The ONE Conference
October 13-15, 2023
USA Central Territory
Intercultural Ministries Department
Special Guests
Rev. Michelle D. Williams, MTS, CDE®, is the Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Firefly Children and Family Alliance, as well as, a writer, speaker & seeker of the imago Dei within all created things. Helping people and organizations develop meaningful relationships across lines of difference is her calling. She is the co-author of “Diversity Playbook: Recommendations and Guidelines for Christian Organizations”; a Certified Diversity Executive; and CEO of Shalom Consultants.
Rasool Berry serves as teaching pastor at The Bridge Church in Brooklyn, New York. He also is the Director of Partnerships & Content Development with Our Daily Bread Ministries.
Rasool graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s degree in Africana Studies and Sociology.
Rasool is a sought-after writer on the intersection of faith and culture. He’s the host of the Christianity Today sponsored Where Ya From? podcast and the writer, producer, and host of the Juneteenth: Faith & Freedom feature-length documentary. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Tamica, and their daughter.
Michelle Loyd-Paige, PhD is the founder and lead principal for Loyd Paige & Associates. Loyd-Paige has over 30 years of experience as a higher education educator, administrator, speaker, professional development workshop facilitator, and diversity consultant. In June 2023, she retired from Calvin University after having served for thirty-eight years. Nine of those years were as the Chief Diversity Officer for the university. Loyd-Paige is passionate about helping organizations and individuals become more culturally competent by enhancing their understanding and practices of diversity and inclusion. Michelle is a certified Cultural Intelligence (CQ) and Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) administrator. In 2021, she and Michelle Williams published “Diversity Playbook”. In 2022 she was named a Champion of Justice for the Christian Reformed Church of North America.
Previously supporting the integration of vibrant social ministries within the Heartland as the Divisional Social Services Director, Michael is currently serving as the Territorial Mission Integration Manager. Mission Integration is an organizational posture of service to the front-line. The intention is to see and celebrate creative Kingdom-minded approaches to partnership with and in service to the communities where we live, work, worship and serve.
El Mayor Alan J. González nació y se crió en Venezuela. Antes de convertirse en oficial del Ejército de Salvación en 2004, el Mayor González sirvió en una iglesia en su natal Venezuela durante 25 años. Egresó del Colegio Universitario de Maracaibo en 1981. Obtuvo una licenciatura en Relaciones Públicas y Publicidad (1985), y otra en Periodismo Audiovisual (1990) de la Universidad del Zulia en Venezuela. Comisionado en 2004, el Mayor González forma parte de la Sesión Constructores de Puentes. Recibió su Maestría en Liderazgo Organizacional de la Trevecca Nazarene University, en Nashville, TN, en 2014. Es autor de un libro, El Padrenuestro, Una guía para entender mejor la oración de Jesús. Le encanta la radio, como medio de comunicación. Durante nueve años, fue uno de los presentadores de Maravillosas Palabras de Vida, que es la voz radial mundial del Ejército de Salvación en español. Al Mayor González le apasiona la predicación y la enseñanza de la Biblia. Durante más de 45 años, se ha centrado en el discipulado. Durante su ministerio como oficial, el Mayor González ha servido en GA, TX, VA, NC, SC, y en España y Portugal. Actualmente, es oficial en Greenwood, SC. Ha estado casado con Mary González durante 42 años. Tienen dos hijos y seis nietos.
Major Alan J. Gonzalez was born and raised in Venezuela. Before becoming a Salvation Army officer in 2004, Major Gonzalez served in his home church in Venezuela for 25 years. He graduated from the University College of Maracaibo in 1981. He also received a bachelor’s degree in P.R. and Advertising (1985), and another in Audiovisual Journalism (1990) from the Zulia University in Venezuela. Commissioned in 2004, Major Gonzalez is part of the Bridgebuilders Session. He received his Master’s in Organizational Leadership from the Trevecca Nazarene University, Nashville, TN, in 2014. He is the author of one book, The Lord’s Prayer. He loves the radio, as a means of communication. For nine years, he was one of the hosts of Maravillosas Palabras de Vida, which is the worldwide radio voice of The Salvation Army in Spanish. Major Gonzalez is passionate about the preaching and teaching of the Bible; for more than 45 years, he has focused on discipleship. During his ministry as an officer, Major Gonzalez served in GA, TX, VA, NC, SC, and in Spain and Portugal. Currently, he is an officer in Greenwood, SC. He has been married to Mary Gonzalez for 42 years. They have two children and six grandchildren.
Emanuel Padilla is president of World Outspoken, a ministry preparing the mestizo church for cultural change. After four years as an undergraduate instructor, he now offers accessible resources and training to bi-cultural Christians facing questions of identity, culture, and theology. Emanuel is completing a PhD in Theological and Ethical studies at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. He is a Qualified Administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory, and has consulted with seminaries, non-profits, and congregations on issues of organizational culture and leadership. He also serves at The Brook, a church on the northwest side of Chicago, along with his wife Kelly. Connect with him on Facebook and Twitter for more on his research into theology and culture.
Carla LaFayette has over 30 years of experience in nonprofit and community-based organizations in the human services and faith-based sectors.
For the past nine years, Carla served as a VP at Urban Strategies where she led a national team to execute a grant from the Office of Refugee Resettlement/HHS to provide shelter and services to unaccompanied minor children entering the United States. Prior, she provided executive leadership at the national offices of World Vision, Youth for Christ, and the Urban Youth Workers Institute. She also served as a Salvation Army Officer for 16 years at various field and headquarters positions in the Western Territory. Carla holds a bachelor’s degree in human services from Whitworth University.
Currently, she serves on several boards in her community including a second term on The Salvation Army advisory board, and continually engages in roundtable discussions about race, equity, immigrants, and refugees.
Territorial Commander
Commissioner Evie Diaz leads the Central Territory, comprised of 11 Midwestern states with headquarters in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. She assumed the position of Territorial Commander on August 1, 2023. Directly preceding this role, she served as Chief Secretary for the Canada and Bermuda Territory.
While the majority of her more than 40 years as a Salvation Army officer has been spent in the Central Territory, her service includes several overseas appointments. Prior to serving in Canada and Bermuda, she was the Assistant Chief Secretary for Administration and then Chief Secretary at International Headquarters (IHQ) in London, England, where she played a critical role and gained an in-depth knowledge of The Salvation Army globally.
From 2004 to 2007, she served in Northern Europe as the Training Officer in the Sweden and Latvia Territory. During her tenure, a training college was opened to allow Latvian cadets to train in their own country. Six Salvation Army officers were commissioned before she left that appointment.
Eleven years of her service in the Central Territory also focused on officer training work as she held multiple appointments at the College for Officer Training in Chicago, including being the Assistant Training Principal. Other appointments in the Central Territory included a variety of corps, divisional and territorial positions.
She led both the Heartland Division (now part of North & Central Illinois) and the Kansas and Western Missouri Division before being appointed to IHQ in 2016. Her passion and priority in both of those appointments was the pastoral care of officers, community development and innovative ministry.
Commissioner Diaz has a strong interest in intercultural and urban ministry and finds joy in seeing individuals and communities transformed by the love of Jesus. She enjoys teaching and preaching and holds a practical ministries degree from Olivet Nazarene University. She is a second-generation Salvationist, having grown up moving throughout the Midwest with her officer parents.
The Commissioner’s personal interests include traveling, exploring museums, walking in nature and spending time with family and friends. She is always ready for a cup of coffee and conversation, being eager to share her love of Jesus and how she sees God working in the world.
Of Dust is a contemporary Christian gospel band. They are group that loves God and desires to serve Him doing what they love – leading worship. Of Dust is from Rockford, Illinois where they started out as their church’s teen praise band. It wasn’t until a church retreat where the founding members felt called by God to create a band that Of Dust began. This band exists by the will of the Lord, for the will of the Lord. The name “Of Dust” is inspired by Genesis 3:19 and serves two purposes. The first is to remind the band that everything could fall away – money, time, talent, relationships, etc. – and we would still be called to praise God. The second is to demonstrate the importance of inclusiveness and humility. For by the grace of God, we’re all Of Dust.
Major Katherine Clausell is a first-generation Salvationist who currently serves as Social Justice and City Mission Secretary in the USA Central Territory. Katherine has served in a variety of appointments including Corps (Omaha Citadel and Green Bay), a Harbor Light center (Minneapolis, MN), a Children’s Home (Detroit, MI), and as a divisional social services director in two divisions (Heartland and Northern). Major Katherine obtained her undergraduate degree in Psychology from Purdue University and a Master’s degree in Child Clinical Psychology from the University of Alabama. Prior to her acceptance as a candidate for officer training, Major Katherine worked extensively in the field of child welfare and juvenile justice research.
Elyse Dobney is the Social Justice and City Mission Director for The Salvation Army Central Territory. In this position, she is responsible for providing support throughout the Midwest for the development and operation of social justice initiatives, including anti-trafficking responses/programs.
Prior to this role, Dobney was the Program Manager for The Salvation Army STOP-IT Program, which provides comprehensive services to survivors of trafficking throughout Northern Illinois. In her role, Dobney was responsible for providing training and technical assistance to community service providers, law enforcement, and medical personnel on trafficking dynamics and intervention techniques. She also worked closely with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois to jointly establish and lead the Cook County Human Trafficking Task Force since 2010.
Dobney received a master’s degree in social work from the University of Illinois at Chicago and holds an undergraduate degree from Elmhurst College.
Peggy McGee is the Youth Leadership and Resource Development Director for the Central Territory Youth Department. For the last 10 years she has used her certificate in Trauma-Informed Care to ensure that youth feel welcome and safe. Currently, she is completing her M.A. in Trauma-Informed Leadership. Although Peggy left her home in Green Bay, WI, she still remains loyal to the Packers. Peggy and her daughter live in the western suburbs of Chicago with their dog, Macy and cat, Piper. They enjoy do-it-yourself projects, baking and musicals!
Michelle Ami Reyes, Ph.D., is the creator of Seasoned with Grace, a resource to develop a culture that fosters race conversations built on mutual respect and understanding. In addition, she is an award-winning author and activist. Her first book, Becoming All Things, is the recipient of the 2022 ECPA award. Her second book, The Race-Wise Family, is a finalist in the Family & Marriage category for the 2022 Christianity Today book awards. Her writings on faith and culture have appeared in Christianity Today and Patheos, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and NBC News.com.
Susie is a Teaching and Formation pastor at Midtown Church in Sacramento, CA. Susie is Canadian by birth, Korean by heritage, Mexican by marriage, and American by immigration. She is passionate about reconciliation, racial justice, and the Gospel. Susie and her husband Marcos met at Fuller Theological Seminary while getting their M.A. in Intercultural Studies and now have four beautiful children. After serving as a youth pastor and church planter in South Central Los Angeles for 14 years, Susie spent several years speaking locally and nationally at various churches and conferences and is a Tearfund USA advocate.
Major Marc Johnson is currently appointed to The Salvation Army Indiana Division, as the Divisional Commander. Married for over 37 years to Major Karen, they have three adult children. Prior appointments involved corps both in the U.S. and six years in Chile, as well as Divisional Youth Secretary (then Metropolitan, Chicago) and the College for Officer Training, as the Assistant Principal. For a total of eight years, Major Marc has given leadership to two Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Centers. He has worked mostly in culturally diverse appointments and has had the privilege of starting two bilingual Spanish/English speaking corps (churches).
Major Marc has many diverse interests. He enjoys hunting, and has a passion for restoring classic vehicles, including a restored 1953 Chevy pickup truck, which took six years to complete. Together, he and Major Karen enjoy many recreational activities including camping, geocaching (treasure hunting with a handheld GPS), and bicycle riding.
La Mayora Mary L. González nació y se crió en Venezuela. Antes de convertirse en oficial del Ejército de Salvación en 2004, sirvió al Señor durante 25 años en su país natal. Se graduó en Educación Preescolar de la Universidad del Zulia en 1985. También recibió una licenciatura en Psicología de la Universidad Rafael Urdaneta en Venezuela, en 1999. Comisionada en 2004, la Mayor González es parte de la Sesión Constructores de Puentes. Le encanta la música, dar consejería y compartir el mensaje de la Biblia. Dios ha mostrado su poder y misericordia en su vida de diferentes formas, lo que le permite compartir su testimonio sobre la fidelidad del Señor para con sus hijos. Durante su ministerio como oficial, la Mayora Mary González ha servido en GA, TX, VA, NC, SC y en España y Portugal. Actualmente, es oficial en Greenwood, SC. Ha estado casada con Alan González durante 42 años. Tienen dos hijos y seis nietos.
Major Mary L. Gonzalez was born and raised in Venezuela. Before becoming a Salvation Army officer in 2004, she served in his home church in Venezuela for 25 years. She graduated in Pre-school Education from Zulia University in 1985. She also received a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the Rafael Urdaneta University in Venezuela, in 1999. Commissioned in 2004, Major Gonzalez is part of the Bridgebuilders Session. She loves music, and counseling and sharing the message of the Bible. God has shown his power and mercy in her life in different ways, which allows her to share her testimony about the Lord’s faithfulness to his children. During her ministry as an officer, Major Mary Gonzalez has served in GA, TX, VA, NC, SC, and in Spain and Portugal. Currently, she is an officer in Greenwood, SC. She has been married to Alan Gonzalez for 42 years. They have two children and six grandchildren.