Alumni
Alumni President
Rev. D. Najuma Smith-Pollard, Alumni President
The Passing the Mantle Alumni Association hosts interest luncheons and networking opportunities for PTM Fellows from all program years. The association’s goal is to continue conversations between clergy and community leaders for the purpose of civic engagement and community development.
Each year, the association hosts an interest meeting to join alumni and new participants and other activities. In addition, PTM alumni can connect with mentors and resources through ongoing communication with staff.
If you are interested in participating in the PTM Alumni Association or learning more about future events, please call 213.740.8562 or e-mail, ptm@usc.edu.
Charles Allen-Anderson
Charles Allen-Anderson is the founder of ReCid Solutions, LLC, and serves as president and CEO. He brings several years of experience as coordinator of intake and assessment for Project Alternative, a re-entry program on Chicago`s Westside. Following his experience as...
Julio Andujo
Julio Andujo was born in Los Angeles, California, and raised in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois. Andujo attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in actuarial science. He earned a Masters of Divinity degree from the Garret-Evangelical...
Tony A. Ashley
Tony A. Ashley graduated as class valedictorian in 1978 from Morningside High School in Inglewood, California. Dr. Ashley earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business from the University of Southern California in 1983, where he was a key member of USC’s...
Vera Alice Bagneris
Vera Alice Bagneris is a recent graduate of the University of California Riverside (UCR) after 35 years of absence. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology while also achieving senior undergraduate honors for her research and thesis. Vera Alice...
Dawnesha K. Beaver
Dawnesha K. Beaver serves as special projects coordinator at New Mt. Calvary MBC under the pastoral leadership of Rev. Sonja R. Dawson Esq. In this capacity, she provides administrative and technical support in the development, coordination, publicity, and mobilization of...
Erick Carpenter
Rev. Erick L. Carpenter was born in Chicago, Illinois, the youngest of 10 children to Rev James and Mrs. Annie Carpenter. He was educated in the Chicago public school and Milwaukee public school systems for his elementary, middle, and high...
Via Champ
Via Champ was born and raised in Los Angeles California the youngest of nine children to the late Reverend Ollie Champ Sr. and Reverend Katelina Flores-Champ. Via was educated in the Catholic school system, in the West Adams area, for...
Jamila Chavis
Jamila Chavis stepped into the workforce at the age of 12 as a care worker for the state of California, providing in-home supportive services to her great-grandmother Helen Hunter. From then on, Chavis held numerous positions in retail and customer...
Frank Christian, Jr.
Rev. Frank Christian, Jr. was born the eldest of eight siblings and raised in South Central, Los Angeles. A graduate of the first class of Crenshaw High School in 1969, his love for the arts would guide him to Otis...
Candace Cole-Kelly
Rev. Candace Cole-Kelly was born in Fresno, California, the eighth of 12 children. She attended public school. After completing paralegal studies, she managed a Westwood bi-coastal law firm for 14 years. Rev. Candace is Founder and Senior Pastor of...
Rochelle Collins
Rochelle is the owner/founder of the Cannon House, a sober living residence for at risk women recovering from chemical dependency established in 1993. She serves as the executive director helping to guide women into becoming productive, responsible and respected citizens...
Wendell J. Davis, Sr.
Dr. Wendell J. Davis, Sr., Ph.D., CDAC, CFC, attended public school in Los Angeles, and graduated from John C. Fremont High School in 1985. He attended Los Angeles Mission College and earned a BA in Christian Education in 1996, and...
Veronica R. Dawson
Sister Veronica R. Dawson was born in the state of California and is a true servant of the Lord. She has been a life-long member of New Mt. Calvary (NMC) Missionary Baptist Church under the pastoral leadership of Reverend...
Rosalynd Divinity
Pastor Rosalynd Divinity received a Bachelor’s Degree with an emphasis in Psychology and a minor in Sociology from California State University Dominguez Hills in Carson, California, where she later received a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology. During her academic...
Jacqueline Driscoll
Jacqueline Driscoll is a board member of DG4Life, an organization teaching abstinence for teens between the ages of 14 to 18 years of age. She teaches the class called “Money Matters,” focusing on how one’s attitude about money is shaped...
Adam Edgerly
Adam Edgerly serves as Lead Pastor of Newsong Los Angeles Covenant Church, a culturally diverse faith community where people are being reconciled to God and each other. Before entering the pastorate, He served the Evangelical Covenant Church denomination as...
Marcus Farrow
Marcus Farrow is a co-founder and CEO of The Manformation Project, a faith-based group mentoring and rites of passage program for 10-to-18 year-old boys. Manformation was birthed as a ministry of New Dawn Christian Village under the leadership of Pastor...
Yvonne M. Gibson
Rev. Yvonne M. Gibson-Johnson was born in Long Beach, California. She has been a member of West Angeles Church of God in Christ for over 38 years. Yvonne is married to Willie Johnson and together they have two sons....
Juliet A. Gipson
Juliet A. Gipson is a native of Southern California with dual citizenship from the United States and Panama. She is a self-employed Real Estate Broker who specializes in Commercial Real Estate. She is formerly a Lynwood Council Commissioner, Economic...
Darrell Glover
Darrell Glover is founder and executive director of Prevention Alternatives for Neighborhood Empowerment incorporated (PANE Inc.), a violence reduction and youth development organization He is an alumnus of CRCC's Institute for Violence Prevention and Passing the Mantle Clergy and Lay...
Adriene Goodrich
Adriene Goodrich is the EPIC program counselor at the Weingart Center Association. After spending 18 years living a drug addicted existence and participating in criminal and gang-related activities, Goodrich found herself in an Arizona Prison. It was there that she...
Monica Griffin
Monica M. Griffin was born in Los Angeles, CA, and received her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from California State University of Fresno in 1997. She has more than 15 year’s progressive experience in human resources, training and...
Robin Hamilton-Allen
Rev. Robin Hamilton-Allen is an Itinerate Deacon in the AME where she considers it an honor to serve her church community. Born in the state of Illinois, she came to California during high school and has raised her three...
Marc A. Henderson
Marc Henderson, a native of southern California, graduated from California State University, Northridge (CSUN), where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Studies. While attending CSUN, Marc oversaw a number of organizations, including the National Society of...
Harold Hines, Sr.
Harold Hines, Sr., has been a licensed and ordained Minister since 1992, serving in a variety of capacities such as assistant pastor, youth leader, and Sunday school teacher. He is a former vice president of the NAACP Youth Chapter, an...
Lydia Hollie
A Long Beach native, Lydia Hollie has volunteered for eight years on the Long Beach Human Relations Commission, including a two-year distinguished term (2001-2003) as Chairperson. The commission drafted a landmark document entitled, An Interim Report and Re-examination of the...
Allen Humphries
Allen A. Humphries has served as the Director of Security at West Angeles of God and Christ since April of 2004. He was previously employed with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and retired in 1998 after 32 years of...
Chester L. Jackson, Sr.
Pastor Chester Jackson is the CEO/Pastor of BOLD Discipleship Ministries, Los Angeles. Jackson is well-seasoned in Kingdom building business and was ordained to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ in June 1986 in the Southeast Illinois Jurisdiction of Church of...
Marian Kirk Jackson
Marian Kirk Jackson is currently the economic development administrator for Vermont Village Community Development Corporation (WCDC), a community-based California non-profit corporation, headquartered on the grounds of Crenshaw Christian Center in South Los Angeles founded by Dr. Betty Price. The center...
Marcus Jackson
Elder Marcus Jackson serves as the Executive Pastor of the Apostolic Faith Home Assembly Church Inc. in Los Angeles, under the leadership of Dr. Vanessa D. Ussery, Senior Pastor. He also serves as the church’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO)...
Stephen "Cue" Jean-Marie
Cue currently serves as the discipleship Pastor of Newsong LA Covenant Church. Previously, Cue served as the Cause (outreach) Pastor of NewSong LA. He has been on the NewSong LA staff for over 6 years and has been on...
Kathye Jenkins
Kathye D. Jenkins is the founder/president of the Cynthia Perry Ray Foundation. This vision was established in April 2001 as an outreach to provide religious, educational, social and economic support in our communities and beyond. She is also the founder/president...
Charles Johnson II
Charles R. Johnson II is a native of Los Angeles and graduated from Crenshaw High School in 1986. He is currently studying at Los Angeles Bible Training School, where he serves as the president of the Associated Student Body. When...
John Deron Johnson
A native of Mobile, Alabama has been in ministry since April 24, 1986. H e officially began preaching at Taylor Chapel C.M.E. Church in Prichard, Alabama. His pastoral experiences include: Hopewell C.M.E. Church, Pineapple, Alabama; Wesley Chapel C.M.E. Church, Century,...
Keith Johnson
Keith is a native of Los Angeles, California. Keith was born, raised Los Angeles. He graduated from Locke High School. Keith studied at UCLA and Biola University. Keith began to work with young people in his church and with...
Patricia Jones
Pat Jones gives all praise and glory to God who is the head of her life. For over 40 years, she has been a member of New Greater Circle Mission Church where Elder Liz Gregory is her senior pastor....
Charles Jones
Rev. C. R. Jones was elected Senior Pastor of the St. Reed Missionary Baptist Church in 2001. Pastor Jones is a native of the state of Louisiana. As a teenager he accepted Christ under the leadership of Dr. Leman...
Alexander Jones
Alexander Jones is a young aspiring entrepreneur from Los Angeles. Coming from a military background, his family has moved several times over his lifetime and he has had opportunities to see parts of the world many have not had the...
Joyce Reece Kitchen
Joyce Reece Kitchen is the Pastor of Emmanuel-H.M. Turner African Methodist Episcopal Church. Rev. Kitchen was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Southern California (USC), a bachelor’s...
Constance Kizzie-Gillett
Constance Kizzie-Gillett is the founder of Lillie's Care Circle. Lillie's Care Circle is focusing on chronic disease in our community that possibly have a link to dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Kizzie-Gillett has developed partnerships with various community based organizations in...
Rochelle Lewis
Pastor M. Rochelle Lewis has been in the ministry for more than 25 years, her goal is to help provide a place where men, women, and families can come to worship and praise the Lord. God has blessed her...
Dorothy R. Mallery
Dorothy Mallery was raised in Muskegon Heights, Michigan where she attended Muskegon County Community College earning an Associate Degree in Business. After relocating to Los Angeles over thirty years ago, she has been employed at the University of California,...
Les Mathis
Minister Les Mathis was born 1973 in Clinton, N.C., to mother Cecilia Burroughs, and father James Becton. The family moved to Newburgh, New York until the ripe age of 12 years old. Mathis mother lived in church as a Bishop...
Dr. Moses McCutcheon, Jr.
Dr. Moses McCutcheon, Jr. is executive director/consultant for the Bethel LA Community Development Corporation (Bethel LA CDC), as well as president of McCutcheon Research and founder of the School-To-Success Foundation for career guidance. He is an author, educator, career coach,...
Edwin A. Mendoza
Edwin Mendoza was born in El Salvador in 1975. His family immigrated to the United States in 1981. He has lived in Los Angeles since, and graduated from Palisades High School in 1993 with Ephebian Honors. Edwin went on...
Donnell O. Miles
Rev. Donnell O. Miles is a native of Oakland, California, and a 1965 alumnus of Oakland Tech High School. He spent 3 years in the US Army from 1966 to 1969. He furthered his education at Laney College, where...
Gloria Shell Mitchell
Rev. Dr. Gloria Shell Mitchell earned her Doctor of Ministry in Spiritual Formation from Azusa Pacific University’s Haggard School of Theology, a Master of Arts in Christian Education from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, a Master of Accountancy and...
Curtis Monroe, Jr.
Pastor Curtis Monroe Jr. was born in Houston, Texas. He made a personal profession of faith in Christ Jesus and was baptized at an early age. In 1968, Pastor Monroe relocated to Los Angeles, and attended Los Angeles City...
Devin Nimmers
Devin Nimmers spent years working in the music industry, writing and producing music for some of today's biggest artists. With many successful albums to his credit, including a project that was nominated for a Grammy in 2005, he left the...
James Ortiz
Jim Ortiz is ordained with the General Council of the Assemblies of God. He is the Senior Pastor of My Friend’s House, Assembly of God, Whittier, CA, since 1971.My Friend’s House has a community development corporation called “Metro Impact...
Elton Penn
Pastor Elton J. Penn has served for over 17 years in ministering to the needs of the church and community. He was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA, where he resides with his wife of over 8 years and his 3 daughters. Throughout his life he has operated in various capacities of ministry, which has allowed him to better understand the needs of the community.
Joyce Randall
Rev. Joyce Randall is an ordained elder in the AME Church, married 34 years, and a UCLA graduate. Joyce served as a public school teacher 19 years and director of Christian education at First AME Church during Rev. Cecil Murray’s...
Brian Sheldon Riley
Brian Sheldon Riley serves as operations assistant for the Children's Ministry at Newsong Los Angeles Covenant Church, a culturally diverse faith community where people are being reconciled to God and each other. Before attending Newsong LA, he served at Maranatha...
Sammy Riley, Jr.
Rev. Sammy L. Riley, Jr. is a native to the area of Pacoima, CA. As a child, he attended services at St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church. As a teenager, he experimented with most issues that teens wrestle with daily. Once...
Ronald Robinson
Ron Robinson is a native of Jersey City, NJ. He and his wife Lena have resided in the Inland Valley and Inland Empire for nearly forty years and have four children, eleven grandchildren, and two great grandchildren. They have...
Tyron Delbert Robinson
Tyron Delbert Robinson accepted the call to preach when he as 15 years old. As a licensed and ordained cleric, he has been preaching the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ for over 15 years, serving in the senior...
Mykesha A. Robinson
Mykesha A. Robinson is president of the World Music Commission and is no stranger in the entertainment industry. With a strong history as a civic philanthropist and executive event producer, Robinson has held multiple titles and community service awards that...
Beth Gartrell Ross
Beth Gartrell Ross is the founder and CEO of the Biddy Mason Foundation, a community development corporation currently in development. She is a member of First AME Church Los Angeles, where she serves as a trustee and member of...
Joseph Simpson, Jr.
Joseph Simpson, Jr., was born in Los Angeles, CA. He attended Los Angeles High School and went on to attend and play football for West Los Angeles College. Joseph's two passions were football and music. He decided to pursue...
William Sims
William Sims is a gifted pianist, composer, and arranger. William studied music at Santa Monica College, where he joined the Applied Music Program focusing on jazz piano performance. Under the applied music program at Santa Monica College, William studied jazz...
Teka Smith
Rev. Teka L. Smith is the chief executive officer of Clear Blessings, Inc., a 501 (c)(3) charity that educates, empowers, and enhances the lives of college bound youth in Southern California. She also serves as local elder of Christ Our...
James Taylor
James Ray Taylor preached his trial message at nine years old. The clear and concise message he delivered lead to the conversion of nine people. Many realized that day that there was nothing average about this young vessel. On June...
Cassie Thomas
Pastor Cassie Thomas was installed as senior pastor of Restored Destiny International Ministries, Inc., in April 2007, where she and her husband Pastor Charles Thomas serve in the city of Chino Hills, California. Thomas was ordained as pastor in February...
Taylor Walton
Taylor Walton was born and raised in Oakland, California. He is fortunate to be a son of a great family that has a rich American history coming from different southern states and then migrating to California in the 1940's....
Cornell Ward
Cornell Ward spent most of his youth involved with activities that led to the demise of his community. Now, he uses his knowledge of the community and professional experience in the development and implementation of youth development, gang reduction efforts...
Etta Weathersby
Etta Weathersby is a Los Angeles native who graduated from Jordan High School in Watts, California, and received a B.A. in theatre arts from the University of California, San Diego in 1977. She received her teaching accreditation and vocational education...
Franchesca White
Franchesca White began singing at the age of 3 by the piano in her parents home in Los Angeles, California. Possessing a tremendous gift of singing, her mother began preparing her to sing in concerts. By the age of 5...
Carolyn Wilkins
Rev. Carolyn Wilkins is the Assistant Minister and Administrative Director of the Immanuel Center for Conscious Living in Long Beach, California, founded by Rev. Dr. Jane Galloway. She has over 20 years in church leadership and pastoral counseling, and...
Wallace Williams
Wallace M. Williams was born in Montgomery, Pakistan, in 1952. He was born in a Christian home. He completed his high school and undergraduate education in Pakistan. During his college years in Pakistan, he was involved with Inter Varsity fellowship...
Johnny Jemell Youngblood
Rev. Johnny Jemell Youngblood was born in New Orleans, Louisiana and moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2003 with $137 and no promised pulpit. In September 2004, he organized and now serves full-time as senior pastor of Zion Cathedral. In...