The More Light Presbyterians Staff and National Board of Directors
The More Light Board and Staff
More Light Presbyterians is supported by a dynamic staff and board of directors. More Light staff are available to visit your congregation or community group, and for individual consultation about furthering LGBTQIA+ inclusion. Please feel free to contact us if you have questions or just want to say hi!
The More Light Board consists of 15 persons elected by the membership of MLP or appointed to fill vacancies per the requirements in the by-laws.
Nominations to the National Board of Directors are made by a Nominations Committee. The Nominations Committee solicits the MLP membership for suggestions for nominees and considers both within its composition and its proposed slate of nominees the diversity of sexual orientations, differing abilities, racial-ethnic backgrounds, gender identities and expression, ages (in conformity with applicable laws), synod of residence, and MLP membership categories.
If you would like to contact a board member, please contact Alex and he will forward your request to the appropriate board member(s).
More Light Staff
Rev. Alex Patchin McNeill
Executive Director
Gender pronouns: he/him/his
Alex Patchin McNeill has served as the Executive Director of More Light Presbyterians since 2013. During his tenure at More Light, he has equipped congregations to live into policy change for inclusion of LGBTQIA+ people and has successfully enacted policies for marriage equality in the Presbyterian Church, USA.…
Rev. Jess Cook
Program & Communications Manager
Gender pronouns: they/them/theirs
Jess Cook is a native of East Texas and lifelong Presbyterian, Jess holds a Master of Divinity from Union Presbyterian Seminary, a Master of Fine Arts in Photography from the University of North Texas, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art from Baylor.…
Susan Robertson
Operations Assistant
Gender pronouns: she/her/hers
Susan Robertson has worked for MLP for almost 15 years as the financial assistant. Being on staff with MLP is important to her because she gets to work with a tremendous group of people and help to create change within the PCUSA.…
National Board of Directors
The More Light Board consists of 15 persons elected by the membership of MLP or appointed to fill vacancies per the requirements in the by-laws.
Nominations to the National Board of Directors are made by a Nominations Committee. The Nominations Committee solicits the MLP membership for suggestions for nominees and considers both within its composition and its proposed slate of nominees the diversity of sexual orientations, differing abilities, racial-ethnic backgrounds, gender identities and expression, ages (in conformity with applicable laws), synod of residence, and MLP membership categories.
If you would like to contact a board member, please contact Alex and he will forward your request to the appropriate board member(s).
Rev. Larissa Kwong Abazia
More Light Board Co-Moderator
Gender Pronouns: she/her/hers
Rev. Larissa Kwong Abazia is an ordained pastor in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and is currently pastor at Hillsborough Presbyterian Church in Hillsborough, NJ.…
Rev Ashley DeTar Birt
More Light Board Co-Moderator
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Ashley DeTar Birt is a recent graduate of Union Theological Seminary where she obtained her M.Div. She also holds degrees from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh.…
Rev. Ann Deibert
More Light Board Member
Gender Pronouns: she/her/hers
Ann grew up in the Pacific Northwest and lived in California, New Jersey, and Maryland before she joined the pastoral staff of Central Presbyterian Church in Louisville, KY in 1996.…
Ethel Hornbeck
More Light Board Member
Gender pronouns: she/her, hers
Ethel Hornbeck is a spiritual director with an abiding interest in how the Spirit is experienced, and practiced, in everyday human life. A deeply rooted Presbyterian, she has been influenced by the wisdom, practices, and the mystics of all the deep wisdom traditions.…
Amy Kim Kyremes-Parks
Gender pronouns: she/her/hers
Amy Kim Kyremes-Parks serves as the Director of Spiritual Formation at Fairmount Presbyterian Church in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. She is an enthusiastic, creative and thoughtful woman always open to new opportunities to support and sustain the life of the Presbyterian Church (USA).…
Rev. Ashley McFaul-Erwin
More Light Board Member
Gender Pronouns: she/her/hers
Ashley is a lifelong Presbyterian: beginning her journey in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland before moving to the US in 2011. Her move across the ocean has a deep connection to More Light.…
Mark Olson
More Light Board Member
Gender pronouns: he/him/his
Mark Olson is a ruling elder and a member of First & Central Presbyterian Church, a More Light congregation in Wilmington, Delaware. As immediate past moderator of New Castle Presbytery, he currently serves as chair of the presbytery Council and has also served several terms as a trustee of New Castle Presbytery, including as chair of the trustees.…
Tanner Pickett
More Light Board Member
Gender pronouns: he/him/his
Tanner Pickett grew up in Camden, AR where he attended First Presbyterian Church. He received his BA in Psychology from Lyon College and a Masters in Public Administration from Arkansas State University.…
Rev Bruce Reyes-Chow
More Light Board Member
Gender pronouns: he/him/his
Bruce is a pastor, author, consultant, and coach. A 3rd Generation Chinese/Filipino, armchair sociologist, and technology enthusiast Bruce speaks and teaches on faith, race, parenting, and technology in a variety contexts from seminaries to conferences to congregations to pre-schools.…
Andrea Sawyer-Kirksey
More Light Board Member
Gender pronouns: she/her/hers
Andrea Sawyer-Kirksey is the Executive Director of Discovering Opportunities for Outreach and Reflection (DOOR) a faith-based network of cities that provides opportunities for service, learning, and leadership.…
Rev. Lydia Tembo
More Light Board Member
Gender pronouns: she/her/hers
My name is. I was born in Lusaka, Zambia and have lived in Queens,NY a majority of my life. Currently I am completing my Master of Divinity at Princeton Theological Seminary, seeking ordination in the PCUSA.…
Jessica Vazquez Torres
More Light Board Member
Gender pronouns: she/her/hers
Jessica is the National Program Coordinator for Crossroads Anti-Racism Organizing and Training.A native of Puerto Rico, Jessica identifies as a “1.5 generation Queer ESL Latina of Puerto Rican descent.” From 1999 until the Spring of 2006 Jessica worked in the Office of [Racial] Reconciliation of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Indianapolis, IN.…
Adrian White
More Light Board Member
Gender pronouns: they/them/theirs
Adrian White is a writer, Texan, and M.Div student at Vanderbilt Divinity School. They grew up in the PC(USA) and feel called to bring to life the church’s growing commitments to the inclusion and thriving of all children of God!…
Daniel Williams
More Light Board Member
Gender pronouns: he/him/his
Daniel Williams has been organizing in his communities since he was a teenager in Albuquerque, NM. His organizing experience includes work on student mobilization, worker justice, LGBTQ inclusion, reproductive justice, and numerous electoral campaigns.…