Leadership Team

Marissa Akery is FTE's community engagement manager who serves the Doctoral initiatives as well as the Co-CREATE and Discernment Lab initiatives. Previously she served as the Next Generation Pastor at Impact Church, providing leadership, care, and development for the leaders who serve infants to young adults.  She is a graduate of The University of Georgia and received her Master of Divinity from Emory Candler School of Theology. Marissa has been recognized by Church Women United as an Outstanding Young Woman in Ministry and as a Woman of Courage by St. John AME Church. She is passionate about promoting individuals' spiritual and personal growth while ensuring that they are surrounded by an authentic, loving, and supportive community. 

Allison Arsenault directs FTE's coordination efforts in partnership with the Lilly Endowment. She oversees the Youth Theology Network and supports efforts centered on theology programs accompanying young adults in discernment. Allison also supports the data and knowledge management needs of FTE.

FTE's work is critical at a time when both young adults and the church are working to define their place and purpose in the world. Guiding students and young adults to engage questions of meaning and purpose is the most life-giving work I’ve ever been a part of. I love coming to work at a place that is actively creating spaces for people of faith to grow and shape their communities and the world.

Samaria Divine directs FTE’s doctoral initiatives and oversees efforts to create an engaged community of diverse scholars and supports doctoral students in completing their programs.

When I was a PhD student, FTE’s investment in me as a Doctoral Fellow was the key factor that allowed me to complete my program on schedule. The organization’s continued commitment to shaping and equipping diverse theological educators has made a profound difference for several scholars. It is an honor to continue the work of supporting scholars who offer unique perspectives and innovative approaches to religious and theological scholarship.

Rev. Dr. Brandon Harris focuses on Partner relationships (existing and developing) and matching constituents with programs.

No other organization exists like FTE to help young adults discern the sound of the genuine within themselves and to develop future leaders for the church and academy. As an undergraduate, FTE supported my own vocational discernment and connected me to a network that helped me discern a call to seminary and later into ordained ministry. For the last nine years, I have served both congregational and collegiate settings as a Pastor and College Chaplain. I am excited to support FTE in strengthening its partnerships and connecting constituents with our broad and diverse offerings. FTE is poised to continue to help shape the lives of young adults and to co-create a vibrant future for the Church and the Academy.

Chrishaun Hoopes manages FTE's communications strategies and marketing efforts to increase awareness, engagement, and support for FTE’s vision, mission, and programmatic work.

As I approached a career milestone, I began seeking more meaningful ways to combine my passion for marketing with my spiritual calling to help people. I soon discovered an opportunity to promote one of the best brand stories through volunteer work at my church. I learned that there were career opportunities outside of corporate and agency life that allowed me to have a greater purpose. This journey led me to FTE, a brand shaking things up for the next generation of diverse faith leaders. Through my work, I lead communication strategies to reshape how we reach and empower individuals seeking meaningful ways to answer their callings for social good.

The President of FTE, Stephen Lewis holds lead responsibility for the strategic direction of FTE.

I do what I do in hopes that my work with good colleagues will have a lasting impact on everyday people and communities across the world. The future is inevitable. Communities of faith, their leaders and the next generation are important catalysts in shaping the future. There is no viable path to the future absent of developing faithful, wise and courageous leaders now. No other national organization is like FTE in shaping the future by developing leaders on behalf of a diverse church and the academy.

Lee Anne McGaha oversees FTE's operational, administrative, and financial reporting functions.

I first connected with FTE through my previous position at Quaker Voluntary Service. Working at FTE feels like the natural continuation of that work. I am excited to provide the background support for my colleagues who are holding space for and guiding the next generation of leaders. I'm grateful to be connected to work that is helping to redefine ministry.

Christina Repoley directs and leads FTE's programs and initiatives centered on cultivating the next generation of diverse leaders for the church and academy.

I have been connected to FTE for over a decade. As a seminarian, FTE supported my own discernment and connected me to a network that helped me successfully found and grow Quaker Voluntary Service. After pouring my heart and soul into supporting young adults in discernment, ministry and service for nearly 10 years in the Quaker context, I am excited to now be able to support an even wider network of young adults discerning their call in the world and finding out what makes them come alive. FTE is uniquely positioned to be a prophetic voice for both the church and the world, while supporting current and future leadership of a diverse network of young people.

Heather B.P. Wallace manages FTE's grants, online learning platform, events for young adults, and FTE's coordination efforts in partnership with the Lilly Endowment.

Since 2014, I’ve had the privilege of working with my colleagues at FTE to accompany young adults, scholars, and faith practitioners as they explore God’s call in their lives. The ecumenical nature of our work and the diversity of perspectives and contexts gives me the opportunity to see God’s work in the world in many and varied ways. I am an avid listener of storytellers and love that my work at FTE is a perfect place to experience stories from our friends in the church, the academy, and God’s amazing world.