Guides for
the journey.

Rev. Dr. Herman “Skip” Mason, Jr. is a distinguished author, historian, and senior pastor of Historic West Mitchell CME Church in Atlanta while serving as President of the Interdenominational Theological Center. An Atlanta native and graduate of Morris Brown College and ITC, he holds advanced degrees in library and information science and theology, with a focus on African American church history, social justice, and outreach. Dr. Mason has dedicated more than thirty years to education, serving in leadership roles at Morris Brown College, Morehouse College, and Voorhees College. A prolific author and curator, he has written extensively on African American history and led historical exhibitions and consultations. He served as the 33rd General President of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and contributed to the completion of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C. An avid genealogist and community historian, he cherishes his role as father to two adult children, Jewel and Jodari, and continues to inspire through service, scholarship, and faith.

Rev. Dr. Lavonia Kess McIntyre, a native of Baltimore, holds a B.S. in Psychology from Morgan State University and dual master’s degrees with honors from Phillips School of Theology at ITC: an M.Div. concentrating in Psychology of Religion and Pastoral Care and an M.A. in Christian Education. She earned the Doctor of Ministry in Pastoral Care, summa cum laude, from ITC; her dissertation was titled “Scratching the Stained Glass Ceiling: Inspiring Women through the Voices of Other Women.” Dr. McIntyre received her local preacher’s license at Westside Community CME Church and was ordained Traveling Deacon and Traveling Elder before admission into Full Connection in the Georgia North Annual Conference. She pastored for more than twenty years in the Georgia North Conference and serves the CME Church’s Department of Chaplaincy as Sixth Episcopal District Coordinator of Clinical Pastoral Education and program assistant for its CPE program. She also volunteers as a chaplain for the Atlanta Police Department. Formerly ITC’s Director of Ministry and Context, she now serves as Chief Academic Officer and Academic Dean.

Dr. Reginaldo Paranhos Braga, Jr. is Associate Professor of Religion and Education at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, where he has also served as Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs. A Recife-born Presbyterian Church (USA) minister, he connects theological education, pastoral ministry, global justice, and intercultural engagement internationally. Dr. Braga earned a Doctor of Education in Religion and Education from Columbia University and Union Theological Seminary, bringing Paulo Freire’s critical pedagogy into conversation with theology through a pedagogy of grace. He also holds a Master of Theology in New Testament Studies from Princeton Theological Seminary and degrees in theology and language studies from Brazil. His teaching and scholarship address critical theory, transformative pedagogy, religious education, interculturality, migration, human rights, and social transformation. He has developed academic partnerships and immersion programs linking ITC with Africa, Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean and founded Point of Encounter, a nonprofit connecting education, community development, and global justice. His current research explores authenticity, encounter, and convivencia. As Executive Director of Spain-based MCE-Iberoamérica, he supports intercultural mission, church development, leadership formation, organizational capacity, and partnerships between Europe and Latin America. Fluent in Portuguese, Spanish, and English, he connects academy, church, and mission in forming transformative leaders.

Rev. Dr. Adolphus C. Lacey is the eleventh pastor of historic Bethany Baptist Church in Brooklyn, New York, and a native of Kansas City, Kansas. He earned a B.A. in World History from Ottawa University, an M.Div. from Union Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. from Northwestern University, as well as a certificate from Harvard Divinity School’s Institute for Church-Based Community and Economic Development. Dr. Lacey is a pastor, theologian, and activist who serves as spiritual advisor to the NY Justice League, president of the Central Brooklyn Chapter of the National Action Network, convener of the Black Church Collective, co-convener of East Brooklyn Congregations, and a member of the Progressive National Baptist Convention Social Justice Commission. Believing in the equal distribution of gifts and gender-inclusive ministry, he made history at Bethany by ordaining its first female minister in 2016 and eight women as deacons in 2017.

Kevin Washington, known as Mwata Kairi Emeka Sankara, Ph.D., is an Afrikan-centered psychologist, lecturer, and activist who champions the humanity of dispossessed and marginalized people. A scholar-activist and therapist, he is a past president of the Association of Black Psychologists and former chair of Sociology and Psychology at Grambling State University. He serves as National Program Director of Black Marriage Day, President of Black Mental Health Matters, founder and CEO of Roots Afrika, and a founding board member and Acting President of the World Mental Health Coalition. He also founded Nyansapo Empowerment Consultant, a mental-health practice with offices in the United States and The Gambia. As a Fulbright-Hays scholar, he studied the influence of social institutions on healing and restructuring in post-apartheid South Africa. Founder of Ubuntu Psychotherapy, Dr. Washington is widely published in Black psychology and mental health. He earned an M.S. in Educational Psychology and a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychotherapy from Texas A&M University and serves as an ITC Cohort Guide.

Dr. Faye Weems-Singleton is Assistant Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling in ITC’s Department of Psychology of Religion and Pastoral Care. She is also a licensed marriage and family therapist, psychotherapist, and pastoral counselor working with individuals, couples, families, and groups. As an instructor, Dr. Faye mentors students through a clinically informed and theologically rooted curriculum designed for advanced professional competency in pastoral, parish, institutional, and nontraditional ministry. Her research in the African American community, particularly with African American men, strengthens her ability to teach, counsel, and work with people from diverse racial, ethnic, cultural, and religious backgrounds. She holds the Doctor of Theology and Master of Divinity degrees from ITC and a Master of Communication and Counseling from Florida State University.

Dr. Percy D. Johnson Jr. was born and raised in Mobile, Alabama, and holds degrees from Faulkner State Junior College, Troy State University, Vanderbilt University School of Divinity, United Theological Seminary, and the Interdenominational Theological Center. He serves as Covenant Pastor of Sardis Presbyterian Church in Jefferson, Georgia, is a therapist at Atlanta’s New Horizon Counseling Center, teaches as an adjunct professor at ITC, and counsels at-risk youth through Atlanta’s Year Up Program. He spent ten years as Chaplain for Infectious Disease at Grady Health System, providing pastoral care to people affected by HIV/AIDS, and trained as a chaplain resident at the VA Hospital in Nashville and Emory Hospitals in Atlanta. Dr. Johnson holds ordination credentials with the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and National Baptist Church and has served congregations across Georgia and Tennessee. His scholarship includes doctoral research on spiritual formation among African American men and psychospiritual identity reclamation. He leads workshops on grief, leadership, masculinity, mental health, trauma, and family dynamics. He and his wife, Kim, have two adult children and two granddaughters.

Rev. Dr. Tommie Lee Benjamin, originally from Shady Dale, Georgia, is the son of the late Ethelene Miller and George Benjamin of the Jasper County community. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management Information Systems from Georgia College and State University and both a Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry from ITC’s Phillips School of Theology. His Doctor of Ministry research examined the intersection of faith and health, focusing on reducing health disparities in the Augusta Sparta District through collaborative partnerships between faith-based and healthcare organizations. His work sought to expand access to holistic care, essential services, and resources that strengthen the health and well-being of the community. He supports the Intensive as an alumni voice for mental wellness and as a teaching assistant.

Sharon Watson Fluker, Ph.D., serves as a Cohort Guide in ITC’s Doctor of Ministry program. She recently consulted on a diversity, equity, and inclusion initiative at the Society of Biblical Literature. After several years in Boston, she returned to Atlanta in 2019. At Harvard Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership, she served as strategic adviser, associate director of fellowships and evaluation, and fellowships program manager from 2013 to 2019. Previously, she was Vice President of Doctoral Programs and Administration at the Fund for Theological Education and held teaching and administrative positions at Dillard University, Vanderbilt University, and the University of Rochester. Dr. Fluker earned a B.A. in Political Science from Spelman College and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Political Science from Northwestern University. She serves on nonprofit and education boards, belongs to Friendship Baptist Church, and has embraced Tai Chi as a spiritual practice.

Dr. Marrix Seymore brings a distinguished career in higher-education administration and organizational leadership to the Interdenominational Theological Center. Formerly a university Dean of Education, he has extensive experience in academic program oversight, faculty development, and curriculum design, complemented by work as an education compliance consultant supporting institutional adherence to accreditation standards. He earned a Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership with a concentration in Training and Improvement from Northcentral University, where his research examined the impact of a pastor’s education on church growth within the CME Church. A seasoned senior pastor and organizational-development consultant, Dr. Seymore bridges academic rigor, regulatory expertise, and pastoral practice as a member of the ITC Doctor of Ministry faculty and a Cohort Guide.

Rev. Dr. Dollie Howell Pankey’s life demonstrates that proximity creates opportunities to make a difference in the lives of others. Ordained in the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, she serves as a theological educator at ITC, a chaplain at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Birmingham, worship pastor at Beloved Community Church (UCC) in Birmingham, a community activist on local and national stages, the multitalented recording artist D’ Marie, and a workshop facilitator and consultant. She completed the Doctor of Pastoral Music degree at Southern Methodist University. Through her life, creative gifts, and response to God’s call, she brings healing and hope while drawing people into closer proximity to God’s love. She serves the Intensive as a Cohort Guide.

Rev. Dr. James Singletary brings sixteen years of experience in human services, higher education, and parish ministry. He previously served as Program Director at Harlem United, where he managed nine government contracts totaling $1.9 million and oversaw the H.O.M.E. Program, which provided supportive services to LGBTQ youth and young adults living with HIV. In 2010, he accepted a call to The Riverside Church and served as Director for Children, Youth, and Families in its Education Ministry through 2015. During his first year, he expanded the program portfolio with six new initiatives. In 2015, he led nine at-risk high-school students to the White House after their documentary on mentoring in Harlem won first prize in the White House Student Film Festival. Since 2008, he has taught as an adjunct lecturer in African Studies and Communications at CUNY. As a graduate student at Columbia School of Social Work, he supported research on income policies for low-income men and noncustodial fathers and on unemployment and educational attainment among young Black Bermudian men. Dr. Singletary earned graduate degrees from Columbia University School of Social Work and Union Theological Seminary and holds a Master of Fine Arts from The New School. He supports the Maafa Intensive and program production.

Rev. Dr. Eli Wilson III is Senior Pastor of St. Albans Congregational Church, United Church of Christ. He holds an M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary and completed the Doctor of Ministry at ITC in 2026. A native New Yorker and the son of a Baptist minister in church music ministry, he has spent more than forty years in the church while continually exploring the dynamics and challenges of an evolving institution. He also holds an A.S. in Film and Video from Full Sail University and a B.A. in Religious Studies from Hampton University. His ministry experience includes Resident Pastor at St. Paul Community Baptist Church in Brooklyn, Media Specialist at New Covenant Baptist Church in Orlando, Coordinator of Teens and Young Adults at Second Baptist Church in Aiken, and Pastor of Young Adults at New Faith Church in Houston. Rev. Wilson equips churches and leaders for twenty-first-century ministry, connecting the product of life with the process of ministry through theologically sound and biblically grounded living. He serves the Intensive’s Healing Kijiji initiative as a roving reporter.

Rev. Dr. James Perry maintains four collaborative ideals in his Christian walk: love, family, discipleship, and service. Throughout his journey, he has exercised spiritual gifts in preaching, teaching, prayer and worship leadership, administration, service, counseling, outreach, and discipleship building. His vision is to edify the people of God while transforming Christ’s church through inclusion and equity for individuals and communities. That vision is being fulfilled at Mount Olivet Baptist Church of Peekskill, New York, where he was called to serve as the sixteenth pastor in September 2021. An alumnus of ITC’s Doctor of Ministry program, his work focuses on Sacred Spaces and Connected Community: Technology, Media, and the Spirit. He also holds a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary and supports the Intensive through project collaboration and as a lab assistant.

Nik Pettye (he/they), also known as nYk p, is an artist-scholar passionate about the intersections of music, media, culture, and spirituality. Their work inspires people to tell their stories boldly, embrace human diversity, and pursue justice through civic engagement and creative expression. Nik holds a B.A. in Mass Communications from Paine College, an M.A. in Liturgical Arts and Culture, and an M.Div. They are completing a Doctor of Ministry at ITC, a B.A. in Culture, Technology, and Environment at Arizona State University, and a B.A. in Vocal Performance at Morris Brown College, with plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Performance Studies. As part of their ITC doctoral research, Nik founded The Qindred Qoalition, a soulful, nonreligious choir-collective affirming the dignity of all people through soul music and artivism. Centering Black queer culture while welcoming people from all walks of life, the organization models allyship, community building, advocacy, and collective action through performance, service, and scholarship. Nik serves as a second-year DMin student and drummer.