Our Team
About the Union of Black Episcopalians
The Union of Black Episcopalians stands in the continuing tradition of more than 200 years of Black leadership in the Episcopal Church.
Beginning with the establishment of St. Thomas Episcopal Church by Absalom Jones in 1794 in the city of Philadelphia through the election of Barbara Harris as Suffragan bishop of Massachusetts there has always been a strong corps of Black Christians in the Episcopal Church. James Holly, Henry Delaney, John Walker, Tollie Caution, Charles Lawrence, Deborah Harmon Hines, and countless other.
The Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray, Esq. (1910-1985) was the first African American female priest in the Episcopal Church and was a brilliant legal theorist. By the end of her life, she had a BA from Hunter College, a JD from Howard Law School (only woman in her class; graduated first in her class), an LLM from UC Berkeley (became California’s first African American deputy attorney general), a JSD from Yale University (first African American JSD at Yale), and an MDiv from General Theological Seminary.
Organized in 1968 as the Union of Black Clergy and Laity, the Union is the proud inheritor of the work of these people and earlier organizations, including the Convocation of Colored Clergy, the Conference of Church Workers Among Colored People, all dedicated to the ministry of Blacks in the Episcopal Church. The name was changed to the Union of Black Episcopalians in 1971.
The Union of Black Episcopalians is a confederation of more than 55 chapters and interest groups throughout the continental United States and the Caribbean. The Union also has members in Canada, Africa, and Latin America.
About Wellcoaches®
Margaret Moore
CEO, Wellcoaches
https://www.wellcoachesschool.com/
Wellcoaches® is the premier, global leader in teaching science-based, high-impact coaching to health professionals to help them connect, create, grow, and thrive.
Wellcoaches® created the opportunity for the Kindred Coaches program to exist. In April 2020, CEO and Founder, Margaret Moore, reached out to a cadre of Wellcoaches coaches of color from across the nation. A series of listening sessions exploring how to apply coaching to address health care disparities followed. From these dialogues, the goal was established to train peer wellness coaches to reach various categories of communities of color across the nation. Following conversations between Carol Scott, MD, a Wellcoaches® certified coach, and the Reverend Grey Maggiano, rector of Memorial Episcopal Church, the decision was made to answer the call to develop a spiritual-based coaching initiative to address health care disparities. From this beginning, we launched what we titled, ‘Kindred Coaches’.
We are grateful for the inspiration and very generous pro-bono support from Wellcoaches® to provide trainers. Special thank you to Erica Jackson, VP of Training and Operations at Wellcoaches®for ongoing assistance.
Wellcoaches’ social mission statement:
Wellcoaches® is committed to anti-racism. The Wellcoaches® team is awake to, and in empathy with, the intense and profound pain of racism. We are listening deeply to the voices, perspectives and wisdom of black leaders and communities.
We are mourning the killings of George Floyd and other black men and women over centuries. We also understand that the Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities have been terribly impacted by the COVID-19 health crisis and that this is just one symptom of the long history of systemic racism and inequity.
Wellcoaches® is committed to antiracism, which is sustained action to help people outgrow racist ideas, actions, and policies.” We believe that racial diversity in our hiring practices and in selecting global partners is invaluable. The Wellcoaches® team includes Black, Hispanic, and Asian members. And, the Wellcoaches® community is diverse, comprised of coaches of every race and from nations around the world. Leveraging that strength, we are collaborating to offer pro bono coaching and coach training that supports BIPOC. We are exploring paths to help BIPOC including schools, healthcare, education, and places of worship.
Together, we can shift our minds and hearts, one day at a time, to value, recognize, and create cultures of true equality which also fully respect and appreciate the rich contributions of our differences.”
KindredCoaches Team
Charles Innis Jr., DPT
(Wellcoaches® Trainer)
Charles Inniss earned his Doctorate degree in Physical Therapy at Boston University. He spent the early part of his post academic career as a clinician, personal trainer, and teacher.
For the past 7 years, he’s been working as the onsite wellness coach for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts where his role is to help keep employees healthy. Charles is passionate about health and wellness and is eager to support our community.
Rev. Grey Maggiano
The Rev. Grey Maggiano is the Rector of Memorial Episcopal Church in Bolton Hill. He is on the board of MAC and the Unity Hall Advisory Council. He also is a Member of the Board of Directors of Samaritan Community in Baltimore. Prior to his service in Baltimore, The Rev. Maggiano was the Associate Rector of the Trinity Cathedral Miami, where he also served on the board of the Friends of the Biscayne Bay and the Housing First Alliance.
Grey has a Master of Divinity from Virginia Theological Seminary and a Master’s in Public Policy from Georgetown University. Prior to his ordination, Grey was a program officer for the U.S. Dept of State focused on anti-corruption efforts in Afghanistan. Grey lives in Center-West Baltimore with his wife Monica, two children and a new puppy.
Rev. Christine McCloud
The Rev. Christine McCloud serves in the Diocese of Maryland as the Canon for Mission. She preaches at the Cathedral of the Incarnation, Her work includes overseeing the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland Trught and Reconciliation Commission.
The commission focused on enhancing existing efforts to eradicate racism, researching the history of slavery in our diocese and its residual impact, as well as reparations. She also serves as chief program officer for the Union of Black Episcopalians.
Shannon McCullough, M.A. Liberal Arts
Kindred Coaches Program Co-Director
Shannon is a Counselor-in-Training and will receive her second master’s degree in clinical Mental Health Counseling from the Johns Hopkins University School of Education in December 2020. She currently provides therapy to children, adolescents, and adults affected by trauma and childhood abuse as a Mental Health Intern at Baltimore Child Abuse Center. She also provides case management and crisis intervention to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault as a part-time Crisis Response Coordinator at TurnAround, Inc.
Shannon is on a mission to make quality, culturally competent mental health services more accessible to traditionally underserved communities. She and her family are members of Memorial Episcopal Church.
Karen L. Mercer
M.S. Pastoral Counselor
Kindred Coaches Program Co-Director
Karen, currently an intern at Memorial Episcopal Church, is on the path toward ordination as a priest in the Episcopal Church. Karen is a retired Federal employee of the Department of Health & Human Services, the Health Resources Services Administration and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.
Karen has a 20+ year career in public health and mental health services. She recently retired as the Director/Owner of A Renewed Mind Behavioral Health Center. Ms. Mercer brings her experience and a Wellcoaches® training to this project.
Sheryl Richard PhD.
Wellcoaches® Trainer
Sheryl Richard earned her PhD in Community Health from Walden University, and she is a nationally board-certified Health and Wellness Coach.
In addition to being on the faculty for Wellcoaches®, she teaches for multiple universities.
She loves God and people as is looking forward to an opportunity to serve and foster growth in our community.
Carol J. Scott, MD, MSEd, FACEP
Kindred Coaches Program Co-Director
Carol is a community-based practicing Emergency Physician in Baltimore. She trained in Emergency Medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital, completed training in Internal Medicine at Duke University and earned a Master’s in Education at Johns Hopkins University. Since 2014, she has been a Certified Health and Wellness Coach from Wellcoaches® School of Coaching.
Dr. Scott is not a newcomer to understanding health equity and health care disparities. More than a decade ago, she has authored articles, including “Racial and Ethnic Health Care Disparities; An Emergency Medicine Perspective” (published in Academic Emergency Medicine Journal) and was cited in the Wall Street Journal, for innovative training programs to improve physician cultural competency. She is also a professional patient advocate, currently completing a Certificate Program from UC Berkeley Extension School. She and her husband, Nathan A. Scott, III, MD are members of Memorial Episcopal Church.
