Mark Stephenson’s journey has given him a big heart for the mental health challenges that people face, and it has given him great joy to serve on the board of Pathways to Promise since 2006 in his mission to connect mental health, faith, and culture. Mark is passionate about his faith, and the ways faith commitments and faith communities can help individuals with mental health challenges flourish. Like the undertow along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, anxiety pulled at him and sometimes threatened him throughout his life. For much of his life, Mark tried to deny its existence, and once he was fully aware of its presence, he tried to eliminate it, but that was impossible. In recent years, Mark has finally learned that, like the common presence of undertow and rip currents in Lake Michigan, he needs to make peace with his anxiety and live with it in his journey with family, friends, and fellow believers. Taking the Enneagram a few years ago helped him immensely in this regard. (Mark is an Enneagram 6.) Ordained as a Minister of the Word in the Christian Reformed denomination in 1989, Mark served as a pastor of two congregations for 17 years. He recently retired after serving another 16 years as a leader of Christian Reformed denominational ministries, primarily Disability Concerns, helping congregations engage healthily with people with disabilities and mental health challenges. Early on, Mark coined Disability Concerns’s tagline “Everybody belongs. Everybody serves.” to describe in a few words what that healthy engagement looks like. Having a heart for people at the margins, he also served as interim director of his denomination’s ministries of race relations, social justice, and chaplaincy. Mark has two advanced theological degrees, and has two units of training in Clinical Pastoral Education. He is a certified Companionship workshop leader, serves various volunteer roles in his local multicultural congregation, serves his denomination as a facilitator for Race Relations training events, and is a Sandan (third degree black belt) in Shorin Ryu karate. Mark and his wife have lived in west Michigan most of their lives. They have five living children, and one child who passed away. Their oldest daughter lives joyfully with severe, multiple disabilities, and they adopted their youngest child when he was 19 years old. Two of their children are married, and they take great delight in their three grandsons.

Bud spent his corporate business career as a Sales Engineer, using his Physics Degree and MBA in International Economics, as the foundation for selling engineered systems around the world in these industries: Electric Utility, Oil & Gas Production & Refining, Research and Executive Recruiting. He had his own company providing advertising and sales promotion services for commercial companies. When he retired from corporate life, he began providing Strategic Impact Coaching services to develop Holistic Winning Sales & Launch Programs for Social Impact For-Profits & Non-Profits. He listened to his clients & partners and worked with them to translate their needs into actionable projects & programs. In 2017, he began his work in Mental Health & Wellness by helping a world-renowned Psychiatrist start a Mental Health Task Force in a downtown Dallas United Methodist church. This led into the formation of the Mental Wellness Interfaith Alliance of Northern Texas with these founding members:1 Lutheran, 1 Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and 6 United Methodist Churches in Dallas. For the last 3 years, Bud has worked with Pathways as a Strategic Impact Coach & Recruiter and has led the integration initiative for the major focus areas of Pathways building on Companionship, the Signature Program of Pathways. Bud is dedicated to finding sustainable solutions to current grassroots issues by collaborating with Northern Texas and national organizations who impact, or are impacted by, mental health and wellness concerns and opportunities. In addition to his BS in Physics from UT Austin and MBA in International Economics from Pace University in New York City, he served as a Russian Linguist in the US Army in Northern Japan during the Vietnam Era. His early career was with General Electric as the Proposal Manager for Power Plants in Egypt, Nigeria, Iraq, Guatemala, Venezuela and he collaborated with Strategic Power Plant Equipment Partners in Japan, Austria, France and Italy. Bud is married to Linda and they attend Kessler Park UMC in Oak Cliff Dallas. They have one married son, a CPA, with 2 grandsons in Elementary School, who live in Dallas.

Suzanne Martinez is Coordinator for Congregational Outreach and Hispanic Liaison, for the Office for Government and Community Relations for Good Shepherd Hospital, Condell Medical Center, and Sherman Hospitals, all now part of Advocate Health Care. Suzanne’s primary role is to coordinate and supervise the northern region faith community’s health ministry, including educational seminars, health screenings, and other wellness and social determinant initiatives. Over her 16 years with Advocate, Suzanne has successfully developed and maintained high-impact programs in the areas of Lake, Cook and McHenry Counties. Her outreach initiatives target specific issues such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular health, mental health, and drug use prevention programs. Suzanne's evolving roster of programs continually and effectively promotes the health of body, mind, and spirit—a "holistic" approach to caring for the whole person. These dynamic events have been instrumental to elevating the awareness of unique health issues, through the context of local churches and congregations, while also promoting lifestyle changes for improved health outcomes of current and future generations.

Rev. Lisa Heffernan serves as the coordinator for Disability Ministries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and as the campus pastor at the Luther Center at the University of South Dakota-Vermillion. Lisa was born with spina bifida and is a full-time wheelchair user. She is a Concordia College alum (’09, B.A. in Religion, minor is English Literature) and Wartburg Theological Seminary (’13,M.Div.), and is currently enrolled as a Doctor of Ministry student in Disability Ministry and Theology at Western Seminary in Holland, Michigan. Outside of her work, Lisa is close with her family (sibling Tom and mother Kathy) and friends (including her “goofy gremlin” cat, Sayler). She loves all things “The Lord of the Rings” and Irish traditional music, thanks in large part to her late father, Steve—her favorite Irish man and English teacher.

Dr. Sherri Session is a preacher, teacher, chaplain, group facilitator, and Companionship trainer. Sherri has spent her career working to improve outcomes for others. She first worked with programs that helped at-risk students access and succeed in postsecondary education programs and transition to working with organizations that seek to build the capacity of congregations to live out their call. Sherri currently works as a Project Coordinator for IU Health Spiritual Care. She has also worked as a resource consultant for the Center for Congregations and facilitated pastoral care training for congregations throughout Central Indiana. Sherri is an ordained deacon and minister at Progressive Baptist Church in Indianapolis, where she has served in several capacities, including Executive Minister. Sherri earned a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership from Purdue University, a Master of Divinity, and a Doctor of Ministry from Christian Theological Seminary.

David Zorzy has worked for over 20 years in sales management, marketing and business development. He brings a deep commitment to community empowerment and mental health advocacy to his role as a board member of Pathways to Promise. Throughout his career, David has served in leadership roles that emphasize collaboration and empowerment. He believes that faith communities play a vital role in promoting holistic wellness and breaking down stigma surrounding mental illness. David’s passion for helping others and his professional expertise in areas such as finance, fundraising, public relations, marketing, and governance help strengthen Pathways’ initiatives and outreach. As a board member, he brings strategic insight, a collaborative spirit, and a heartfelt dedication to helping individuals and communities thrive.

Dr. Edward (Ed) T. Prater-Carroll, is a native of Memphis, Tennessee, where he received his public education. Dr. Carroll went on to graduate from the University of Mississippi, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Management. Upon completion of that educational pursuit, Dr. Carroll went on to earn his master’s degree from the University of Memphis (formerly Memphis State University). Later he decided that he would earn his Ph.D. in Business Management with a concentration in Healthcare Management plus MCSE, PMP and SPHR certifications. Dr. Carroll is the founder and CEO of ETC Healthcare Solutions. He has served in many roles in Healthcare’s Information Technology and Human Resources with the latest as Senior Clinical Informatics Solutions Architect. Dr. Carroll was called upon to mediate employee-management disputes, and to resolve union grievances in several incidents over the years. ​ Dr. Carroll has a love for education and encouraging young people to get a good education is why he created the Crystal Ball Scholarship Foundation in 2009. He has funded over 45 scholarships to deserving college students. Dr. Carroll is the proud husband to Prater Carroll and the father of 4 along with 3 bonus children. A member of American Society of IT Professionals, Health Information Management Systems Society, American Society of Training and Development and Society of Human Resource Management.

Lizbeth A. Adams, Ph.D. is a community leader, Companionship trainer, nonprofit director, and longtime advocate for people experiencing homelessness and social isolation. Her work is grounded in the belief that housing and material assistance are essential, but that human connection, dignity, belonging, and community are also fundamental to well-being. Lizbeth has served as Director of the John Leonard Adams Foundation since 2012, supporting programs that provide meals, companionship, creative engagement, and arts-based therapeutic activities for unhoused and recently housed individuals. She also serves as Director of Companionship Trainings for Sacred Streets, helping community members and volunteers develop the skills to form respectful, sustaining relationships with people experiencing homelessness, housing instability, and social isolation. Certified in the Companionship Model through Pathways to Promise, she incorporates its principles of presence, listening, accompaniment, dignity, and community connection into both her training and direct-service work. Lizbeth also volunteers with the Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI) in King County, providing practical assistance to unhoused and recently housed individuals and teaching cooking classes in tiny-house, transitional-housing, and supportive-housing communities. Lizbeth spent much of her professional career in biomedical research, research ethics, and the protection of human research participants. She served as Executive Vice Chair at Advarra, and Director of the Office of Research Integrity at Bastyr University. That career gave her deep experience in ethics, governance, organizational leadership, education, and the protection of vulnerable populations. Lizbeth holds a Ph.D. in Physiology and Biophysics from the University of Washington and a B.A. in Biology from Reed College. She brings to her community work the same values that shaped her professional career: careful listening, respect for individual autonomy and dignity, ethical stewardship, and a commitment to ensuring that people who are vulnerable or marginalized are seen, heard, and valued.