Board

ROANOKE AREA INTERFAITH STEWARDS OF THE EARTH (RAISE)

Rev. Dr. David Arnez Jones was born and raised in Highland Park, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. Rev. He is currently a pastor at the Williams Memorial Baptist in Roanoke, Virginia. Pastor Jones has initiated a broad, progressive agenda for this historic church. He may be heard each Sunday on WTOY radio at 8:30 a.m. on the radio broadcast “Think on These Things.” Rev. Jones has earned the Associate of Divinity from Mid-Atlantic Theological Seminary; the Bachelor of Ministry and Master of Biblical Studies from Jacksonville Theological Seminary; the Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry from the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University in Richmond, Virginia. Dr. Jones is the Political Action Chair of the Roanoke Branch of the NAACP and is involved in several community action groups including the Northwest Faith Partnership, the Equal Justice Group, RAISE (Roanoke Area Interfaith Stewards of the Earth), the Pledge to End Racism, and the Roanoke Gun Violence Task Force.

Dr. Laura Hartman: Christian

ROANOKE AREA INTERFAITH STEWARDS OF THE EARTH (RAISE)

Dr. Laura Hartman was born and raised in Kentucky, where she learned to love trees and find spirituality in the mountains. She studied religion in college and graduate school, earning her Ph.D. in environmental ethics in 2008. She has been an invited speaker on environmental topics in a variety of Christian and non-Christian contexts and has experience with interfaith dialogue. She is the author of The Christian Consumer: Living Faithfully in a Fragile World (Oxford, 2011) and the editor of That All May Flourish: Comparative Religious Environmental Ethics (Oxford, 2018). She has taught in the environmental studies program at Roanoke College since 2018. She lives in Roanoke and loves to sing, ride the bus, and pray for the healing of creation.

Mrs. Aliya Farooq: Muslim (Chair)

Mrs. Aliya Farooq has a degree in Business Administration from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. She was born in Washington DC and raised in Maryland. Aliya moved to Chester, Virginia in 1997, when her husband began his medical practice in Hopewell. She served on the Board of Directors at Iqra Academy of Virginia from 2000 to 2015, in the positions of secretary, vice-chair, chair and consultant. Since then, Aliya has been an active member of several local interfaith organizations such as Richmond Interfaith Climate Justice League and Salaam Shalom. With Richmond Interfaith Climate Justice, she was able to assist in three educational programs regarding urgent climate change issues, held at the Islamic Center of Virginia. She has also contacted other local Mosques and has encouraged them to implement greener practices. Aliya believes that women are the backbone of all societies and have the power to create change within communities.

Ms. Monica Flippen: Baptist

Ms. Monica Flippen is a native of Richmond, VA, and is the youngest of four siblings. She is Vice President of KEi Architects, where she has been employed for over 18 years. She’s a member of the National Organization of Minority Architects and Construction Specification Institute. Monica has a Bachelor’s of Science in Geology and Mathematics, a Master’s degree in Mathematical Sciences and is currently matriculating through the Master of Divinity Program at The Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology, Virginia Union University (STVU). Monica is passionate about creation care and is an advocate for education and awareness within faith-based organizations. She currently serves as the student representative for the Green Seminary Environmental Certification Program at STVU. Monica’s goal is to encourage, equip, and enlighten others to grow in the grace and knowledge of creation care.

Mr. Mark Hoggard: Roman Catholic (Vice-Chair)

Mr. Mark Hoggard is a disciple of Jesus Christ in the Roman Catholic Christian Tradition. He holds an M.Div. in Theology from St. Meinrad School of Theology, and an M.A. in Liturgical Studies from the University of Notre Dame. He has over 30 years of experience in parish ministry, currently as a Pastoral Associate at St. Pius X Catholic Church in Norfolk, Virginia. He also serves in the choir and on the Care for Creation team at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Hampton, VA. He is passionate about liturgy, peace and justice issues (especially environmental concerns), and helping parishes and individuals discover their God-given talents and use them to spread the Gospel. Mark serves on the Board of the National Association for Lay Ministry and is a member of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians. He is trained in group facilitation methods by the Institution for Cultural Affairs USA and is a Level I Strengths Coach with Gallup Faith Practices. He also enjoys volunteering regularly with the Sierra Club.

Dr. Sally Johnston: Presbyterian

Dr. Sally Johnston has enjoyed a vocation in educational ministry in a variety of settings: campus ministry, church education, university teaching and administration, and theological education. A graduate of the Presbyterian School of Christian Education (MA 1979; EdD 1994), her doctoral dissertation theorized the educational implications of eco-theologian Sallie McFague’s Models of God. Since 2013, the urgency of our climate crisis has propelled Sally to devote much of her free time to eco-faith practices in her home, church, and community. As a volunteer with VAIPL and a member at Second Presbyterian Church she has been engaged in environmental justice advocacy and education. She has led ecojustice workshops and presented papers at national gatherings of religious educators (APCE and REA) and taught eco-theology classes at her church. Her desire is to help religious educators and people of faith discover the biblical and theological foundations for eco-justice and to enjoy the healing gifts of eco-spirituality. Sally recently served as an adjunct professor (2019) for Union Presbyterian Seminary and is currently volunteering in a project to help green the seminary’s curriculum.

Rev. Dr. LaKeisha Cook: Baptist

Rev. Dr. Lakeisha Cook is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Virginia Union University in Richmond, Virginia from where she holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a minor concentration in Religious Studies, and a Master’s of Divinity.  She also earned Master’s in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University and a Doctorate of Ministry degree from the Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. She is the founding pastor of the Imani Community Church of Tempe, Arizona, and has served as a program administrator for the Kyrene School District in Tempe, AZ . She is currently serving as the Criminal Justice Reform Organizer for Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy in Richmond, Virginia where they successfully led a campaign that abolished the death penalty in Virginia