Program Advisory Group Added to Lead United Methodist Women
Organization Announces Nominees from Every Annual Conference
As United Methodist Women celebrate nominees to their board of directors, they also welcome nominees of the new entity: the Program Advisory Group. The nominees include:
- United Methodist Women’s 25-member board of directors.
- The five United Methodist Women jurisdiction presidents.
- A representative from each conference not already represented on the 25-member board.
- Representatives of the Deaconesses and Home Missioner community
- Regional Missionaries, with voice but no vote.
The Program Advisory Group will also include representatives from other groups that will be named by those groups:
- Representatives from the board of General Board of Global Ministries.
- Representatives from five other United Methodist agencies.
- Representatives of women’s organizations related to the World Methodist Council.
Designed to focus on programmatic aspects of United Methodist Women, the Program Advisory Group gives voice from the membership directly into the working programs and initiatives of the organization and to the membership as members communicate with their conferences strengthening the connections between local women and their national policymaking body.
The new United Methodist Women’s governance model reducing its board membership to 25 members, from 50, and adding the Program Advisory Group was approved by the 2012 General Conference.
Below is the list of the Program Advisory Group nominees.
2013-2016 Program Advisory Group
Board of Directors: (20 elected)
- Esther Barkat
- Angela (Angie) Lauver-Sarver
- Kathy Booker
- Karon Mann
- Gail Douglas Boykin
- Tonya Murphy
- Diane Braun
- Vickie L. Newkirk
- Irma Clark
- Judith Pierre-Okerson
- Michelline (Mikki) Cooper
- Grace Pyen
- Lynne Gilbert
- Yvette Richards
- JoAnne Hayden
- Cynthia (Cindy) Saufferer
- Stacie Hawkins
- Becky Thompson
- Tupou Seini Kelemeni
- Carmen Vianese
Additional Members (nominated): (5)
- Ann Davis
- Nichea Ver Veer Guy
- Elizabeth (Lizz) Leyva
- Daisy Tavarez
- Deborah Williams
North Central Jurisdiction:
- Dakotas: Ellen S. Myrick
- Detroit: Jackie Euper
- East Ohio: Charlotte Ann Jeremy
- Illinois Great Rivers: J. LaVon Wilson
- Iowa: Amanda Heeren
Northeast Jurisdiction:
- Baltimore-Washington: Sabrina White
- Eastern Pennsylvania: Gladys Hubbard
- Greater New Jersey: Millie A. Grey
- New England: Sohyun Han
- Peninsula-Delaware: Crystal Lavette Johnson
- Susquehanna: Jennifer Haines
- Western Pennsylvania: Donna Burkhart
South Central Jurisdiction:
- Central Texas: Aurora Cepeda
- Kansas East: Sue Luttrell
- Kansas West: Janice Elmore
- Louisiana: Erica Washington
- Nebraska: Louise Niemann
- New Mexico: Ellen Lipsey
- North Texas: Deanna Stovall
- Northwest Texas: Linda Sue Elms
- Oklahoma: Angela Brown
- Southwest Texas: Glenda Sanders
Southeast Jurisdiction:
- Alabama-West Florida: Clara Ester
- Holston: Sara (Willela) Douthat
- Kentucky: Barbara Dugger
- Memphis: Rebecca Ernst
- Mississippi: Mary Simpson
- North Alabama: Carol Toney
- Red Bird Missionary: Kathy Harris
- South Georgia: Merita Evans
- Virginia: Miran Kim
Western Jurisdiction:
- California-Nevada: Katherine Kim
- Pacific Northwest: Noriko Lao
- Rocky Mountain: Glenna K. Brayton
- Yellowstone: Patricia (Tish) Herries
- Oregon-Idaho: Bonnie McOmber
Additional Members of the Program Advisory Group:
- Oklahoma Indian Missionary: Jalisa Ross
- Pacific-Northwest: Meghan Waddle
- Florida: Annabelle Bricker
- Greater New Jersey: Bethany Amey
- Northern Illinois: Sunmin Park
President Jurisdiction Leadership Teams:
- Ruth Whaley (North Central)
- Phyllis Doane (Northeast)
- Edna Brown Hickman (South Central)
- Patti Stricklin (Southeast)
- Margaret Hotze (Western)
Regional Missionaries:
- Catherine Akale (West Africa)
- Elmira Sellu (East & West Africa)
- Emma Cantor (Southern & Eastern Asia)
- Finda Quiwa (Africa-Continent wide)
- Grace Musuka (East & Southern Africa)
- Hikari Chang (Japan-Wesley Center)
- Serna Samuels (Caribbean & the Americas)
Deaconess & Home Missioner Representatives:
- Linda Muterspaugh
- Olma Garibay
