Faculty/Speakers Bios

Louise Baietto is the Deputy for Finance and Administration for the Diocese of Long Island where she has served since 1990. Prior to joining the diocese, she was the Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer of LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation), a national non-for-profit organization created by the Ford Foundation, where she previously held an administrative position. She has a Masters in Business Administration from St. John’s University, Jamaica, NY. Louise also serves on the financial faculty of the CREDO Institute, a clergy wellness initiative created by the Church Pension Group. She is a member of the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Garden City, NY.

The Rev. Canon Lynn A. Collins, D. Min. is Priest-In-Charge and healer at St. John’s Church, Hempstead. She was appointed to Diocesan Council and is chair of the Diocesan Stewardship Committee, a former National Staff Officer, and a Deputy to the 2009 General Convention. She has served as a missioner in several countries as the National Staff Officer. Canon Collins earned her M. Div and D. Min. at NYTS, Anglican Studies at GTS, taught at Howard Divinity, DC, Claremont Episcopal School, LA, and at Oxford University, UK.. She is the former Rector of St. John’s Church, Los Angeles and St. Paul’s Church, Ohio.

Dr. Miguel De La Torre is the director of Iliff School of Theology’s Justice and Peace Institute and serves as the associate professor for social ethics. The focus of his academic pursuit has been social and political ethics within contemporary U.S. thought, specifically how religion affects race, class, and gender oppression. He specializes in applying a postmodern/postcolonial social theoretical approach to U.S. marginalized spaces to construct a theological and biblical ethics that challenges structures of oppression. He is the author of Liberating Jonah: Toward a Biblical Ethics of Reconciliation (Orbis Books, 2007); Lily Among the Thorns: Imagining a New Christian Sexuality (Jossey-Bass, 2007); Leer la Biblia desde los Marginados (Ediciones Messajero, 2005); Doing Christian Ethics from the Margins (Orbis Books, 2004); Santeria: The Beliefs and Rituals of a Growing Religion in America (B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2004); La Lucha for Cuba: Religion and Politics on the Streets of Miami (University of California Press, 2003); The Quest for the Cuban Christ: A Historical Search (University Press of Florida, 2002); Reading the Bible from the Margins (Orbis Books, 2002); Introducing Latino/a Theologies (co-authored, Orbis Books, 2001). He is also the editor of Out of the Shadows and Into the Light (TBA, 2009); Seeking Liberation within World Religions (Baylor University Press, 2008); and Rethinking Latino/a Religion and Ethnicity (co-edited, Pilgrim Press, 2006).

The Rev. Dr. Lawrence De Lion, Rector of St. Thomas of Canterbury, Smithtown, and Dean of the North Suffolk Deanery, was educated at Yale University, Vanderbilt University, and at Mount Union. He holds a BA, an M. Div and a Ph.D.

The Rev. Canon William F. Geisler, CPA is the retired Controller of the Episcopal Diocese of California. He has a M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. Bill is a nationally recognized authority on taxes for clergy, their families and parishes and has conducted seminars in the Diocese of Long Island for more than 20 years!

Dr. Ted Gerbracht is an experienced educator and strategic consultant in both the corporate and religious not-for-profit worlds. He has taught graduate level church history and has been active in stewardship ministry and training at the parish and diocesan levels. As Treasurer of the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island for more than ten years, Ted has visited and consulted with many congregations on strategic and financial matters. Ted currently serves as Treasurer and Trustee of the General Theological Seminary in Manhattan, and is also Treasurer and an Executive Board member of the Historical Society of the Episcopal Church. He is a member of the North American Patristics Society and the American Historical Association. He has masters degrees in Asian History (St. John’s University) and History and Political Science (Butler University). His Ph.D. in medieval church history is from New York University.

Bill Gordh is Director of Expressive Arts at The Episcopal School in the City of New York. Bill holds a B.A. in philosophy from Duke University and an M.F.A. from NYU School of the Arts. Bill is Adjunct Professor of Pastoral Theology at General Theological Seminary where he offers a course in Childhood Chapels. As an author, Bill’s books include: Stories in Action: Interactive Tales and Learning Activities to Promote Early Literacy (2006 by Libraries Unlimited); Building a Children’s Chapel: One Story at a Time (2007 by Church Publishing, endorsed by the NAES); The Seven Towers of Wonder (Thornwillow Press); 15 Easy Folktale Fingerplays (Scholastic), Hop Right On (Golden Books), and an early reader Want a Ride? (Random House).

The Rt. Rev. Gayle E. Harris was consecrated as Bishop Suffragan of the Diocese of Massachusetts on January 18, 2003. She attended Church Divinity School of the Pacfic obtaining her M. Div. in 1981. Bishop Harris served parishes in the Diocese of Rochester, Washington, D.C., and Newark.

The Very Rev. Christopher D. Hofer has been the Rector of the Church of St. Jude, Wantagh, since July 2004. He is active in Diocesan affairs serving as Secretary of Convention (and subsequently serving on Diocesan Council and Departments of Council as an ex officio member), Secretary of the Archdeaconry of Nassau, Dean of the South Nassau Deanery, SHE/CAP/RAP instructor, and Deputy to the General Convention (2009). He is an active member of the Episcopal Urban Caucus. Fr. Christopher was Associate Missioner with the Episcopal West Side Shared Ministry in Cleveland, Ohio, where he served on the Board of Trustees for the Episcopal Community Services Foundation and Community Corners. Prior to Seminary, Fr. Christopher had a career in marketing and communications, serving as Marketing Director for United Ways in Akron and Canton, Ohio. He attended graduate school in Communications at Kent State University and graduated summa cum laude, Communication Studies, from Walsh University, North Canton, Ohio.

The Rev. Dn. Constance Lorenz graduated from The George Mercer School of Theology in 1997 and was ordained to the permanent diaconate on June 28, 1997. Presently, Deacon Lorenz is assigned to the Cathedral of the Incarnation. She has served at Zion Church in Douglaston, Grace Church in Jamaica, Church of St. Alban the Martyr in St Albans, in addition to her home parish The Church of the Redeemer in Astoria. Effective August 1, 2007, Deacon Lorenz was appointed Director of Christian Education, Formation and Youth Ministry at the Cathedral. She is responsible for the development and implementation of all faith formation programming for the Cathedral community - Children, Youth, Young Adult, and Adults.

The Rev. John E. Morrison, III holds degrees from Dartmouth College, Hofstra University, and SUNY (Stony Brook). He taught Honors and Advanced Placement Literature at Bay Shore High School for 36 years and was named a Teacher of Excellence by the New York State English Council. He has published more than a dozen articles on C. S. Lewis as well as an article in The Living Church. His book on Les Miserables is forthcoming. He has served parishes in Massapequa, Patchogue, Bay Shore, Great River, and is currently the interim priest at Saint John's, Huntington. Father Morrison was formerly Professor of Literature and Theology at the Mercer School of Theology and has taught around the diocese for the last 25 years.

The Rev. Kevin P. VonGonten, is Vicar of the Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist in Center Moriches, NY. He has taught at the undergraduate and graduate level and holds a B.A. in Religious Studies from St. Francis College, an A.M. in Medieval Theology from Fordham University, and an S.T.M. in Liturgical study from the General Theological Seminary. He has also served the Diocese of Long Island at the diocesan and national levels.

The Right Reverend Orris G. Walker, Jr. On January 1st 1991, Bishop Walker became the VIIth Bishop of Long Island, New York. Bishop Walker was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1942. He received his early education in Baltimore Public Schools, graduating from Baltimore City College, 1960. In 1964 he graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in Political Science and Philosophy, and in 1968 he received a S.T.B. from the General Theological Seminary. In 1980 he received a Doctor of Ministry degree from Drew University and in 1984 a Master of Art in Religious Studies from the University of Windsor. Honorary doctorates in Canon Law and Divinity were conferred by the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale and the General Theological Seminary, respectively, in the fall of 1988. In 1993 the Bishop received an M.B.A. in Church Administration from the Graduate Theological Foundation. The honorary degree of Doctor of Human Letters was awarded by St. Paul's College, Lawrenceville, Virginia in 2000

The Rev. Dr. Raewynne J. Whiteley is the Rector of St James Episcopal Church in St James, NY. She holds a Ph.D. in Homiletics from Princeton Theological Seminary and has taught there and at two Australian seminaries. Her parish ministry has included cathedral, college chaplaincy, and multi-center church contexts. She has taught homiletics and theology at seminaries in Australia and the US, and has presented continuing education programs, retreats, academic papers, public lectures and adult education events. Raewynne has contributed sermons, articles and reviews to a range of books and other publications. With Beth Maynard, she co-edited Get Up Off your Knees: Preaching the U2 Catalog (Cowley Publications, 2003). Her first solo book, Steeped in the Holy: Preaching as a Spiritual Practice, has been published by Cowley Publications, an imprint of Rowman and Littlefield. Her current project is a collection of reflections tentatively entitled: Walking the Edge of Silence: Reflections on Despair, Discernment, and Hope.

The Rev. Deacon Dr. John Willets ordained as a deacon in the Diocese of Los Angeles in 1991 has served on three Diocesan Commissions in the Diocese of Chicago: The Commission on Ministry, AIDS/HIV, and CELT (Commission on Education and Leadership Training). John holds a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in Developmental Psychology specializing in Adult Formation development. He was a Professor at the University of Redlands, CA., and DePaul University in Chicago teaching ethics, social justice, and lifelong learning. He continues his teaching ministry through online learning opportunities through DePaul University. He is a member of the Faculty for the Chicago Deacon’s School where he teaches leadership, community development and lifelong learning.

El Revdo. Mauricio J. Wilson es Rector de la Iglesia de Todos los Santos en Great Neck. Completo la Maestría en Divinidad y la Maestría en Teología Sagrada en el Seminario General de la Iglesia Episcopal y actualmente esta en el programa de Doctorado en Ministerio en el Seminario Teológico de Virginia. Nacido y Criado en Costa Rica, participó en el entrenamiento y educación continua de Diáconos y líderes laicos de esa dioceses, así como en la preparación de Ministros Eucarísticos en esta dioceses.