FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 14, 2023
Sojourners Names New and Returning Directors to its Board in 2022-2023
Washington, D.C. – The Board of Directors of Sojourners has voted to approve five additional directors to serve the organization in 2022-2023. Four of the directors are new to the Sojourners board and one is returning to board service. Rev. Carlos Malavé, founder of the Latino Christian National Network — began their service at the board’s November 2022 meeting. Three additional directors — Rev. Dr. Cynthia Hale, founder of Ray of Hope Christian Church, Tanya Clay House, Executive Vice President of the Hip Hop Caucus, and Dan Cardinali, formerly President of Independent Sector — began their service at the board’s April 2023 meeting. Rev. Dr. Soong-Chan Rah, the Robert Boyd Munger Professor of Evangelism at Fuller Seminary, who previously served on Sojourners’ board, will return to the board in November 2023.
Sojourners President Adam Taylor made the following statement regarding the board’s approval of these new members:
“I’m excited and deeply grateful to welcome these five new and returning members to our board of directors. These exceptional leaders come to us from a variety of backgrounds, professions, and Christian traditions, but they share a passionate commitment to making the connection between Jesus and justice. Sojourners is fortunate to have a committed board of directors that provides us with invaluable guidance and stewardship. I have every confidence that these new and returning members will be key voices in the board’s conversations, helping ensure a bright future for the organization we all love and serve.”
Carlos Malavé is the founder and president of the Latino Christian National Network, an organization that aims to provide a space for respectful dialogue among Latino Christian leaders of different traditions and theological perspectives. Previously, Malavé served as the executive director of Christian Churches Together in the USA (CCT) for 11 years. Malavé is a member of the Steering Committee of the Circle of Protection, a coalition of church bodies and related ministries representing the diversity of Christianity in this country. He holds a Master of Arts in Family Life Education from Loma Linda University and a Master of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary.
Cynthia Hale is the founder and Senior Pastor of the Ray of Hope Christian Church in Decatur, Georgia. A native of Roanoke, Va., Dr. Hale received a Bachelor of Arts in music from Hollins University; a Master of Divinity degree from Duke University; and a Doctor of Ministry degree from United Theological Seminary. She has also established two ministries; Elah Pastoral Ministries, Inc. and the Women in Ministry Conference, Inc. Elah is a mentoring program to assist in the spiritual and practical development of pastors and para-church leaders and the Women in Ministry Conference is a premier national conference with a focused mission to develop, coach, and mentor Christian women in ministry for the 21st century.
Tanya Clay House is the Executive Vice President for Campaigns and Advocacy at the Hip Hop Caucus and the Hip Hop Caucus Action Fund. She most recently was the Senior Program Officer for Voting Rights at the State Infrastructure Fund where she managed the voting rights portfolio, including all national voting rights litigation funding. She also serves as CEO and Co-Founder of ClayHouse Consulting Inc. Her clients have included the NAACP and the National Coalition for School Diversity, the Network for Public Education, African American Policy Forum and more. Formerly of Louisville, Kentucky, Mrs. House earned her B.A cum laude in political science from the University of Michigan and her J.D. from the University of Texas, School of Law.
Dan Cardinali is former president and CEO of Independent Sector, the only national membership organization that brings together a diverse set of nonprofits, foundations, and corporations to advance the common good. Before joining IS in 2016, Dan served on the IS Board of Directors and several IS member committees. He also led IS member, Communities in Schools, the nation’s largest and most effective dropout prevention organization, for 12 years after working in other positions at the organization. Early in his career, Dan worked as a community organizer in Guadalajara, Mexico organizing a squatter community to secure land rights, running water, and public education. He holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and a master’s degree in philosophy from Fordham University.
Soong-Chan Rah joined Fuller Seminary’s faculty in 2021 as the Robert Boyd Munger Professor of Evangelism. Prior to his appointment at Fuller, Dr. Rah served as the Milton B. Engebretson Professor of Church Growth and Evangelism at North Park Theological Seminary. He holds a ThD from Duke Divinity School, with a primary field of study in theology and ethics and a secondary field of study in American evangelical history. He also holds an MDiv and a DMin, with a concentration in urban ministry leadership, from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, as well as a ThM from Harvard University, with a thesis on the immigrant church. He is the author of more than half a dozen books, an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Covenant Church, and a member of the Academy for Evangelism in Theological Education, American Academy of Religion, and American Society of Missiology.