Rev. Dr. Henry T. Simmons
Chairperson
Rev. Dr. Henry T. Simmons is Chairperson of Franklinton Center at Bricks, Inc.’s Board ofTrustees. A graduate of North Carolina Central University and Howard University DivinitySchool, he is an ordained minister of the United Church of Christ, having served local churches in Washington, DC; Detroit, Michigan; and on the denomination’s national staff. He was Chair of the Board of the former UCC Commission for Racial Justice and Board Chair of Justice Witness Ministries. He is Pastor Emeritus of the St. Albans Congregational UCC, Jamaica, New York, from which he retired in 2019 after 28 years as Senior Minister.
He and his wife, Gayle, reside in Jamestown, North Carolina, and have one son and two grandsons.
Joan Knight Marsh, MSW
Vice Chair
Marsh is an entrepreneur, former elected City Council member, retired mental health clinician and manager. She is a graduate of Norfolk State University and Virginia Commonwealth University. She has served on boards of several not-for-profit organizations and has worked and volunteered in that arena. Marsh is a lifetime member of Laurel Hill United Church of Christ, Suffolk, VA. Her affiliation with civic and social organizations includes being a life member of the NAACP and Norfolk State University Alumni Association, as well as serving in leadership roles with Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.
Marsh is married to Julian Marsh, and they reside in Richmond, VA. The couple are parents, grandparents, and great grandparents in a blended family.
Rev. Dr. Yvonne Delk
Council of Elders Representative
Dr. Yvonne Delk is the former Executive of the Community Renewal Society of Chicago. She was the first black woman to be ordained in the United Church of Christ and has served the denomination in leadership positions including serving as the Director of its Office for Church in Society. She served as the moderator of the Programme to Combat Racism of the World Council of Churches from 1984-1994.
For more than 60 years she has served as an educator, preacher, organizer, and a prophetic voice leading the fight for human and civil rights for people of color, children, and the poor throughout five continents. She is the founding Director of the Center for African American Theological Studies. Dr. Delk’s articles on the Black church experience , racism and human rights have appeared in many publications.
Rev. Dr. Lester A. McCorn
Secretary
Rev. Dr. Lester A. McCorn, a native of Worcester, Massachusetts, is the 13 th President of Clinton College, a private historically Black college (HBCU) founded in 1894 by the African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Zion Church in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Under Dr. McCorn’s leadership, the College is executing a transformative $25 million campus building program, recently completed its 10-year accreditation reaffirmation evaluation with zero suggestions, findings, or recommendations, and is adding new bachelor’s degree programs in nursing, healthcare management, cybersecurity and music.
Dr. McCorn’s community involvement includes Chair of the Board of Habitat for Humanity of York County; Vice-Chair of the Board of the Urban League of Central Carolinas; and the board of Victory Gardens, an urban farming and social entrepreneurship organization. Dr. McCorn is an alumnus of Morehouse College, Yale Divinity School, Chicago Theological Seminary, holds a Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) from Union Theological Seminary, and is a candidate for the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in interdisciplinary studies at Union Institute and University in Cincinnati, Ohio. He is an inductee of both the Martin Luther King Board of Preachers and the Collegium of Scholars at Morehouse College, and a Life Member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
He is married to Mrs. Charlotte A. McCorn, an elementary school teacher in Fort Mill, South Carolina. They are proud parents of four adult children and three grandchildren.
Greg Clinton
Treasurer
Greg Clinton is a visionary and transformative leader. For over 30 years, Clinton has been in the technology field providing solutions to end-users. He started out as a consultant to law firms, small businesses and churches for 11 years and then, over the course of 22 years, built the technology program at North Carolina Central University (NCCU) School of Law. While at NCCU School of law, he worked as a proactive agent for change, developed smart classrooms, and provided for a seamless integration of technology throughout the law school.
In 2005, the NCCU School of Law Technology program was ranked 18th in the nation among other law schools by the National Jurist Magazine. In 2009, he led the efforts to achieve a Broadband Technology Opportunity Program (BTOP) grant to create the Virtual Justice Project. The BTOP grant allowed the law school to obtain a telepresence room, establish high definitions video conferencing locations at 26 legal aid, legal services and minority-serving institutions, and upgrade broadband capacity. Clinton and his co-founder, Pamela Glean, pioneered TeleLaw, using telepresence and HD Video Conferencing. During the Pandemic when most law schools were scrambling to operate, NCCU School of Law did not have to take any additional weeks to prepare. The law school has been using Zoom for inclement weather since 2015, so it was able to seamlessly convert virtually. Recognizing the need for access to legal information and other virtual resources in our country, Clinton started VirtualJustice.US in May of 2021.
Clinton is married with 2 adult children. He is a member of Mt. Calvary United Church of Christ where he chairs the Scholarship Committee and Church Council. He is also a Morehouse College Alumnus.
David Taylor
Board Member
David recently retired as one of the Pastors of the First Church of Christ, United Church of Christ, of Glastonbury, Connecticut. Prior to those 20 years of his 43 years in active ordained ministry in the United Church of Christ, David served parishes in both Connecticut and New Hampshire, as well as serving as an Area Conference Minister for the Connecticut Conference and before that as an Associate for Church Empowerment with the national United Church of Christ’s Office for Church in Society. In each of these settings David understood his calling to be this: to help build God’s beloved community of peace and justice and then to work together to make the world a better place for all of God’s children.
Arlane Gordon-Bay
Board Member
Arlane Gordon-Bray is the dedicated Director of the Edgecombe County Public School Educational Foundation, overseeing initiatives to enhance educational opportunities in eastern North Carolina.
With a robust professional background spanning over a decade, Ms. Gordon-Bray brings extensive expertise in strategic consulting and community engagement across diverse sectors, including defense, private industry, and nonprofits in both the United States and international settings. Her commitment to excellence extends beyond her professional pursuits, as evidenced by her membership in the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., her role as a 4.0 Schools Fellow, and her active involvement as a World Economic Forum Global Shaper Alum.
In addition to her role with the Educational Foundation, Arlane Gordon-Bray is a co-founder of the non-profit Twin Counties Catalyst Collaboration Lab. This organization is dedicated to collaborating with marginalized communities to navigate the challenges and opportunities associated with the Future of Work. Arlane Gordon-Bray earned her BA Virginia Tech and holds a MS in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University.
Naeema Muhammad
Board Member
Naeema Muhammed is the Senior Advisor, NC Environmental Justice Network (NCEJN), seeking to promote health and environmental equality for all people of North Carolina. She is also a founding member of BWFJ (Black Workers for Justice) in North Carolina, a community organization that addresses workers’ rights issues since 1981. Naeema has extensive experience in community organizing and inn community based participatory research, especially concerning waste from industrial hog operations. As a collaborator on two NIEHSS grants – the Community Health and Environmental (CHER) ad Community Health Effects of Industrial Hog Operations (CHEIHO) projects; she has coordinated environmental justice education.
Naeema is the wife of Saladin Muhammed for 55 years; and they have fought for justice all along. She believes their work will lead to better lives for their families, including their 3 children, 9 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren.
James Wrenn
Board Member
Tylin Woodstock
Board Member
Tylin is a first-generation attorney from Miami, Florida and is a proud Alum of Florida International University and North Carolina Central University School of Law. Tylin works at Cisco Systems as Product Counsel for the Security Business Group. Prior to Cisco, Tylin worked for the United States Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency, drafting, and negotiating legal agreements and creating strategic initiatives under the Chief Counsel to promote minority businesses.
As a former AmeriCorps National Service Volunteer and current Junior League member, Tylin enjoys giving back to the community and providing pro-bono services. Tylin currently serves as a Committee Member for the Future of Law Committee for the North Carolina Bar Association. When Tylin is not working, she loves traveling to new cities, reading non-fiction books, eating seafood, and rock-climbing.
