National Council of Churches Officers: 1998-99
GENERAL SECRETARY
The Rev. Dr. Joan Brown Campbell, the NCC's General Secretary since
1991, is a minister in both the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and American
Baptist Churches in the U.S.A. She previously served the NCC as a General Board
member (1972-79) and Assistant General Secretary for Regional and Local Ecumenism
(1979-85). She directed the World Council of Churches’ U.S. Office from 1985-91. Dr.
Campbell also has served as a Cleveland parish pastor and ecumenical leader. Eight
colleges and universities have recognized her leadership with honorary degrees. Her
many organizational commitments include the World Conference on Religion and Peace (Board
of Directors), U.S. State Department Advisory Committee on Religious Freedom Abroad
(Member), Union Theological Seminary (Board of Directors), NAACP (Life Member), and
Advisory Committees of the Center for Gender Equality (Advisory Committee) and Welfare Law
Board (Advisory Committee).
PRESIDENT
Bishop Craig Barry Anderson is Rector, St. Paul’s School,
Concord, N.H. He previously served as President and Dean of General Theological Seminary,
New York City. Prior to that he was 8th Bishop of South Dakota (1984-93), where
he focused on ecumenical concerns, American Indian ministry, women in ministry, racism and
human rights. Before his election as Bishop, he taught at the School of Theology of the
University of the South, Sewanee, Tenn. (1977-84). Bishop Anderson has served on a variety
of committees in The Episcopal Church’s House of Bishops and has been active in both
the NCC and the WCC.
PRESIDENT ELECT
The Rev. Andrew Young, a United Church of Christ minister, is
Chairman of the $100 million Southern Africa Enterprise Development Fund, which provides
equity investments and loans to commercially viable, private sector businesses in southern
Africa. He is Chairman of GoodWorks International and serves on the Board of Directors of
numerous institutions, including the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Non-Violence.
He served three terms in Congress and was Ambassador to the United Nations under President
Carter. He served two terms as Mayor of Atlanta and was Co-Chairman of the 1996 Centennial
Olympic Games. A top aid to Dr. King, he was involved in the inception of the civil rights
movement and served as Vice President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He
will serve as NCC President in 2000-01.
IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT
Bishop Melvin G. Talbert, West Sacramento, Calif., is Resident Bishop
of the San Francisco Area of the United Methodist Church. He previously served as
Secretary of the United Methodist Council of Bishops and Head of Communion; Bishop of the
Seattle Area; General Secretary, General Board of Discipleship, United Methodist Church,
and in California pastoral appointments. A leader in many United Methodist ministries, he
also has served the World Methodist Council and World Council of Churches. He is a
long-time member of the NCC Executive Board and former chair of Unity and Relationships.
He has led several NCC official delegations, including to China and North Korea.
VICE PRESIDENT, CHURCH WORLD SERVICE AND WITNESS
The Rev. Dr. Will L. Herzfeld is Associate Executive Director,
Division for Global Mission, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Chicago, Ill. He has
served as presiding Bishop of the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches, a
predecessor church body of the ELCA; pastor in Oakland, Calif. (1973-92), and as a field
secretary for the Division of Mission Services, Lutheran Council in the U.S.A. (1968-73),
with a national portfolio in Black Affairs. He also has given leadership on urban
ministry, family life, parish education and combating racism.
VICE PRESIDENT, NATIONAL MINISTRIES
The Rev. Elenora Giddings Ivory is Director of the Washington Office
of the Presbyterian Church ( U.S.A.), the denomination’s public policy information
and advocacy office. Her responsibilities include civil rights and religious liberties
issues. She previously served as Associate for Mission and Ecumenical Affairs for the
National Capital Presbytery, Associate Director for Public Policy of the New York State
Council of Churches and as a pastor in Boston.
VICE PRESIDENT AT LARGE
His Eminence Archbishop Khajag Barsamian is the Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian
Church of America, headquartered in New York City. His ministry has led him to serve
alongside many prominent leaders in the Armenian Church and in the ecumenical arena. He
has conducted research and taught in the U.S., Jerusalem and across Europe. He is a leader
in the WCC, the Appeal of Conscience Foundation, Religion in American Life, the American
Bible Society and other ecclesiastical, charitable and human rights organizations.
VICE PRESIDENT AT LARGE
Rebecca Cruz of Chicago, Ill., is a member of the Christian Church (Disciples of
Christ). Ms. Cruz serves as chair of the NCC Inclusiveness and Justice Standing Committee.
She has served on the General Board of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and is
moderator-elect of the denomination's regional board for Illinois and Wisconsin. In her
professional life, she is executive director of ASI, a home-care agency providing services
to senior citizens and persons with disabilities. ASI has a special commitment to Chicago's
Hispanic community and serves many other people as well.
VICE PRESIDENT AT LARGE
Dr. Sylvia Moore Faulk of Berkeley, Calif., is a member of the Christian Methodist
Episcopal Church and serves on the World Methodist Council Executive Committee. She is
Immediate Past North American President of the World Federation of Methodist Women and
Immediate Past President of the CME Women’s Missionary Council. She has worked as a
classroom teacher and administrator in the Oakland Unified School District.
SECRETARY
Bishop Cecil Bishop, Senior Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church,
serves the Piedmont Episcopal District, based in Charlotte, N.C., and including annual
conferences in the U.S. and Caribbean. He previously served four other districts. He has
extensive experience as a local pastor and professor of theology. He is a member of the
Congress of National Black Churches’ Board of Directors, the World Methodist Council
and the World Council of Churches.
TREASURER
The Rev. Dr. Margaret J. Thomas is ordained in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and
serves as Executive of the Synod of Lakes and Prairies, Bloomington, Minn. Previously she
was Executive Director of the Minnesota Council of Churches and served her denomination as
chief operational officer and in research. She has served many other organizations
and has served on several NCC committees including Ecumenical Networks and National
Ministries.