David Crawford
President

Dr. Dominica McBride
Founder
BECOME

Conversation partner and facilitator bios

David Crawford, President

David Crawford is the eleventh president of McCormick Theological Seminary. A graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, David is a trusted leader, respected lawyer, colleague, and team-builder. Crawford is an ordained ruling elder in the Presbyterian Church (USA), and has served on the boards of McCormick, Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago, Lifelink Housing Corporation, and has previously served as a Practitioner-in-Residence at the University of Iowa Law School. Read more

Dr. Itihari Y. Toure, Associate Dean for Curriculum and Assessment

Itihari Toure EdD. currently works with the McCormick Theological Seminary as Associate Dean for Curriculum and Evaluation. She is an ordained ruling elder in the Presbyterian Church USA. Prior to joining McCormick, Dr. Touré’s work with the Interdenominational Theological Center, Atlanta Ga. included teaching in Religious Education, administration as the Director of Institutional Effectiveness, Quality Enhancement and, accreditation liaison officer for both the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) and the Southern Association Commission of colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). Her tenure at the Interdenominational Theological Center launched The Sankofa Center for Data Evaluation and Quality Enhancement and the Sankofa Public Fellows Project-a collaborative course intensive with all five Historically Black Theological Institutions through the Religious Freedom Center, Washington DC. The work of the Sankofa Center situated her research (Sankofa Paradigm) and sacred memory work into all of academic programs at the ITC. She is owner and lead consultant of the Sankofa Center for Strategic Planning and Evaluation currently developing curricula and evaluation designs for the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference (SDPC) Inc. based in Chicago for three Lilly Endowment Initiatives. Read more

Rev. Lis Valle-Ruiz, Assistant Professor of Homiletics and Worship and Director of Worship

Rev. Lis Valle-Ruiz works as Assistant Professor of Homiletics and Worship and Director of Community Worship Life at McCormick Theological Seminary. She earned her PhD in Religion (Homiletics and Liturgics) from Vanderbilt University, where she also studied gender and sexuality. Her dissertation, “As One Among Many: Affirming a Multitude of Embodied Preaching Practices,” analyzes pulpit preaching through public speech, street preaching through symbolic action, and preaching through theater and proposes that these are three paradigms among many others in the repertoire of embodied Christian preaching practices among which preachers may choose. Her research interests encompass performance theory, trauma theory, decolonial and queer studies as they relate to and impact worship and preaching.
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Rev. Dr. Leslie Diaz-Perez, Director of El Centro and Senior Director of Admissions

A native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Dr. Diaz-Perez applies her passion in the fields of education and training, missions, and ministry. A double alumna of McCormick, Dr. Diaz-Perez earned both her Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from the seminary. Rev. Dr. Diaz-Perez leads El Centro, which contributes to the theological and ministerial formation of students working in Hispanic ministries and theological education by planning courses, conferences, and lectures with other McCormick centers and other institutions in the Chicago area. In 2022, she also became senior director of admissions where she brings a fresh focus on new pathways to enrollment through broadening the strength of McCormick’s cultural diversity. Together with her husband Rev. Obed Perez, she is part of the pastoral team at Resurrected Life Church in the Hermosa neighborhood of Chicago.

Dr. Dominica McBride, Founder
BECOME

Dr. Dominica McBride is a leading thinker in the realm of community psychology, community healing, and collective transformation. As a champion of Culturally Responsive Evaluation and a grassroots advocacy strategist, she has dedicated her work to building the capacity of communities to create the reality they desire and deserve.

In 2013, Dr. McBride founded BECOME with the belief that communities should be at the forefront of realizing their visions of thriving communities. Drawing on her experience in program development and evaluation projects in Arizona, the Chicago area, and Tanzania, Africa, she recognizes the power of culturally responsive evaluation as a tool for positive change.

With a background in community psychology, Dr. McBride has made significant contributions as a consultant, program director, adjunct faculty member, and therapist in the field. Her expertise and insights have made her a sought-after speaker and trainer for communities, coalitions, and organizations across the nation. She has also been recognized and honored with a range of awards for her outstanding work, including the Supervisor of the Year Award from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology and the Marcia Guttentag Promising New Evaluator Award from the American Evaluation Association.

Dr. McBride holds a PhD in Counseling Psychology with a specialization in Consultation from Arizona State University. Aside from her professional accomplishments, she embraces the joy of motherhood and finds fulfillment in witnessing her two remarkable children flourish.

Rev. Stephen Lewis, President, Forum of Theological Exploration (FTE)

Stephen Lewis is the president of the Forum for Theological Exploration (FTE) and creator and co-founder of DO GOOD X, a start-up accelerator for diverse Christian social entrepreneurs. He is an organizational change strategist and a leadership development specialist, focused on inspiring the next generation of faith-inspired leaders and entrepreneurs to live and work on purpose. Stephen has earned degrees from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Duke University. He is the co-author of Another Way: Living and Leading Change on Purpose (2020) and A Way Out of No Way: An Approach to Christian Innovation (2021).

Litha Booi

Litha Booi is a traditional healer, Ancestral Medicine practitioner, Shamanic practitioner and qualified NLP coach dedicated to empowering people to live a more holistic life and reach their full potential.