Christy Cobb
 Christy Cobb is a Ph.D. candidate in the area of New Testament/Early Christianity at Drew. She received a B.A. in Religion from Carson-Newman College (Jefferson City, TN), a M.Div. in Biblical Studies with Languages from Campbell Divinity School (Buies Creek, NC), and a M.A. in Early Christianity from Wake Forest University (Winston-Salem, NC) where her master’s thesis was entitled “The Motif of Lovesickness in the Acts of Paul and Thecla and the Acts of Andrew.” Christy’s research focuses on issues of gender and sexuality in early Christian texts and she particularly enjoys reading and writing about ancient fiction. Currently, Christy is a teaching facilitator for Biblical Literature II (Gospels, Epistles, and Apocalypse) with Dr. Melanie Johnson-DeBaufre. Additionally, she is serving as co-chairperson for the Graduate Division of Religion Student Association from Fall 2011 to Spring 2013.
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K. Jason Coker
 Jason Coker, a candidate for the Ph.D. in New Testament and Early Christianity, received the B.A. from William Carey University (Hattiesburg, Miss.), the M.A.R. from Yale University Divinity School, and the M.Phil. from Drew University. His scholarly interests center on postcolonial theory, race theory and the letter of James. Coker is an Adjunct Lecturer at Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, CT, and the Pastor of Wilton Baptist Church in Wilton, CT.
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Kathleen Gallagher Elkins
 Kathleen Gallagher Elkins earned her Bachelor of Arts in Religion from Greensboro College (Greensboro NC) and Master of Arts in Christian Education from Union Presbyterian Seminary (Richmond VA). She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in New Testament & Early Christianity, with a concentration in Women’s & Gender Studies. Her research interests include feminist hermeneutics, childhood studies, and post-Shoah interpretations of the Bible. Her dissertation, “Mother, Martyr: Reading Self-Sacrifice and Family in Early Christianity,” examines the texts and interpretations of several ancient representations of mothers and children in contexts of social-political violence. Kathleen has served as a teaching assistant for Introduction to Biblical Literature I (Hebrew Bible) and II (Christian Testament), in addition to teaching Exegetical Skills II.She is currently the Submissions Editor for the Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion and served as the GDRSA co-chairperson in 2010-2011.
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Grant Gieske
 Grant Gieseke received a B.A. from Southeastern College (Lakeland, FL) and an M.A. in Biblical Studies from Iliff School of Theology (Denver, CO) where his master’s thesis was entitled, “The Climax of Acts: Paul Puts the Roman Empire on Trial (Acts 24-26)”. He is a Ph.D. student at Drew University in the field of New Testament studies. His interests include postcolonialism and cultural studies. He served as a student convener for the Biblical Studies Area in 2007-2008.
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James N. Hoke
 A Ph.D. student in New Testament and Early Christianity, James received his B.A. in Religion and Women/Gender Studies from Furman University and his M.Div. from the University of Chicago. His research focuses on queer and feminist theory in and around the Pauline epistles. His teaching interests are primarily in biblical literature (both New Testament and Hebrew Bible) and gender studies, and he has also served as a Teaching Assistant for “Church @ Worship: Preaching” in the Theological School. James is also an amateur chef (and recipe blogger) and sings in the choir at a local PC(USA) congregation. |
Sharon Jacob
 Sharon Jacob received her Bachelor of Commerce from Bangalore University in India and her Master of Divinity from Lancaster Theological Seminary in PA. She then went on to Yale Divinity School to earn her Master of Sacred Theology. Her current reaserach includes: gender and sexuality, postcolonialism and issues of race and ethnicity within contemporary India. Sharon served as the Administrative Officer for the GDR Student Association in 2007-2008, and is serving as Co-chairperson for the 2008-2009 academic year.
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Donna J. Laird
 A candidate for the Ph.D. in Hebrew Bible, Donna received her B.S. in Education from Penn State University, and the M.A. in Biblical Studies from Ashland Theological Seminary, defending the thesis, “Michal, Abigail, Bathsheba, and Abishag: A Study of Women and Their Voices in the Old Testament Text.” She received the M. Phil. from Drew University in Hebrew Bible. Her research interests include narrative, feminist and social-scientific criticisms. Her current research focuses on community identity formation and the intersection of religious or symbolic language and social constructions. Her dissertation, “Community Identity, Orthodoxy, and Self-interest,” will trace the social contours of symbolic language in Ezra-Nehemiah. As part of her research into the physical and social contexts of Ezra-Nehemiah, she participated in two seasons of the archeological dig at Ramat Rahel in 2009 and 2010. She served as student co-convener for the Biblical Studies area for 2006-2007 and 2007-2008, and as a student representative for the Society of Biblical Literature in 2008-2009. Donna has served as a teaching assistant for sections of Hebrew Bible and New Testament and taught as an adjunct for Ashland Theological Seminary and Drew University Theological School.
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Christina C. Riley
 Christina received her Bachelor of Arts (Cum Laude) from Western Washington University (WWU) in Bellingham, WA in 2005 receiving an award as the Outstanding Graduate for the Liberal Studies Department. She went on to receive her Masters of Arts in Religion from Yale Divinity School in 2008. At Yale she received the Abraham J. Malherbe Award for Further Study in New Testament and Early Church History. Christina began at Drew in 2008, where she is currently pursuing her doctorate in Biblical Studies with concentrates in New Testament/Early Christianity and Women’s Studies. Her primary research interests include gender and sexuality, literary criticism, and ecological hermeneutics of the New Testament, most specifically, applying these areas of critical scholarship to the book of Revelation. She has served in several capacities for Drew University including as the Biblical Studies Area Co-Convener in 2009-2010 and the Graduate Division of Religion Student Association Administrative Officer in 2009-2010. She has very much enjoyed working with Dr. Stephen D. Moore as his Teaching Assistant for Biblical Literature II (Introduction to the New Testament) in the springs of 2010 and 2011, respectively, as well as working as an adjunct instructor for a class entitled, “Exegetical Skills,” in the springs of 2011 and 2012, respectively.
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Jennifer earned the B.A. in Liberal Arts from Colorado Christian University, the M.T.S. from Duke Divinity School, and a Certificate in Women’s Studies from the Graduate School at Duke University. Her research interests include feminist historiography; constructions of power relations in late antiquity; and the rhetorical function of exile in late ancient Christian identities. Jennifer was the student co-convener for the Historical Studies Area and served as a teaching assistant for both sections of Church History. Jennifer has also served as co-chairperson of the GDR Student Association, for the 2009-2010 academic year.
Peter Mena earned the B.A. at the University of Texas at Austin (history), the M.A. from St. Edwards University (Austin, Tex.; liberal studies), and the M.A. from Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York (church history). Peter’s research interests center on the history of Christianity in late antiquity; gender, sexuality, and the body in late antiquity; and constructions of orthodoxy and heresy. He has served as Adjunct Instructor of Religious Studies at Marymount Manhattan College (New York) and Manhattan College (New York).
Geoff received the B.A. from the Department of Religion of the University of Puget Sound (Tacoma, Wash.), the M.A.R. from the Claremont School of Theology (Claremont, Calif.), and is a candidate (A.B.D.) for the Ph.D. in U.S./American Religion at Drew University. His research interests include the history of religion in the nineteenth- and twentieth-century United States; critical theories of religion; religion and modern/modernist culture; and the historiography of religion in America. Geoff served as student convener for the Historical Studies Area, and as co-chairperson of the GDR Student Association, for the 2007-2008 academic year. He served as Adjunct Instructor of Religious Studies at New York University in 2009.
Benji earned the B.A. in History and Religious Studies from the Barrett Honors College at Arizona State University, the M.A. from the Claremont School of Theology, and the M.A.R. from Yale Divinity School. His academic training has taken place between the disciplines of history and religious studies in a public university and schools of divinity from California to Connecticut. Despite the challenges that accompany this particular disciplinary position, it in fact has offered him a unique vantage point from which to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of both disciplines as they become increasingly conversant with one another within the academy. In short, his research and teaching interests explore the history of 20th century America with a particular focus on post-1945 American (religious) history. His work at Drew has examined the theoretical contributions of historian of religions Charles Long, the Latin@ Church and the Christian Right, 1960s spiritual awakenings, and the Cold War context of hotel entrepreneur Conrad Hilton. His future work will explore the ways in which television shaped American religion and culture in post-war America. Since arriving at Drew, Benji has worked in the English Speakers of Other Languages office as a writing assistant and he is currently serving as the Historical Studies area student convener (2011-2012). Benji has published pieces in both the “Bulletin for the Study of Religion” and the “Journal of the American Academy of Religion.”
Suzanne Wenonah Duchesne is a Ph.D. candidate in Liturgical Studies and an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church. Her work through Wesley Theological Seminary’s National Capital Semester Seminar in Washington, D.C and experiences during her years as an appointed pastor have led her to study the relationship between homiletics and sacrament, particularly as regards preaching for social transformation. Areas of interest informing her research are the historical and rhetorical study of preaching, sacramental theology, Methodist studies, ethics and women’s studies. Suzanne served as Co-chairperson of the GDR Student Association in 2009–2010 and the Evening Student Coordinator of Drew Theological School from 2008 to 2011. She is presently a student co-convener of the Liturgical Studies area. She has taught classes and workshops in preaching and worship at Moravian Seminary and for the Eastern PA conference of the United Methodist church. She is also presently a member of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference’s initiative Healing the Wounds of Racism offering workshop leadership and curriculum consulting. She has served as a teaching assistant for Methodist Studies at Palmer Theological, and both the Church at Worship: Worship and Preaching classes as well as the General Conference class for Spring 2012. She has a M.Div. degree from Palmer Theological Seminary (Wynnewood, P.A.) and a B.S. in Life Science from Rowan University (Glassboro, N.J.).
Nam Joong Kim graduated from Hanshin University in South Korea with the Th.B. degree and the Th.M. degree in the area of Hebrew Bible. He was ordained a pastor by The Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea in 2003. He received the S.T.M. degree in the area of Liturgical Studies from Drew Theological School, where he composed the thesis, “A Postmodern Ritual of Honoring Pre-birth Loss of Life.” In 2008, he began the first year of doctoral study in the Graduate Division of Religion at the Theological School of Drew University. He is interested in the intersection between his previous studies in biblical literature and his current studies in preaching and liturgy. His understanding of preaching as the living bridge between biblical texts and the context of the congregation’s humanity has been part of his sustained intellectual, spiritual, and experiential exploration. He sees preaching as a living theology and his interest in liturgical history/theology strengthen his intention to present congregations with scripture and sacraments as life-forming relationships. He served as a student representative of the Korean Student Caucus of Drew Theological School for the 2008-2009 academic year and won a place as a Luce Fellow in the Center for Christianities in Global Contexts for the 2009-2010 academic year. He involved in the Drew Korean Men’s Choir as a director for the 2010-2011 academic year. He is serving as one of student conveners for the area of Liturgical Studies in 2011-2012. He is a member of the North American Academy of Liturgy (NAAL) and Academy of Homiletics (AH). Nam Joong has served as a teaching assistant for the “Church at Worship: Worship and Preaching” classes since 2009.
Kris earned a B.A. from the University of Montana, with a major in Philosophy and a minor in Women’s Studies, and an M.A. from Drew Theological School, in Religion and Society. Her M.A. thesis examined charismatic leaders and congregational identity. She is currently in the Ph.D. program here at Drew, continuing with Religion and Society. Her focus is Mormon sociology and LDS congregational identity. She has been involved in student government serving as a GDRSA financial officer and won a place as a Luce Fellow in the Center for Christianities in Global Contexts for the 2009 academic year.
Chris received the B.A. (mathematics and computer science) and the M.Div. from Vanderbilt University. He studies trends in demographic shifts among clergy and the role of religion in public education. Rev. Haynes is an ordained elder in the Tennessee Conference of the United Methodist Church, and serves as the GDRSA Administrative Officer (2008-2009).
Tim Helton is a Ph.D. student at Drew University where he is studying the Anthropology of Religion. He holds a Master of Arts in Theological Studies from Claremont School of Theology. Tim’s academic interests include comparative theology, Jainism, and Hinduism. He is a founding member of the Ventura County Interfaith Community, a board member of the Ventura County based Campus Interfaith, and he regularly participates in Episcopal – Hindu dialog under the auspices of the Diocese of Los Angeles. He has done fieldwork amongst Jains in the United States as well as in India in conjunction with the 2005 and 2009 International Summer School of Jain Studies. He currently teaches World Religions at Loyola Marymount University in Southern California.
Charon Hribar received her M.Div from Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York and her B.A in English from Mercyhurst College (Erie, PA) with minors in Religious Studies, Dance, and Marketing. Charon has particular interest in the use of Poverty Truth Commissions to confront the structural violence that creates poverty in the United States and around the world. Other research interests include social movement studies; examining the intersections of race, class, gender, and sexuality in relation to liberation movements; and transformative pedagogy. Charon is a candidate for the Ph.D. in Religion and Society with a concentration in Christian Social Ethics and currently works as the Curriculum Development and Replication Coordinator for the Poverty Initiative at Union Theological Seminary.
Jung Eun Jang is currently a candidate for the Ph.D. in the Psychology and Religion concentration at Drew University. Jung Eun’s principal research interest is Heinz Kohut’s psychoanalytic self psychological concepts of selfobject and selfobject experiences and their contribution to understanding religious experiences. His dissertation topic is a self psychological approach to the 1907 Revival Movement in Korea. He is also being trained as a child therapist at Harlem Family Institute in New York. He earned the B.A. in Religious Studies from Seoul National University, graduating magna cum laude. He subsequently received the M.Div. and Th.M. from Korean Presbyterian Theological Seminary. He is an ordained pastor in the Presbyterian Church in Korea.
Jill earned the B.A. in Women’s Studies and German at Western Maryland College (now McDaniel) and the M.S. in Women’s Studies at Towson University. She is now a Ph.D. student at Drew in the sociology of religion program. Her dissertation focuses on a series of Marian apparitions in rural Maryland and the fashioning of Catholic identity around those apparitions. More generally, her interests include Marian devotion, women and religion, and Catholic visionary culture. She co-facilitates an Interfaith Climate Change Study group in Maryland.
Matt earned his B.A. in Religious Studies from the University of Indiana (Bloomington). He then became a 2003 Teach for America Corps member where he taught middle school biology in the South Bronx while earning a M.S. in Secondary Education with a focus in Science Education. After graduating with a M.A.R. in Ethics from Yale Divinity School, where he took courses at both the Divinity School and the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Matt and his wife Christy (Riley) enrolled in Graduate Division of Religion at Drew University. Matt’s research interests include religion and ecology, religion and science, animals and religion, Thomas Berry’s New Cosmology, and nature religions. While at Drew Drew University, Matt has served as the Religion and Ecology Coordinator, as a writing tutor for the ESOL office, as the Religion and Society Student Convener, as the Meeting Coordinator for TERRA, and as a member of the Drew University Sustainability Committee. He has also TA-ed for Environmental History as well as Religion and the Social Process. In the Spring of 2010, the GDR awarded Matt the Bishop Edmund S. Janes Prize for Outstanding Academic Achievement. Currently, Matt serves as a Steering Committee Member for the Religion and Ecology Group at the American Academy of Religion (AAR), he volunteers for the Green Seminary Initiative, he is designing the curriculum for Mary Evelyn Tucker and Brian Thomas Swimme’s Journey of the Universe book and film series, and he is employed by the Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology. Matt is also researching and writing his dissertation.
Matt received the B.S. in Business Administration from Humboldt State University in Northern California in 1997. He received an M.A.T. in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California in 2002 and the M.Phil from Drew’s GDR in May, 2011. He is the recipient of the GDR’s Edwards-Mercer Prize for dissertation research and is a candidate for the Ph.D. in Religion, specializing in sociology of religion. He recently completed his primary dissertation research in Israel and is currently deeply engaged in dissertation writing. In 2007 he served as the Drew GDR student representative on a national study of congregations and social justice leadership, funded by the Jessie Ball duPont Fund. His research interests include religion, globalization and collective memory, and American Christian Zionism. His teaching interests include making sociology of religion accessible to theological students. Matt is a recent “convert” to the Mennonite tradition.
Natalie Williams received the B.A. from Berry College (Rome, Ga.) and the M.T.S. from Vanderbilt Divinity School (Tenn.). She is a candidate for the Ph.D. in Religion and Society at Drew University, concentrating in Christian Social Ethics. Natalie’s research interests center on Christian responses to sexual violence, marriage reform movements, feminist ecology and sustainable development. At Drew, she is involved with TERRA, the Theological School’s environmental action group.
Jake received his BA in Religion, English, and a “Historical Perspectives Concentration in Religion and Violence” from St. Olaf College and his M.Div. from Yale Divinity School. His work in constructive theology attempts to evoke the theopoetic entanglements of political ecology, queer theory, contemporary continental philosophy, and divine immanence. His writing is, furthermore, interested in the remarkable multiplicity of apophatic and global Lutheran theological traditions. Jake served as Co-Chair for the GDR Student Association in 2010-11 and is also a candidate for ordination in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
Holly Hillgardner
Dhawn earned the B.A. in Political Science from Wellesley College (Wellesley, Mass.), the M.A. in Government from Durham University (U.K.), and the M.Div. from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary (Austin, Tex.). Her research interests include constructive and political theologies; cosmopolitanism; and American philosophical pragmatism. Dhawn served as Co-Chairperson of the GDR Student Association in the 2007-2008 academic year.
Wang-eun Serl
Nicholas Wernicki received the B.S. from DeSales University (Center Valley, Penn.) and the M.A. in liberal studies from Villanova University (Penn.). A Ph.D. Candidate in Philosophical Studies, his research interests include: existentialism and phenomenology, particularly the work of Karl Jaspers; and American pragmatism as it relates to Robert S. Corrington’s work in ecstatic naturalism. Wernicki serves on the faculty at Peirce College in Philadelphia