Carmen Mora, Vice Chairperson, is Executive Director of Saginaw-Shiawassee Habitat for Humanity where she has worked since 2008.  She has also held pastoral ministry roles with various parishes in the Saginaw diocese. She received a Bachelor’s Degree from Barry University in 1995 and a Master’s Degree from Loyola University in New Orleans in 2000.

Carmen’s life focus is to serve those at a disadvantage and give them a hand up. Her volunteer activities are consistent with her work life.  She serves as a scholarship grant reviewer for Saginaw Community Foundation, has been president of the Mustard Seed Homeless Shelter, and served as a missionary to the Dominican Republic through Amor en Acción. 

Joseph Barker II was recently appointed Executive Director of the Sr. Thea Bowman Black Catholic Educational Foundation. Prior to assuming this position, Joe held various teaching and administrative positions with Cristo Rey schools in Atlanta, GA and Charleston, SC. He has also worked in private industry and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in engineering from Florida A & M University.

Joe has a strong commitment to helping African-American youth succeed and volunteers his time with community organizations such as The Black Man Lab, Unbound International Outreach, and West Atlanta Charter School. He currently serves as chair of the board formation committee for Aquinas Center for Theology at Emory University. 

Sister Judy Byron, OP, an Adrian Dominican Sister, was on the staff of the Intercommunity Peace & Justice Center and coordinated the Northwest Coalition for Responsible Investment for twenty-five years. She was a member of the Portfolio Advisory Board from 2003-2010 and served as a consultant on corporate responsibility for the Adrian Dominican Sisters from 2010-2023. As a member of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, she focused on climate finance, gun safety, health equity, human rights and worker justice. From 1966-1998, her ministries included elementary education, parish religious education programs and community leadership. She is a founder of the Intercommunity Peace & Justice Center (1991) and Mercy Housing Northwest (1992), and serves on its board of directors. She has a BA in Social Science and MA in Religious Education.

Sister Mary Ellen Leciejewski, OP, is System Vice President Environmental Sustainability for CommonSpirit Health. She is responsible for sustainability initiatives at all levels, in alignment with CommonSpirit’s values. 

In conjunction with her work in sustainability, Mary Ellen facilitates communication networks among her colleagues and works closely with hospital systems and environmental organizations throughout the country to raise awareness of healthcare’s impact on climate and the environment and to promote programs that proactively address issues of sustainability. Currently, Sister Mary Ellen serves on several boards. 

A 1975 secondary education graduate of Wayne State University in Detroit, Mary Ellen earned a Master of Arts degree in ecology from the University of Illinois-Springfield in 1995. Prior to joining Dignity Health (now CommonSpirit Health), Sister Mary Ellen spent several years teaching French on the secondary level in Michigan. 

Carla Mannings is Senior Vice President, Relationship Manager in the Commercial Banking Group for City First Bank. Prior to joining City First Bank, she held the position of Chief of Strategic Initiatives at Partners for the Common Good (PCG), where she served in an executive leadership capacity. During her career, Ms Mannings has also served as Relationship Manager for NeighborWorks America, Commercial Real Estate Loan Officer for Community Housing Capital, and Senior Commercial Loan Underwriter for Wells Fargo and Silverton Bank.

Ms. Mannings holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Howard University and a Master of Business Administration from Brenau University. She is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, traveling, exploring the arts, and volunteering in her community.

Rev. Dr. Sidney Williams Jr., has more than 30+ years of experience in corporate and community development, which enables him to contribute a diverse set of experiences and expertise to both for-profit and nonprofit organizations. His board expertise includes corporate social responsibility (ESG), diversity equity and inclusion (DEI), audits and investments. In addition to several nonprofit boards, he serves as an independent director of Valley National Bank. 

Dr. Williams is a graduate of the Wharton School of Business and completed his undergraduate studies in finance at Howard University. After a brief, but successful, career on Wall Street, Dr. Williams earned a Master of Divinity degree from the Wesley Theological Seminary and subsequently a Doctorate in Ministry degree from Payne Theological Seminary. He has also written dozens of articles and two books - Morning Meditations:100 Days to Believing You’re Successful and Fishing Differently: Ministry Formation in the Marketplace. 

Rev. Sidney serves as the lead pastor of Bethel Church in Morristown, NJ (a historic African Methodist Episcopal Church). Dr. Williams is also the founder and CEO and of Crossing Capital Group, a New Jersey Benefit Corporation that seeks to address the structural inequities in underfinanced communities by providing a proprietary approach toward reimagining physical assets.
 

Sister Bibiana "Bless" Colasito, OP, was born in the Leyte Province of the Philippines and joined the Dominican Congregation of Our Lady of Remedies in Pampanga, the Philippines, in 2000. That congregation merged with the Adrian Dominican Sisters in 2011. Sister Bless has been involved in school administration and social action, most recently serving as Head of the Commission on Family and Life for the Diocese of San Jose, Nueva Ecija, Philippines.

Sister Marilín M. Llanes, OP, is vowed member of the Adrian Dominican Sisters (ADS) and has more than 15 years’ experience in community development, which enables her to contribute a diverse set of experiences. She joined the ADS Portfolio Advisory Board (PAB) Office staff in 2022 and currently serves as Director for the shareholder advocacy and community impact investing.  While serving on PAB for the past eight years, and the latter two years she served as Board Chair. Sister Marilín has a strong commitment to create opportunities for building financially resilient and sustainable communities that support people on the margins.  

A native of Cuba, Sister Marilín immigrated as a young child with her family settling in Miami, Florida. She identifies herself as Cuban American with diverse border influences from her varied lived experiences. 

While living in San Antonio, Texas, Sister Marilín managed legal clinics at St. Mary’s University Center for Legal and Social Justice. Additionally, she founded the Urban Green Cleaning business for immigrants waiting for work permits. While working at St. Mary’s University, she obtained a Master of Arts in Mental Health Counseling and continued graduate pursuits earning a degree in School Psychology from Trinity University. 

She practiced as a bilingual licensed school psychologist in San Antonio, Texas, Joliet, Illinois, and Detroit, Michigan from 2002 to 2022 with particular focus in working with underserved communities. 

Sister Marilín is a graduate of University of New Hampshire School of Public Policy obtained a Master of Arts in Community Development Policy and Practice.  

In addition to serving as the Congregation’s lead advocate for responsible investing, Sister Marilín currently serves on the following non-profit boards: Religious Communities Impact Fund (RCIF), Mercy Community Capital, and a trustee of the Adrian Dominican Sisters’ Camilla Madden Charitable Trust Board.  

Sister Marilín enjoys reading and spending time in natural spaces outdoor activities like gardening, hiking, and walking along rivers, lakes, and oceans. 

Mary Minette joined Mercy Investment Services, the investment program for the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, in 2016. She manages Mercy’s extensive shareholder engagement work on climate change and sustainability issues, including leading multiple company engagements for the Climate Action 100+ initiative, and serves on the board of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR).

Previously, Mary was director of environmental education and advocacy for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Prior to joining the ELCA, Mary worked for several environmental organizations, serving as vice president of Earth Day Network, legislative director for the League of Conservation Voters, and staff attorney with Audubon’s endangered species and trade and environment programs.

She holds a BA from Stanford University and a JD from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law. She is a member of the bar in California and the District of Columbia.