Board President

Lisa is an author and president of the nonprofit Seeds of Faith for Women. She is a Certified Lay Speaker and seminar leader serving Long Island churches. Lisa joined NBSI in 1994 but then was climbing the corporate ladder and had to take a leave of absence. In retirement, she has become fully engaged with NBSI and is now thrilled to be on the leadership team with an excellent Board of Directors.

Vice President

Cliff lives in Texas, where he serves as the chair of the Department of Bible, Missions, and Ministry at Abilene Christian University. He teaches undergraduate classes on the New Testament. He is also the convener for the NBSI Scholars Seminar, a group of "scholarly storytellers" and "storytelling scholars" who explore together the possibilities of biblical performance criticism.

Treasurer

Shelley is a long-time member of NBSI She resides in Wilmington, DE with her husband, Mike. Outside of the pandemic years she has attended every Festival Gathering since she first attended in 1994. In that time she has been part of a tandem-telling duo, ByHeart, with her storytelling partner, Mary-beth Howard. Over the years she has served as a workshop leader, board member and Festival Gathering Coordinator. She and Mary-beth have organized and led a group of storytellers at their home church, Westminster Presbyterian, where the group has participated regularly in worship and leads the Maundy Thursday Service every year. She is delighted to be joining the Board again in this new capacity and looking forward to working with this motivated and committed group of people to grow this life-giving community.

Secretary

Debbie recently retired from a staff position at her local United Methodist Church. Debbie holds a Master Storytelling certificate from NBSI's Academy of Biblical Storytelling (ABS) and a Master of Theological Studies degree from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington DC. Recently widowed, she is blessed with two adult sons, a dog, and a cat!

Program Chair

Carole is a past Chair of the Network of Biblical Storytellers Australia and is married to Clive with two adult sons, two daughters-in-law and five grandchildren. She is retired from her role in Children and Family ministry with the Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane and is the author of Getting to Know Jesus. She enjoys walking, aqua-aerobics and playing with the grandchildren and assisting Clive in a project to restore their 35ft sailing catamaran, Great Escape 11.

Membership

Ruth fell in love with biblical storytelling during the 2019 Festival Gathering. During the pandemic, she trained in the Academy for Biblical Storytelling and earned her Masters Certification. Ruth thanks God for those years of spiritual growth and continues to offer biblical storytelling reflections and presentations as a lay person in her faith community of Transfiguration Catholic Church, Marietta, Georgia.

Member at Large (Volunteer Coordinator)

Reverend Jim Sterner started telling biblical stories in 1987 at the West End Collegiate Church in NYC. He attended his first Festival Gathering in 2002 at the invitation of Eric Alderfer. Jim is the settled pastor of Webster UCC in Havre de Grace, Maryland and also works as a licensed tour guide in NYC.

Member at Large (Virtual Programs)

Rachel is a mom to two amazing teenagers and a pastor serving the PC(USA) in Wilmington, NC. She loves her work with children and youth, and last year joined a band; playing keyboard and harmonizing with friends. Working to make more spaces, especially faith spaces, inclusive and safe for everyone is important to Rachel and is at the heart of her journey.

Office Manager

Tali is an Elementary School Counselor and lives in Abilene Texas. She has a Bachelor of Arts from Pepperdine University and a Masters from Sul Ross State University. As an educator with varied experience, she has developed skills in teaching, administration, and data management. Each role has broadened her expertise and required her to develop proficiency with a variety of computer systems. Tali has a passion for serving others and hopes to continue learning and serving.