Workshop Keynote Speakers

Community Keynote Speaker

Rev. Dr. Esther Robles

Rev. Dr. Esther Robles serves as Education Coordinator at Obra Hispana and as Associate Pastor for Hispanic Communities at First United Church of Tampa in Florida. She is an ordained minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada. She received her Master’s in Divinity and Doctorate of Ministry with an emphasis on leadership and missional discipleship from Asbury Theological Seminary. She pastored a Hispanic church for 13 years and currently serves as adjunct professor for Asbury’s Latino Ministerial Formation Program, and as mentor for Hope Partnership for Missional Transformation. She also serves on the advisory board of The Proclamation Project.

Proclamation Keynote Speaker

Rev. Dr. Matthew Skinner

Rev. Dr. Matthew Skinner, Professor of New Testament, joined the faculty of Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota in 2002. He earned his Ph.D. in biblical studies from Princeton Theological Seminary, where he had previously completed his M.Div. and served as a teaching fellow and visiting lecturer. In 1990 he received his A.B. degree magna cum laude, with a concentration in philosophy, from Brown University. In more recent years he has conducted advanced research at the Center of Theological Inquiry as a member-in-residence and a writing fellow.

Much of Skinner’s published work focuses on the Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, the cultural realities displayed in these writings, and their ongoing theological relevance. He has written about the Bible for websites including Huffington Post, Working Preacher, and ON Scripture—The Bible. He co-hosts Sermon Brainwave, a popular weekly podcast that offers assistance to preachers as they interpret biblical texts to prepare their sermons.

Worship Keynote Speaker

Rev. Dr. Lee H. Butler, Jr.

Rev. Dr. Lee H. Butler, Jr. is the 17th President and CEO of Iliff School of Theology and the Bishop Henry White Warren and Elizabeth Iliff Warren Professor of Africana Pastoral Theology. He is an American Baptist ordained clergyperson serving in executive leadership at a United Methodist theological school. Prior to joining Iliff, he served the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) as the Vice-President of Academic Affairs and Academic Dean and the William Tabbernee Professor of the History of Religions and Africana Pastoral Theology at Phillips Theological Seminary in Tulsa, OK, from July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2023. He was the first African American tenured full professor and the first person of color to hold the office of VPAA and Academic Dean. He also served Phillips as Acting President during his tenure. Before Phillips, he also served as the Distinguished Service Professor of Theology and Psychology at Chicago Theological Seminary (CTS), a seminary affiliated with the United Church of Christ (UCC).

Mission Keynote Speaker

Rev. Leah Gunning Francis

Rev. Leah Gunning Francis, Ph.D., serves as senior vice president and chief mission and values officer at Indiana University Health. Previous to IU, she was vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, IN. Before that, she served on the faculty at Eden Seminary in St. Louis. She also has served in pastoral positions for congregations in Georgia, Illinois, and Ohio. She earned a Doctor of Philosophy from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Ill., a Master of Divinity from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University, and a bachelor’s in marketing from Hampton University. In 2021, Rev. Gunning Francis was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity by Franklin College.