Learning and Innovation

Chief Learning and Innovation Officer

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Rev. Dr. Blair Thompson is the chief learning and innovation officer for TMF and creator and producer of Learning and Innovation's Igniting Imagination® Podcast. Blair is a facilitator, speaker, writer, and preacher. She facilitates conversations with leaders from across the Wesleyan ecosystem, especially in the areas of expanding imagination, discerning purpose, and exercising the Five Muscles.

Blair serves as the Program Director of TMF's two Lilly-funded initiatives: Courageous Congregations Collaborative (C3) and Courageous Leadership Imperative (CLI). Blair is an ordained Elder in the North Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church and joined TMF in 2020 after a decade in pastoral ministry. She completed her dissertation on pilgrimage in the development of clergy leadership for her Doctor of Ministry degree at Perkins School of Theology in 2018.

Director of Learning and Innovation

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Rev. Kathleen McShane is the director of learning and innovation for Texas Methodist Foundation. Kathi retired from active ministry as an ordained Elder in the California-Nevada Conference of the United Methodist Church in 2022. She led four congregations and served for eight years as the vice president for Institutional Advancement at Pacific School of Religion. Before attending seminary and beginning her life in ministry, she was a civil litigator, practicing law in the San Francisco Bay Area.

In her final appointment in Los Altos, California, Kathi co-founded the Changemaker Initiative, which is a small national movement of churches committed to empowering lay people to become compassion-driven changemakers like Jesus. That work has led her toward multiple projects that are re-imagining leadership for the church of the future. She is the co-author, with Rabbi Elan Babchuck, of Picking Up the Pieces: Leadership after Empire (Fortress Press).

Kathi lives on a vineyard on the Central Coast of California.

Associate Director of Learning and Innovation

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Derrick Scott, III is the associate director of Learning and Innovation. Derrick has been leading ministry in the collegiate and young adult context for over 20 years.

In addition to his work with TMF, Derrick currently serves as the creative producer of Studio Wesley, a ministry that’s exploring how to serve college-aged young adults in the digital space. He is also the co-lay leader of the Florida Conference of the UMC. He is passionate about empowering a new generation of leaders and laborers who will live as disciples of Jesus Christ to transform the world.

He has an undergraduate degree in history, is a Cicerone Certified Beer Server, and is a textbook introvert. He loves eating sushi, flying on Delta, and pouring craft beer. He lives in Jacksonville, Florida with his Chihuahua-mix dog Winston and Bengal cat Julian. Most importantly, he hates mayonnaise.

Director of Formation

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Rev. Alicia Roxanne Forde serves as the director of formation at the Texas Methodist Foundation. As a UU minister, Alicia began her ministry by leading a start-up congregation for three years, after which she spent 16 years in denominational leadership, serving as the Program Coordinator for Multicultural Congregations, Professional Development Director, and the Global Connections and Emerging Communities Director. Additionally, Alicia is a passionate and skilled facilitator with a special interest in designing cohorts of spiritual care, especially for BIPOC folx.

Prior to her ministry, she dedicated a decade to the United States Air Force, where she (surprisingly) developed a profound appreciation for accompaniment, transformative growth, and bridging differences through the spiritual practice of curiosity.

Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, Alicia is proud of her bicultural upbringing, which has given her a broad, global perspective that influences her ministry.

In her spare time, Alicia enjoys poetry, hiking, reading, working out, and getting lost in the clouds. A graduate of The Iliff School of Theology (MDiv ’03), she currently lives in Boulder, Colorado, with her partner.

Learning and Innovation Executive Assistant

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Lauren Hanks serves as the executive assistant for Learning and Innovation, blending her extensive corporate background in people and project management with her passion for community impact.

A dedicated member of University United Methodist Church, Lauren serves on several committees while also leading the congregation's vibrant poetry group, putting her Bachelor of Arts in English to good use!

Assistant Vice President of Strategic Initiatives

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Krystol is assistant vice president of Strategic Initiatives at TMF and works currently with the Learning and Innovation. For more than 16 years, Krystol has served the foundation in various capacities, including communications, strategic planning, grant management, project management, and data analytics.

Krystol has a Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Psychology and Master of Arts in Organizational Communication from the University of Houston. She is a certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt with a passion for how data science and evidence-based analytics may support the traction great ideas need to achieve long-term sustainability.

Krystol teaches Sunday School for 5th, 6th, and 7th graders each week. She serves as a board member and chair of the marketing committee for Communities in Schools Houston, and as a board member for Sodzo International.

Learning and Innovation Administrative Assistant

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Leah Yancey is an administrative assistant in the Learning and Innovation department. A seasoned hospitality professional with extensive experience in the industry, she brings over a decade of successful experience in Houston's diverse restaurant scene. With a background as a kitchen manager and sous chef, Leah's expertise extends to entrepreneurship, having co-owned and operated a thriving Catering Company, Food Truck, and Coffee Shop on a single campus for six and a half years.

Leah's dedication to her craft is evident through her achievements, including a Patisserie Certification from Le Cordon Bleu, London in 2012, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Restaurant, Hotel Institutional Management from Texas Tech, Lubbock in 2010. Originally from Lubbock, Texas, Leah's passion for the hospitality industry, combined with her commitment to excellence, organizational skills, and diverse background, make her an invaluable asset as she provides crucial support to the Learning and Innovation department at TMF.