Forged from his Memphis gospel roots and shaped by Houston’s vibrant jazz scene, Kirk Whalum is a singular voice in contemporary music. Discovered by jazz legend Bob James, Whalum went on to become an in-demand session musician for artists including Whitney Houston, Luther Vandross, Quincy Jones, and Barbra Streisand—most famously performing the iconic saxophone solo on I Will Always Love You. With more than 30 solo projects, including the chart-topping For You, and the Gospel According to Jazz series, Whalum is a twelve-time Grammy® nominee and 2011 Grammy® winner. He holds a Master’s in Theology and hosts the daily podcast The Bible In Your Ear, blending music, faith, and service.

Anasa Troutman is a cultural strategist, writer, producer, philanthropist, and real estate developer working at the intersection of culture and the economy. She is the founder and visionary leader of The Big We, Big We Foundation, Big We Capital, and steward of Historic Clayborn Temple in South Memphis—home of the 1968 Sanitation Workers’ Strike. Anasa’s work centers on shaping the future of culture through storytelling, public engagement, and strategic investment. Her cultural wellness framework and culture-shift methodology cultivate safety, abundance, and joy while advancing social impact. Grounded in history and oriented toward possibility, Troutman’s leadership reimagines how communities heal, build wealth, and thrive together.

Danté Stewart is a writer, speaker, and public theologian whose work explores race, religion, and politics in contemporary life. His writing has appeared in The Washington Post, Christianity Today, Sojourners, The Witness, Comment, and on CNN. Stewart is the author of the award-winning memoir Shoutin’ in the Fire, which earned the Georgia Author of the Year Award. He holds a B.A. in Sociology from Clemson University and is currently studying at Candler School of Theology at Emory University. Through incisive analysis and personal narrative, Stewart invites readers and listeners into honest reckonings with faith, history, and the pursuit of justice.

Rabbi Micah D. Greenstein—often called “everyone’s rabbi”—is a central figure in Memphis’s faith community and the national Reform Jewish movement. He has served Temple Israel, Memphis’s historic 170-year-old congregation, for more than three decades and is its eighth senior rabbi. Greenstein’s leadership is marked by intergenerational engagement, pastoral depth, and the enduring relevance of Reform Jewish values. Beyond congregational life, he is investing deeply in shaping the next generation of Reform rabbis and strengthening Jewish communal life in a post–October 7 world. His work reflects a lifelong commitment to faith, justice, and the shared religious fabric of Memphis.

Dr. Yolanda Pierce serves as professor and dean of Vanderbilt Divinity School in Nashville, Tennessee. A distinguished scholar, her research focuses on Literature and Religion, Womanist Theology, and African American Religions. She is the author of several influential books, including In My Grandmother’s House, Hell Without Fires, and The Wounds Are the Witness. Dr. Pierce’s work weaves together history, theology, and lived experience, illuminating how Black faith traditions hold memory, confront injustice, and cultivate healing. As an educator and leader, she is deeply committed to forming thoughtful, justice-oriented leaders for the church, academy, and public life.

The Very Rev. Katherine (Katie) Carlsen Churchwell has served as dean of St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral in Oklahoma City since 2020 and is the first woman to hold the role. A graduate of Lewis & Clark College and Virginia Theological Seminary, her ministry spans multiple dioceses and emphasizes liturgical excellence, collaborative leadership, and institutional vision. As head of staff and vestry chair, she nurtures both spiritual depth and organizational health. Dean Churchwell is known for her commitment to inclusive ministry, trauma-informed pastoral care, digital evangelism, and leadership development. She lives in Oklahoma City with her husband, Logan, their three children, and a beloved Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

Drew Jackson is a poet, speaker, public theologian, and Managing Director of Formation at the Center for Action and Contemplation. He is the author of God Speaks Through Wombs, a finalist for the Christian Book Award, and Touch the Earth, named one of Sojourners’ Best Books of 2023. Drew also co-hosts CAC’s Everything Belongs podcast. His work blends poetry, theology, and social reflection, inviting readers into embodied, justice-rooted spirituality. Living in Brooklyn with his wife and twin daughters, Drew finds joy in coaching his daughters' basketball team and cultivating faith through creativity, presence, and everyday life.

Kontji Anthony is a veteran journalist and host of Live at 9 on Memphis CBS affiliate WREG-TV. With a 30-year career in anchoring, reporting, producing, and writing, she has been recognized by the Tennessee General Assembly for her contributions to broadcasting. Anthony is also the creator, CEO, and co-founder of Youdle, a tech platform connecting families to fresh groceries. She serves on the boards of The Community Foundation of Greater Memphis and New Memphis and is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., The BOW Collective, NABJ, NATAS, and ACT | The App Association. Her work bridges media, entrepreneurship, and community impact.

Jonathan Lee Walton, Ph.D., is a social ethicist, religious educator, and the eighth president of Princeton Theological Seminary. A leading voice on American religion, he is the author of Watch This! and A Lens of Love, and his scholarship has appeared widely in academic journals and national media including The New York Times, CNN, and the BBC. Prior to Princeton, Dr. Walton served at Harvard University and Wake Forest University, where he was dean of the School of Divinity. A graduate of Morehouse College and Princeton Seminary, his work engages ethics, race, media, and public life with intellectual rigor and moral imagination.

Stephen Cook has served as senior pastor of Second Baptist Church in Memphis since 2010. Under his leadership, the congregation has embraced its identity as a center of Christian community throughout the week, recognizing that ministry happens far beyond Sunday mornings. Cook guides Second Baptist with a vision “to know Christ and to know its village,” forming disciples shaped by the life and teachings of Jesus while loving neighbors in tangible ways. His pastoral leadership emphasizes shared life, spiritual formation, and deep engagement with the surrounding community, cultivating a church rooted in presence, relationship, and faithful witness.

Bishop Deon K. Johnson is the eleventh bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri, where his ministry centers faith, justice, and joy. A native of Barbados, he brings a global perspective shaped by resilience, community, and hope. Bishop Johnson is deeply committed to cultivating belonging, especially for LGBTQIA+ people and others who have been marginalized, affirming all as God’s beloved. Known for his warmth, storytelling, and sacred laughter, he delights in good conversations and imaginative hope. His leadership invites the church to live more fully into love made visible through justice, compassion, and courageous faith.

The Rev. Dr. Heber M. Brown, III is a nationally recognized leader in faith-based social innovation and food justice. After serving nearly fourteen years as a pastor in Baltimore—where he witnessed the impacts of food apartheid—he founded the Black Church Food Security Network. The network now partners with nearly 250 Black congregations and Black farmers to advance food sovereignty and economic justice. An Ashoka Fellow, Dr. Brown serves on the board of Bread for the World and as senior church advisor to Justis Connection. He is the author of the forthcoming book Nothing More Sacred: Radical Stories of Black Church Faith, Food, and Freedom.

Roshun “Ro” Austin leads with a deep conviction that faith requires love, action, and justice. As president and CEO of The Works, Inc., she oversees affordable housing development and adaptive mixed-use projects in Memphis while advancing food access, environmental sustainability, and workforce development. The organization operates farmers’ markets, grocery initiatives, green infrastructure projects, and nutrition education programs grounded in circular economy principles. Guided by Isaiah 61, Matthew 22, and James 2, Austin integrates theology and urban practice. She holds an M.A. in Urban Anthropology from the University of Memphis, a B.A. from Middlebury College, and delivered a TED Talk in 2023 on building community.

Fr. Ben Bradshaw is a native Memphian and pastor of St. Michael Catholic Church on Summer Avenue, the largest parish in the Diocese of Memphis. Ordained in 2006, he brings a unique background as a professionally trained chef, with studies at Johnson & Wales, L’Ecole Lenôtre in Paris, and the New England Culinary Institute. His culinary training informs his ministry through community meals, charity dinners, and his popular Soul Food Priest podcast and YouTube series. Fr. Ben has served as a missionary abroad, taught sexual ethics as adjunct faculty, and previously served at several Memphis parishes, blending hospitality, theology, and pastoral care.

The Rev. Barbara Brown Taylor is a New York Times bestselling author, Episcopal priest, and teacher. After serving congregations in urban and rural Georgia, she became the first Butman Professor of Religion and Philosophy at Piedmont College, where she taught until 2017. She is the author of numerous beloved books on faith, doubt, and the spiritual life and is a sought-after speaker at gatherings across the country. Taylor now lives on a farm in the Appalachian foothills with her husband, Ed, where she tends land, animals, and words. Her forthcoming book, Coming Down to Earth, will be published in 2026.

Poet and theologian Pádraig Ó Tuama is an internationally respected voice on language, power, conflict, and religion. A compelling speaker and teacher, he hosts Poetry Unbound with On Being Studios and previously served as leader of the Corrymeela Community, Ireland’s oldest peace and reconciliation organization. Ó Tuama holds advanced degrees in theology, conflict mediation, and a PhD in Poetry and Theology from the University of Glasgow. From 2024–2028, he is a visiting scholar at Columbia University’s Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution. His work invites deep listening and courageous conversation, naming poetry as a language through which the heart seeks understanding.

Marie Howe is the author of five celebrated volumes of poetry, including New and Selected Poems (2024), which won the 2025 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry. Her work—praised for its luminous attention to love, loss, faith, and the sacred in ordinary life—has appeared in The New Yorker , The Atlantic , and Poetry . A former New York State Poet Laureate, Howe is the recipient of fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the NEA, and the Academy of American Poets. Her poetry transforms grief into revelation, offering readers language marked by intimacy, grace, and profound human insight. She teaches at Sarah Lawrence College and NYU.