Samaria Divine holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Religion with a focus on the Hebrew Bible. At FTE, she directs FTE’s doctoral initiatives and oversees efforts to create an engaged community of diverse scholars and supports doctoral students in completing their programs. Her own experiences applying to and navigating doctoral studies ignited her passion for assisting other upcoming underrepresented and underserved scholars in their academic pursuits. She holds a Master of Divinity from Candler School of Theology and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Georgia State University.

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.