The Board of Directors consists of three to seven member-servant leaders of good standing who were nominated for the Board of Directors by the Member Board Trustees and selected as a Director by the Board of Directors. The Chair of the Board is an ordained Awakening Together Minister. The primary purpose of the Board of Directors is to oversee the Member Board Trustees to ensure the Awakening Together purpose and values remain in the highest position of consideration in all organization-level decision making including decisions made in the management of day-to-day affairs.
Our Board of Directors are:
Rev. Joanne Schneider
Joanne has been on a personal spiritual path for quite some time. In 2009, she was ordained through Pathways of Light. In 2016, she was ordained through Awakening Together. She has been involved in Gentle Healing since January 2017. Joanne works as university faculty where one of her roles is to chair a board of researchers who review research for the protection of human subjects. This board considers both safety and ethics. Joanne serves as the Chair-Minister of the Board. She was re-elected to the Board of Directors in October 2024.
~ ~ ~
Rev. Kelly Barber
Kelly first became conscious of a spiritual path when she was divinely led to the beautiful healing of 12 Steps to help with a drinking problem. It was there where she gained an understanding of dependence on a loving presence that began to invade all aspects of her life. Always a seeker, she discovered Awakening Together and Regina and has felt at home since. Kelly completed MPP in 2015, participates in Gentle Healing Year 2 and helps facilitate Movie Watchers Group. Kelly is Human Resource Manager for a non profit company that provides services for individuals with intellectual disabilities in a residential setting. She was born and raised in the beautiful state of Idaho and continues to live there her husband Jim, their two dogs Pete and Oscar and the newest member of the family Missy the feline. Kelly serves as Vice-Chair and Secretary. Elected to the Board of Directors in November 2020.
~ ~ ~
Rev. Sharon Hepburn
~ ~ ~
Rev. Connie Poole
Connie recognizes the Universe’s guidance throughout her spiritual journey, rooted in a family steeped in spiritual inquiry. Her father served as a Methodist—and later Unity—minister, and her mother was a Unity teacher. Connie and her four sisters grew up hearing stories of seekers and teachers (including Edgar Cayce and Ruth Montgomery), and their paths have been influenced by several spiritual leaders, including Regina Dawn Akers.
After graduating from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Connie became a business owner, operating a manufacturing plant in Jeffersonville, Indiana, where she implemented educational and second-chance opportunities to support employees and their families.
She now lives with her partner, Ellen, and co-facilitates an Awakening Together program with her sister, Jacquelyn. Connie, her mother, and her sisters practice Gentle Healing/Gentle Awakening daily and meet bi-weekly to share insights—continuing a lifelong journey of listening, learning, and gratitude. She was elected to the board in August of 2025.
~~~
Rev. Andy Walker
Andy grew up in the Catholic Church but struggled to relate to its dogma and rituals along the way. His spiritual journey was sparked as a graduate student after reading The Phenomenon of Man by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, which described human evolution as a process culminating in the unification of consciousness. His internal guidance – the simple quiet listening to the resonance of his own inner being – led him to investigate various spiritual authors, teachings, philosophies, and practices along the way. He re-discovered ACIM in 2007, and its non-dual teachings reverberated profoundly during the ensuing years. In 2015, apparently ready to take a new important step on his spiritual path, he attended his first ever large-scale spiritual gathering – an ACIM conference in NYC, where he met Regina Dawn Akers and learned more about her books, online gatherings, and spiritual teachings. He continues to strongly resonate with the teachings and practices of Awakening Together, especially its teachings around paying attention to and trusting one’s own inner intuition above any external source. Andy is married, has two adult age daughters, and spends most of the year living in Southern Spain. Elected to the Board of Directors in November 2020.
~~~
Rev. Elaine Wilson
Elaine was raised in rural
Alongside her spiritual