Meet the Staff

Rev. Sonja B. Williams, PhD, is a practical theologian, theological educator, ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, executive leader, curriculum designer, and chaplain whose vocation has been shaped by a commitment to accessible theological education, transformative leadership, and the flourishing of people and communities.

Williams brings extensive experience in theological education and academic leadership. She previously served as Dean of the Seminary and Chief Academic Officer of Eden Theological Seminary, where her responsibilities included academic administration, curriculum development, faculty leadership, enrollment, assessment, institutional strategy, educational technology, and the preparation of leaders for ministry and public life. Across her career, she has worked at the intersections of theological education, practical theology, organizational leadership, chaplaincy, grief and loss, culture, identity, justice, and human flourishing.

Her teaching and scholarship are grounded in practical theology and shaped by Black and womanist traditions, liberationist thought, queer theology, pastoral and spiritual care, and sustained attention to lived experience as a source of theological reflection. She is particularly interested in how theological education can respond faithfully and creatively to people whose vocations, identities, geography, finances, communities, or forms of ministry have not always fit traditional models of theological formation.

Williams has an established history with PATHWAYS as an educator and instructor and has also contributed to Project Proclaim. Her experience as both a theological educator and institutional leader gives her an appreciation for the multiple communities that sustain theological education, including learners, educators, administrators, denominational partners, congregations, and the wider church.

In addition to academic leadership, Williams has served extensively in professional chaplaincy and spiritual care and is a Certified Thanatologist through the Association for Death Education and Counseling. Her interdisciplinary work brings theological reflection into conversation with the realities of illness, grief, embodiment, community, culture, leadership, and institutional life.

Williams earned the Doctor of Philosophy in Practical Theology from St. Thomas University, the Master of Divinity from Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and the Bachelor of Arts from Berea College.

As Executive Director of PATHWAYS Theological Education, Williams is committed to honoring the institution’s history while helping PATHWAYS strengthen its organizational foundation, deepen relationships throughout the United Church of Christ and beyond, expand strategic partnerships, develop sustainable educational and revenue models, and increase access to rigorous theological formation.

She approaches leadership with the conviction that institutions should not simply survive change but learn from it. Her work at PATHWAYS will build upon the organization’s legacy of accessible theological education while helping it respond courageously and imaginatively to the changing landscape of ministry, vocational formation, and theological education.

Melissa Ashmore is here to help. She completed her MDiv from a distance of over 1,700 miles from her degree granting institution, Andover Newton Seminary. Along the way, she was able to interact in online classrooms from 5 different theological schools. Melissa is the lead pastor at First Community UCC Dallas. She maintains ordained standing in the North Texas Association of the UCC where she serves in leadership role. Prior to ministry, her industry was healthcare administration where she worked primarily on the technology side in clinical research, quality, reporting and data warehousing. She has experience in cooperative elementary and secondary secular education as well as Christian faith formation. Melissa is known in her community as Running Reverend from serving the running and cycling community while training for the Chicago and Boston marathons. She and her wife Lora have two children that require a completely different type of running.

Joel Brotzman-Gonzales (He/Him) has been a spiritual leader in marginalized communities of the Rio Grande Valley of Texas for many years and is currently serving as Director of Deacons for United Church of Christ Rio Grande Valley, a new church start. As a singer-songwriter who performs under the name Joel Brogon, he often uses music as a vehicle for outreach and activism, bringing awareness to environmental and LGBTQ+ issues. Joel also enjoys writing, acting, directing, photography, and baking. Joel is based in southernmost Texas and lives with his husband Christopher and their four fur-children.

The Rev. Dr. John R. Callaway is a creative storyteller who has served congregations in Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, and South Carolina as a pastor, associate minister, youth minister, and music leader. He is currently working in operations and marketing with his spouse, Katie, on a mobile bookstore passion project called The Bus Booksellers. A seasoned singer/songwriter who has performed across North America, John finds joy in crafting stories through song that allow others to participate. He and Katie reside in Baltimore, Maryland, with their elementary-age daughter and German Shepherd. John earned undergraduate and master’s degrees in education from Clemson University, holds a Master of Divinity from Wake Forest University, and recently completed a Doctor of Ministry from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.