As a program of Intersections International, Believe Out Loud is thrilled to share the news of Rev. Julie Johnson Staples’ arrival as our organization’s new executive director. Stay tuned for updates on our work ahead as we embark on a strategic planning process under the leadership of Rev. Johnson Staples.

NEW YORK – September 25, 2017 – Intersections International today announced that The Collegiate Churches of New York has called the Rev. Julie Johnson Staples to serve as the organization’s new executive director. She succeeds Intersections’ founding director, the Rev. Robert Chase, who retired earlier this year. Intersections is a 10-year strong organization that serves as a catalyst to unite disparate groups to forge a common ground in global peace, justice, and reconciliation. A ministry of Collegiate, Intersections is also a global, non-governmental organization with special consultative status at the United Nations.

“Social justice has played an integral role throughout Rev. Julie’s distinguished and wide-ranging career as a journalist, global private equity executive, scholar, and minister,” said Danita Branam, chair, governing board, Intersections International. “Our search committee found her blend of critical thinking, insight, ethics, passion, and eloquence, grounded in pragmatism, to be the embodiment of leadership essential in these times to evolve and advance Intersections’ mission, as we move into our next chapter.”

Under Rev. Johnson Staples’ leadership, Intersections will embark upon a strategic planning process to identify additional areas for engagement alongside its core programs, which stand at the intersections of: veterans and civilians; divided nations and peoples; artistic engagement and community values; and traditional religious beliefs and LGBTQ equality.

“We are at a time in our global history when a unified, mobilized and engaged population is essential to our health and prosperity,” said Rev. Johnson Staples. “I look forward to expanding the reach of our LGBTQ programs to the global south, seeking new frontiers into which we will extend our peacemaking initiatives, and identifying new and compelling ways to use art to promote justice and dialogue. Our primary goal is to deliver inter-religious, multi-faith programming, and build a robust community of young and old, and energize geographically and economically diverse populations to fight for a better world.”

Prior to joining Intersections, Rev. Johnson Staples served as interim senior minister of the Flatbush-Tompkins Congregational Church in Brooklyn, N.Y. She is a member of the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches’ national ambassador team and serves on the organization’s board of directors. Earlier in her career, Rev. Johnson Staples was a managing director and partner at the global private equity firm, Warburg Pincus, as well as a journalist with TIME magazine, ABC News, The New York Times, and the Baltimore Sun. She earned her Th.M. in religion, literature and culture at Harvard University. She also holds an M.Div. from the Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York, a J.D. degree from the Georgetown University Law Center, and a B.S. degree in journalism from the University of Kansas. Rev. Johnson Staples’ full biography is available here.

About Intersections International

Founded in 2007, Intersections International is a New York City-based organization that serves as a catalyst to unite disparate groups to forge a common ground in global peace, justice, and reconciliation. A ministry of the Collegiate Churches of New York, Intersections engages conflicted communities globally and locally in dialogue, service, advocacy, and artistic expression to advance connection, equality, respect, and abundance for all people. To learn more about Intersections and our programs, visit our website and find us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.