weLCOME special GUESTs rev. Dr. David Vásquez-Levy and rev. DR. LEAH D. JACKSON, ESQ.

Rev. Dr. David Vásquez-Levy will speak at the Regional Assembly on Friday; Rev. Dr. Leah D. Jackson, Esq. will be featured on Saturday.
All worship services will be live streamed on the Disciples PSWR YouTube channel.

Rev. Dr. David Vásquez-Levy serves as President of Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California –a progressive, multidenominational seminary and center for social justice that prepares spiritually rooted leaders to create a world where all can thrive.  A committed pastor, a nationally recognized higher education and immigration leader, and a sought after speaker, Vásquez-Levy leads at the intersection of faith, higher education, and social change.

Vásquez-Levy is committed to innovation and access in theological education and leadership formation.  He serves on the GTU Consortial Council, is co-founder and co-convener for La Colectiva, a group of Latino/a executive leaders at ATS schools, and is a member of the executive leaders group of AshokaU campus network and the Asociación para La Educación Teológica Hispana (AETH).  He also serves as Chair of the board of Church World Service, one of the largest ecumenical development agencies in the world, and the Advisory Council for Encore.org. 

 Vásquez-Levy regularly contributes a faith perspective to the national conversation on immigration, including speaking at a congressional briefing, immigration consultations with the both the Obama and the Biden White House, engaging in a series of public conversation with various State Attorneys across the country in an effort to reframe our national conversation about immigration.  He has worked on consulted on a number of documentaries on immigration, labor, and human rights and is the author of various publications that explore migration stories in sacred texts and in people's lives.

Vásquez-Levy has lived in four countries, including working on refugee resettlement in Canada, and taught courses and led international study and service trips across the globe.  He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science from Texas Lutheran University and a Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, including studies at Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich, Germany.

The Reverend Doctor Leah D. Jackson, Esq. has been called to minister the Word of God as a preacher, pastor, educator, writer, and dancer. She was ordained in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) by Ray of Hope Christian Church in Decatur, Georgia under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Cynthia L. Hale, where she served as the Minister of Christian Education for 8 years and is now an Associate Minister. She is also a licensed member of the State Bar of Georgia and specializes in Technology and Intellectual Property law. She serves as the Grant Program Director for the Reimagining Tomorrow Initiative and an Adjunct Professor at McAfee School of Theology at Mercer University. She is also an Adjunct Professor at Spelman College and Lexington Theological Seminary.

Rev. Leah received a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy with a focus in Child Advocacy from Spelman College in 2002, a Juris Doctor in 2005, Master of Divinity in 2012, and Doctor of Ministry in 2025 from Mercer University. She was licensed as a Minister of Dance in 2008 and served as the advisor for the Spelman College Dance Ministry, Movements of Praise, at Sisters Chapel.

She serves on the Chaplain Council of the Decatur Alumnae chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and is the former Chaplain of the Atlanta chapter of the National Alumnae Association of Spelman College.  Leah is the 2023 recipient of the prestigious McAfee School of Theology Alumni Create Award and a 2026 graduate of the ATS Women in Leadership Pilot Program.  She is the proud author of the devotionals, Daily Manna from the Psalms: Nuggets of Hope for the Hungry Christian and If Perish, I Perish, But I Won’t!: Facing Your Fears Through the Study of the book of Esther.