Meet Our Leaders
Bottom Row L to R:
Archbishop John Wester, Santa Fe Diocese, Roman Catholic, The Rev. John Williams, Deputy, Rio Grande Mission Center, Community of Christ, Mr. Kurt Rager, Director of NM Lutheran Advocacy Ministry, The Rev. Gail Joralemon, Member of the Executive Committee, United Church of Christ Deputy, Southwest Conference, The Reverend Kim Fields-Haley, Regional Minister for NM and EL Paso, Christian Church (DoC) in the Southwest, The Reverend Margaret McFaddin, Senior Pastor, Grant Chapel AME Zion Church, The Reverend Doctor Bert Scott, Liason Member, Ecumenical Institute for Ministry, Ms. Carolyn Good, Liaison for NM Church Women United, Elder Conrad Rocha, Treasurer of the Board, Executive of the Synod of the Southwest of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Top Row L to R:
Mr. Joseph Sandoval, MTS, President of the Board, Bishop Jim Gonia, Rocky Mountain Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, The Reverend Adam Berndt, Deputy for the Rocky Mountain Synod, ELCA , The Reverend Randall Partin, Secretary of the Board and Deputy for the New Mexico Conference United Methodist Church, The Reverend Robin Dodge, Vice President of the Board, Episcopal Deputy for the Rio Grande Diocese of the Episcopal Church, Monsignor J Bennett Voorhies, Deputy for the Archdiocese of the Rio Grande, Roman Catholic, The Reverend Lynne Hinton, Conference Director
Meet Our Staff
Lynne Hinton
Conference Director Of NMCC
Lynne Hinton was born and raised in North Carolina. She attended Wake Forest University and is a graduate of UNC-Greensboro. She also attended NC School of the Arts, School of Film making and graduated with her Masters of Divinity from Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California. She is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and has served as a hospice chaplain and as a senior pastor in North Carolina and in New Mexico, as well as the interim pastor in northeastern Washington.
Lynne is the author of of more than twenty books, including the NY Times Bestseller, Friendship Cake and Pie Town, a 2011 NM Book of the Year: Fiction/Adventure, Drama Category. She served as a regular guest columnist in the Faith and Values Section for The Charlotte Observer for a decade and is now writing for the Gallup Independent.
Lynne has lived in New Mexico for more than fifteen years. She has served as a chaplain across the central portion of New Mexico. Since 2019, Lynne has been teaching journaling at the Bernalillo County Behavioral Health Care Campus in the Crisis and Recovery Units. She has led retreats across the country, focusing on writing and spirituality as well as workshops on self-care for clergy, writing as a healing and spiritual practice, and other contemporary spiritual topics. She has served on the Board of Trustees for Pacific School of Religion, where she was selected as a Distinguished Alumni of the year.
Lynne became the Conference Director for NMCC in July, 2022. Providing opportunities for ecumenical partnerships in worship, service, and social justice is what she loves about the work. She is also honored to work with such committed and strong faith leaders across the state.
Lynne and her husband Bob Branard live in Albuquerque with their dog Bella, where Lynne enjoys running, writing, reading, and hiking. She also enjoys eating green chile on just about everything.
Erica Lea-Simka
Journey Project Director
Rev. Erica Lea-Simka [she/they] is a graduate of San Jacinto College, Texas A&M University, and Truett Theological Seminary. She has also studied as a continuing education student at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, Eastern Mennonite University, and Hebrew College. Pastor Erica grew up in Houston, TX, the middle of 3 children. Her family instilled core values in her: kindness, love, advocacy, and service. They sensed a call to vocational ministry during her youth group days and has been serving in ministry since.
Pastor Erica has served Baptist and Mennonite congregations in Wyoming, Texas, North Carolina, and Washington D.C. They most recently served as Pastor of Albuquerque Mennonite Church 2017-2025. She can often be found using the expression, “go team”, because she believes all people are created in God’s image and have something positive to contribute to the community and world.
In addition to working with NMCC as the Thriving Churches Initiative Grant Director, she also serves as the Southwest Representative for Mennonite Women USA. Other affiliations and memberships include: the Mennonite [MCUSA]-Jewish Relations Working Group, Mennonite Action, Young Clergy Women International, Q Christian Fellowship, Sierra Club, and Bernalillo County Friends of the Public Library.
Erica also enjoys perfecting plant-based recipes, visiting the public library with their child, communing with St. Julian of Norwich, exploring new towns, nature-walking, watching British mysteries, snuggling with her 2 rescue pups, and spending time with her interfaith family.
Janet Lynn Taylor
Journey Project Manager
When it comes to Janet Lynn’s work and life experiences, there is one prevailing theme – community. Her professional and volunteer service as well as her personal interests; all center around helping others and making her community stronger.
But it was her position as a Community Relations Specialist at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, (NASA) Ames Research Center in California that helped Janet Lynn realize her passion. She represented NASA at special events like air shows and conducted educational tours; often in partnership with translators for foreign national visitors from many countries around the world. For a science lover like Janet Lynn, this was a dream come true!
After leaving NASA and relocating to Albuquerque, Janet Lynn furthered her education – completing her Bachelor’s degree in Training and Technology and Master’s degree in Workforce Education and Development. She enjoyed a successful career as a Learning Consultant and Project Manager. Little did she know then, that her experiences would be crucial for her endeavor as an entrepreneur.
Janet Lynn’s volunteer service has benefited more than forty organizations. Among them, as a founding board member of the ALSA-NM, (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association) chapter after her father was diagnosed with the terminal disease. She served as the program committee chair on the board of directors at PB&J Family Services; and as a Loaned Executive at United Way of Central New Mexico. Her most fulfilling volunteer opportunity was her one-year tenure as an AmeriCorps VISTA, (Volunteers In Service To America). She was assigned to support adults with developmental disabilities advocate for and thrive in their independence.
Janet Lynn says, “My life’s purpose is to be the best ‘ME’ that I can be and answer my Spirit’s call to enhance someone else’s life”, she says. “I truly believe that when you take care of others, the ‘Light’ takes care of you!” It is more than just a desire. It is her calling. Janet Lynn has been building community throughout her extensive and varied career that includes jobs as an assistant in the dental and mental fields; an environmental health technician; and service positions in the financial and several retail industries. With each opportunity, Janet Lynn’s focus was connecting with people in a personal way and advocating on behalf of her organization or business to make a significant impact.