Core Leadership
Frances Cutshaw she/her
Frances is the Founding Director of The Order of Saint Hildegard.
Leaning on 20 years in nonprofit and faith-partnered communities, crisis-based social services and teaching, Frances recently served as Executive Director of United Ministries of Pensacola before moving into community and leadership development.
A former pastor in the British Methodist Church and in the Western North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church, Frances has studied with powerful mentors, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Experiences of toxic/traumatic spiritual abuse nearly silenced Frances’s call to lead, but the work of deep contemplation and the grace of healing and rising prepared Frances to be a nurturer of leaders. In 2019 Frances became a Certified Dare to Lead ™ Facilitator and is also a Certified Yoga Instructor and Guided Meditation Facilitator. Currently, Frances is a DMin student focusing her work on resilience, belonging and embodiment.
Frances is particularly and personally interested in the colorful ways women recover from the nonconsensual theologies that have victimized them for centuries across geopolitical landscapes.
Her writing and other creative work is available on substack at:
Michelle L Hofer she/her
Michelle is a visual artist full of wonder and curiosity for the ever surprising mystery of Divine communion. While much of her artwork rises out of the ancient tradition of icon art, Michelle has found a way of creating that is playful and freeing.
Artmaking opens us to the spiritual realm and fosters deep listening — something Michelle desires to help others experience.
A survivor herself, Michelle also seeks ways to educate others on spiritual abuse and trauma in the church. She believes listening and holding space for others to share their stories of pain is an undervalued ministry and was the at the heart of the person Jesus.
Michelle’s art and writings is available at her website:
Chris Wilson they/she
Rev. Chris Wilson is an ordained and trauma-informed community chaplain focusing in neurodivergent, disabled, and queer communities.
They are a co-founder of the Progressive Clergy Squad, an ecumenical and interfaith group of clergy using popular social media apps in a mission to educate and counter hateful Christian narratives.
They have experience leading community organizing groups such as Our Common Calvert and Highlander MD and have trained with the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF) organizing institution. This includes a community organizing certificate through NEXT Church and Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary, Metro IAF three-day leadership training, and various Anne Arundel Connecting Together (ACT) core team training events.
They are currently working on an MA in Organizational Psychology at American Military University. They also hold an MA in Religious Studies from Chicago Theological Seminary, an M.Div. from The University of Metaphysical Sciences, a BA in Sociology from American Military University, and an AS in Applied Electronics from the Community College of the Air Force.