GBHEM Announces New Appointments to the Board of Directors

The General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM) announced today the appointment of three new members to its Board of Directors: Dr. Vivian Bull, Dr. James Hildreth and Rev. Sun Hee Kim.

Vivian Bull, Ph.D.
Bull served as 18th president of Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon from 1992 to 2005. She also held the position of interim president at Drew University from 2012 to 2014. Bull taught for more than 30 years in the Economics Department and served for eight years as associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Drew University. She directed Linfield’s Semester in the European Community in Brussels four times and participated in 21 archaeological expeditions in the Middle East (1960-1996).

Bull received her bachelor’s degree from Albion College and her doctorate from New York University. A Fulbright Scholar, she completed graduate work at the London School of Economics and studied in Norway, Great Britain and the Netherlands. She is the recipient of honorary degrees from the University of Portland, Drew University and Albion College. Bull is on the agency’s Administrative Committee and Racial and Ethnic Concerns Committee.

James E.K. Hildreth, Ph.D., M.D.  
Hildreth serves as the 12th president and chief executive officer of Meharry Medical College, a United Methodist-related Historically Black College. Hildreth is internationally recognized for his work in HIV and AIDS research over the last three decades. Hildreth has also led efforts to engage churches and faith leaders in the fight against AIDS. Hildreth was the first African-American to earn full professorship with tenure in the basic sciences at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He later served as director of the National Institutes of Health-funded Center for AIDS Health Disparities Research at Meharry Medical College and dean of the College of Biological Sciences at the University of California, Davis.

An American Rhodes Scholar, Hildreth earned his undergraduate degree in chemistry from Harvard University. He completed his Doctor of Philosophy in immunology at Oxford University in England and M.D. at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. He serves on the Harvard University Board of Overseers. Hildreth is a member of the agency’s Global Education and Ministry Committee.

Rev. Sun Hee Kim
Since 2010, Kim has served as the pastor of discipleship and leadership development at Saint Paul United Methodist Church, a growing, multicultural faith community in the California-Nevada Annual Conference. Kim has been active in the denomination for the past 12 years as a consultant and trainer in the field of intercultural competency and cross-cultural communication. She is also a certified administrator, consultant and coach of the intercultural development inventory, intercultural effectiveness scale and global competencies inventory, leading inventories in the field of intercultural studies.

Kim earned a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts from Ewha Womans University and a Master of Divinity from Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University. Kim serves on GBHEM’s Administrative Matters Committee and Endorsing Committee.

“We are truly blessed and grateful to Drs. Bull and Hildreth and Rev. Kim for volunteering their service to our board of directors,” said Dr. Kim Cape, general secretary at GBHEM. “Each brings exceptional experience and insights that I am confident will help lead this agency into a successful future.”

About GBHEM: As the leadership development agency of The United Methodist Church, the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry’s mission is to lead and connect the educational and ministerial life of the church. Every elder, deacon and licensed local pastor benefits from our training and candidacy programs. Many young adults find help in clarifying their vocation and God’s call on their lives through our leadership and discernment programs. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook: @GBHEM.