LHM PEOPLE

Overview

Two groups of individuals oversee and manage the Listening Hearts Ministries organization. These are our program office staff and our Board of Trustees.

Program Office
Our program office staff is responsible for administering all day-to-day activities of the ministry. Members of the program staff work closely with current and prospective clients to plan workshops that are appropriate for their circumstances, time horizons, and budget. Once an organization has decided to have us conduct a workshop or retreat, the program office staff remains in close contact with the client to ensure that the program is implemented smoothly. In carrying out their various responsibilities, the office staff is ably assisted by a dedicated group of volunteers who regularly contribute their time and various talents.

The Rev. Monique A. Ellison, Associate for Client Development and Evangelism

Meagan Howell, Associate for Communications and Grants

Meg Kimble, Program Support

Doris Walker, Office Manager

Board of Trustees

The Listening Hearts Ministries Board of Trustees is responsible for establishing the policies of the organization and overseeing the activities of the program office. The board meets annually to evaluate the overall operations of the organization and seek consensus on issues that may impact on the future direction of the ministry. The executive committee establishes policies and meets regularly with members of the program office to review the ongoing operations of the organization. The administrative committee meets monthly to monitor finances and administer policies. All board decisions are reached by consensus and grounded in the practice of spiritual discernment.

Suzanne Farnham, Founder

R. Taylor McLean, President

Alice Dorrance, Vice President

Patricia Brown, Treasurer

Barbara Cates, Secretary

Anne Clewell

The Rev. Tim Grayson

DeAnn Gruber

The Rev. Bruce McPherson

Lee Owen

Maryellen Polvino-Bodnar

Frances Sullinger

 The Rev. Monique A. Ellison, Associate for Client Development and Evangelism  

monique@listeninghearts.org

The Rev. Monique Ellison began her work with Listening Hearts Ministries in 2010. In her role, she builds relationships with individuals and organizations, networking in order to hear people’s needs and better connect them with Listening Hearts’ resources. She introduces spiritual discernment to all kinds of religious groups through giving presentations, preaching, and leading workshops; she also organizes the Training Week for Trainers, held regularly at Aisling Retreat House. In addition to Listening Hearts, Monique serves as the co-vicar of The Church of the Resurrection, a small, diverse, and dynamic parish in East Baltimore.

Ordained to the priesthood in 2002, Monique first encountered the Listening Hearts guidelines in her pre-ordination discernment group. She is a graduate of the University of Detroit-Mercy and Seabury-Western Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL. Born in Detroit and a self-identified Michigander at heart, she now lives in Baltimore. Besides knitting and cooking, Monique loves cycling and is an enthusiastic newcomer to the world of triathlons.

Meagan Howell, Associate for Communications and Grants

meagan@listeninghearts.org

Meagan Howell joined Listening Hearts Ministries in early 2010. In addition to creating and monitoring Heartlinks, the Listening Hearts weekly meditation blog, she maintains the website, writes grants, helps coordinate the newsletter, and is responsible for all written Listening Hearts informational materials. Meagan graduated with a major in religion from Swarthmore College in 1998 and received her MSW from Bryn Mawr College in 2005. She has a background in public radio and community-based health care.

In 2008 she moved to Annapolis, Maryland with her husband, who is on the faculty at St. John’s College, and their two young children. Meagan is a yoga practitioner, a vegetable gardener, a Spanish speaker with a passion for immigrants’ welfare, and a dedicated blogger about family life.

Meg Kimble, Program Support

meg@listeninghearts.org

Meg Kimble joined the staff of Listening Hearts Ministries in 2006 and serves as the central contact person for groups that are embarking on a Listening Hearts program. Meg connects groups to program leaders, manages arrangements, and ensures groups have all the materials and supplies they need. She brings knowledge and experience working within the Church on the diocesan and national levels, as well as a firm grounding in theology and Christian tradition.

Meg read the Great Books at St. John’s College and received her B.A. in the Liberal Arts. She served for seven years as Coordinator of Child and Youth Ministry at St. Anne’s Parish, Annapolis, and currently teaches Godly Play at the Preschool for the Arts at St. Anne's (PASA). A leader in the area of Christian Formation for many years, Meg has organized regional and national Godly Play trainings and is presently the Coordinator of the Education for Ministry program for the Diocese of Maryland. She was elected to the vestry of St. Anne’s Parish in 2007. In her free time, Meg loves to cook and watch baseball, especially the Red Sox. She and her husband live in Annapolis and have two grown children.

Doris Walker - Office Manager

doris@listeninghearts.org

Office Manager Doris Walker started with Listening Hearts Ministries in 2002 and is responsible for all administrative aspects of the program office. She also oversees the day-to-day financial operations of Listening Hearts in areas such as payroll management, record-keeping, and budget preparation.

Doris is a native of Baltimore and graduated with a B.A. in Mathematics from Bucknell University and an M.S. in Computer Science from Johns Hopkins University. A member of The Church of the Redeemer in Baltimore, she is a lay Chalicist and graduated from Education for Ministry, a four-year course preparing individuals for lay ministry. She enjoys attending musicals and plays, traveling, and spending time with family and friends, especially her two children and one grandson.