Board Members

Rev. Amy Petré-Hill is the Minister of Mental Health and Inclusion at Mountain View United Church in Aurora, Colorado, and the JFK Partner's Spiritual Care Fellow at the Univ. Of Colorado Medical School. She previously worked as a disability rights attorney and is now the spiritual advisor to the Voices for Veterans Mental Health Council of Eastern Colorado and Mental Health First Aid instructor. She currently serves as the chair of the MHN and on the serve WISE Team.

Gilbert joined the UCC MHN Board in 2019 after attending a WISE Conference. He is a member-in-discernment with the Chicago Metropolitan Association‐Illinois Conference of the UCC. Gilbert serves as the vice-moderator for the CMA and designated-term pastor for Christ Church UCC-Des Plaines. He also serves as the communications consultant for the Colectivo de UCC Latinx Ministries. Gilbert serves the UCC Mental Health Network as vice-chair and also on the WISE and Technology Teams.

Robin Kempster is the Parish Nurse at First Church Berkeley, UCC, in California.  She started the Mental Health Ministry at the church and has encouraged others to join together and to be active participants.  The goals of the ministry are to provide opportunities to reduce stigma for those with mental health challenges, to share our stories, and to educate ourselves around mental health issues.  

An ordained minister and clinical chaplain with specialized training and experience in the addiction recovery field, Jack, as he is called, lives in between Wernersville, Pennsylvania, and the Delaware seashore, combining his devotion to family in Delaware and his ministry with Caron Treatment Centers in Pennsylvania. He has served on the MHN board for several years, passionately supporting local and wider church involvement in these areas of need.

Rev. Megan Osborn Snell (she/her/hers) is an ordained Pastor in the UCC and serves as Chaplain (Spiritual Advisor) at a Recovery Center in the Boston metro area. She holds an MDiv from Andover Newton Theological School. She is in the process of completing a DMin at Pacific School of Religion, focusing on mental health and the Christian church. (MHN Board of Directors since 2019).

Reverend Shernell Edney Stilley currently serves as the Associate Conference Minister for Congregational Vitality in the New York Conference. Her programmatic responsibilities include: Faith Reconciliation, Community Re-Discovery, Social Justice Empowerment, Revitalization Strategies, and Oversight of New Church Start programs.

In 2009, Alan was asked to be the chair of the UCC Mental Illness Network and began the reformation of what has become the UCC Mental Health Network.  Since then, he had been the coordinator and then chair of the UCC MHN until 2020. Alan is a retired UCC clergy, a volunteer mental health advocate, and a church member, which developed the WISE program.

Lisa LeSueur is the Minister of Congregational and Staff Care at Coral Gables United Church of Christ, and she recently graduated with a Master's in Divinity. She has been a member of the UCC MHN Board of Directors for three years and is a frequent contributor to the MHN blog.  She lives in Coral Gables, Florida, with her spouse and their two children. Lisa is the MHN's leader for the Genesis Grant Project.

Vicki is on her first term as a board member and a psychologist in Diamond Bar, California. She has developed a pre-WISE survey and connects with post-WISE churches. She speaks about her experience of suicide in her family, how to heal, and hold another through the trauma of a loved one in this life place. God's extravagance provided MHN as her vehicle of service.

Rev. Kirk L. Moore is a guitarist, vocalist, and a certified music practitioner, (CMP). He’s also the pastor of St. Paul’s United Church of Christ in Downers Grove, IL, and a member of the board of the UCC Mental Health Network. 

Recently joining the MHN Board in 2020, Jan has been practicing as a neuropsychologist in Illinois and now, Pennsylvania, for 25 years.  She specializes in treating PTSD.  A graduate of Chicago Theological Seminary, she currently pastors at Trinity in Rock Glen and St. Peter's church in Bloomsburg, PA. She brings a strong desire and skill set to promote mental health in our UCC congregations.

Kyle (he/him) joined the UCC MHN board in 2020 and brings more than 7 years of experience working in public policy at the intersection of disability, social justice, and economic inequality.  He also serves on the WISE team for the Indiana-Kentucky Conference of the UCC. Kyle lives in central Indiana with his wife.

Averyn began their first year in Andover Newton Seminary at Yale Divinity School in fall 2020, the same time they joined the Board. Averyn is curious about the ways faith communities can be places of transformation and radical welcoming to those with mental health challenges and seeks to combine their experience as a counselor with their passion for God and justice.

Rev. Dr. Sarah Lund serves as the Minister for Disabilities and Mental Health Justice for the national setting of the United Church of Christ. She is the author of Blessed Are The Crazy: Breaking the Silence About Mental Illness, Family and Church. She is also a former UCC MHN board member.