Meet The Moderators
for the 2007-2009 Biennium

Moderator
D. Newell Williams

D. Newell Williams is president and professor of Modern and American Church History at Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. Williams is an ordained minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and a member of University Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Fort Worth. He also belongs to the American Academy of Religion, the American Society of Church History, and the Association of Disciples for Theological Discussion. An author and editor, Williams holds a doctorate and a master’s degree from Vanderbilt University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Tulsa. From 1984 to 2003, he taught at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis where he served as vice president and dean from 1992-1998. He has been president at Brite since 2003.

Williams has been involved with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in a number of ways. In 2005, he served on the Standing Committee on Renewal and Structural Reform that made changes to The Design, the basic governing document for Disciples.

First Vice Moderator
Ayanna Johnson

Ayanna Johnson is a pastor-planter of Family of Hope Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Blue Island, Ill., a church that began in 2005. Additionally, Johnson serves as new church pastor-in-residence at Disciples Divinity House, working with University of Chicago ministry students. Before becoming a new church pastor, Johnson served as youth minister at Park Manor Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Chicago, Ill., and as project director for the Southwest Youth Collaborative, a youth-entered community development organization in Chicago. She holds masters’ of divinity and social work degrees from the University of Chicago and a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Yale University. An ordained Disciples pastor, she is also a social worker, community organizer and motivational speaker. While at Yale, she spent one semester studying in Ghana.

Second Vice Moderator
Robert Alvarez

Robert Alvarez is president of North Point Realty Partners, a commercial real estate firm in Fayetteville, Ga., a suburb of Atlanta. Alvarez is a member of Aposento Alto Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Forest Park, Ga., and has served in a variety of Church positions, including as the vice-moderator for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Georgia. He was in the United States Army from 1979 to 2000. While an officer in the armed forces, Alvarez was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. After retiring from military service, he joined Fidelity Information Services, where he worked for four years before taking his current position at North Point. He earned a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Puerto Rico and a master’s degree in national strategic studies and security affairs from the Naval War College.