BJC announces the 2025 class of BJC Fellows

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Karlee Marshall / [email protected] 

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – A dynamic group of young professionals are preparing themselves for a lifetime of advocacy at the BJC Fellows Seminar. BJC (Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty) is proud to announce the 2025 class of BJC Fellows — 14 emerging community leaders committed to protecting faith freedom for all and challenging harmful myths about religious freedom in their own communities. 

The 2025 BJC Fellows are in Colonial Williamsburg, Va., this week for a five-day seminar, which is led by BJC staff, legal scholars, theologians, Baptist historians, and Colonial Williamsburg’s own historical interpreters. BJC Fellows will engage in conversations about history as well as the latest developments in the religious freedom landscape, all while sharing from their own experiences and community contexts.

Launched in 2015, the BJC Fellows Program has now named 100 individuals as BJC Fellows, creating a lasting network of advocates across the country who care about faith freedom for all people. This year’s class marks a decade of equipping community leaders with the historical, legal, and theological tools to defend and extend religious freedom in their own communities.

“As we mark the 10th anniversary of the BJC Fellows Program, these young professionals are a powerful reminder of what can happen when we invest in emerging leaders who are committed to justice,” said Dr. Sabrina E. Dent, director of the BJC Center for Faith, Justice and Reconciliation, which houses the program. “The 2025 BJC Fellows represent the future of faith freedom advocacy. Their unique voices and experiences will help shape a more inclusive and equitable conversation around religious freedom.”

Reach out to Karlee Marshall at [email protected] for any questions or requests. Photos of the class will be available following the seminar — you will receive an email from Karlee with a Dropbox link to photos — and you can see photos and videos posted throughout the week on BJC’s Instagram at @bjconthehill and Facebook at Facebook.com/ReligiousLiberty.

Members of the 2025 class of BJC Fellows:

Kale Anderson (Little Rock, Arkansas)

• Kale Anderson (he/him) is an attorney with the Brad Hendricks Law Firm and a deacon at Second Baptist Church in downtown Little Rock. A graduate of the University of Central Arkansas with a B.A. in religious studies, he worked with at-risk youth for 5 years before earning his law degree from the University of Akron School of Law.

Rev. Abigaíl Medina Betancourt, PMP (Cataño, Puerto Rico)

• Rev. Abigaíl Medina Betancourt, PMP (she/her) currently serves as the National Coordinator for Intercultural Engagement at American Baptist Home Mission Societies and associate pastor of Primera Iglesia Bautista de Sabana Llana. A graduate of Seminario Evangélico de Puerto Rico and Universidad de Puerto Rico, she has a certification as a Project Management Professional (PMP).

Rev. Christopher M. Coates (Rocky Mount, Virginia)

• Rev. Christopher M. Coates (he/him) serves as the 16th pastor of the First Baptist Church in Rocky Mount, Va. A native of Reidsville, N.C., he holds a B.A. in Political Science with a minor in Religion from Johnson C. Smith University and a Master of Divinity from Wake Forest University School of Divinity. Christopher is currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry at Howard University

Pastor Caleb Cooke (Bowie, Maryland)

• Rev. Caleb S. Cooke (he/him) serves as Senior Pastor of Village Baptist Church in Bowie, Maryland. A native of Mount Airy, North Carolina, he holds a B.A. in Religious Studies from Duke University and a Master of Theological Studies from Duke Divinity School. Caleb has served churches in North Carolina, Missouri, and Maryland, and remains active in the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.  

Rev. Alexis Engelbrecht-Villafane (Claremore, Oklahoma)

• Rev. Alexis Engelbrecht (she/her) graduated with a Master of Divinity from Phillips Theological Seminary and is an ordained minister within the Disciples of Christ tradition. A graduate of Quincy University with a degree in English, 6th-12th grade studies and political science, she currently serves First Christian Church of Jefferson City in Missouri as the Minister of Online Faith Formation and prepares and facilitates various small group online learning experiences for Gobin Church in Greencastle, Indiana. During the school year, she teaches Upper School English and is the Dean of Academics at Riverfield Country Day School in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Rev. Zack Jackson (Hattiesburg, Mississippi)

• Rev. Zack Jackson (he/him) serves as Pastoral Resident at University Baptist Church in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. He is a graduate of Georgia College & State University, Baylor University, and the Wake Forest University School of Divinity with a B.A. in geography, MSEd in higher education and student affairs and a Master of Divinity respectively. Before pursuing a call to pastoral ministry, Zack served in a variety of roles related to higher education leadership, such as Graduate Apprentice for Spirituality and Public Life, Director of Student Engagement, Residence Director and Adjunct Instructor of Interdisciplinary Studies.

Harmeet Kaur Kamboj (New York, New York)

• Harmeet Kaur Kamboj (they/them) is a Sikh interfaith leader, public scholar, artist, and religious freedom advocate. They currently serve as Assistant Director of Workplace Strategy at Interfaith America, building and supporting religious inclusion initiatives for businesses and the health care sector. Harmeet has previously held roles at the Sikh Coalition, America Indivisible, the Public Religion Research Institute, and the Campaign for Youth Justice. Harmeet holds a M.A. in Interreligious Engagement and a S.T.M. in Religion and Society from Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York, as well as a B.A. in English from the College of William & Mary.

Christine Krieger (Baltimore, Maryland)

• Christine Krieger (she/her) currently serves as the Program Director for Congregations at the Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies (ICJS) in Baltimore, Md., where she leads a year-long fellowship for Muslim, Christian, and Jewish clergy and lay leaders to increase interreligious literacy, engage in dialogue, and build community in the Greater Baltimore area. Prior to joining ICJS, Christine worked for more than a decade in higher education and is a graduate of McDaniel College and Sarah Lawrence College with a B.A. in history and women and gender studies and a Master in women’s history respectively.

Victor Lee (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

• Victor Lee (he/him) has had a decade of experience as a creative who’s worked on documentaries, campaigns, and other visual stories. Brooklyn-bred and Philly-based, Victor is a cinematographer by trade and storyteller by heart. He is currently halfway through his MA in Theology as a graduate student at Fuller Theological Seminary and is finding ways to integrate his education with his craft to engage civically, collaborate creatively, build community, and recover our humanity.

Rev. Tom Reid (Newton, Massachusetts)

• Rev. Tom Reid (he/him) serves as pastor of Newton Presbyterian Church in Newton, Mass., as Business Director of the Trustees of Jaffna College Funds, and the MA Engagement Director for the Community Purchasing Alliance Cooperative in Massachusetts. He also represents the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) as a member of the Interreligious Relations Convening Table of the National Council of Churches. Prior to his current roles, Tom served as Associate Director of the Miller Center for Interreligious Learning and Leadership of Hebrew College in Newton Centre, Mass.

Clareese Saunders (Queens, New York)

• Clareese Saunders (she/her) is a Queens-based, second generation, clinical social worker and author. Passionate about grassroots organizing, challenging mental health stigma and therapeutic storytelling, Clareese formerly served with the United States Peace Corps from 2013  to 2015 as a Healthy Youth Volunteer in Lesotho, Southern Africa. Clareese now serves as a high school social worker in a Bronx charter school by day, and she is growing a small private practice at night.

Lukas Smith (Los Angeles, California)

• Lukas Smith (he/him) is a board certified cardiac vascular nurse who currently works at the UCLA Health Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation clinic in Los Angeles, Calif. A graduate of the UCLA master’s prepared nursing program, he is planning to return for a PhD in nursing. 

Rev. Aaron Tinch (Bowie, Maryland)

• Rev. Aaron Tinch (he/him) serves as pastor of New Hope African Methodist Episcopal Church in Waldorf, Md. A graduate of University of Maryland College Park and Payne Theological Seminary, Aaron is currently working toward a Doctor of Ministry in Strategic Leadership for Black Congregations at Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary.

Kyle Zuber (Pataskala, OH)

• Kyle Zuber (he/him) is a longtime educator, mentor, and community advocate who works with students who have emotional and behavioral challenges. Kyle has a B.A. in political science from Miami University, a Master of Education from Grand Canyon University, and a Master of Divinity from Liberty Theological Seminary. A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, he currently leads an LGBTQ+ and Allies group at his affirming church, where he helps create space for honest conversation, healing, and belonging.

BJC (Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty) is an 89-year-old religiously based organization working to defend faith freedom for all and protect the institutional separation of church and state in the historic Baptist tradition. BJC is the home of the Christians Against Christian Nationalism campaign.