Daniel Hill

Founding and Senior Pastor, River City Community Church, Chicago, IL

Daniel Hill (@danielhill1336) is the Author of White Awake, White Lies, and 10:10: Life to the Fullest. Daniel is the Founding and Senior Pastor of River City Community Church, located in the west Humboldt Park neighborhood of Chicago.  The vision of River City is centered on the core values of worship, reconciliation, and neighborhood development.  Formed in 2003, River City longs to see increased spiritual renewal as well as social and economic justice in the Humboldt Park neighborhood and entire city, demonstrating compassion and alleviating poverty as tangible expressions of the Kingdom of God.

Prior to starting River City, Daniel was part of a series of dot.com startups in the 90’s before serving 5 years on the staff of Willow Creek Community Church in the suburbs of Chicago.  Daniel has his B.S. in Business from Purdue University, his M.A. in Theology from Moody Bible Institute, his certificate in Church-based Community and Economic Development from Harvard Divinity School, and his Doctoral in Ministry from Northern Baptist Theological Seminary. Daniel is married to Elizabeth, who is a Professor of Psychology, and they are the proud parents of Xander and Gabriella Hill.

Colonel Evie Diaz

Colonel Evie Diaz was born in Ishpeming, Michigan, to Salvation Army officer parents and grew up moving throughout The Salvation Army U.S.A. Central Territory as they assumed new appointments.

Evie received a practical ministries degree from Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois. In 1979, she entered the College for Officer Training in Chicago, Illinois, from Oakbrook Terrace Corps in Villa Park, Illinois, as a cadet in the God’s Soldiers Session.

Following her commissioning in 1981, Evie ministered throughout the U.S.A. Central Territory in a variety of appointments, including in corps, divisional and territorial youth work, at the College for Officer Training and as divisional commander in the Heartland and Kansas and Western Missouri divisions. She also served three years as the training officer in the Sweden and Latvia Territory, where a training college was opened during her tenure to allow Latvian cadets to train in their own country.

In 2016, Evie was appointed to International Headquarters in London, England, where she served first as assistant chief secretary (administration) and subsequently as chief secretary.

Colonel Evie Diaz serves as chief secretary for the Canada and Bermuda Territory.

Rev. Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil

Author, professor, pastor, thought leader in ministry of reconciliation

Rev. Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil is a dynamic speaker, author, professor, and thought leader with over 30 years of experience in the ministry of reconciliation. Her mission is to inspire, equip and empower emerging Christian leaders to be practitioners of reconciliation in their various spheres of influence around the world.

Dr. Brenda earned a Master of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary, a Doctorate of Ministry from Palmer Theological Seminary, and was awarded a Doctorate of Humane Letters from both North Park University and Eastern University. She is an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Covenant Church and serves as a member of the pastoral staff of Quest Church in Seattle, WA.

Presently, Dr. Brenda serves as Associate Professor of Reconciliation Studies at Seattle Pacific University, where she also directs the Reconciliation Studies program. She is also Associate Pastor of Preaching and Reconciliation at Quest Church.  For 14 years, she was on staff with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship as a Multiethnic Ministries Specialist. She has served on the board of several ministries including InterVarsity Christian Fellowship USA, Wycliffe USA and Christians for Biblical Equality.

Dr. Brenda is known as an international trailblazer, leading individuals, communities, and organizations to biblical reconciliation. She was featured as one of the 50 most influential women to watch by Christianity Today in 2012. She is the author of Roadmap to Reconciliation (2016), A Credible Witness: Reflections on Power, Evangelism and Race (2008), and The Heart of Racial Justice: How Soul Change Leads to Social Change (2005), coauthored with Rick Richardson.  She had two new books released in 2020:  Roadmap to Reconciliation 2.0 and Becoming Brave: Finding the Courage to Pursue Racial Justice Now.    

Dr. Brenda resides in Seattle with her husband, Dr. J. Derek McNeil. They are the proud parents of two young adult children.

Commissioner Heidi Bailey

Heidi is hugger and is happy in her home territory as Territorial Leader for Leader Development in USA Central!

She loves the Lord, who has loved, saved and called her.

She has loved the same man for 43 years and has loved every minute of her shared Salvation Army officership with Brad.

Daughters Danielle and Lindsey grew up with their parents in South America, and now live in Atlanta and Chicago, respectively.

Heidi now shares her heart with 3 other men in her life; grandsons Micah (11) and Eli (8), and Danielle’s husband, Jeremy Rowland.

Got coffee?  Invite Heidi!

Donivan Brown

Donivan Brown, is a speaker, consultant, organizer, equity trainer, and facilitator with nearly 25 years of experience. He has lived in Chattanooga (TN) for nearly 30 years, and has also lived in Chicago, North Carolina, and Texas. He is the director of the Horton-Keller Center for Traumatic Healing in east Chattanooga and is a member of the Chattanooga Racial Equity Collective. The Horton-Keller Center is one of six active replication sites for the Cory Johnson Program.

Colleen Sharka

Colleen Sharka, MA, LMHC, is a licensed mental health counselor and a spiritual director, who serves as the Director of the Cory Johnson Program for Post-Traumatic Healing. She has over 20 years clinical experience specializing in trauma as well as the integration of psychotherapy and spirituality.  She previously served as Assistant Director of Trinity Boston Counseling Center, Trinity Church in Copley Square, where she developed trauma-informed training for mental health interns.

Dr. Guillermo Donamaria

Dr. Guillermo Donamaria, DAC, MAC, CODP II, is a Mental Health and Substance Abuse Counselor and Professional Counseling Teacher. He does Pastoral Care Ministry at Willow Creek Community Church, and he is a chaplain and a lecturer. Dr. Donamaria is a husband, father, and grandfather.

Major Sujung Na

Major Sujung Na has served The Salvation Army since 2002, when she and her husband, Stephen, were commissioned in the Cross Bearers Session.

Sujung was born in Seoul, Korea, and raised in Japan and Taiwan. She came to the United States in 1980. She was raised as a third Generation Presbyterian, and prior to their Commissioning, Stephen was a Presbyterian pastor for ten years. However, knowing deeply God’s call in her life, Sujung and Stephen began searching for a place where both could be in ministry. They found and fell in love with The Salvation Army. For Sujung, the holistic ministry of the Salvation Army reflected the work of the church in Acts.

Sujung’s favorite motto is “Saved to save. Saved to serve.” Their first appointment was as founding Corps officers of the Houston International Corps, where they served for 14 years a diverse congregation from southwest Houston’s immigrant community. In addition to English, Sujung is fluent in Korean, Chinese, Mandarin, and Japanese. An appointment to the Atlanta International Corps followed. Sujung is serving as the Assistant Director of Curriculum at the Evangeline Booth College for Officer Training.

Additionally, Sujung has served at the National Seminar of Evangelism for approximately 10 years. In that capacity, she has been a small group facilitator, served as the bible teacher and as Session Speaker for several years.

She presently serves as the Secretary for Mission, Evangelism & Cultural Ministries in the USA Southern Territory.

Ken Wytsma

Ken is the founder of The Justice Conference, which has reached over thirty thousand people across seven countries with a message on a theology of justice and God’s call to give our lives away. He is also the author of Pursuing Justice, The Grand Paradox, Create vs. Copy, The Myth of Equality, which was named as one of the top five Religion books of 2017 by Publishers Weekly, and Redeeming How We Talk. Ken lives in Newberg, Oregon, with his wife, Tamara, and their four daughters.

Lt. Anil Kumar

Lt. Anil Kumar is a third-generation Salvationist from India, and his parents are officers in India for 40+ years. He finished his Bachelor’s and post-graduation Diploma in Biotechnology in India and worked as a Stem Cell Therapist & Research Analyst for 2+ years. In 2014 Anil Kumar moved to the USA after a life-changing experience at Echo Grove Camp, Michigan as a counselor. In 2015, he moved to Chicago to be trained as an officer for two years at The Salvation Army College for Officers Training (Seminary). In 2017, he got ordained as an officer and served two years in Chicago as the Outreach officer at The Chicago Freedom Center and Assistant Corps Officers for the Chicago Temple Corps.

Karen and Anil met in 2015 while attending The Salvation Army ONE conference in Chicago. They got married in 2017, and they were blessed with the amazing gifts of their son Raj Andy Kumar in 2019 June and Ruth Ann Kumar in 2020 November. Currently, Lts. Kumar are serving as the Corps Officers (Pastors/Administrators) for the Farmington Hills Salvation Army. They see all their passions, talents, areas of growth, and love for the Lord deepen each day.

Captain Jean Thammavongsa

I am Captain Jean Thammavongsa, a first generation American and first generation Salvationist.

In 2005, God called me and my husband, Sanhty, to attend the Salvation Army, where we were active in teaching Sunday School. A year later God called us to Officership where we entered The Salvation Army CFOT and were ordained in 2008 as God’s Fellow Workers session.  We were commissioned to Madison Temple Corps in WI as Associate Corps Officers/Corps Planters. In October 2008, we were promoted to Corps Officers of the Madison Genesis Corps where we served for 6 years. In 2014, we were appointed to Milwaukee West Corps where we served for 7 years.

Sanhty and I have been married for 24 years and have 3 children: Rainy (24), Josh (20) and Jason (18).  Before entering training, I was a beautician for 7 years. I love to travel, being outdoors, and hiking to be able see God’s beautiful creation.

We are currently at a new appointment in Rockford Tabernacle, Illinois, which was our home Corps prior to training. I am blessed and excited to be able to come back home to Rockford and serve Him here.

Captain Norman Polusca

Captain Norman Polusca is a second-generation salvationist and presently serves at the Chicago Temple Corps with his wife Denesia. The Poluscas have two children, Chantal 16 and Daniel 7. Norman grew up in the Caribbean to Haitian parents between the islands of Haiti and Jamaica. In 2001 he immigrated to the United States and served as a Community Center Director in North Minneapolis and subsequently as the Music and Gospel Arts Director for the Northern Division.

After his ordination as part of the Proclaimers of Resurrection session in 2013, Norman and Denesia held appointments at the Chicago Kroc, Evanston Corps, Kansas & Western Missouri Divisional Headquarters.

Norman is passionate about helping people encounter and follow Jesus and enjoys reading, music, and a good laugh.

Rev. Dr. Elizabeth Conde-Frazier 

Coordinator of Relations for Theological Entities at the Association of Hispanic Theological Education

Elizabeth Conde Frazier is a practical theologian. She is an ordained pastor of the American Baptist Churches with over ten years of pastoral experience. She was founder of the Orlando E. Costas Hispanic and Latin American Ministries Program at Andover Newton Theological School, served as a tenured professor of religious education at the Claremont School of theology and as academic dean and vice president of education at Esperanza College of Eastern University. Currently she is the Coordinator of Relations for Theological Entities at the Association of Hispanic Theological Education. Some of her publications are: Latina Evangelicas: Theology from the Margins, A Many Colored Kingdom, Hispanic Bible Institutes, Listen to the Children and numerous chapters on practical theology, and religious education.

Elizabeth holds a Ph.D. from Boston College, a M.Div. from Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary and a B.A. From Brooklyn College, City University of New York.

Captain Amanda Keene

Captain Amanda Keene started attending the Mount Greenwood Corps on the South Side of Chicago during her college years. It was her Junior year in college that she fell in love with the ministry of The Salvation Army. She graduated from Trinity Christian College with a Bachelor’s in Social Work. Following graduation in 2009, she was employed as the Social Services Ministries Director in Joliet, IL then later as the Community Center Director in Blue Island, IL. She also spent a year on the East Coast in Quincy, MA as a Program Director for the corps there. After her time in Massachusetts, she returned to the Metro Division and entered The College for Officer’s Training.

Commissioned as an officer in 2014, she is currently in her fourth appointment as a single officer at the Gary-Merrillville, IN Corps.

Amanda’s mission is to be a servant leader who leads with authenticity and boldness, who learns from her mistakes and stays in tune with the Holy Spirit, following Him at all costs. This mission has also led to her and her friend Kirsten Aho creating an unofficial Salvo podcast called “The Barracks Podcast,” and through this podcast they’ve created monthly Teach-in sessions to do the anti-racist work needed in TSA & the world. She wants to build community wherever she goes, walking through life with people and helping them to see the work of Jesus in their lives. City ministry and mission is her passion.

Lt. Colonel Jonathan Rich

Secretary for Program, USA Central Territory

Lt. Colonel Jonathan Rich is Secretary for Program in the Central Territory since July 2020.

Immediately preceding this appointment, he served as North Texas Area Commander with his wife, Lt. Colonel Barbara, for five years. There they oversaw one of The Salvation Army’s largest U.S. area commands, covering a five-county territory.

Jonathan Rich was born in New York City. His parents were Salvation Army officers. His family lived most of Jonathan’s growing up years in the New York City Area. In 1982 Jonathan graduated from Bucknell University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration. After an internship on Wall Street, Jonathan worked as a CPA for Price Waterhouse in Chicago before entering the School for Officers’ Training. He has also pursued graduate theological studies at Ashland Seminary, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Bethel Seminary.

Jonathan and Barbara were married in 1982 and were commissioned as Salvation Army officers in 1987. They are both 5th generation officers.

After serving together for 12 years in corps, divisional and territorial appointments in the Central Territory, Jonathan and Barbara accepted a calling to a congregation in Kansas City area church for thirteen years. During that time, Jonathan was the Executive Pastor.

They both felt a strong calling to return to the Salvation Army as officers and their first appointment as Area Commanders in Memphis began in June of 2012. There they had the privilege of opening a Kroc Center.

Jonathan and Barbara have two children, Andrew (30) and Allison (23). Their son is married to Chelsea and has two daughters, Sloan and Cooper. They reside in the Kansas City area. Allison lives near Chicago with her parents.

Jonathan enjoys spending time with Barbara hiking, biking, reading and traveling.

Rev. Dana Baker

Rev. Dana Baker, has over 30 years of experience in urban and multicultural ministry in Greater Boston. She served on the staff of Grace Chapel, a non-denominational, multi-site church, for 18 ½ years until March of 2019, when she left to begin consulting with the Cory Johnson Program for Post-Traumatic Healing as a Replication Associate. She joined the Boston Collaborative in November of 2020 in order to launch the Boston Trauma Healing Collaborative.

Debra Johnson

Debra Johnson, is the Community Companion Specialist for the Cory Johnson Program.  She co-developed the role of community companion which is a key part of the peer support model.  She is involved in the training and support of community companions for each of the replication sites.  Debra is also the mother of Cory Johnson, a promising young church member at Roxbury Presbyterian Church, who was murdered in 2010, after whom the program is named.

Pastor Watson Jones, III

Watson Jones III is the Senior Pastor of Compassion Baptist Church on Chicago’s Southside. He served as the Lead and Founding Pastor of Restoration Church of Philadelphia. Watson’s church planting experience was chronicled by This American Life and The StartUp Podcast.

Before moving to Philadelphia, Watson served as a staff pastor at his home church, Salem Baptist Church of Chicago, where he served as Children’s Pastor and eventually Youth Pastor while leading a group of 1,000 members in various church-wide activities.

Watson has a Bachelor of Art in Business from Trinity International University, a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and is currently pursuing a PH.D. in African American Preaching and Sacred Rhetoric.

Watson is married to his wife Kelli, and together they have three children, Yeshaya, Watson IV, and Elison.

Terri Neville

Terri Neville , JD, ATSM, stands on the shoulders of a rich and radical heritage of missional Salvationists spanning back to the Christian Mission days of The Salvation Army in London, England.  Growing up as an Officers’ kid in and around New York City, she eye-witnessed the convergence of life-taking social ills and the truth, power, and relevancy of the gospel to redeem lives, families, and communities.  These Salvation Army formative years motivated her to pursue a career as a Civil Trial Attorney until Jesus turned her life inside out and upside down.  It was then that Terri began her quest to lean into God’s nature as just and the call upon God’s people to do justice.

After 25 years away, Terri returned to The Salvation Army and she and her family became uniformed Salvationists.  Five years ago, Terri left her legal career in Boston behind as she answered God’s call to help pilot the Social Justice Resource Center (SJRC) for The Salvation Army Southern Territory.  Terri now lives out her calling and passion to participate in God’s recalibration of Salvationist thinking and action to our birthright calling to DO justice individually, corporately, and societally.

Terri now serves as the Director of the SJRC in partnership with Trevecca Nazarene University in the heart of Nashville, Tennessee.  She also serves as the Southern Territory’s Assistant Corps Sargent Major, and is privileged to serve as a member of the International Moral and Social Issues Commission.  While Terri longs to return to NYC and see a show on Broadway, or spend time at the ocean, she enjoys making time to play music, games, and sports.  Most of all, she loves spending time with her husband Bob, 23 year old son Ben, and 19 year old daughter Riley.

Captain Martha Valladares

My name is Martha Valladares.  I am a Captain who resides in Chicago, Illinois serving alongside my husband, Tomas, as the officers of Templo Laramie Corps and Community Center in Cicero, IL.

I am a passionate preacher.  I love to share God’s word at my congregation. I love to travel and spend time with family. I am a mother of three wonderful young adults: Rebecca (23), Andres (20) and Samuel (17). I am originally from Nayarit, Mexico and moved to California in 1997 where I met my husband and got married. We have been married for 24 years. Our three children were born in California, and we consider California as our hometown.

While living in California I was active at my local church as the Sunday School teacher for kids.  God called me to become a Salvation Army officer after we moved to Topeka, Kansas and had served as soldiers at the Topeka Corps for 3 years. We entered the Salvation Army College for Officer Training in 2010 in the Friend of Christ session. We were commissioned and ordained as ministers in 2012. Our first appointment was Belvidere Corps, where we served for 7 years.

I rejoice every second of my calling, serving a living God. I have been called by God and my mission is to know God intimately, to love others, and to lead faithfully through His Word.

Major Caleb Senn

Major Caleb Senn was born into The Salvation Army as the child of Salvation Army officers.  After marrying Stephanie in 2002, the couple laid the groundwork for a new corps opening near Indianapolis, IN.  The Senns entered the College for Officer Training in 2003 and were commissioned as part of the Preparers of the Way session in 2005.  The Senns were appointed as the Corps Officers at Warren, MI and spent the next thirteen years in three corps appointments within the Eastern Michigan Division.  While serving as the Area Coordinator in Flint, MI, Caleb had the opportunity to lead The Salvation Army’s response efforts in the earliest days of the Flint Water Crisis.

In addition to his studies at the CFOT, Caleb has studied at Indiana University and the University of Illinois at Chicago where he earned a master’s degree in social work.  In January 2019, Caleb was a delegate to the 240^th session of the International College for Officers in London, England.  Caleb’s primary ministry passion is teaching, and he has been privileged to share God’s Word through teaching and preaching opportunities on four continents

The Senns were appointed as the Corps Officers at Oakbrook Terrace, IL in 2018.  They enjoy living in greater Chicagoland, leading a vibrant corps ministry, and keeping busy with two active sons, Brighton (16) and Liam (14).

Lt. Shanell Debela

Lt. Shanell Debela has been married 25 years to Lt. Kenesa Debela. They have three children:  K.J, 20, Air Force Airman, Senaa 16, creative 11th grader and Liiban an athletic 13-year-old.

After working as a television news reporter,  Shanell started working at The Salvation Army as a case manager for survivors of Hurricane Katrina. Since then, she has worked with seniors and volunteers, in Development as the Divisional Kettle Campaign Manager and as a Major Gift Officer.

Lt. Shanell answered God’s call to full time ministry as a Salvation Army Officer in 2018 and was commissioned in 2020 as a Messenger of The Kingdom.  She has a master’s degree in Theological studies/Urban Ministry.