About Erica: Erica Joy Johnson (she/her) is a mother, partner, daughter, sister, minister, and scholar-artist. A doctoral candidate in the area of Religion, Psychology and Culture, with minors in Ethics and Rhetoric, Communication and Sacred Utterance, her work focuses on disclosure ethics, care practices, and black wordcraft. Prior to graduate school, Erica served as a victim advocate and grants coordinator for a domestic violence program. She holds a Master of Divinity with a concentration in Black Religion and Culture Studies, earning certificates in the Kelly Miller Smith Institute for Black Church Studies and the Carpenter Program in Religion, Gender and Sexuality. She has a Bachelor of Science in Child Development, African American and Diaspora Studies and Public Health.

About Mike Hipsley: Mike grew up in Catonsville, MD, and came to faith in high school. He graduated from Western Maryland College (now McDaniel College) and then got a M.Ed. from Loyola College of Maryland. Mike began his career as a teacher but felt called into ministry so he went to seminary in Charlotte, NC, where he earned a Master of Arts in Philosophical Apologetics. He then accepted a position as an Associate Pastor at a local in church in Reisterstown, MD, where he served for 9 years. In 2020 Mike left this position to become a Campus Pastor with InterVarsity at McDaniel College. Mike has been happily married to Diana for 23 years and they have three children: Joseph (18), William (15) and Grace (11).

About the Speaker: Bette Dickinson is an artist, author, and speaker devoted to creating spaces of encounter with Jesus. She is a prophetic artist who invites audiences to connect with God through visual parables of the spiritual journey in her ministry Awakening the Soul.