Vision Statement

My vision for ACPE is that we take the valuable lessons from the rich history of Clinical Pastoral Education and Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapy while launching into the future with a willingness to do our work in a way that meets the needs of a changing world. My hope is that ACPE not only continues to be a bold voice for diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and access but that we also amplify our voice on a greater scale and on strategic platforms. From my perspective, this involves the continuous endeavor to examine ourselves and our own organizational processes for misalignment with our true values. This involves being willing to change by expanding the ways we think about what it means to be spiritual care practitioners and educators.  My challenge for us as an organization is to bring diverse voices and perspectives to the table. I believe that we have many untapped resources amongst us. Many of the answers to our questions about the future lie within our membership. There are several significant challenges especially around accreditation and certification. My vision is that we will trust that the work we do has prepared us for this moment. We must continue to have difficult conversations, develop our relationships with organizational partners, and define who we are and our role in the spiritual care and education world. In the next five years, I hope to see ACPE thriving and continuing to make an impact. I envision the accreditation and certification processes as more user friendly both technologically and process wise. I envision diversity of leadership throughout the organization.  I want to know that members feel represented and included across the organization. I would love to see us ramp up our research endeavors. I want to see ACPE continue to be a leader that the spiritual care and education community can look to as an innovative and forward-thinking organization that “provides the highest quality education for spiritual care professionals.

Biography

Rev. Robert Brooks Heard is the Manager, Clinical Pastoral Education Program at MD Anderson, training the next generation of oncology-based Spiritual Care Practitioners. Rev. Heard is a board-certified chaplain with the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC), and a Certified Educator with the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE). Prior to MD Anderson, he was a Certified Educator Candidate at Prisma Health in Columbia, SC where he coordinated student training programs provided spiritual care in behavioral health and hospice settings. Rev. Heard is an emerging leader in the field of spiritual care, education and training. He has a wide range of educational, cultural and spiritual experiences that influence his approach to his work. He is passionate about assisting patients, caregivers, staff, and students to achieve spiritual wellness. He is a member of the steering committee for the Racial Ethnic Multicultural Community of Practice. He is also the immediate past-Chair of the Board for the Foundation for ACPE. He has served in an array of settings including community development, international teaching, and pastoral leadership.

Vision Statement

Biography

Tom is an ordained minister with Standing in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). He is licensed by the State of Tennessee as a Clinical Pastoral Therapist and is a former Diplomate of AAPC. During his professional career, Tom has served as a congregational pastor, homeless shelter director, psychiatric hospital chaplain, AAPC training program director, AAPC center director, and clinician in private practice. Currently, Tom is Director of Doctoral Studies and Spiritual Integration in the School of Mental Health Counseling at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. Tom is married to Elizabeth, who is an APC Certified Chaplain. Together, they have two grown children who are no longer on the payroll.

Vision Statement

Biography

Vision Statement

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, I have served on the Accreditation Commission.  During this challenging period, I valued collaborating with the Accreditation Commissioners, ACPE leadership, and Certified Educators from across the country to develop innovative and creative solutions to address the evolving challenges faced by ACPE programs.  As we navigate an uncertain future, with various competitors in spiritual care, my hope is to continue to advocate for ongoing efforts for ACPE to expand the horizons of CPE training beyond healthcare settings.  I have been grateful for my varied experience as an ACPE Educator to supervise students in the community setting (working with unhoused persons), Veterans Affairs, and in healthcare settings.  I am committed to being a voice that fosters structure and processes, ensuring a strong foundation for our future endeavors.  Continuing to challenge our organization to listen to different points of view, promoting diversity and inclusion.

Biography

Rev. Mica Togami has been serving as an ACPE Accreditation Commissioner since 2021.  She is currently the Manager of Spiritual Care and Volunteer Services for Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego, CA.   Mica has been involved with the AAPI CoP, Pacific Area CoP, LGBTQIA CoP and the Alliance of Baptists CoP.  She is an ordained Alliance of Baptist Minister.

Vision Statement

Support CPE Accreditation continue to grow with Diversity, inclusive and international focus.

Biography

Jacob  Atuahene-Nsowaah is an ACPE Certified Educator, ordained Methodist clergyperson. Jacob has B.A (Hons) in Religious Studies and History from University of Ghana, Legon; a Master of Theology from Union Theological Seminary (Richmond, Virginia; and a Doctor of Education degree from Union-PSCE in Richmond, Virginia. Jacob was certified as ACPE Educator in 2000-2001 through Yale New Haven Hospital’s Supervisory Education program. Prior to CPE supervision, Jacob served as an adjunct faculty member in several institutions, including Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond, VA), Virginia Union University (Richmond, VA) and Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia. Jacob has served as a local church pastor for several years in Ghana and USA.  Jacob previously served on the ACPE Standards Committee and is about to complete his term as ACPE Certification Commissioner. Jacob has been ACPE Educator at several healthcare institutions, including Saint Raphael’s Hospital (now part of Yale New Haven Hospital (New Haven, Connecticut), The Methodist Hospital (Houston), Methodist Health System (Dallas), MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston), Atlanta VA Medical Center (Decatur, GA), and Texas Health Huguley Hospital where he currently serves as Educator.

Vision Statement

We are at a major transition point in the life of ACPE where we have the opportunity, responsibility, and challenge to professionalize the work of accreditation for our association.  ACPE has a long and admirable history of volunteer service for the maintenance and growth of our organization’s various operational duties.  While there will always be a need and role for volunteer service, I would argue that, given our loss of USDE recognition and the current climate of open-market competitiveness, ACPE is past due for a move toward more professional management of critical accreditation processes.   Over the next five years, I envision the evolution of ACPE accreditation into a coordinated effort between an expanded ACPE staff focused on accreditation work and accreditation leaders within the association.  The team working to revise and update ACPE standards has done an amazing job.  This work will continue and will be guided by input from membership in the coming months.  An important element of this work will be the development of a Standards Manual that is separate from the Accreditation Manual.  A separate Standards Manual that changes at less frequency will give our association more stability and predictability in our processes.  This work will continue as we prepare to seek, once again, USDE recognition and CHEA recognition.  I believe holding these recognitions is more important now than ever, due to the growing competitiveness in our field.  This is not an exciting part of ACPE for most people, but it is the backbone that makes it possible for the heart of our association to keep pumping through the work of spiritual care education we all love.  I love our association and the work we do together.  I hope to have the opportunity to serve a second term as an accreditation commissioner.  Thank you for your consideration.

Biography

Rev. Kraig Beardemphl is an ACPE Certified Educator and BCCi chaplain serving as the CPE Program Director at the VA Loma Linda Health System.  He is originally from a small farm in South Dakota, where he was raised in a Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod family.  In his college years, Kraig was invited to participate in a United Church of Christ “work camp” in a Lakota community.  Through this experience, Kraig began his path of engaging and integrating many new perspectives in theology, social justice, and ministry.  Feeling beckoned by God to learn and serve, Kraig enrolled at Eden Theological Seminary, where he earned his M.Div. in 2003.  He is married to Erin Hulstrom-Beardemphl, and they have two teenage children together.  Kraig enjoys running, yoga, and tent camping in the many national parks of California.    Kraig has extensive experience working in a variety of healthcare settings since 2003.  He completed his residency at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, MO, with Rev. Art Lucas.  From there, Kraig has gone on to work as a chaplain in the VA setting, a Catholic healthcare system in Orange County, California, and a private non-profit health system in Los Angeles County, where he led the CPE program through the accreditation process.  He has currently served at the VA Loma Linda Health System for 2.5 years and recently succeeded in leading this program through the accreditation process.  Kraig has served in a variety of leadership roles within ACPE, including the Pacific Regional Council, Education Coordinator, the Pacific CoP, and Accreditation Commissioner.  A current project that Kraig is excited about is research on the efficacy of Dignity Therapy for veterans in hospice care at the VA Loma Linda.

Vision Statement

Biography

Vision Statement

Over the next five years, my hope for ACPE is that it will both honor its roots steeped in experiential education, while moving into the future with creativity and courage. As the reality of healthcare continues to shift, ACPE will have find new context and ways to offer CPE. As we move forward, we will also find ways to better support programs, educators, and students. Above all, my vision is that ACPE remains not only the gold standard for CPE but also remains an association that its members are proud to be a part of.

Biography

Stephenie Maddox Hill is the Director of CPE for the AdventHealth West Florida CPE Program. She has focused on developing a program that finds creative ways to offer CPE and make it accessible to those throughout west Florida. When not leading CPE groups, she is a pastor of a little Presbyterian (USA) church, a mom to two teenagers and two dogs, wife, runner, reader, baker, and a lover of all things crochet. She is a current commissioner on Accreditation.

Vision Statement

When I think over my years as a member of ACPE, I think of people. I think of people who nurtured and challenged me. I think of those who invested themselves in cultivating learning communities dedicated to serving people and institutions. I think of those willing to be uncomfortable with what they know and who seek to be better. I think of colleagues willing to be transformed by one another. And I think about passion. This is my vision for ACPE: that we continue to navigate the complexities of being human together as we invest ourselves in the beautiful, messy, and creative work of learning and transformation for the sake of the world.

Biography

Mary Stewart started her CPE journey at Georgia Baptist Medical Center in Atlanta, Georgia in 1990 and is currently the Manager of Spiritual Care Education at Parkland Health in Dallas, Texas. She holds a Master of Arts in Christian Education from what was then known as Presbyterian School of Christian Education, Richmond, Virginia, and a Master of Divinity from Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, Georgia. Mary Stewart is an ordained Presbyterian Church, USA minister serving in Grace Presbytery and is a Parish Associate at First Presbyterian Church, Dallas. She has served as a member of the Accreditation Commission and Ethics Commission and as a member and chair of the Certification Commission. She has been a System Director for CPE and Pastoral Care, an Interim Director for a smaller community hospital, and currently has the great privilege of working at Parkland Health, where she is the Manager of Spiritual Care Education. She has had many wonderful mentors within ACPE and enjoys paying this gift forward. Mary Stewart is married to Nancy, another great life gift. Together, they love to volunteer, travel, cook, entertain friends and family, and learn as much as they can about the world around them.

 

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Vision Statement

Maintaining and developing robust and growing CPE centers is crucial to the spiritual care people receive. Our communities are filled with people who are hurting, and often it is through our work and programs that people receive the care they need. We must maintain solid programs to ensure that people receive the same quality of care in all of our programs.

Biography

Tony Shomari Marshall, for the past 8 years, has served as the CPE Manager and Lead Educator for Michigan Medicine, The University of Michigan Health System. For the past 25 years, he has also served as the founding pastor of The House of Prayer Institutional Church of Detroit, Michigan. Tony is a Certified Educator of Clinical Pastoral Education with ACPE, the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education. He is also a Board Certified Chaplain with the Association of Professional Chaplains.  Tony is a revered preacher, educator, chaplain, and author. He has studied under numerous scholars and received several degrees and certificates from the following institutions: Taylor University, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Trinity International University, Andersonville Theological Seminary, and Ecumenical Theological Seminary. His clinical studies have included appointments and fellowships at Victory Memorial Hospital of Waukegan, Illinois, the Spiritual Care and Education Center of Toledo, Ohio, the Detroit Medical Center of Detroit, Michigan, Oakwood Healthcare, and Beaumont Healthcare systems of Dearborn and Royal Oak, Michigan. His first book, “Being Made for Ministry,” has been called a must-read for anyone involved in or contemplating ministry. This work has been used as a spiritual formation group study by numerous ministries and CPE groups throughout the United States. His second work, “It’s Time to Grow Up” is a Christian guide to Spiritual Maturity.  Tony makes his home in West Bloomfield, Michigan, with his wife of 27 years, Chantell. They have two daughters Tiajah and Talaya, one son in love Jason, and three grandsons Amar, Isaiah and Noah.

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Vision Statement

Bring it on…Let’s level up! We will shape the next generation of spiritual caregivers.

Biography

Yhanco Monet is the Clinical Pastoral Education Manager for Bon Secours St. Mary’s Hospital, Richmond, VA. He served in a similar capacity at Roper St. Francis Healthcare from 2017-2022, and as a staff chaplain for Palliative Care and Oncology (2013-2017). Also, he has several years of experience as an ordained parish pastor, denominational and ecumenic leader. He served as a member of the Interreligious Council of Charleston, SC.  In 2017, Yhanco obtained his Doctor of Ministry degree from Gardner-Webb School of Divinity in Boiling Springs, NC. He holds a Licentiate in Theology degree (M. Div). He completed studies in Psychodrama and Group Processes. He is a member of Pullen Memorial Baptist Church in Raleigh, NC. Yhanco is an Alliance of Baptists member and an Endorsed Clergy of this religious institution. He completed two years of CPE residency in South Carolina. He became a Board-Certified Chaplain through APC, and in 2022, he became an ACPE Certified Educator. Yhanco is also an ACPE National Faculty member, an ACPE Accreditation Commissioner, and a former National Site Team Chair and newly Theory Integration Mentor.  Yhanco’s doctoral dissertation focused on Palliative Care and spiritual assessment. He defines himself as a chaplain and as a family person. He is married and has three children. He has a lovely brown schnoodle dog, and two parakeets. He loves dancing Salsa, Merengue, doing Tai-Chi and reading about diverse spiritual wisdoms.

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Vision Statement

Diversity and inclusion have been ACPE’s challenges and growth. I believe ACPE has been working on these in previous years. At the same time, ACPE also has a long way to go. Since I have been serving as a Certification Commissioner since 2021. I have advocated for diversity and inclusion as a Korean American cisgender male. I appreciated my colleagues' openness to learn and practice what they learn. As an organization, ACPE also needs to work on the structure and processes, especially certification process. As I am in my 2nd term as a certification commissioner, I would like to continue to serve commission. I am very passionate about the certification process and welcoming the future certified educators and colleagues. I want to support CECs in their learning and embracing diversity and inclusion, and later integration of it in their education with CPE students. I would like to see in the next five years that ACPE would grow more in the values of diversity and inclusion not only in the Certification process but also other critical areas. So, I am volunteering for chair elect of the certification commission to support ACPE and hopefully my contribution will make some difference in ACPE structure.

Biography

Rev. Dr. Ki Do Ahn is a first-generation Korean American cisgender male (he/him/his), ACPE certified educator (National Faculty). Currently, he serves as the manager of Mission Integration at Sequoia Hospital, Redwood City, CA. He is ordained in PCUSA and serves as a parish associate at Korean Presbyterian Church in Fresno, California. He was born and raised in South Korea. His university work was done at Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea in 2004. He came to the United States for his seminary training at San Francisco Theological Seminary. He earned M.Div. in 2008 and the diploma of the art of spiritual direction in 2010. His CPE residency and his CEC training were at Stanford Hospital. In 2015, he was fully certified as an ACPE-certified educator. In 2021, he earned a Ph.D. degree at Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, in interdisciplinary studies (pastoral care and conversion studies). He is the recipient of the 2021 ACPE Inspiration Award. Currently, Ki Do serves as an ACPE certification commissioner and as a convenor of Korean American CoP in ACPE. He is also a member of the AAPI CoP and Pacific CoP. He also has been serving the editorial board for the reflective practice as a chair since 2024. 

Vision Statement

Thank you for your support in electing me for my first term as a Certification Commissioner. I ask for your vote again to allow me to build on what I have started. I have been blessed to be co-chair of the Outcomes Workgroup, was on the subgroup that rewrote the CEC Competencies and have walked with the CECs assigned to me, setting up brief quarterly meetings to check in on their progress and provide support and assistance in helping them meet their proposed timeline.  I have several other projects that I hope to accomplish during my next term. One project currently underway is to calculate exactly how long it has taken for our current and former CECs to progress through each phase of the process. Special thank you to Sheilah! One of my proposals before the Certification Commission aims to resolve the challenge some of our members face with obtaining and maintaining their religious/spiritual endorsements. Please reach out if you are interested in the other proposals I am working on.  The largest project that I am working on is an extensive survey to understand the strengths and growing edges of our certification process more deeply. This survey includes demographic data, understanding what roles our CECs have in their ACPE programs, where delays impact our CECs process, how bias might enter and how to bring more transparency to finding CEC openings for CPE students who are interested in this next step.  If you are currently a CEC or are a recently certified educator, please know that by voting for me, you are implicitly agreeing to complete this survey or receive frequent communication from me until you do! Anecdotal evidence is insufficient to truly see our certification process and know how we can improve.  If you have time or interest, I shared my larger vision for ACPE at our national conference in Minneapolis during my 2025 Galz-Plummer Commencement Address   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcfGsDk1218&t=1599s. I hope you enjoy it!

Biography

Maurice is an ordained Modern Orthodox Rabbi and previously served a congregation for 10 years in Brooklyn, NY.  He has been a Certified Educator since 2015 and was an early adopter of online CPE before the pandemic normalized it.   Maurice served as co-chair of the workgroup that wrote the Outcomes and Indicators.  He is in his first term on the Certification Commission and was on the subgroup that rewrote the CEC Competencies.  In his capacity as a Certified Educator, Maurice works for Morristown Medical Center, Atlantic Health System in New Jersey, MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital, in Puyallup, Washington and Spiritual Health at Emory Healthcare, in Atlanta, Georgia.  Though born in Brooklyn, he now lives in New Jersey with his wife and their four kids, the oldest of which just passed her road test! Eek! Maurice is an avid board game fan and tries to temper his elitism when people share their love for Monopoly, Sorry or Uno – all games that he believes should be thanked and then should be let go. This will allow others to play good board games instead. He enjoys yardwork and the satisfying feeling of getting the entire dandelion root out when weeding. Maurice is opinionated about many things and would be happy to listen to your potentially flawed perspective in dialogical debate, only if you too find this enjoyable.

Vision Statement

My vision for ACPE over the next five years is to nurture a transformative, inside-out journey where everyone feels a true sense of belonging. I see ACPE becoming the leading provider of spiritual care education across clinical, pastoral, and psychospiritual domains, all while ensuring that each learner and clinician can practice and learn in their own uniqueness. We honor the beauty of who God or the sacred has called them to be, coming together for truly valuable work. In these next five years, we’ll continue to evaluate our past, embrace the present, and prepare for the beauty of the future, shaping ACPE into a place people are proud to belong and love.

Biography

Alvernia Disnew received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Special Education from Norfolk State University in Norfolk, Virginia. She began her career in the mental health field, supporting women and girls in community transitions and managing a girls’ group home.  She entered her extended Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) internship under Rev. Steven Goss, launching her CPE journey. Alvernia went on to complete her residency at MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C., under the supervision of Dr. Emmanuel Saidi and the late Rev. Dr. Hallie Lawson-Reeves.  Continuing her education at Virginia Commonwealth University, she completed three additional units of CPE and earned a Master of Science in Patient Counseling. She later served as a Family Communications Coordinator, specializing in end-of-life care, while continuing her work in mental health.  Alvernia achieved ACPE certification in October 2023 and currently serves as a CPE Educator at UNC Hospitals and at Sankofa CPE, LLC. She is also a Ph.D. candidate at Hampton University, pursuing her doctoral degree in Public Theology and Community Engagement.

Vision Statement

ACPE is in a unique position to impact the future of spiritual care education. We are a well-respected organization with a history of building key partnerships and thinking creatively. Some of those partnerships are shifting, but the opportunity remains for us to work collaboratively to meet the demands of our time. The provision of spiritual care, and by extension the education of spiritual care, is becoming more inclusive of diverse beliefs, structural systems, and vocational priorities. We may need to look beyond models of CPE that are limited to healthcare settings or training individuals with formal theological or philosophical education. Our challenge will be to continue to discern which values and practices have served us well while also taking seriously the concerns of those who struggle to enter a traditional model for CPE.

Biography

Rebecca is a Certified Educator and the Director of Pastoral Care at Mary Washington Healthcare in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Ordained and endorsed by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), she spent ten years in congregational ministry before transitioning into hospital chaplaincy. During her CPE residency at Virginia Commonwealth University, Rebecca discovered that her passions for teaching, mentoring, and spiritual care intersected in the role of CPE Educator. She has been an active participant in the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE), serving as a member and later Chair of the Curriculum Committee, engaging in multiple Communities of Practice, and helping plan the 2024 and 2025 Annual Conferences. Rebecca has also directly supervised CECs and continues to participate in a CEC/CE peer group, remaining connected to the certification process that shaped her own journey. She enjoys quiet Saturday mornings with a hot cup of coffee, English Premier League soccer (go Brighton!), a crochet project in hand, and her puppy curled up in her lap.

Vision Statement

To remain a premier provider and accreditor of Clinical Pastoral Education, ACPE must lead with agility, innovation, and strategic foresight—adapting to a rapidly evolving chaplaincy landscape while cultivating the next generation of spiritually grounded, culturally responsive, and visionary chaplains, educators, and leaders.

Biography

Rev. Dr. Imani Jones is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ.  A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Imani is a graduate of The Ohio State University and Princeton Theological Seminary with Bachelor of Arts, Master of Divinity and Master of Theology degrees, and has a Doctor of Ministry degree from Ecumenical Theological Seminary.  Currently, Imani is the Director of the Chaplaincy Department at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio.  Imani has a particular focus on the integration of African American voices in Clinical Pastoral Education curriculum development.  She is a Board Certified Chaplain within the Association of Professional Chaplains and a Certified Educator in the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education. Imani is passionate about educating and training CPE students and Certified Educator Candidates and has enjoyed journeying with CECs and National Faculty as they navigate the joys and complexities of the ACPE Certification process.

Vision Statement

ACPE is a relational organization that values investing in others as a way of preparing for our future.

Biography

K’Lynne McKinley is in the midst of transitioning to the role of Manager of CPE for SSM SLU Hospital, where she trained as a CEC from 2012-2017. Prior to this role, she served as Director of CPE for Trinity Health and Manager of CPE for Trinity Health Ann Arbor Hospital. K’Lynne has served in leadership with ACPE as a Theory Mentor since 2017, Advocacy Committee since 2019, currently as Chair, and an Accreditation Site Team Chair since 2024 . She has served as training educator for two Phase 2 CEC’s and two in pre-admissions and on numerous Theory Review and Phase 2 Review Teams. K’Lynne loves the certification process and supporting CEC’s in a variety of ways throughout their certification journey. She is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and holds a Doctor of Ministry in Leadership and Spiritual Formation form Portland Seminary. K’Lynne is married to Sarah and together they have four children (three teens and a toddler). She and her family love to travel and experience new things and places together, most recently Alaska. K’Lynne is also an avid golfer and has a growing love of pickleball.

Vision Statement

Transition has been an operative word within ACPE since I joined this community. While transition is inevitable for growth, I have experienced and observed the impact of constant transition. It has been hard. I believe one of the challenges ACPE faces in the coming years is how to build support for this community anew. My hope is to come alongside the minds and visions of those already at work to contribute and build a stronger community of educators.

Biography

Andy Stubblefield is an ACPE Educator based in Salt Lake City, UT. He has been a certified educator for three years and recently became National Faculty. He has a passion for the growth and well-being of ACPE and it's members. He believes that we grow when we are in connection and that, as an organization, we need to find more ways to connect with one another. He is passionate about his work with students and no less about being in the mountains of Utah with his family.

Vision Statement

As a servant-leader, I recognize that I serve from a place of passion, with the focus on process, integrity, inclusion, and growth. Over the next five years, the ACPE and chaplaincy overall will be challenged.  I am looking forward to the opportunities of the organization yet unimagined. I invite us to join in being open-minded and challenged by the possibilities of the future, not hindered by the lessons learned. However, continuing to strive for excellence will require critical reflection, authenticity, and strategic planning.

 As a Spiritual Care provider and Educator, I’ve had to learn to lean into uncertainty, and to be curious and be in discomfort.  I’m motivated to live out the mission of ACPE to affect the lives of people in a transformative way. I embrace creativity, nurturing connections, challenge, and innovation.  I am committed to inspiring others and creating quality improvements in processes that will be appreciated and beneficial to the growth of the ACPE in communities in the U.S. and across the globe.

Biography

Chaplain White began her Clinical Pastoral Educational training in 2009 at Overlook Hospital, Summit, NJ. After being employed as an Executive for twenty-four years by a major retailer, she decided to make a transition that would allow her to work toward the call and passion of Specialized Ministry (Chaplaincy).

She trained as a Chaplain Resident for two years at New York Methodist Hospital, Brooklyn, NY. Reverend White was ordained in May 2011 to go forth and provide emotional and spiritual support to humanity. At the completion of her Residency, she was accepted into a three-year Supervisory Education Fellowship at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania where she trained to become a Certified Educator by Rev. Ralph Ciampa.

Betty joined the Department of Pastoral Care in January 2017, as the Coordinator of Clinical Pastoral Education for the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. She is an Association of Clinical Pastoral Education Certified Educator and Board-Certified Chaplain through the Association of Professional Chaplains. She provides supervision for Chaplain Residents, the Certified Educator Candidate and Chaplain Externs. Throughout her clinical and supervisory training, Rev. White has been a servant leader offering workshops on Death and Dying, End of Life Decision-making and Multiculturalism and Spirituality to name a few. Rev. White proclaims messages of Hope and shares the “Gospel” in the Upper Room (16 -state virtual pulpit) throughout the year

Rev. Dr. Betty A. White is a servant-leader. Betty currently serves in the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education as a Commissioner for the Certified Education process. She has served on the Professional Ethics and the Accreditation Commission. For five years Betty has served as a Resilience Coach and a facilitator for Spaces at Penn Medicine. Betty is certified as a Mental Health First Aid Coach.  She is a Board member of Interfaith Philadelphia serving as the secretary, and serves on the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Task Force.  Betty is a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. since 1979. She currently serves as the Advisor (Anti-Basileus) for an undergraduate chapter. Betty has a BA in Biological Science from Rutgers University where she attended Douglass College and a Master of Divinity from New York Theological Seminary.  In 2024 she received her Doctorate in Ministry from the Ecumenical Theological Seminary. She is a mother of two adult children and enjoys spending time with her family.

Vision Statement

Vision Statement

Vision Statement

Vision Statement

Vision Statement

The ACPE, with a long and proud history as the standard bearer for quality clinical education in chaplaincy, and an organization I love, is under distress these days.  We are also an organization with many strengths and with notable areas for growth.  We made strides in recent years in better living out our mission to be more truly diverse, equitable, and inclusive in all we do. We have not arrived in this regard. We still have much to do and we would do well to keep our eyes on this prize as we move forward.  We have dared to cast great visions, including the serious attempt we made to merge with the APC several years ago. We were not wrong to pursue this vision, but we likely made errors along the way in terms of better understanding the unique missions and cultures of these two fine professional organizations. I hope we might one day reapproach this vision with more humility and a willingness to adapt. We are struggling with our governance structure, which grew out of a reflective need to improve the nimbleness and cohesion of what has been a largely volunteer-run body over a national scope with relatively few members. In the process of creating a more centralized governing body, we have frankly lost much of the more local and regional connectedness, which, as it turns out, was where much of our strength of culture lay. Having recently passed 50 years as the standard bearer for the clinical education of persons in specialized ministry, we find ourselves, perhaps surprisingly, vulnerable. Institutions and structures we have depended on in the past are changing or have changed.  Our relationship with the US Department of Education as a recognized accrediting body has been paused on our initiative, because we saw it was seriously threatened, and we yet struggle with how or if to try and restore it. Former understandings of what was acceptable have changed or are changing. Other adjunct training programs for chaplaincy have entered the market, some with great success.

Biography

Vision Statement

ACPE must be innovative and proactive to truly claim itself as "the gold standard" of CPE and psychotherapy, especially now, in a marketplace faced with existential and real threats from competitors who seek to replace ACPE as the "standard." We cannot rest on our laurels of the past, and instead, we must plan strategically to be an association with three very strong branches: accreditation, education, and certification. We must also have a certain number of professionals who focus on these areas, as staff, and not rely on volunteers from its membership. An organization needs to spend and invest in staff and infrastructure in order to facilitate growth.

Biography

Mark is an active duty Army Chaplain (with combat deployments), ACPE National Faculty, and currently serves as the Dean of the Graduate School, U.S. Army Institute for Religious Leadership, at Ft. Jackson, SC. Mark has been called as the next President of Bexley Seabury Seminary, a role which he will take on full-time upon his retirement from the Army mid-2026. Mark has over 25 years of experience in military chaplaincy and ordained ministry, with banking and finance experience prior to ministry. Mark loves the unique educational process of CPE, coupled with his academic work in Practical Theology (he has a PhD from the University of Aberdeen in the field), and his spiritual journey as an Episcopal Priest, which all complement one another well. He thoroughly loves his work! Mark is blessed to be married for almost 25 years to Kyo Young Park, and to be the father to two amazing and beautiful children, Nicole (23) and Jimin (almost 18). Mark is also learning to train his new puppy, Kai (5 months old), to be his PTSD service dog, which feels like a second job.