CONTEMPLATIVES OF COLOR/BIPOC ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Founded in 2021, The Shalem Community of Color/ BIPOC Advisory Committee was established to gain a deeper understanding of our community, enhance connections within it, inform our programs, and provide recommendations to support Shalem’s ongoing efforts in diversity, equity, and inclusion. The committee also organizes and convenes virtual gatherings to support and grow the community.
Members of the Leadership Team
Alfonso “Trey” Campbell III
Alfonso “Trey” Campbell is ordained in the Baptist Church. In addition to ministry, Trey is also a published photographer. He has served as Youth and Young Minister since 2014 and is the current Associate Pastor for Youth, Young Adults, and College Ministry at Mt. Ennon Baptist Church in Clinton, MD. His work in both realms of photography and ministry is to empower others to see the beauty of our one precious life. Trey roots his work in organizing people around their power and the creative possibilities that can be found in communal gatherings. A graduate of Howard University with a B.S. in Psychology, he earned his MDiv from Virginia Union School of Theology. A graduate of Shalem’s Young Adult Life and Leadership program, Trey is an Adjunct for Crossing the Threshold: Contemplative Foundations for Emerging Leaders. He also serves on Shalem’s Board of Directors.
Aryn K. Davis
Aryn is the co-director of Crossing the Threshold: Contemplative Foundations for Emerging Leaders. She is an educator and mental health professional in DC schools. Her passion is bringing others to a place of deeper awareness and full presence in heart, body, and mind, to ultimately experience freedom. Aryn is a graduate of Shalem’s Young Adult Life and Leadership program, and she is a facilitator in Shalem’s Group Spiritual Direction Facilitator Training program. Prior to serving as a Shalem leader, Aryn worked in education as a teacher, a reading specialist, and currently is working as a counselor and the Director of Mental Health in a public charter school. She holds a B.A. from Howard University, a Master’s degree in Education from George Mason University, and a Master’s degree in Counseling and Human Development from George Washington University.
Natalie Cone Ddamulira
Natalie is a Training and Facilitation Specialist based in the Washington, DC metro area. With a background in community engagement and strategic partnerships, her work is informed by over 10 years of experience holding space for organizations committed to racial, reproductive, and electoral justice. She also supports community as a yoga and meditation teacher. Natalie is a graduate of Shalem’s Young Adult Life and Leadership Program and currently serves on the Shalem Board of Directors.
Susan Gaeta
Susan is Pastor at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church in Washington, DC. She graduated from Trinity Lutheran Seminary with a Master of Divinity degree.
Bo Karen Lee
Bo is associate professor of spiritual theology and Christian formation and is the Founder and Director of the Center for Contemplative Leadership at Princeton Theological Seminary. She earned her BA in religious studies from Yale University, her MDiv from Trinity International University in Deerfield, Illinois, and her ThM and PhD from Princeton Seminary. Bo recently completed her term as President of the Society for the Study of Christian Spirituality, and is on the editorial board of the journal, Spiritus.
Leonard McMahon
Leonard McMahon is Assistant Professor of Pastoral Care, Spirituality, and Political Theology at Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley. He holds a doctorate in political theology from the Graduate Theological Union at Berkeley, an MA in Religious Studies from UC Santa Barbara, and an MDiv from Harvard Divinity School. His work explores the relationship between theology and democratic citizenship. Through his consultancy, Common Ground Dialogue (https://www.cgdialogue.org), he works to bring diverse citizens into deeper conversation for the sake of our democracy.
Lydia E. Mercado
Lydia E. Mercado is enjoying retirement as Coordinator of Spiritual Direction at Richmond Hill Spiritual Retreat Center in Richmond, VA where she completed the RUAH School of Spiritual Guidance. She is a graduate of Shalem’s Leading Contemplative Prayer Groups and Retreats and the Group Spiritual Direction Workshop. Her most memorable Shalem experience is the contemplative pilgrimage to Cuba in January 2014. Lydia grew up in Puerto Rico and Massachusetts. She was introduced to Shalem by her late father, Rev. Dr. Luis Fidel Mercado, a Shalem graduate (1987) of the Spiritual Direction Program. She previously worked on large infrastructure projects, and transportation workforce development and education. She graduated with a Master of City Planning degree from Harvard University and from Andover Newton Theological School with a Master of Divinity degree.
Soul Food: Nourishing Essays on Contemplative Living and Leadership
Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Shalem Institute, this collection of experiential and academic essays offers modern contemplative reflections from new and renowned voices in spiritual leadership.
Co-edited by Shalem graduate and former board member Westina Matthews, Shalem’s Executive Director Margaret Benefiel, and Jackson Droney, Shalem’s Director of Operations and Online Learning, Soul Food offers contemporary and inclusive insights to the ageless challenges of contemplative spirituality. This commemorative anthology features 17 essays written from the rich experience of Shalem’s leaders and teachers.
“Exploring numerous rich perspectives on contemporary Christianity—from gender identity and theological languaging to issues of recovery, welcome and inclusion, decolonization, and social action, among others—the authors are unafraid to tackle new perspectives, all while staying firmly rooted in the core of their faith. Anyone interested in immersing themselves in these topics will be well served here.”
– Rev. SeiFu Singh-Molares, Executive Director, Spiritual Directors International