Unlikely Advocates: Using Power & Privilige for Justice
APRIL 28, 2016
First Covenant Church of Oakland,
4000 Redwood Road, Oakland, CA 94619
Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil
An Associate Professor of Reconciliation Studies in the School of Theology at Seattle Pacific University, where she also directs the Reconciliation Studies Minor program. Dr. Salter McNeil is also an author, speaker and thought leader with over 25 years of ministry experience in the field of racial, ethnic and gender reconciliation. Her mission is to inspire and equip young Christian leaders to practice reconciliation around the world and to build communities that partner with God to bring relational healing and social wholeness.
Prior to coming to Seattle Pacific University, Dr. Salter McNeil spearheaded a faith-based speaking, training and consulting firm specializing in biblical reconciliation with Christian colleges, churches and organizations. She was also on staff with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship for 14 years, where she served as a Multiethnic Ministries Specialist in Southern California and Chicago, Illinois. These experiences were foundational to the development of the principles, concepts and strategies that guide her practice of reconciliation from a Christian perspective.
Today, Dr. Salter McNeil is recognized internationally as one of the foremost leaders of reconciliation and was featured as one of the 50 most influential women to watch by Christianity Today in 2012. Originally from Trenton, New Jersey, Brenda is now an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Covenant Church and is currently serving as a teaching pastor at Quest Covenant Church in Seattle, in addition to her position at SPU. She is married to Dr. J. Derek McNeil, who is the senior Vice President of Academic Affairs at The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology. They are the proud parents of two children; a son, Omari, and a daughter, Mia.
Q&A Moderator
Jill Tucker
Has covered education in California for 18 years, writing stories that range from issues facing Bay Area schools districts to broader national policy debates. Her work has generated changes to state law and spurred political and community action to address local needs.
She is a frequent guest on KQED’s “Newroom" television show and "Forum" radio show. A Bay Area native, Jill earned a master’s degree in journalism at the University of Colorado, Boulder and a bachelor’s degree from the UC Santa Barbara. In between, she spent two years as a Peace Corps volunteer teaching English in Cape Verde, West Africa.
Panelists:
Rosa Aqeel, Associate Director of PolicyLink
Amy Fitzgerald, Executive Director of Oakland Community Organizations
Reverend Sandhya Jha, Founder & Director of the Oakland Peace Center & Director of Interfaith Programs for the East Bay Housing Organizations
Yu-Shuan Tarango-Sho, Director of the Intervarsity Jesus, Justice, and Poverty Institute
