The 2025 Queer Intersectionality and Public Church Symposium

Roberto Che Espinoza (he/they) was born to a Mexican woman and Anglo father in the piney woods of East Texas, where he first learned that the red clay between his toes was called ‘dirt’. He locates himself in the entangled history of violence, colonialism, and war. Roberto Che is born of Mestizaje histories and he holds both colonizer and Indigenous histories in his material, creaturely body.

He has always been compelled by the big ideas:
Why are we here?
What does it mean to be human?
Is there a God?
How do we come to know truth, goodness, and beauty?

Roberto Che is on The Way, having completed his undergraduate degree in theology, leadership, and biblical languages at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas. He then left his native land of Northern Mexico (the Republic of Texas) for the Midwest, relocating to Chicago. For the next three years, he attended Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary after his professors urged him to study with Dr. Nancy Elizabeth Bedford, a Latin American theologian. In Chicago, Roberto Che found belonging in radical queer and Marxist communities.

Following seminary, Roberto Che worked for three years with victims of domestic violence, and then with the Illinois State Attorney General’s Office. This work deepened the native Texan’s understanding of the importance of theology, as both an anchor and a path forward in our lives, and he felt the call to do further study. With a clear understanding that he would use knowledge as fuel for social change, he entered the University of Denver’s Iliff School of Theology, in Colorado, to pursue a Ph.D. in Activist Theology, immersing in the fields of intellectual activism, religion and social change, from a theological, ethical and philosophical perspective. 

It was during this time that he fell in love with words, noticing how phrases can come to life and seem to dance on a page. Though trained as a Constructive Philosophical Theologian and Philosophical Ethicist, he now identifies as a writer, devoted to the craft of nurturing the search for Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. Roberto Che values both the complexities of philosophical thinking and writing while also holding closely to the simplicities of life, like supporting local farmers and nurturing the ecologies of relations in which he is entangled.

Knowing that he wanted to live theology as a daily practice and enact another possible world, Roberto Che recently returned to the ‘ivory tower’ and earned a Doctor of Ministry degree at Drew Theological School in Madison, NJ. Electing the Courageous Leadership Track, Roberto Che learned more concretely how to practice theology at the end of empire. He is proud to have been supervised by Dr. Catherine Keller as he worked on developing a Trans/Christology for local communities.

Roberto Che lives in the entangled forests of New York’s Southern Tier, with Erin, his wife, who is a dance educator, movement artist, and somatic facilitator. They make their home with their two cats, Frida and Diego, who are his best teachers, as he nestles back into the natural world, complete with the red clay into which he was born, which calls him home.

Karri Alldredge (she/her) is the Assistant Professor of New Testament and chair of the Queer Intersectionality Symposium at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. Her research explores the entanglements of queer hermeneutics, embodiment, and trauma studies. Karri advocates for queer rights and representation in academic spaces as the chair of the Society of Biblical Literature’s Committee on LGBTIQ+ Scholars and Scholarship. She works with her students, grassroots organizations, and UN NGOs to address issues of LGBTQIA+ rights, trans-exclusionary legislation, gender-based violence, and white Christian nationalism from a faith-based perspective.

David Behing (he/they) is the Program Coordinator at Reconciling Works. David is a Deacon in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Americ with an eclectic professional background: working at different times as a homemaker, a writer, a college professor, an academic administrator, and more recently as a synod staff member and a campus minister.

Anna Blaedel (they/them) is the co-founder and co-director at enfleshed. They bring an attentiveness to the intersections of spiritual, academic, and activist engagement. Anna chaplains college students in Iowa City through sacred collective: a place of belonging for spiritual misfits, and recently completed a PhD in Theological and Philosophical Studies at Drew University’s Graduate Division on Religion. Waking before dawn, lingering in poetry…, being an aunt, retreating to the woods or their basement woodshop, tending the garden, sharing silence, and feeding people delicious food are some of Anna’s favorite things.

Michael Fick (he/him) is the pastor of Ebenezer Evangelical Lutheran Church and has served churches in Chicago and Denver. He earned a B.A. from Valparaiso University and an M.Div. from Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago in 2004. Michael serves as co-chair of the LSTC Alumni Board. He lives in Andersonville and loves serving this vibrant part of the city. In addition to his service at Ebenezer, he’s written for The Christian Century and other publications. He enjoys music and singing, his dogs Melvin and Isabelle, and spending time with friends and family.

Nicole Garcia (she/her) is the first transgender Latina to be ordained as a Minister of Word and Sacrament in the ELCA. Her current call is to serve as the Pastor of Epiphany Lutheran Church in Denver CO.  Previously, Nicole was issued a call by the ELCA Church Council to serve as the Faith Director at the National LGBTQ Task Force from April 2022 to May 2024. Nicole can also utilize the title of “Sister Nicole” as she is a Novice in the Order of Lutheran Franciscans. Nicole is also a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Colorado.

Sharei Green (she/her) is currently pursuing her MDiv at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.  Sitting at the intersection of fat, Black, femme and queer, Sharei has committed herself to creating spaces of community healing and sabbath, especially for Black women/ femmes and all their intersections. She is the co-author of God’s Holy Darkness, a children’s book that deconstructs anti-Blackness in Christian theology by celebrating instances in the story of God’s people when darkness, blackness, and night are beautiful, good, and holy.

Samantha Hasty (she/her) grew up in Southern Baptist fundamentalism as a queer, neuro-spicy, outspoken woman and found her people along the way as she healed from spiritual traumas and reclaimed a faith that is all her own. She graduated from Earlham School of Religion in 2018 with a Masters of Divinity in Pastoral Ministry and is currently working on her Doctor of Ministry degree. Samantha is the very proud mama to Micaiah and wife of Kellie. She is the founding and current pastor at Pitch in Theology.

Melissa James (she/her) serves the Unitarian Universalist Association as a congregational consultant for the Pacific Western Region. In this role, she consults faith groups and runs national Anti-Racism/Anti-Oppresion/Multicultural programs for faith leaders. Melissa teaches at the University of San Diego in Sociology and Gender Studies. She earned her Masters of Arts from the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago (LSTC) in 2004 with a focus on faith and justice. She holds a Ph.D. in Ethics and Social Theory from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA. She served as a Minister of Word and Service (Deacon) in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) from 2004-2024. She lives in San Diego, CA with her wife and daughter.

Carter Kelly (he/they/she) is the operations director at Q Christian. Carter grew up in the Roman Catholic Church of suburban New York before leaving Christianity entirely as a teenager. A few mystical experiences in old Russian churches, the lakes of northern Wisconsin, and the persistent tugging of Holy Spirit, called them back to the faith through a Jesus-loving, inclusive United Methodist congregation in Chicago. Yet God was not done with her yet – Carter began to lead small groups where he deepened in faith through transformative relationships. After a few years, they felt Holy Spirit calling again, this time into ministry and a few gentle nudges from friends and family convinced him to go to seminary.

Erin Law (they/them) has a background in dance, somatics, movement analysis, bodywork and cultural studies. Erin’s call and vocation is to facilitate spaces rooted in creative embodied practice at the borders of education, art, and healing that support people and communities who are ready and willing to lean into personal and collective liberation and deeper self-awareness.  Erin is currently on faculty at Integrated Movement Studies, a certification program for movement analysis and developmental movement. They are also Embodiment & Somatics Curator at Our Collective Becoming where they gently invite people healing from the effects of religious and other traumas, to begin to experience the wisdom of their bodies in community.

Pamela Lightsey (she/her) is Vice President for Academic Affairs at Meadville Lombard Theological School and Associate Professor of Constructive Theology; and prior to that, was Associate Dean at Boston University School of Theology. Pamela is passionate about activism, focusing on liberation of Black lives, addressing violence against Black transwomen, and institutional racism on college campuses. Rev. Dr. Lightsey is a leading voice for LGBTQ rights in the United Methodist Church. She was the first out queer lesbian African American ordained elder in full connection in the denomination. She is a U.S. Army veteran and ordained elder in the Northern Illinois Conference of the United Methodist Church.

Christina Montgomery (she/her) is a self-described Queer Black Disabled Fat Femme Woman who serves as racial justice manager for the Office of the Presiding Bishop of the ELCA.  She earned her M.Div. in May 2021 from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. She is an end-of-life doula, trained by the International End-of-Life Doula Association, and resides in the Belmont Cragin neighborhood of Chicago. In her free time, she loves to cook, knit, crochet, paint, cross-stitch, sing, and collect elephant items. Being creative is her favorite form of prayer and self-expression, especially making prayer shawls.

River Cook Needham (she/her) is a Founding Member of the diakonia.faith collective. She is a PhD student in Theological Anthropology at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.

Emlyn Ott (she/her) is a distinguished leader in specialized ministry and theological education, with a career deeply rooted in community, congregational leadership, and ecumenical collaboration. Ordained in 1986, she served for over two decades as pastor of Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church in Stillwater, Oklahoma, where she developed interfaith and community-based initiatives, including a counseling center, youth programs, and family support services. Her leadership in congregational resilience and mission focus led to her long-standing involvement with Healthy Congregations, Inc., where she now serves as Executive Director and CEO. She is the 2025 Specialized Ministry Alumni Award honoree.

Brooke Petersen (she/her) is the John H. Tietjen Chair of Pastoral Ministry, Assistant Professor of Pastoral Care and the Director of the Master’s Level Programs and Director of ELCA Candidacy at LSTC. Her research focuses on trauma, as well the intersection of psychological theory, mental health and pastoral theology. She maintains a psychotherapy practice at the Spiritual Life Center in Chicago. She is also an ordained pastor in the ELCA and has served at Irving Park Lutheran Church and at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church of Logan Square. Her most recent publication is Religious Trauma: Queer Stories in Estrangement and Return.

Camelo Santos (he/him) is a leading voice in theological diversity and in theology, especially in conversation with science, postcolonial studies, and activism. As Director for Theological Diversity and Ecumenical and Interreligious Engagement in the Office of the Presiding Bishop, he shapes contemporary theological discourse with a commitment to inclusivity, scholarship, and faith in action. He is the 2025 Called to Lead Alumni Award honoree.

Marvin Wickware (he/him) is the Associate Professor of Church and Ethics at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. His research draws on feminist theory and black studies and in his teaching he works to connect an understanding of theoretical and theological perspectives to the church’s engagement with pressing political and social issues, with particular attention to the roles played by emotion and affect. Wickware’s involvement in community organizing with The People’s Lobby also enriches his teaching and research.

Paul Willey (he, him) is a second career pastor serving Shepherd’s Heart Ministry (SHM) and as Office Administrator for the Metropolitan Chicago Synod. He started seminary at LSTC as Pam Willey in 2013. While at LSTC, he gained the confidence to truly claim who he was. He attended for 2 years but needed to take a financial break in 2015, returning in 2019. During that break, Paul completed 4 units of Clinical Pastoral Education and was later hired by the hospital he trained at. He dedicated himself to the ministry of caring for the tiniest of God’s beloved children in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Pediatrics, as well as the Labor & Delivery Unit. Ordained on April 30, 2023, he graduated a few weeks later and began serving at SHM immediately. SHM is the little train that could! They are very outward looking, and justice minded.