For such a time as this

Christine Mangale is the Program Director at the Lutheran Office for World Community in New York representing the Lutheran World Federation and the ELCA at the United Nations. She provides global leadership on matters relating to international development, socio-cultural affairs, and women’s rights.

Prior to her current role, she served as the youth secretary for the Lutheran Communion in Eastern and Central Africa, and as the youth liaison at the Kenya Evangelical Lutheran Church.

Christine earned her degree in Political Science from the City University of New York – Lehman College, and a Master of Science in International Affairs at the New School in New York.

Heidi Neumark has served as the pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church of Manhattan since 2003. She is also a founder and executive director of Trinity Place Shelter for homeless LGBTQIQ+ youth. Previously she served a church in the South Bronx and was a founding member of a community organizing group.

These experiences led to her first book, Breathing Space: A Spiritual Journey in the South Bronx. Heidi’s journey of uncovering and reflecting upon her late-life discovery of Jewish roots is chronicled in her book Hidden Inheritance: Family Secrets, Memory and Faith. Her most recent book is Sanctuary: Being Christian in the Wake of Trump. Learn more about her books here.

The Rev. Elizabeth Eaton was elected as the ELCA’s fourth presiding bishop and the first woman presiding bishop at the 2013 ELCA Churchwide Assembly. She was elected to a second term at the 2019 assembly.

She earned a Master of Divinity degree from Harvard Divinity School and a Bachelor of Music Education from the College of Wooster.

Ordained in 1981, Eaton served three congregations in Ohio before being elected bishop of the ELCA Northeastern Ohio Synod in 2006 and re-elected in May 2013.

Eaton’s four emphases for the ELCA are: We are church. We are Lutheran. We are church together. We are church for the sake of the world.

Bishop Wilma S. Kucharek is a graduate of Valparaiso University and the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg (now United Lutheran Seminary) where she earned MDiv and STM degrees. She has served as Bishop of the Slovak Zion Synod–ELCA since 2002. Prior to her election, Bishop Kucharek served as a parish pastor in Connecticut and Pennsylvania, and briefly as a deaconess in Indiana and New York.

Bishop Kucharek currently serves as the Advisory Bishop to the churchwide executive board of the Women of the ELCA. is a co-author of Heritage of the Slavs and co-translator of Lutheran Churches in Slovakia. She and her husband, the Rev. Dr. Thomas J. Drobena, have two adult sons.

Camille Trott is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Austin Communications. She is an accomplished professional with 25+ years of experience in the areas of business administration, executive coaching, corporate training & workshops, business development, consulting, and public speaking.

In her career, she has worked alongside one of the nation’s most notable businessmen and philanthropists. She has previously managed numerous projects involving senior corporate leaders, Fortune 500 companies, professional sports teams, and civic and philanthropic organizations.

In her spare time, Camille loves reading non-fiction, mentoring women in business, and spending quality time with her family. She is married to the Rev. David O. Trott Sr. and they have two sons.