PLF Faculty
SanDawna Ashley
The Rev. Dr. SanDawna Gaulman Ashley, Transitional Leader for the Synod of the Northeast, is an accomplished leader having served at all four levels of the PC(USA). Her leadership roles include Senior Pastor, Executive Presbyter, Leadership Development Associate, Manager of Call Process Support and Teaching Elder Ministries. Her ministry focuses on change management, adaptive leadership, public ministry, and making the Gospel relevant today. As the first African American woman in many of these positions, she broke barriers and paved the way for future leaders.
SanDawna teaches the Art of Transitional Ministry and has served on the boards of the Presbyterian Mission Agency and A-Corp of the PC(U.S.A.). She holds a D.Min from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, M.Div from Johnson C. Smith, Certificate in Org Design from Cornell, and a Bachelor of Social Work from Georgia State. She enjoys life with her husband, Murphy, and their dog Joy.
Daris Bultena
The Rev. Dr. Daris Bultena serves as the General Presbyter and Stated Clerk for the Presbytery of Tropical Florida and the Chief Executive Officer for the Vibrant Together Development Corporation. The Presbytery consists of congregations from Ft. Pierce to Key West, Florida.
While serving the Presbytery of Tropical Florida, Daris has helped the Presbytery to identify the meaning of being Vibrant Together. The Presbytery has adopted a plan for ministry that commits congregations and leaders to building relationships, seeking out spiritual depth, and being missional.
As an entrepreneur and innovator Dr. Bultena has combined his ministry passion, business acumen, and property development skills by casting and leading a vision for leveraging church property, for property development and for the incubation of ministries that create sustainable futures for congregations and religious institutions. In 2023 he and the Presbytery of Tropical Florida launched, the Vibrant Together Development Corporation. This corporation repurposes property, develops innovative ministry, and a diverse array of assets.
Dee Cooper
The Rev. Dr. Dee Cooper, Lead Presbyter of Denver Presbytery, is a vibrant PC(USA) leader, infusing ministry with extensive experience and enthusiasm. With Master's degrees in Psychology, Divinity, and a D.Min, Dee has dedicated 28 years to serving in various roles. 30 years of licensed Clinical Marriage and Family Therapy and Hendricks coaching ignites her passion for curating authentic, creative connections in communities and facilitating innovative gatherings.
She loves creating space where Spirit sparks synchronicities of collaboration. A playful facilitator, Dee leads workshops nationwide for denominations, mid-councils, local churches, and the U.S. Air Force. Her adventurous spirit radiates through her passion as she connects people with animals in the wild through her business, Adventures for the Wild at Heart. As Dee embraces and explores this adventure of life she is always accompanied by her loyal golden retriever, Nessie.
Pronouns: She/Her/Y’all
Corey Schlosser-Hall
Ruling Elder Dr. Corey Schlosser-Hall thinks about his vocation in this way: Reinventing ministry for the common good, kin-dom of God. Prior to beginning as Deputy Executive for the Interim Unifying Agency of the PC(USA), he served as Executive Presbyter (EP) for Presbytery of the Northwest Coast from 2006-January 2022.
Corey grew up in the Dakotas and graduated from the University of Oregon . . . Go Ducks! He earned a Ph.D. in Organizational Communication from the University of Minnesota and is an ICF credentialed leadership coach. His executive service is informed by a background as communications director, university faculty, wilderness guide, entrepreneur, food service manager, and consultant.
Corey and his spouse, Adrienne, are parents of two daughters--Maya Ruth (25) and Hannah Rose (21) and a fabulous new son-in-law, Aidan! Corey likes to do anything with his wife and kids, engage in CrossFit, and listen to good music.
Craig Howard
The Rev. Dr. Craig Howard began serving as Executive Presbyter of Chicago at the end of 2021. Before coming to Chicago, he served as Presbytery Leader of Giddings-Lovejoy in St. Louis, Ministry Relations Officer with the Presbyterian Foundation, and as Presbytery Executive for the Presbytery of Milwaukee.
Craig is a native of Chicago’s south suburbs. He completed his undergraduate work at DePaul University, and earned MDiv and DMin degrees from McCormick Theological Seminary.
Craig’s first career was in business as an insurance executive. After being ordained to specialized ministry, Craig served as Director of Recruitment and Admissions at McCormick Seminary and later as Chief Development Officer.
Craig has served several racial ethnic churches including Latinx, African American, Korean, and Euro American — and also a new church development in the Pentecostal Church.
Craig’s spouse is the Rev. Marilyn Gamm, who is also a pastor in St. Louis. They have two adult daughters who both live in Chicago.
Cindy Kohlmann
The Rev. Cindy Kohlmann currently serves as Dean of the PLF Faculty. She has served two churches as a solo pastor, in Ohio and Massachusetts, and the Presbyteries of Northern New England and Boston as Resource Presbyter. She was elected in June 2018 as Co-Moderator of the 223rd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA). In January of 2021, she began service as the Connectional Presbyter and Stated Clerk for New Castle Presbytery (Delaware and the Eastern Shore of Maryland). She is married to the Rev. Eric Markman and has two adult step-daughters and one cat. She loves to travel and scuba dive, especially in warm locations. She’s also slowly learning Spanish (daily Duolingo lessons since December 2015!).
Gavin Meek
Gavin Meek is the EP and Stated Clerk of New Harmony Presbytery, encompassing 59 congregations in 12 counties in northeast SC with the largest percentage (1/3) of African American congregations in the denomination. After being ordained in 1988 and serving ten years as an installed Pastor, Gavin served for 24 years in interim/transitional ministry in one other presbytery and eight congregations of various sizes in seven states in the Midwest, Northeast, and South. From 2008 to 2022, he was part of the PC(USA)’s faculty for interim/transitional ministry. After completing PLF in 2018, he was invited to join the faculty. Gavin and his wife, Jen Kottler, a PC(USA) pastor in Florence, SC, are avid travelers. Gavin has been to 49 states (only missing Idaho, soon to come!) and over 60 countries (and counting) and enjoys reading biographies, all things Scottish (his mother was born and raised in Scotland), hiking, biking, tennis and good food, good wine and a wee dram with friends.
Sheldon Sorge
The Rev. Dr. Sheldon Sorge serves as Coordinator of the Presbytery Leader Formation (PLF) program. In December 2022 he was one of the last retiring ministers to receive the “Honorably Retired” honorific, before it was removed from the Book of Order. Previously he was the Executive and General Minister for Pittsburgh Presbytery, during which time he served on the faculty of PLF for ten years. Highlights of that work included hosting General Assembly and leading the presbytery through a top to bottom staffing and mission redesign in order to become more nimble and sustainable. As a pastor, denominational leader, and seminary teacher, Sheldon published widely on topics of theology and liturgy in journals and books. Sheldon continues in retirement to write hymns, choral arrangements, and jazz hymn settings. Along with making music together, Sheldon and his wife Tammy Wiens enjoy long bike rides – some internationally – and walking golf courses.
Wendy Tajima
The Rev. Wendy Tajima, Executive Presbyter of San Gabriel Presbytery in Southern California was an Evangelism Manager at Apple Computer when she entered seminary. She intended to stay at Apple once ordained—“Rev. Wendy S. Tajima / Manager of Evangelism.” Instead she patched together eclectic professional experiences in the service of ministry. She has served as pastor, foundation trustee, consultant, finance manager, marketer, seminary instructor, crisis counselor, anti-racism trainer, student, manager, and stated clerk.
Wendy earned a BA from Stanford, an MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management, and an MDiv from San Francisco Theological Seminary. Granddaughter of an immigrant pastor, she was ordained by San José Presbytery to serve as interim pastor in Hawai‘i. She then served as regional minister and pastor of a small, rural, native Hawaiian church on Kaua‘i before coming back home to Pasadena to serve in the presbytery that raised her.
Sallie Watson
The Rev. Dr. Sallie Watson is an alumna of the very first graduating class of Presbytery Leader Formation. For 16 years, she served presbyteries in Arkansas, New Mexico, and Texas. Most recently retired from Mission Presbytery in south Texas, Sallie has just begun serving the PC(USA) as Associate Director for Mid Council Ministries in a one-year term position.
Sallie is a graduate of Austin College (Go Roos!), Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and McCormick Seminary. She currently serves on the boards of Austin Seminary and Presbyterian Mo-Ranch Assembly. Married to husband Paul for almost 33 years, they are the parents of Alex (27) and Meredith (25) and grandparents of Alex’s son Arlo. They also serve as staff to Ruby the Cat. They love traveling whenever and wherever possible, and are serious fans of the San Antonio Spurs. Sallie also spends a non-zero amount of time working on their genealogy.
Presbyterian Leader Formation has provided a community of support for me. Mid-Council
ministry is lonely work but thanks to PLF I know that I always have colleagues available so that I
do not have to do it alone!
Barry Chance, Eastminster Presbytery