VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 5/23/16)—American Baptist Home Mission Societies’ (ABHMS) Executive Director Dr. Jeffrey Haggray today announced a number of staffing transitions that will bolster the organization’s mission in key areas related to support for ministerial leaders and technology management.
The Rev. Jamaal Nelson joins ABHMS as director of “In Support of Excellence,” a program that seeks to equip, support, encourage and advocate for the well-being of American Baptist pastoral leaders. Funded by the Lilly Endowment Inc., the new program will utilize education, professional coaching and collegial support groups to help alleviate the economic challenges and related stress experienced by pastoral leaders. Nelson is excited to support American Baptist leaders across the United States and Puerto Rico in gaining technical expertise around financial literacy. He earned a Bachelor of Science at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn., and a Master of Divinity at Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
Derrick Gilbert has been named director of Information Technology (IT). As such, he will lead efforts to leverage IT to advance home-mission goals and objectives. A proponent of mission- and outcomes-based technology planning, Gilbert provides strategic technology advice, informed IT solutions and effective IT coaching to ABHMS’ leadership and staff. A certified business analyst, he ensures the most efficient and effective use and maintenance of ABHMS’ technology. Gilbert brings with him more than 19 years of professional experience in the government, telecommunications, human services and IT consulting industries. He earned a Master of Business Administration from St. Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, and a master’s in Computer Science in Computer Networks from Monmouth University, Long Branch, N.J.
In her new role as Information Technology specialist, beginning on July 1, Patricia Osborne Randolph will undergird the organization’s IT endeavors, adding a multidisciplinary perspective to home-mission projects. Having served ABHMS as a multimedia specialist, Randolph brings to the position diverse talents, including not only website design and coding but also photography, videography and electronic newsletter design. A U.S. Air Force veteran, she earned a bachelor’s in Multi-Media Web Design at The Art Institute of Philadelphia and is currently pursuing a master’s in Marriage and Family Counseling from Liberty University, Lynchburg, Va.
While continuing in the role of American Baptist Churches USA’s associate ecclesiastical endorser, the Rev. Kristina Moeller will also become full-time director of Chaplaincy and Pastoral Counseling Ministries, effective June 1. In her new position, Moeller will oversee services for American Baptist chaplains and pastoral counselors who seek to incarnate God’s presence during challenging situations and crises in such diverse and specialized settings as hospitals, prisons, pastoral counseling centers, colleges and universities, race tracks, military bases and churches. A retired U.S. Army colonel and chaplain, Moeller brings great depth to the position. She was the first female chaplain to hold the positions of command chaplain for the U.S. Army Reserve at Fort Bragg, N.C., and director, Reserve Component Integration, Office of the Chief of Chaplains, the Pentagon. In addition, she has been a deputy command chaplain, Army Medical Command, Pinellas Park, Fla., and a staff chaplain for Trauma 1-Level hospitals. She obtained a Master of Divinity at Northern Baptist Theological Seminary, Lombard, Ill., and a Master of Strategic Studies at Army War College, Carlisle (Pa.) Barracks.
American Baptist Home Mission Societies ministers as the caring heart and serving hands of Jesus Christ across the United States and Puerto Rico through a multitude of initiatives that focus on leadership, discipleship and healing communities.
American Baptist Churches 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.