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.

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.

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.

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.

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.