Our Soulful Advisors

Alexis Carter Thomas is an ordained minister and ministry consultant. She earned a Master of Divinity from Duke Divinity School; and a Doctor of Ministry degree with a concentration in Women's Religious Leadership from Drew Theological School..

Rev. Amanda Miller Garber is a church planter, spiritual pioneer and relentless dreamer. For 13 years, she served as the Founding Pastor at RISE, a young faith community in the Harrisonburg, Virginia. 

More and more of us are alone in our spiritual lives, and Angie wants to help reverse that trend. Angie is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Sacred Design Lab, a nonprofit devoted to advancing spiritual innovation. 

The Rev. Ben Cowgill is the Associate Rector for Formation at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Lynchburg, Virginia. He is a 2021 graduate of the School of Theology at the University of the South. 

De’Amon Harges is a faculty member of the Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) Institute, Creator of The Learning Tree, and layperson at Broadway UMC, Indianapolis, IN. 

Derrick Scott III has been leading ministry to college and young adults for over 20 years and currently serves as Creative Producer of Studio Wesley, a ministry that’s exploring how to serve college-aged young adults in the digital space.

The Rev. Gail Goldsmith loves parish ministry because the church is a place of rest to hear Jesus' love for you and the church is our best practice for the Kingdom of God. 

Maya Pace is from the redwoods of Northern California and grew up amongst a group of people dedicated to community and service. 

With 17 years of experience working and volunteering with every aspect of the nonprofit sector, Megan currently works as the Director of Community Outreach for the Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation and is the Executive Director of SHARE Greater Lynchburg. 

As a zen chaplain-in-training, Serena is pursuing initiatives around intergenerational leadership development in social movements, building local sanctuary and peace zones, and social healing. 

Shannon Hopkins is a co-founder & the lead cultivator of RootedGood, a nonprofit that empowers institutions, social enterprises and entrepreneurs to create systemic change.