Recently, Friends General Conference has been in a period of expansion and transformation. The Gathering Together campaign has funded experimental programs, new staff positions, and new endeavors. Below, please see a description of current FGC staff roles. This includes several interns from the Georgetown VIEW program.

2025 will be a year of transition for many FGC staff. In 2025, the campaign-funded positions come to a close and FGC staff will shift to a smaller number. For now, our current roles are:

Leadership

Barry Crossno

Since 2011, Barry has served as FGC’s General Secretary (Executive Director). He provides Spirit-grounded servant leadership to fulfill FGC’s mission. This includes service to our affiliated yearly and monthly meetings. Barry is the co-author of the Pendle Hill pamphlet No. 460 “On Vocal Ministry.” He also wrote “Advancing Quaker Spirituality in the Twenty-First Century,” an article in Friends Journal. Barry lives in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.

Rashid Darden

Rashid works with program staff to share news of FGC programs. A storyteller and former teacher, Rashid seeks creative solutions to existing problems. In 2023, he was promoted to Associate Secretary for Communications and Outreach. In this role, he supervises all staff on the Communications and Outreach Team.

Liz Dykes

Liz began working at FGC in November 1996. She was the Conference Coordinator until 2006, and then returned to staff in 2022. She is now the Associate Secretary for Ministries. Liz manages most program staff, approves programs budgets, and sets policies for FGC programs. She helps to create a collaborative work environment with administrative colleagues and governance. Liz is an avid sewist, and serves as recording clerk for both Gainesville Friends Meeting and Southeastern Yearly Meeting.

Faith Josephs

A graduate of Guilford College, Faith serves as the Associate Secretary for Development. Since 2019, Faith has nurtured relationships with the donors who support FGC. She shares information about planned giving to encourage Friends to support FGC today as well as in the future.  Faith lives in Charlotte, NC and is a member of Charlotte Friends Meeting.

Vanessa Julye

Vanessa has been an FGC staff member for 18 years. She currently serves as the Associate Secretary for Organizational Cultural Transformation. In 2009, Vanessa co-authored Fit for Freedom, Not For Friendship. In 2023, Vanessa was promoted to Associate Secretary for Organizational Cultural Transformation. In that role, she assists FGC with transforming its culture. She supports the Ministry on Racism, as well as Youth and Young Adults Programs.

Lee Meinicke

Lee is FGC’s Fiscal and Property Manager. Since 2016, Lee has overseen all financial functions for FGC while also supporting the Friends Meeting House Fund Board. She manages budgets and works with external payroll, bookkeeping, and investment firms. Lee has worked in the non-profit sector for over 25 years, holds an MBA in Sustainable Business and is a dedicated Unitarian Universalist.

Managers, Coordinators, and Associates

Jen Ambrose

In August 2023, Jen joined FGC staff as the Development Manager. She maintains relationships with donors, describes the positive impact of FGC programs, and shares personal thank you notes to donors. Prior to working at FGC, Jen worked in marketing and communications for 10 years. She lives in Florida.

Susan Lee Barton

Susan Lee began at FGC by working for the Gathering in 2010. For six years, she served as the Administrative Associate, before returning to the Conference and Events Team in 2023. Susan Lee helps people with registration questions, creates event forms, and loves working with a variety of people – including a range of wonderful volunteers.

Rachel Ernst Stahlhut

As the Spiritual Deepening Program Coordinator, Rachel coordinates eRetreats and the Spiritual Deepening Library. She recruits facilitators to lead eRetreats, including the popular Poetry as a Spiritual Practice. She has worked for FGC since 2016. She is currently planning FGC’s first “Unconference,” Encountering Spirit.

nova george

Nova began working at FGC in January 2023. After a year of serving as Spiritual Deepening Program Associate, nova transitioned to become the Conference and Events Coordinator. In this role, nova acts as the registrar for Conference and Events. They also manage programs and activities. In 2024, nova will co-lead “Dreaming Sanctuary,” an intergenerational LGBTQ+ gathering at Pendle Hill.

Audrey Greenhall

Audrey is Manager of QuakerBooks and QuakerPress of FGC. She oversees FGC’s bookstore, both online and at the Gathering. The “Press” part of her job is the publication of titles that FGC sells, from Newcomer Cards to Black Fire to A Sustainable Life.  Other hats Audrey wears: Mom to two humans and two cats, attorney, foodie

Kody Hersh

Kody is the Young Adult & Youth Ministries Coordinator. They coordinate Junior Gathering, support the Gathering High School and Adult Young Friends programs, and plan additional events throughout the year. Kody brings experience in Quaker youth work from several local meetings, yearly meetings, and other Quaker organizations. Kody lives in Albuquerque, NM, on the ancestral land of Tiwa-speaking peoples.

Ben Hustis

In April of 2023, Ben joined FGC as the COVID Safety Coordinator. Recently, he transitioned into a new role as Conference Director. He manages conference logistics, supports tech solutions, and adds levity to staff meetings. He brings a project management framework, informed by his past work as a paramedic. Ben lives on the Meeting Place Organic Farm in Ontario, with his wife, Katrina McQuail.

Johanna Jackson

Johanna joined FGC in March 2023. As the Communications Associate, she creates graphics for FGC’s social media. She is the author of “Beyond Politeness,” a Friends Journal article about conflict in Quaker spaces. She traveled in the ministry for two years through Forward in Faithfulness. Johanna lives in Central Pennsylvania.

Cai Quirk

Cai Quirk hit the ground running when they joined FGC in December of 2023. Serving for a one-year term, Cai works as the Spiritual Deepening Program Assistant. Working with Rachel, Cai takes care of logistics for FGC’s many eRetreats. Cai is an artist, author, and facilitator. In 2023 they released the book Transcendence: Queer Restoryation. Cai lives in Ithaca, NY.

Ruth Reber

From 2015-2020, Ruth worked as FGC’s Conference Coordinator. In 2019, she began researching and brainstorming with others to imagine the Changing Times conference, which drew 185 participants. Now, Ruth serves as the Administrative Assistant to Barry Crossno. In that role, she supports the General Secretary, the Central Committee and the Executive Committee.

Shaina Robinson

Shaina began working at FGC in October of 2023. As the Ministry on Racism Program Associate, she supports ongoing virtual events. From 2018-2019, Shaina was a Quaker Voluntary Service alum fellow. During that time, she coordinated retreats for Friends of Color, which she continues doing today. Shaina lives in Philadelphia.

Ashlynn Sylvain

Ashlynn is FGC’s Database Manager. She has a hand in every major communication that FGC sends. She works behind the scenes, making sure that colleagues have the data that they need to do their work well. Ashlynn has been working for FGC since 2017. She lives in Philadelphia.

Hanae Togami

Hanae serves as the Ministry on Racism Program Manager. Since her hiring in December 2022, she has supported ongoing programs for Friends of Color. Hanae has also served on a variety of committees advancing anti-racism within FGC. In 2023, Hanae helped to coordinate the second cohort of the Quaker Coalition for Uprooting Racism program. She is a performer and dancer.

Consultants

Bianca Santini-Dumas

Bianca recently joined the Communications / Outreach team in 2023. She gathers and collates stories for FGC’s weekly newsletter, Vitality. Bianca brings an extensive awareness of marketing trends and best practices to her work at FGC. She is also a yoga teacher and Reiki provider, born and raised in Philadelphia.

Interns

A team of interns from Georgetown University join FGC, working this spring with the Communications and Outreach Team. Students from the VIEW program, Virtual Immersions and Experiential Work, are sharing reflective essays on Quaker roles in history and in today’s society. These students include:

Christina Pan

Christina is an undergraduate student at Georgetown University. As part of her internship, Christina wrote “Reforming the Modern Prison System with Quaker Values in Mind,” available on FGC’s website. She has a student fellowship at the Lab for Politics and Performance, a combination of global politics and performance.

Henry Morgan

Henry is a sophomore from Georgetown University. Originally from Dallas, Texas, Henry is studying Government and Economics. He is looking forward to learning more about Quaker traditions and growing as a writer and a professional.

Marina McPhail

Marina is a junior at Georgetown University. She’s studying International Political Economy and Spanish in the School of Foreign Service. Recently, Marina worked for a philanthropic organization in Tanzania. She has a passion for travel, learning languages, and meeting new people. She is excited to be part of this internship and is honored to be part of the FGC team.