleman
Health Policy Analysis

Kristin Coleman

Kristin is a native of North Carolina and currently resides in the Washington, D.C. area. She is an advocate for public health as she holds a bachelor's degree in public health with a minor in economics, as well as a master's degree in public health with an emphasis in health policy. She currently works as a health policy analyst and fiscal manager for grant programs. She is active in her local church, serving on the young adults’ leadership board and volunteering as a greeter. In her spare time, she loves to read, try new restaurants, travel, and spend time with her family and friends. 

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Destini
Harrell
Entrepreneurship & Creative Economy

Destini Harrell

Destini is a creative strategist, reimaginer, and founder of The Blessed Rogue, an interdisciplinary consultancy that helps people, organizations, and places expand their universe of possibility, purpose, and perspective. She works at the intersection of strategy and soul, translating complexity, untapped potential, and bold ideas into adaptive strategies and resonant futures. With experience across a range of industries, Destini is known for her ability to see patterns others overlook and reframe challenges into new pathways forward. Her work is rooted in the belief that great ideas, people, and places become more of what they’re meant to be by embracing who they already are.

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Dorian
Hollingsworth Jr.
Mental Health

Dorian Hollingsworth Jr.

Dorian is the founder and executive director of Teen Care Network. He has dedicated his life to supporting his community and empowering youth to take their mental health seriously by normalizing those conversations in communities of color. He truly believes in living life as a "Love Revolutionary" as he understands that genuine respect and love for all can heal hearts and minds worldwide. 

Teen Care Network has a mission to bridge the gap between care and community by providing free mental health resources to teens and equipping the community with tools to have positive and healthy discussions around mental health. Dorian is an Invested Faith Fellow and a 2022 recipient of Hope Center Harlem's Hope in Action Award. He is a 2023 McDonald's Black & Positively Golden Change Leader and sits on the Board of Trustees for The Accountability Initiative. 

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Gwyneth
Hadasa
Health Science

Gwyneth Hadasa

Gwyneth is a registered dietitian who began her career in adult and long-term care settings. She has since transitioned into pediatrics and now serves in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Her experience working with patients at every stage of life gives her rare perspective on the full human journey, where the image of God is evident across all ages. Beyond clinical work, she is deeply committed to cross-cultural engagement and community building.

Having lived a nomadic life shaped by international and third-culture experiences, she is drawn to creating spaces of belonging. Whether in professional, religious, or community spaces, she views bridge-building as a calling to honor the full humanity of each individual and invites meaningful connections that are filled with curiosity. 

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Jada S.
Ford
Health Care & Community Development

Jada S. Ford

Jada is a certified nurse aide committed to improving health outcomes for residents in Indianapolis, Indiana. She works with the Congregational Care Network, where she provides compassionate, community-centered care focused on supporting individuals and families. Jada also serves as the assistant director of the Jubilee Summer Program / The Learning Tree Roving Youth Corps, where she plays a key role in community engagement, relationship building, and youth outreach. In this position, she works closely with neighbors and youth to foster trust, connection, and leadership development. 

Jada is a founder of Sisterhood, an initiative dedicated to building lasting, healthy relationships between mothers and daughters through mindful practices and intentional connections. She also works as a youth advocate, supporting families by connecting them to vital resources and helping them identify goals to successfully navigate system expectations. 

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Averee
Gentry
Entrepreneurship & Higher Ed

Averee Gentry

Averee is a dedicated creative professional and entrepreneur currently based in Durham, North Carolina, and serving as the program coordinator for four initiatives within the Leadership Education at Duke Divinity School. After earning a degree in social entrepreneurship, Averee and her family opened a donut shop in Knoxville, Tennessee. She worked there while taking classes at night to gain her Master of Divinity from McAfee School of Theology located in Atlanta, Georgia.

Averee’s greatest joy in this work is providing a model of hospitality to the Christian leaders and institutions who gather at initiative events and benefit from her team’s careful planning. Averee enjoys the opportunity to network with organizations committed to social change and is inspired by the good work she sees happening around her. 

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Crystal
Gonzalez
Ministry

Crystal Gonzalez

Crystal is a faith-driven leader with a heart for serving youth, women, and underserved communities through healthcare, ministry, and entrepreneurship. She is an accelerated nursing student at NYU Meyers School of Nursing, a licensed minister at Fellowship Baptist Church, and the founder of SHVTED Beauty, a faith-rooted beauty brand based in Staten Island, New York. Crystal earned her bachelor’s degree from Delaware State University and is pursuing nursing as both a profession and a calling. 

Crystal’s leadership is deeply shaped by her Christian faith. Prayer and devotion confirmed her call to heal the sick and strengthened her commitment to holistic leadership across healthcare, ministry, and entrepreneurship. As a youth leader and weekly youth Bible study teacher, Crystal has helped grow the ministry from an informal gathering to over 17 students weekly. She is passionate about training the next generation to live boldly in their faith.

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Kyra
Gonzalez
Ministry & Public Health

Kyra Gonzalez

Kyra is a licensed social worker with experience across nonprofit, clinical, community, and faith-based settings. Originally from the Pocono Mountains region, she has lived and worked in central Pennsylvania for several years, serving children, youth, and families through professional and volunteer leadership roles. Kyra holds a Bachelor of Social Work from Eastern University and a Master of Social Work from Widener University. Her professional background includes supervising foster care and adoption programs and providing emergency social work services in a hospital setting, supporting individuals and families during moments of crisis.

In addition to clinical work, Kyra is deeply engaged in church-based leadership, serving children, youth, and families in urban Harrisburg through programming, mentorship, and community partnerships. She brings a strengths-based, trauma-informed approach grounded in compassion, advocacy, and collaboration. Kyra is passionate about child well-being, family stability, and equitable access to resources, and she is committed to creating spaces where individuals feel seen, supported, and empowered to thrive. 

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Zoe
Moser
Immigration

Zoe Moser

Zoe is an immigration assistant for Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP, and the co-founder of OpenLetter. As an immigration assistant she guides people across the globe through the United States immigration process. As co-founder of OpenLetter, Zoe works to practice advocacy through gratitude, developing content that shows appreciation towards individuals who are working to support democracy, liberty, and justice while inspiring others to do the same. Keeping God at the center of her leadership, Zoe strives to translate her faith into professional spaces and leverage her career and talents to effectively help others. 

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Malik
Kirkwood
Creative Arts

Malik Kirkwood

Malik began his career as a young actor in film, TV, and theatre. In addition to the theatre arts, he excelled in advanced mathematics and physics while enjoying hobbies in skateboarding, sketch art, and screenwriting. He graduated high school as a National Merit Scholar and received a full ride to Howard University. During his time at Howard, Malik started four businesses and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a bachelor’s in business and finance. He studied business at the Universiteit van Amsterdam during his junior year and tutored English at a "Black School” (used regionally to describe the ethnic composition of primary schools) in the Netherlands. 

After a short stint in a corporate finance and banking firm in New York City, Malik found himself immersed in the raw art scene where he has transitioned his career seamlessly into the arts; creating and collaborating across borders and disciplines. Malik continues to pursue excellence as a pure artist, unbound by construct or category. 

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Samantha
Hardin
Science

Samantha Hardin

Samantha (Sam) is a doctoral student in physics at Georgia Tech, with a research focus on computational cosmology, creating mock observations to compare our simulations of the early universe with recent observations of early galaxies seen by the James Webb Space Telescope. Sam is originally from Belton, South Carolina, and received a bachelor’s degree from Clemson University in physics and a minor in digital production arts. 

Sam enjoys painting, reading, and participating in activities at First Presbyterian Church (FPC) of Atlanta. Sam is active in FPC’s 20’s and 30’s group and is happy to have a community of warm and welcoming people as she grows closer to God.  

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Lauren
Tucker
Ministry

Lauren Tucker

Lauren serves as a pastor for youth and young adults at First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta, creating spaces where young people can ask honest questions, build meaningful relationships, and grow in their faith. Lauren is passionate about encouraging young people to lead with love and helping people notice the ways God is already at work in their daily lives. Lauren moved to Atlanta after graduating from Princeton Theological Seminary in 2024 and lives with a husband and very fluffy orange cat. Outside of ministry, Lauren loves being outdoors or on the yoga mat and is enjoying a new season of life as a newlywed. 

 

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Lauren Elizabeth Kim
Environmental Activism

Lauren Elizabeth Kim

Lauren serves as the national organizer and spokesperson for the Evangelical Environmental Network's (EEN) youth arm, Young Evangelicals for Climate Action (YECA). YECA is a nonprofit organization that equips, mobilizes, and empowers Christians across the United States to faithfully act on climate issues. As national organizer, Lauren works with young adults belonging to different identities and geographies on bridge-building, effective advocacy, and project implementation on both federal and local levels.

Lauren helps young adults act through hope-filled programming based on Christian values of responsible stewardship, loving one's neighbor, and standing for human life. Lauren is a graduate of the University of Virginia with a degree in global security and justice. Outside of work, she is an avid outdoors enthusiast who enjoys hiking, swimming, and gardening. Before YECA, Lauren worked in the public and financial sectors in Boston, MA, and Dallas, TX. 

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Hanna Elisabeth
Watson
Creative Arts

Hanna Elisabeth Watson

Hanna, who holds a Master of Divinity, is a poet, theologian, and preacher raised in Wichita, Kansas, with deep roots in the Church of God in Christ. She is the founder and executive director of Poiema Ministries, a nonprofit that creates opportunities for people to encounter God’s beauty and truth through creative writing and spoken word.

Hanna currently serves as the Gen Z ministry leader at Greater Community Church of God in Christ, where she partners with pastors and volunteers to disciple middle schoolers, high schoolers, and young adults through creative teaching and relationship building. She is passionate about multimedia worship and loves collaborating with artists across disciplines to display God’s beauty and invite people into deeper relationship with Jesus. Hanna holds a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and a bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Outside of ministry, she enjoys biking, hiking, running, and playing pickleball.  

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Ivy
Penn
Creative Arts

Ivy Penn

Ivy is an award-winning filmmaker and designer who loves crafting playful, high-style worlds across film, commercial, and digital spaces. From live-action short films to brand content and character design, she fuses bold visuals with storytelling rooted in identity, nostalgia, and joy. Through her time with the Nickelodeon Artist and Writing Programs and the creative programs at NBC Universal, she's helped shape the brand identity of these initiatives while supporting the launch of dozens of careers for artists, writers, and directors from underrepresented communities. 

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Isabella Claire
Qualls
Social Work

Isabella Claire Qualls

Isabella is a compassionate leader striving to make a difference in her community with individuals who are often overlooked. Raised in Galesburg, Illinois, she graduated from Olivet Nazarene University with a Bachelor of Science in Ministerial Missions. She is working on her Master of Social Work at Aurora University. Isabella is an intern at the Veteran's Affairs Outpatient Clinic where she works with interdisciplinary healthcare teams to assist veterans experiencing biopsychosocial concerns. Isabella also works at Argrow’s House, a nonprofit supporting female survivors of violence where she walks alongside clients, empowering them as they journey towards healing and stability.  

Isabella leads a young adult ministry at her church and various community initiatives, has completed mission trips to Uganda and Honduras, and continues to volunteer with Fields of Dreams Uganda. She aspires to serve internationally, integrating healthcare, social work, and faith-based service. In her spare time, she enjoys quilting, crocheting, traveling, and hanging with family and friends. 

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Emanuel
Milton
Community Engagement

Emanuel Milton

Emanuel "Boo" is a dynamic strategist and social impact innovator who transforms communities through creative engagements. As CEO of Cure with Love Strategies, he leverages moments of joy and connection to create lasting social change and develop future leaders. Rising to prominence as a #1 Nielsen-ranked radio host, Emanuel has channeled his media expertise into community advocacy. His innovative Spark Box initiative, featured on the television show "Live with Kelly and Ryan,” supported thousands of children's social-emotional development during the Covid-19 pandemic. He further extended his impact through the CHILL Program, a successful conflict resolution curriculum implemented in schools and a juvenile detention center.

As an advisory board member for Cities United and fellow for the National League of Cities, Emanuel shapes national conversations around youth engagement and violence reduction. Most recently, he provided strategic support to the National League of Cities and Casey Family Programs for youth engagement and young adult justice initiatives. His work has been recognized by The Obama Foundation, PBS, Facebook Education, and other global platforms, establishing him as a leading voice in community impact and youth leadership development. 

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Elisabeth
Joy Mistur
Clinical Psychology

Elisabeth Joy Mistur

Elisabeth, who holds a doctorate, is a newly licensed clinical psychologist whose work is grounded in a calling to integrate spiritual and religious concerns into ethically grounded, clinically rigorous mental health care. She understands spirituality as a vital dimension of human flourishing and seeks to bridge secular psychology and Christian faith in service of healing, dignity, and justice. Elisabeth currently specializes in evidence-based treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety disorders at New York Anxiety Treatment, where she provides individual and group therapy and contributes to evaluation and research. Elisabeth has facilitated spiritually integrative groups for college students with a focus on LGBTQ+ populations navigating religious harm. She also provided trauma-informed psychotherapy to youth in foster care through her internship at JCCA Bronx Foster Home Services. Her work is inspired by Jesus’ commitment to the dignity and healing of the most vulnerable people. 

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Alex Winn
Journalism & Media

Alex Winn

Alex has a background in media, writing ,and music. He creates informative, illustrative, and moving content highlighting communities and creative work. Alex studied journalism at the University of Florida, working as a multimedia journalist for various news and entertainment outlets. Alex now lives in Brooklyn, New York, and works for Thrive Collective, a nonprofit that creates hope and opportunity through arts, sports, and mentoring in and around public schools. Alex's goal is to produce transformative media content that showcases community efforts while he continues to pursue personal creative endeavors. 
 

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Destini
Smith
Ministry & Government

Destini Smith

Destini is a community strategist, ministry leader, and communicator committed to living a faith that is embodied, courageous, and justice-oriented. Her work is rooted in a deep conviction that the gospel of Jesus Christ calls us to love our neighbors and labor for the flourishing of those most impacted by injustice. In her recent work, she led leadership development programs and partnered with faith-based and justice-oriented organizations to advance housing, climate, and economic justice issues while helping Christians faithfully navigate politics and culture. Much of her work centers Black and historically marginalized communities. 

Destini’s deepest passions are spiritual formation, discipleship, and helping Christians understand that justice not as a trend, but a lived expression of faith rooted in prayer, guided by Scripture, and committed to communities marked by dignity, restoration, and collective flourishing. 

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Alejandra
Salemi
Public Health

Alejandra Salemi

Alejandra is a doctoral candidate in the Population Health Sciences Department at Duke University, focusing on the intersection of public health and religion. She is a graduate of Harvard University, with a Master of Theological Studies and a concentration on religion, ethics, and politics. She also earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in public health from the University of Florida. Alejandra is the creator of Healing Theology, a platform devoted to bridging the gaps between the worlds of religion and health. She is a candidate for ordination in the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church and is a proud immigrant from Bogotá, Colombia.

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Sharon Shajan
Chacko
Ministry & Health Care

Sharon Shajan Chacko

Sharon is a physician assistant graduate student whose life is rooted in compassionate care, servant leadership, and community outreach. Sharon’s fundamental belief in Christian service shapes an approach to medicine and commitment to serve others with humility and love. Sharon believes that many who have not encountered Christ don't come to know God through reading scripture but through witnessing God’s love reflected in others. Sharon is passionate about supporting initiatives that provide meals to individuals experiencing homelessness and serving vulnerable communities whenever possible. 

Sharon also serves in sunday school, taking to heart the responsibility of nurturing children’s spiritual growth. As the founding leader of the Pan-Oriental Orthodox Fellowship of Chicago, Sharon created the organization from a conviction that the church is one faith and one body, not meant to remain divided. Sharon remains committed to fostering fellowship, unity, and connection among congregations, reminding communities that we are brothers and sisters in Christ and stronger together. 

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Erin Baker headshot
Erin Baker
Creative Arts

Erin Baker

Erin Baker is a Los Angeles–based creative entrepreneur, producer, recording and mix engineer, and wellness advocate driven by one core mission: healing. Passionate about growth on a mental, physical, and spiritual level, she believes that when individuals heal, communities transform. Through yoga, holistic practices, and intentional community building, Erin is committed to making personal development tools more accessible and impactful. 
 
At the intersection of artistry and alignment, Erin works within the music industry as a producer and recording/mix engineer, empowering creatives to build sustainable careers while staying true to their voice and purpose. She serves as a governor on the Board of the Recording Academy’s Chicago Chapter of the Recording Academy and is co-chair of the midwest chapter of the Producer & Engineer Wing for the Recording Academy, advocating for creators and elevating industry standards.

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organization leader attendees

Ross M. Allen

Ross M. Allen

Ross M. Allen of Somerville, Massachusetts, is the founding managing director of The Narrative Project at The Christian Century. The Narrative Project trains scholars, community leaders, change agents, and local congregations to reclaim the story of American Christianity. This work is accomplished through media and participatory journalism trainings, editorial mentorship, and transformative storytelling events that move communities from passive consumption to action-oriented witness. Find out more at TheNarrativeProject.org.
 
Alongside his award-winning work with The Century, where he also serves as a contributing editor, Ross is a pastor in the United Church of Christ and Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), specializing in mergers/revitalization efforts and congregational transformation. He has written for Religion News Service and been published as a contributor to both Rest and Resilience: Following the Way of Jesus through Lent with Chalice Press and Christ's Love (Re)Moves Borders with World Council of Churches Publications. 
 
A graduate of the University of Chicago, he was an emerging theologian delegate to the most recent World Council of Churches General Assembly in Karlsruhe, Germany. He has also served as a college campus minister, community organizer, congressional staffer, and co-founded a rural community development nonprofit in his hometown of Soldier, Kansas. 

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Steven Toshio Yamaguchi

Steven Toshio Yamaguchi

Steve has devoted his career to nurturing and emboldening young leaders to explore new ways that traditions and institutions often struggle to imagine. He has served developing leaders as a pastor, an executive presbyter, a seminary dean of students, and a professor of pastoral theology. His pastorates include a Japanese American church on Compton Boulevard during the 1980s and 90s, a Spanish- and English-speaking church in Los Angeles’ Koreatown, and most recently Tokyo Union Church in Japan, from which he retired.  
 
Steve loves the inner city and its congregations working to thrive in demanding contexts. He is particularly passionate about supporting young leaders who serve in organizations where they are a minority. He serves Princeton Theological Seminary on the trustee board, chairing the academic affairs committee. Steve and his wife have two adult children and live in Long Beach, California, with their new border collie puppy, Toshi, which Steve is training for agility competition.

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Victoria White

Victoria White

Victoria White is the vice president of grants and programs at the Church Benefits Association where she oversees the development of a $30-million clergy wellness initiative. She is the author of Holy Friendships: Nurturing the Relationships that Sustain Pastors and Leaders. Victoria is a writer, designer, facilitator, teacher, and coach. She is passionate about helping leaders access the resources they need to thrive and flourish and coming alongside faith-rooted institutions as they creatively navigate how to be good neighbors and effective contributors to gospel work in the world. 

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Ray A. Owens

Ray A. Owens

Ray is the senior pastor of the Metropolitan Baptist Church of Tulsa, Oklahoma. In addition to his parish work, Ray serves as the affiliate assistant professor of Ethics and Black Church Studies at the Phillips Theological Seminary and has taught religious studies courses at Oklahoma State University and Texas Christian University. Ray serves as a board member for Tulsa Educare and The George Kaiser Family Foundation and is a trustee for Princeton Theological Seminary. He is the founder and board member of the Met Cares Foundation, a nonprofit facilitating the development of high performing schools in the north Tulsa community. 

Ray earned his bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary. He later received the cum laude distinction for his doctoral dissertation and earned his Doctor of Philosophy in Religion and Society from Princeton Theological Seminary. 

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Randy Mason

Randy Mason

Randy Mason is a Bronx-based rapper, cajon player, and teaching artist who serves as program director at Thrive Collective. He is the founder of R.H.Y.M.E. (Rhymes Help Young Minds Excel) a program dedicated to empowering youth through Hip Hop, creativity, and character-building. A pastor and apprentice of Jesus, Randy is a devoted family man, husband, and father whose work blends faith, artistry, and community. 

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Mycal Xavier Brickhouse

Mycal Xavier Brickhouse

Mycal is an ordained pastor and servant-leader whose work bridges faith, education, and community transformation. He serves as managing director of programs and grants at Leadership Education at Duke Divinity School and as the director of outreach and church expansion at Baptist Grove Church in Raleigh, North Carolina. He holds dual bachelor of arts degrees in political science and African American studies from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and his Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry are both from Duke Divinity School. He teaches global leadership and ministerial formation at Duke Divinity and Fuller Theological Seminary and serves on the board of NeighborUp. A public theologian, his work has appeared in Sojourners and on BBC and NBC. He and his wife, Kristin, are raising three children named Micah, Manaia, and Makoa. 

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Marilyn Anderson Rhames

Marilyn Anderson Rhames

 

Dr. Marilyn Anderson Rhames teaches business communication at the Hankamer School of Business at Baylor University and English composition at McLennan Community College, both in Waco, Texas. During her 30-year career, Marilyn has been a New York City journalist (covering the 9/11 terrorist attacks), a teacher and administrator in Chicago Public Schools, founder of the nonprofit organization Teachers Who Pray, an award-winning education blogger, author of the book The Master Teacher, and a sought-after education conference speaker who has hosted two TEDx talks. Having visited a dozen countries, Marilyn enjoys studying international education and engaging in global cultural  exchange. 

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Ebonie Johnson Cooper

Eboni Johnson Cooper

For two decades, Ebonie has been a national thought leader and consultant advancing nonprofit and donor equity, board governance, African-American philanthropy, faith-based engagement, and fundraising strategy. Through a Black identity-centered lens, she teaches undergraduate and graduate students at a Big 10 university and prepares nonprofit leaders to lead with rigor, relevance, and impact. She is also the principal consultant of Friends of Ebonie and the founder of the Young, Black & Giving Back Institute (YBGB), the nation's leading organization championing Black-led and Black-serving nonprofits. 
 
Rooted in her faith, Ebonie brings a distinctive voice to the intersection of church and stewardship. As an itinerant elder at Kingdom Fellowship AME Church in Calverton, Maryland, she serves with gladness during Sunday services, pours into teens through the youth worship experience, and serves the broader community with the Kingdom Cares Center. A proud alumna of North Carolina A&T State University, New York University, and Wesley Theological Seminary, she is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and Benefactors Giving Circle, as well as the mother to a precocious 4-year-old. 

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Ben Fletcher

Ben Fletcher

Ben serves as the Director of Youth, College, and Young Adults at First Presbyterian Church Atlanta, where he cultivates meaningful spaces for spiritual growth across all ages. He earned a bachelor’s in civil engineering from the University of Georgia and a Master of Divinity from Candler School of Theology. Ben is pursuing ordination in the Presbyterian Church (USA), with ordination anticipated in May 2026. He is passionate about helping young people cultivate authentic faith and lasting community. In his free time, he enjoys outdoor adventure travel, triathlon training, watching “Survivor,” and spending time with his husband, Matt. 

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Kristopher Sledge

Kristopher Sledge

Kris is the lead and founding pastor of The Journey Church, a vibrant United Methodist congregation planted in 2019 in the heart of urban Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The Journey is a diverse and inclusive faith community with a bold vision: to create a space where all people can experience the liberative and transformative spirit of Jesus. Over half the congregation is under the age of 40, and the church’s multi-ethnic makeup reflects its commitment to justice, inclusion, and radical belonging. Kris recently co-authored Followers Under 40: The Journey Away from Church for Millennials, Gen Z, and Gen Alpha with Rachel Gilmore. The book explores the challenges facing the church today and offers a hopeful path forward for churches ready to foster belonging, curiosity, and safety for younger generations. He is also leading a strategic partnership between The Journey and The Neighborhood Center, an urban United Methodist nonprofit mission hub, working to deepen and expand their shared impact on human flourishing in Harrisburg. 

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Colin Kroll

Colin Kroll

Colin is an ordained minister who serves as the young adults' ministry manager for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF), where he helps congregations understand the young adults in their communities as partners in ministry and service. Colin passionately supports individuals in their journeys of discerning who God is calling them to be, what God is calling them to do, and how their daily rhythms and commitments to Christ in ordinary life can lead to extraordinary impact in their communities. Colin also provides training in youth and adult mental health first aid for CBF congregations. 

Colin holds a Bachelor of Arts in Christian Ministry from Campbell University and a Master of Divinity from Campbell University Divinity School, and he was ordained by Cane Creek Baptist Church in Hillsborough, North Carolina. He lives in Fuquay-Varina, N.C. with his wife Sarah and their three-year-old twins, Axel and Luna.

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Argrow "Kit" Evans-Ford

Argrow "Kit" Evans-Ford

“Dr. Kit” Evans-Ford holds a Doctor of Ministry and is a spiritual director and social entrepreneur who founded Argrow’s House of Healing and Hope in Davenport, Iowa and Moline, Illinois. Argrow’s House offers free services daily for women healing from violence in the Quad Cities region. Argrow’s House is also a social enterprise where women healing from violence create beautiful bath products that provide a living wage for themselves in a safe space that celebrates who they are. In 2024, Argrow’s Cafe and food truck launched in Davenport where all profits support Argrow’s residential programming for women survivors. Kit is also the founder of a sensory gym for kids with special needs, and a company called Autistic & Loved which creates food grade silicon pendants called “chewelry” for children with autism spectrum and sensory processing disorders.

She is the author of 101 Testimonies of Hope: Life Stories to Encourage Your Faith In
God and A Children's Book on Bishop Richard Allen: A Nonviolence Journey. Her awards include the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Award for Public Service Benefitting Local Communities and the Tom Locke Innovative Leader Award. Evans-Ford resides in Bettendorf, Iowa with her husband, Pastor Dwight L. Ford, and children, Imani and Justice.

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Anna Del Castillo

Anna Del Castillo

Anna (she/ella) is a Mississippian, Peruvian Bolivian American, and healer innovating at the intersection of justice, politics, and healing. Anna served in the Biden-Harris administration as the deputy director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) for the White House. She received her Master of Divinity at Harvard Divinity School where she studied public policy, racial justice, and healing. Anna dedicates her life to curating experiences for individual healing and collective action, believing that the combination of the two will lead to lasting social change. She is honored to be a member of the Our Own Deep Wells Leadership Team, taking part in a collective that provides soulful practices for revolutionary love.

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Event LEadership

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Eric Barreto
New Testament Professor

Eric Barreto

Eric D. Barreto, MDiv ’04, is the Frederick and Margaret L. Weyerhaeuser Associate Professor of New Testament. He earned a BA in religion from Oklahoma Baptist University, an MDiv from Princeton Seminary, and a PhD in New Testament from Emory University. Prior to coming to Princeton Seminary, he served as associate professor of New Testament at Luther Seminary, and also taught as an adjunct professor at the Candler School of Theology and McAfee School of Theology.

As a Baptist minister, Barreto has pursued scholarship for the sake of the church, and he regularly writes for and teaches in faith communities around the country. He has also been a leader in the Hispanic Theological Initiative, a consortium comprised of some of the top seminaries, theological schools, and religion departments in the country. He is a member of the Society of Biblical Literature and the Society for New Testament Studies.

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Mark
Yaconelli
Event Leader, Storycatcher, Emcee

Mark Yaconelli

As founder and director of The Hearth nonprofit, Mark has worked with numerous organizations such as The Ford Family Foundation, Compassion International, The Greenbelt Arts Festival, The Eli Lilly Foundation, The American Burn Association, and The Mexican-American Center of Austin. Mark holds an MA in Spirituality from the Graduate Theological Union and a spiritual direction diploma from San Francisco Theological Seminary. Interviews and profiles of Mark’s work have appeared in many well-known media sources, such as the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, BBC Radio, and ABC World News Tonight. He and his wife have three grown children and live in Ashland, Oregon.

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Woman smiling
Kenda Creasy Dean
Professor of Youth, Church, & Culture

Kenda Creasy Dean

An ordained United Methodist minister, Kenda teaches practical theology, youth ministry, education and formation, and social innovation at Princeton Theological Seminary, where she serves as the Mary D. Synnott Professor of Youth, Church, and Culture. She has extensive experience in new ministry development, grant writing, and nonprofit ministry, especially with young people. Kenda is the author of a dozen books including Delighted: What Teenagers are Teaching the Church About Joy (with Wes Ellis, Abigail Rusert, and Justin Forbes); Almost Christian: What the Faith of Our Teenagers Is Telling the American Church; and The Godbearing Life (with Ron Foster). She is a frequent speaker and consultant on young people and church innovation and has worked with dozens of seminaries, judicatories, congregations, and other faith-based entities.

A graduate of Miami University in Ohio, Wesley Theological Seminary, and Princeton Theological Seminary, Kenda served as a pastor in suburban Washington, DC, and as a campus minister at the University of Maryland before coming to Princeton. She and her husband Kevin live on campus and love hanging out at the beach with their grown children.

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Abigail Visco Rusert
Assoc. Dean of Continuing Education

Abigail Visco Rusert

Abigail experienced a call to ordained ministry as a young adult, pursuing ordination in the Presbyterian Church (USA). She has served in a variety of ministry roles, including associate pastor, youth director, chaplain, camp counselor, and as Director of Princeton Seminary’s Institute for Youth Ministry. She is passionate about researching and designing programs that serve congregational leaders and transform Christian communities, and she has facilitated more than $8 million in grant funding to foster changemaking in the church.

A graduate of Valparaiso University, Princeton Theological Seminary, and a current PhD student at the University of Notre Dame Maryland, she is the co-author of the book Delighted: What Teenagers are Teaching the Church About Joy. Abigail and her husband, Thomas, have three kids—Dorothy, Solveig, and Frank—and live in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, where Abigail serves as a small group leader at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church.

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hannah lee rose
Story Share Emcee

hannah lee rose

hannah lee rose is an interdisciplinary artist, teacher, ecowomanist scholar, and trauma girlie. She hopes to use storytelling as a medium to help trauma folks recover. She has a passion for imagination and its multiple practical applications. Her roots are in music and theater. She found her voice on the comedy scene in NYC doing improv, sketch, hip hop improv, and standup.  In 2025 she completed her Master of Arts in Theology and Ecology, and she is currently working on her Master of Theological Studies at Princeton Theological Seminary.

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Trevor Beauford
Pastor-in-Residence

Trevor Beauford

Trevor Beauford is the founder and spiritual leader of The Place, an emerging spiritual community creating intentional spaces for belonging, worship, and leadership development among young adults and diverse seekers of faith. Through The Place, he cultivates creative worship experiences, communal spiritual practices, and leadership formation that help people encounter God and find authentic community. He also serves as senior organizer for faith communities at the Children’s Defense Fund, where he leads national initiatives that mobilize congregations and faith leaders to advocate for the well-being of children and families. With more than two decades of ministry and leadership experience in churches, higher education, and community organizations, Trevor is committed to nurturing the next generation of faith-rooted leaders whose spiritual lives are connected to justice, compassion, and public witness.

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Polaris Team

Polaris Staff
Meet the Polaris Young Adult Leadership Network team

Schedule

All times are Eastern Time

Date Session Location

Sunday, April 12
Early arrivals
Erdman Center

Monday, April 13

GATHERING THROUGH STORIES

1:30 – 2:00
Registration
Wright Library
2:00 – 2:30
Welcome, Shari Oosting
Wright Library, Theron Room
2:30 – 4:00
The Healing Power of Stories, Mark Yaconelli
Theron Room
4:00 – 4:15
Coffee Break
Wright Library, Lobby
4:15 – 5:30
God’s Stories and Our Stories, Eric Barreto
Wright Library, Theron Room
5:30 – 6:00
Break and regroup for dinner
PTS Campus
6:00 – 7:15

Dinner

Young Adult Dinner – Mackay Campus Center

Nominator Dinner – Erdman Center, Stevenson Lounge
7:15 – 8:00
Story Share Session 1, hannah lee rose
Erdman Center, Cooper Conference Room

Tuesday, April 14

LEADERSHIP AND STORY SHARING
7:30 – 9:00
Breakfast
Mackay Campus Center, Dining Hall
9:00 – 9:10
Centering Prayer
Wright Library, Theron Room
9:10 – 9:30
Welcome and Orientation to the Day
Theron Room
9:30 – 11:00

Stories Told by Data, Young Adults, and God, Abigail Visco Rusert

 

 
Theron Room
11:00 – 11:15
Coffee Break
Erdman Center, Kiosk
11:15 – 12:30
Story Share Session 2, hannah lee rose
Erdman Center, Cooper Conference Room
12:30 – 1:30
Lunch
Mackay Campus Center, Dining Hall
1:30 – 5:45
Free Afternoon
5:45 – 6:45
Dinner Buffet
Erdman Center, Kiosk
7:00 – 8:30
Storytelling Festival
Scheide Hall, Gambrell Room
8:30 – 10:00
Reception
Mackay Campus Center, Main Lounge

Wednesday, April 15

Extending the Impact of Stories
7:30 – 9:00
Breakfast
Mackay Campus Center, Dining Hall
9:00 – 9:10
Centering Prayer
Wright Library, Theron Room
9:10 – 10:00

What Happens in Malta, Kenda Creasy Dean
Theron Room
10:00 – 11:10
Living Your Stories at Home (Young Adults)
Theron Room
10:00 – 11:10
Reflections (Nominators)
Wright Library, Alumni Room
11:10 – 11:20
Coffee Break
Wright Library, Kiosk
11:20 – 12:00
Commissioning and Closing
Wright Library, Theron Room
1:00
Lunch (box lunches available)
Erdman Center

Location

The Polaris Leadership Summit is held on the campus of Princeton Theological Seminary in the beautiful and historic town of Princeton, New Jersey. Roughly equidistant from New York City and Philadelphia (and their associated airports), the town is home to cultural institutions like Princeton University, the Albert Einstein House, the Institute for Advanced Study, and the Princeton Battlefield. Participants at the Summit can enjoy a variety of restaurants and retail establishments along Nassau Street and Palmer Square, as well as scenic walks through the Seminary and University campuses.

Princeton Theological Seminary is located at 64 Mercer Street, Princeton, New Jersey 08542. For those driving, parking is available behind the Theodore Sedgwick Wright Library at 25 Library Place. Accessible parking spaces are situated along the northeast exterior wall of the library.

If you require accommodation for a disability of any kind, please don’t hesitate to let us know.

Located on the campus at 20 Library Place, the Erdman Center has 55 simple guest rooms where most attendees will stay. Check-in is at 3:00 pm, and check-out is at 11:00 am. A locked room to store your luggage is available for your convenience.

Check out campus visitor information on the PTS website or download the campus map for more details.

PTS Campus Map

Travel and Logistics

PTS Travel Reimbursement Policy

Polaris Leadership Summit 2026 Travel Reimbursement Form

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