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Alumni/ae of African Descent
Executive Committee
PRESIDENT
April Yvonne Garrett, MTS '97, earned degrees in Islamic studies from Kenyon College in 1992,
higher and adult education from Teachers College Columbia University in 1993, and African American
religious history from Harvard Divinity School in 1997. April has served as the
director of new student orientation and assistant director of student
activities at Emory University, a Harvard University Presidential Administrative Fellow,
fellows officer of the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research, and the
visiting scholars coordinator for the Institute on the Arts and Civic Dialogue of the
W. E. B. Du Bois Institute and the American Repertory Theatre. She briefly joined the senior staff of the NAACP as the first
director of administration and strategic planning. April serves as the
president
and CEO of April & Associates, a firm that specializes in intellectual consulting, strategic planning, and political consulting, and is the founder of Civic Frame, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that
"uses media arts and intellectual work to stimulate conversation, community, and action." She was named one of Maryland's Top 100 Women in 2005 and is currently on the board of the Democratic Women's PAC of Maryland.
VICE PRESIDENT
Erik J. Williams, MDiv '01, is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Georgetown University Law Center, and Harvard Divinity School. Following a successful career as a criminal defense lawyer in Miami, where his clients included a young man facing the death penalty, Erik heeded a higher call of service and enrolled in the master of divinity program at Harvard Divinity School in 1998. While a divinity student, Erik focused his studies on the intersections of law, religion, and public policy. During this time, he also served on the ministerial staff of historic Union Baptist Church, focusing on urban outreach ministry—a subject on which he has written several published articles. Since his graduation from HDS in 2001, Erik has combined his training as an attorney and a minister, working for the American Bar Association, the African American Interdenominational Ministries, and the United Methodist Church. Erik specializes in mass tort litigation at a Washington law firm and ministers to the homeless and dispossessed in the downtown area of the city.
SECRETARY
Phillipe Copeland, MTS '99, is a clinical social worker at the Boston Public Health Commission specializing in addictions and mental illness. He serves as chairman of the Baha'i Association of Mental Health Professionals, is a member of the Boston Baha'i community, and serves as
vice chairman of its governing council, referred to as the
"Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Boston." In addition, Phillipe
Copeland is a performing artist, musician, and writer, and was recently featured on the CD
"From Exile to Exaltation: Our Offering to Baha'u'llah," which won numerous awards in 2005, including an Independent Music Award. He considers himself a philosopher of religion and is a frequent public speaker on the Baha'i perspective regarding racial unity, gender equality, and religious reconciliation. Mr. Copeland shares his analysis of these issues through his blog, "Baha'i Thought: Comments on Contemporary Issues and Personal Transformation."
TREASURER
C Dale Gadsden, MTS '96, is a native of both South Carolina and New York City.
She attended Mount Holyoke College, where she earned a bachelor of arts in
religion. She holds a master of theological studies from Harvard Divinity School and
a master of arts in history from Harvard University (1998).
STUDENT RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION
Monique Moultrie, MTS '02, is a PhD candidate in the Graduate Department of Religion at Vanderbilt University. She is specializing in the field of ethics, and her doctoral research will investigate the influence of mainstream Christianity and Islam on the sexual decision-making of
African American women. She received a bachelor of arts in religion and sociology from Duke University and a master of theological studies from Harvard Divinity School, where her concentration was in the sexual ethics of Christianity and Islam. She remains interested in addressing
African American women's expressions of sexuality and the interconnection of religious communities and HIV/AIDS outreach programs.
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