Board of Directors
Evelyn Craig, Chair
Ecumenical Spiritual Director
Terry Allebaugh, President
Founder and Former Director, Housing for New Hope; Graduate, Living School Program of Center for Contemplation and Action
Phil Mathews, Secretary
Retired pastor, Metropolitan Community Church
Dumas A. Harshaw, Jr., Treasurer
Retired Pastor, First Baptist Church, Raleigh; Adjunct Instructor, Shaw and Duke Divinity Schools
Gann Herman
North Carolina Poor People’s Campaign; School for Conversion; Freedom Church of the Poor; Raging Grannies
Micheline Ridley Malson
Director, Living the Word, Justice and Equity Ministry, NCC-UMC & Lilly Endowment Thriving Congregations Initiative
Chalice Overy
Co-Program Director, Center for Health Policy and Inequalities Research at Duke University
Deborah Williams
Project Coordinator, Office of Black Church Studies, Duke Divinity School
Mel Williams
Peace Hill Founder, Pastor Emeritus, Watts Street Baptist Church; Founder of End Poverty Durham
Colleagues of Counsel
The purpose of the Colleagues of Counsel is to provide the Board of Directors with both general and specific guidance about the practices, programs, and polices of Peace Hill at Avila. Advisors will be engaged individually on average one to two times per year by members of the Board of Directors to seek their counsel on multiple issues including governance models, contemplative practices, and potential programming. Advisors will also be asked to help Peace Hill stay informed about national and international activities and trends concerning contemplative action. By sharing their time and perspectives with Peace Hill at Avila, Colleagues of Counsel provide Peace Hill a broader viewpoint and help shape the direction of the organization.
Colleagues include:
Brian McLaren, author, activist, and public theologian. Brian is an Auburn Senior Fellow, a faculty member of The Living School, a program of The Center for Action and Contemplation directed by Richard Rohr. Embracing a new kind of Christianity that advocates for compassion, justice, and inclusion, Brian is a nationally respected leader.
https://brianmclaren.net/
Byron McMillan, writer, peacemaker, community leader. Byron is a former Army Captain and decorated combat veteran turned nonviolent contemplative peacemaker. He is from Raleigh, North Carolina and graduated from East Carolina University. Currently residing in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Byron is founder of RiverFlow Communications and a graduate of The Living School at the Center for Action and Contemplation.
https://communityequipd.com/consultants/byron-mcmillan/
Stewardship Committees
Philanthropy
Identifies and helps secure funding for operations and the endowment.
Board: Mel Williams, Terry Allebaugh, Micheline Malson
Community: Robin Barefoot, Audrey Green (communications)
Land and Nurture
Provides volunteer assistance for the maintenance of the labyrinth, meditation room and garden, and help in the kitchen during retreats.
Board: Phil Mathews, Micheline Malson, Deborah Williams, Chalice Overy, Gann Herman
Community: Pat Eder, Lori Pistor, Keith Sykes, Robin Barefoot
Program
Develops, plans, and puts into practice events.
Board: Terry Allebaugh, Mel Williams, Phil Mathews, Evelyn Craig, Dumas Harshaw
Community: Frank Stasio, Dave Kirkpatrick,
Colleagues of Counsel
Community: Byron McMillian, Brian McLaren
Legal
Community: Ed Chaney