GBHEM Board of Directors 2009-2012

You can also download a full listing of GBHEM board members and biographies as a PDF.

GBHEM Executive Committee

Marcus Matthews
President, GBHEM

Division of Ordained Ministry
Resident bishop, Upper New York area. He earned an M.Div. from Wesley Theological Seminary and a D.Min. from New York Theological Seminary. Prior to his current post, he was resident bishop of the Philadelphia area. He was a member of the General Council on Ministries and World Methodist Council Executive Committee. He is a member of Black Methodists for Church Renewal. He is vice chair of the board of directors of Africa University. He chairs GBHEM’s Executive Committee and also serves on the Personnel and Policies Committee.

Kenneth H. Carter Jr.
Chair, Division of Ordained Ministry

Superintendent, Waynesville District, Western North Carolina Conference. He holds degrees from Duke Divinity School, the University of Virginia, and Princeton Theological Seminary. A member of the Western North Carolina Conference, he serves on the Committee on the Episcopacy and the conference Board of Ordained Ministry. He was a member of the Commission on the Study of Ministry. He has been a delegate to two General Conferences and four Jurisdictional Conferences. He is vice chair of GBHEM’s Executive Committee and a member of the Personnel and Policies Committee.

Kah-Jin Jeffrey Kuan
Chair, Division of Higher Education

Dean of Drew Theological School. A clergy member of the California-Nevada Annual Conference, he earned his doctorate at Emory University in 1994 and holds degrees from Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University and Trinity Theological College in Singapore. He had chaired his annual conference Commission on Religion and Race and Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns. He is vice chair of GBHEM’s Executive Committee and also serves on the Personnel and Policies and Nominating Committees.

Kim Simpson
Recording Secretary, GBHEM

Division of Ordained Ministry
A member of St. Barnabas United Methodist Church in Arlington, Tex., she is a certified lay speaker. A member of the Central Texas Annual Conference, she has served as a delegate to annual conference and is serving as associate conference lay leader. She serves on the Board of Laity, Conference Core Leadership Team, Leadership Center Executive Committee, and East District Executive Committee. She serves on the district BOM and is Officer Manager for the UMW School of Christian Mission. She speaks frequently to churches, schools, and community organizations about Native Americans. She is a member of the GBHEM Executive Committee and the Personnel and Policies Committee.

David Kekumba Yemba

Division of Higher Education
Resident bishop of the Central Congo Episcopal area. He was a professor and founding dean of the Faculty of Theology at Africa University. His ecumenical experience includes moderator the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches. He currently serves as vice president of the All-Africa Conference of Churches. He has a license in theology, with distinction, from the Congo Free University at Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo, and a Doctorate in Theology from the University of Strasbourg, France. He also chairs the United Methodist Faith and Order Committee and serves on GBHEM's Executive Committee.

Bruce L. Blumer

Division of Higher Education
Executive director, Dakotas United Methodist Foundation. He has B.S., M.A., and Ed.D. degrees from the University of South Dakota. In his annual conference he serves on the bishop’s extended cabinet. He is a member of First United Methodist Church in Mitchell, S.D., where he serves on the Stewardship and Vision Planning Committees. He chairs the Loans and Scholarships Committee and serves on GBHEM’s Executive Committee.

Cheryl Jefferson Bell

Secretary, Division of Higher Education
Superintendent of the Wichita East district, Kansas West Annual Conference. She holds degrees from Spelman College and Georgia Tech and is a graduate of Phillips Theological Seminary. She was a delegate to the 2000, 2004, and 2008 General Conferences. She is a member of the board of trustees of Southwestern College. She serves on the GBHEM Executive Committee and is a member of the Investment Committee.

Clarence Brown

Division of Ordained Ministry
Senior pastor, Annandale United Methodist Church, Annandale, Va. He holds a master’s of divinity from Gammon Theological Seminary and a B.A. in sociology and philosophy from Georgia State University. A member of the Virginia Conference, Brown serves on the Conference Board of Pension and Health Benefits and the Strengthening the Black Church for the Twenty-First Century Collaborative Coaching Team. He chairs GBHEM’s Audit and Review sub-committee and is a member of the Board’s Executive Committee.

Stephanie Deckard

Division of Higher Education
An employee and part-time graduate student at Boston University, Deckard will be a second-time delegate to 2012 General Conference and 2012 Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference. She is a lay member of the Upper New York Annual Conference, and served on the United Methodist Student Movement 2011-2012 Steering Committee. She serves on GBHEM’s Executive Committee.

Carolyn Peterson

Vice Chair, Division of Ordained Ministry
Minister of Christian Education at First United Methodist Church in Olympia, Wash. She holds a B.A. in English from the University of Puget Sound, and completed her diaconal/deacon studies at Methodist Theological School of Ohio in 1999. She was ordained a deacon in full connection in 2002. She is a member of the Pacific Northwest Annual Conference, where she chairs the Board of Ordained Ministry, and is the coordinator of the Christian Education Consultants’ Network. She serves on GBHEM’s Strategic Plan Advisory Committee and the Executive Committee.

Gail Ford Smith

Division of Ordained Ministry
Superintendent of the Southwest District, Texas Annual Conference. Her M.Div. is from Perkins School of Theology, and she holds a B.A. from the University of Denver. She serves on the Texas Annual Conference Board of Ordained Ministry, was a delegate to General and Jurisdictional conferences in 2008, and serves on the conference Finance and Administration Committee. She is a member of the conference Board of Trustees. She is a member of the National Hispanic Plan. She is a member of GBHEM’s Executive Committee, chairs the sub-committee on Finance, and is a member of the Investment Committee.