Leaders at the Elders Conference

James (Randy) Ackley began his service as coordinator for Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) on December 15, 2008. Ackley has 20 years of active, broad-based, humanitarian relief and development experience. His background includes the design and management of many different elements in the ministry of disaster assistance, including disaster preparedness, disaster management, psychosocial support, water and sanitation, community development and public health with the American Red Cross (ARC). A former litigation attorney, Randy began his relationship with ARC as a volunteer. For the past 14 years he has worked with the ARC international programs division.

Elaine Barnett is a certified church educator, an ordained elder and a church consultant. She co-authored The Big Book of Presbyterian Stewardship and has written devotions for These Days, articles for The Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study and The APCE Advocate, and leader's guides for PresbyterianLeader.com. She was the 2006 APCE Educator of the Year.

Freda Gardner is a Presbyterian from baptism and confirmation on, currently on the session of First Presbyterian, Albany, New York. She is a leader of workshops and classes in many congregations and presbyteries. Freda was the Professor of Christian Education at Princeton Theological Seminary for 31 years and served as moderator of the 211th General Assembly, 1999-2000.

Joan S. Gray has been ordained as a PC(USA) minister of Word and Sacrament for 30 years and has served eight churches in the Atlanta area as pastor, associate pastor and interim pastor. She is the co-author of Presbyterian Polity for Church Officers and the author of Spiritual Leadership for Church Officers. In 2006 she was elected to serve as the moderator of the 217th General Assembly of the PC(USA).

The Rev. Stephany Jackson is the coordinator for leader development in the PC(USA)’s Office of Christian Formation. She previously served as the associate for African American Leader Development. She is editor of a number of congregational resources for Christian education.

Rodger Nishioka is the Benton Associate Professor of Christian Education at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia. A popular preacher, speaker and leader, he specializes in research and teaching in ministries with youth and young adults.

Gradye Parsons, stated clerk of the General Assembly, joined the Office of the General Assembly in 2000. A native of Tennessee, he served congregations in Newport and Bristol, Tennessee, for 15 years before becoming the executive presbyter and stated clerk of Holston Presbytery in 1994. He was elected stated clerk of the General Assembly of the PC(USA) in 2008. Gradye graduated from the University of Tennessee and received his Master of Divinity from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Mass. He did postgraduate work at Columbia Theological Seminary and was ordained in 1979 by Holston Presbytery.

Vince Patton is the executive director of church relations and communications for the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation and editor of These Days devotional magazine. He is an ordained elder and deacon in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), who has written articles for Presbyterians Today, the Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, the APCE Advocate, and The Thoughtful Christian.com.

Linda Bryant Valentine, executive director, General Assembly Council, is an ordained elder, lawyer and executive. She started her term as executive director of the General Assembly Council in July 2006. Before her election, Linda served as board member, fund manager and general counsel at Opportunity International, one of the world’s largest microfinance networks, providing over a million small loans a year to poor people in developing countries. She has served on the board of a number of not for profit organizations. Linda served for a brief period as interim staff coordinator at Fourth Presbyterian Church, Chicago, where she was an elder, trustee, deacon and member for over 20 years.

The Rev. Byron Wade was elected vice moderator by the 218th General Assembly in 2008. He is still serving his first pastorate after 12 years and is an active member of New Hope Presbytery, filling many positions within its structure and currently serving as vice moderator. On the national level, he has been part of the Black Presbyterian Caucus and on several committees relating to ministries with youth. He was an elected member of the General Assembly Council from 1993 to 1999 and currently serves on the planning team for the 2009 National Pastor’s Sabbath. Byron holds an M.A. from the Presbyterian School of Christian Education, an M.Div. from Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary and a D.Min. from McCormick Theological Seminary.

Steven Toshio Yamaguchi is a Los Angeles native and lives in Long Beach California, serving as executive presbyter for the Presbytery of Los Ranchos since 2003. Before that he served 15 years as pastor of Grace Presbyterian Church of Paramount and Long Beach, a stubbornly faithful congregation that came back from the brink of extinction as a Japanese American congregation to become a vital, missional, multicultural congregation. Steve believes that a key to the church’s revitalization was years of spending the first hour of every session meeting in prayer and study of scripture, the confessions, the Book of Order and the connections among them. Steve also served churches in Santa Barbara, Salinas, Newark, Philadelphia and Tokyo, Japan.