Meet the Board of Directors
Nathan Anderson (Chair) – has been with Wake Forest University since 1999 and is currently the Director, Financial Systems & Analysis. Mr. Anderson received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business and Computer Science as well as his Masters of Business Administration degree from Wake Forest University. He is a Deacon and Ruling Elder and currently attends Westminster Presbyterian Church in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Anne Apple – is a teaching elder in the PC(USA) who is currently an at-large member of the Presbytery of the Mid-South. She holds a B.A. in Theatre and Media Arts from Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee; and a MDiv (Masters of Divinity) from Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, GA. Reverend Apple most recently served Idlewild Presbyterian Church as Executive Associate Pastor and Acting Head of Staff of Idlewild Presbyterian Church in Memphis, Tennessee; and prior to service with Idlewild, served in the Presbytery of South Alabama, as pastor to Grace Presbyterian Church. Reverend Apple has previously served as Moderator of the Presbytery of the MidSouth, General Assembly Committee Chair, and commissioner; and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Montreat Retreat Association. She lives in Memphis, Tennessee, with her partner, Jim Apple.
Jennifer Brown – is a healthcare attorney who has served as chief legal officer of two non-profit health systems, Baylor Scott & White Health in Texas and Presbyterian Healthcare Services in New Mexico, and currently serves as chief legal officer of a national health information technology company. She is licensed to practice law in Texas, New Mexico, Missouri, Arkansas and Florida. She is a graduate of Texas A&M University and The University of Texas School of Law. She currently serves on the Leadership Council of Texas A&M University Association of Former Students and is a Court Appointed Special Advocate with Dallas CASA. Ms. Brown lives in Dallas, Texas with her husband, Woody Brown, a Presbyterian pastor who is serving as the senior pastor of Trinity Presbyterian Church in McKinney, Texas. Ms. Brown is a member of Trinity Presbyterian Church and participates in the Stephen Ministry program.
Judy Chang – is the founding partner of Judy Chang Law Firm, a bicoastal immigration law firm. She is an acting elder at So-Mahng Presbyterian Church and has been active in the Korean American community. She has served as Regional Governor of the International Association of Korean Lawyers, Board Secretary of NY Nanum Foundation, Chairperson of the Board of Trustees for the Korean Community Center, Board member and Legal Task Force Chair for Korean American Civic Empowerment, and Legal Task force Advisor for the Korean American Sanctuary Church Network. Born in Seoul, South Korea, Judy immigrated to Canada with her family at the age of 16 and obtained her JD from the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law. She spent one year in China as a tentmaker, which she counts as one extraordinary year of her life. She is married with two very creative sons.
Thomas Fleming, Jr. – is a ruling elder at Knox Presbyterian Church, Los Angeles, CA. Mr. Fleming has served the Presbytery of the Pacific in various positions. He was a delegate to the 220th General Assembly in Pittsburg, PA, where he was elected to a six-year term on the Presbyterian Mission Agency (PMA). In 2023, Mr. Fleming retired from Loyola Marymount University having served as its Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Previously he worked in various companies and organizations including Arthur Andersen & Co. and the United States Army. He currently is a Commissioner on the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC). He is a member of its Audit and Finance and Operations Committees. Mr. Fleming is also a member of the Investment Committee of the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary, Western Province. Mr. Fleming is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive). He graduated from Washington and Lee University with a B. S. in Commerce.
Melanie Hancock – is a Ruling Elder and currently serves as the General Presbyter for the Presbytery of Northern Kansas. She joined the Presbytery Staff in 1993 serving as Associate General Presbyter and Transitional General Presbyter before being elected as General Presbyter in 2019. An educator at heart, Melanie served as Christian Education Director for Sunrise Presbyterian Church in Salina, Kansas for 8 years prior to joining the Presbytery staff.
Dr. Felecia Hardy – is a commissioned ruling elder currently serving St. Paul Presbyterian Church in Louisburg, North Carolina. She has served the church in numerous capacities including Moderator of the Synod of The Mid-Atlantic and Baltimore Presbytery. She currently serves on the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board.
Sinthia Hernandez-Diaz – is an experienced professional with over 22 years of assurance and advisory experience in providing audit and consulting-related services to public and private companies, encompassing aspects of strategic, financial, operational, and compliance functions and processes across multiple industries. Hernandez-Diaz currently serves Mosaic as Global Digital Transformation Director, Process Controls Lead. She is a Certified Public Accountant and graduated from University of Miami Herbert Business School with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration, Accounting.
Jesse Hite – is a retired Civil Engineer who has also served as the Church Administrator for the First Presbyterian Church, Charlotte, North Carolina. In his over 40-year engineering career, Mr. Hite provided planning and consulting services to a wide range of both public and private clients in the environmental and transportation areas. He is a Ruling Elder and has served on a number of committees and was Clerk of Session at his home church. He has served the Presbytery of Charlotte including chairing its Finance Committee and was chair of its Council for several years. Mr. Hite has been a Commissioner from the Presbytery of Charlotte to the General Assembly on two occasions. He served for eight years as a Board member for the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation including two years as its Board Chair. Mr. Hite has a Civil Engineering degree from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and a Master of Engineering degree from Old Dominion University.
Kathy Lueckert (non-voting, ex-officio) – a Ruling Elder, accepted the call to serve as the President of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), A Corporation in August 2019. In her role she will also manage the Administrative Services Group. Before her latest call, she served as Director of Finance and Administration at Village Presbyterian Church in the Kansas City area and as Director of Strategic Projects for World Vision. Prior to that she served as the Executive Vice President and Deputy Executive Director of the General Assembly Council in Louisville — a predecessor to the Presbyterian Mission Agency. Kathy has also worked in local government management for over fifteen years. Originally from Columbia, Missouri, Kathy has degrees from George Mason University, George Washington University and University of Mary Washington.
John Nelsen – served as a PC(USA) pastor, dedicating 43 years to pastoral ministry. Throughout this time, he has assumed roles as pastor/head of staff in locations such as Maryland, Oklahoma, and, most recently, at University Presbyterian Church in El Paso, Texas. In January 2022, John retired from pastoral ministry, transitioning into the role as full-time volunteer with the Tres Rios Border Presbytery Border Ministry Foundation in El Paso/Juarez. John’s service with PC(USA) Border ministries spans 31 years. Beyond his border ministry involvement, John has contributed to the PCUSA in various capacities, including an eight-year term with the Presbyterian Foundation. John currently resides in El Paso with his wife of 46 years, Becky. They have two grown children, (both with wonderful spouses), and two grandchildren.
Stephen Rhoades (Vice Chair) – has been the Stated Clerk for the Presbytery of Santa Fe since 2016. Mr. Rhoades is a retired attorney who is currently an inactive member of the State Bars of West Virginia, and New Mexico. He holds a B.A. in accounting from Grove City College in Grove City, Pennsylvania and a J.D from the West Virginia College of Law in Morgantown, West Virginia. Currently, Mr. Rhoades lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico and attends First Presbyterian Church in Albuquerque.
Olivia Hudson Smith – is a retired attorney. Ms. Hudson Smith began as a Special Education teacher for five years before becoming an attorney. She practiced as an attorney for thirty years, the last twenty years of which were as an Assistant City Attorney Specialist in the Denver City Attorney’s Office from which she retired in 2012. After being ordained as a Minister of the Word and Sacrament in 2017, Ms. Hudson Smith has served as the Stated Clerk of the Presbytery of Denver. She has also served as Moderator of Denver Presbytery and as a board member of the Presbytery Publishing Corporation. Ms. Hudson Smith earned her J.D. in 1982 from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law and graduated from seminary at Iliff School of Theology in 2013. She presently lives in Denver, Colorado, where she attends People Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
Donald Wingate – is a state certified building contractor and owns and manages commercial rental properties. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of South Florida. Mr. Wingate has previously served on the Board of Directors for the Mission Development Resources Committee of the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board and the West Orange Habitat for Humanity, and he currently serves on the Board of Directors for The Bond Foundation. He is also a member of the Community Redevelopment Agency Advisory Board for the City of Winter Garden, Florida. Mr. Wingate previously was a Commissioner in the 2012 General Assembly. He is a Ruling Elder of Oakland Presbyterian Church, Oakland, Florida.