VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 7/31/15)—American Baptist Women’s Ministries announces 2015-2018 term officers elected during the annual meeting of American Baptist Women’s Ministries on June 26, 2015, at Women’s Day in Overland Park, Kansas:  Rev. Angel L. Sullivan, president; Deborah Malave Diaz, coordinator of Events; and Ellen Teague, coordinator of the Eastern Section.

President is the Rev. Angel L. Sullivan from Land O’ Lakes, Florida. Angel is an American Baptist-endorsed chaplain, serving as a Staff Chaplain at St. Joseph’s Hospital-Bay Care Health Systems, in Tampa, Florida. She grew up in Rochester, New York, earning a college degree in Communication/Visual Communication (1995), followed by a Master of Divinity from Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School (2004). For one year during her seminary experience she served as ABWM’s intern, helping the national board to learn about issues important to young women. From 2012-2015 she served as an adult member of the AB GIRLS National Leadership Team, and she led ABWM’s “Transformed by the Spirit” Action Learning Team addressing ABWM’s challenge to engage younger generations of women in its ministries. Angel is a member of Genesee Baptist Church and attends First Baptist Church of Keystone, Odessa, Florida, both congregations of ABC of Rochester/Genesee Region.

Coordinator of Events is Deborah Malave Diaz, a member of Primera Iglesia Bautista de Caguas in Puerto Rico. Describing herself as a life-long Baptist, she gained leadership skills serving on Baptist youth boards, at Baptist camps and rallies, and Christian theater and singing ministries. She has 12 years of career experience in administrative assistance in profit and non-profit organizations. Deborah’s college major was Public Communication, and she earned a Master of Arts in Religion from Evangelical Seminary of Puerto Rico, an American Baptist-related seminary. She teaches a women’s Sunday Bible school class at her church and enjoys teaching as a workshop leader. She is actively involved with her region’s women’s ministries (Mujeres Bautistas de Puerto Rico) having served as coordinator of Young Adult Women’s Ministries, and as coordinator of her region’s 2013 and 2014 Annual Assembly. Deborah lived and worked in New Jersey for 10 years, returning home to Puerto Rico in 2003.

Coordinator of the Eastern Section is Ellen Teague, member of First Baptist Church, Gaithersburg, Maryland, in the District of Columbia Baptist Convention. She served on the national AB Women’s Ministries board when she was president of D.C. Baptist Women’s Ministries and she led the Local Arrangements Committee for ABWM’s Women’s Day in 2009 when the ABCUSA Biennial Meetings were held in D.C. With a university degree in accounting and business management, Ellen is skilled in administration and financial management and has used those skills to benefit religious organizations. Ellen retired in 2009 from a 15-year executive staff role with Baptist World Alliance and became executive director for the DCBC Foundation. Ellen has vast experience with BWA, D.C. Baptist Convention, North American Baptist Women’s Union, Women’s Missionary Union, and American Baptist Women’s Ministries.

Also at the annual meeting, Celine David was affirmed as convenor of the national leadership team of AB GIRLS. In that role, she also serves as a member of the ABWM board and its executive committee. Celine is 16 years old and an active member of the First Baptist Church of Salt Lake City, Utah. Celine’s family has lived in several places around the world and the United States, adding to Celine’s ability to adapt to different situations and work with people from different backgrounds. Celine will lead the 2015-2016 national leadership team that includes Kennedy Cooper (16) of the Christian Faith Baptist Church in Garner, North Carolina; Ngun Hlei Tial (15) of the Carson Chin Baptist Church in West Allis, Wisconsin; Meghan Cubbison (16) of the First Baptist Church of Ottawa, Kansas; Events Coordinator (adult) Luz Jurado of the Primera Iglesia Bautista Mexicana in San Diego, California; and AB GIRLS Coordinator Nancy Peto (adult) of University Baptist Church in Columbus, Ohio.

“Together these incoming officers and AB GIRLS leaders bring a richness of expertise and perspectives to complement our ministries with women and girls,” said Virginia Holmstrom, executive director.

American Baptist Women’s Ministries is a Christ-centered ministry with a commitment to encourage and empower women and girls to serve God. For more information about American Baptist Women’s Ministries, visit www.abwministries.org.

American Baptist Churches USA is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with over 5,200 local congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.