Stewarding Potential: Congregational Leaders Shaping the Future

President & CEO

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Rev. Greenwood is the president and chief executive officer of Texas Methodist Foundation. Rev. Greenwood joined the staff of TMF in 2012, serving as vice president for learning and innovation before becoming the president and chief executive officer of TMF and Wesleyan Impact Partners in 2022. 

For over 30 years, Rev. Greenwood has been a change-maker within ministry and faith communities, empowering leaders through learning and innovation and promoting congregational growth. She regularly speaks and facilitates national conversations, creating cultures of purpose, generosity, and courage in the church. Rev. Greenwood is the co-creator and host of the nationally distributed Igniting Imagination® podcast.

Rev. Greenwood is an ordained elder in the Horizon Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church, where she served Highland Park United Methodist Church, First United Methodist Church in Denton, First United Methodist Church in Commerce, and First United Methodist Church in Richardson, Texas. During the last five years of her local church ministry, Rev. Greenwood served as a ministry strategist with Horizons Stewardship Company. Rev. Greenwood earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Divinity from Yale Divinity School.

Chief Learning and Innovation Officer

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Rev. Dr. Blair Thompson is chief learning and innovation officer at Texas Methodist Foundation and Wesleyan Impact Partners, where she and her team lead the organizations’ three Lilly Endowment-funded initiatives: Courageous Congregations Collaborative (C3), Courageous Leadership Imperative (CLI), and Phygital Preaching Fellows. She also leads Wesleyan Impact Partners’ Locke Innovative Leader Award process and cohorts of spiritual entrepreneurs. Blair is the creator and producer of the Igniting Imagination® podcast.

An ordained Elder in the Horizon Texas Conference of The United Methodist Church, Blair is a seasoned speaker, writer, preacher, and facilitator. Her work focuses on expanding imagination, discerning purpose, and developing leaders across the Wesleyan ecosystem.

Blair joined TMF in 2020 after more than a decade in pastoral ministry. She previously served as senior pastor at Arapaho UMC in Richardson, associate pastor at First UMC in downtown Dallas, and senior pastor at Frontenac UMC in Kansas.

She holds both a Master of Divinity and a Doctor of Ministry from Perkins School of Theology, where her doctoral research explored pilgrimage as a formative practice for clergy leadership.

Chief Philanthropy Officer

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Justin is chief philanthropy officer at Texas Methodist Foundation. Justin joined TMF in 2013 after nearly a decade working in various fundraising roles at Southwestern University, including the university’s successful $150 million comprehensive campaign. Justin leads all aspects of TMF’s fundraising and gift planning programs.

Justin holds Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, where he currently serves on the Board of Visitors. He went on to receive a Master of Business Administration from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. Additionally, Justin is a past president of the Charitable Gift Planners of Austin and holds the Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP) designation.

Chief Financial, Investment, and Lending Officer

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As chief financial, investment, and lending officer, Chris Miller oversees all investment and lending functions for Texas Methodist Foundation and Wesleyan Impact Partners.

Chris has nearly twenty years of banking and commercial lending experience in Texas, supporting the business growth strategies of owner-operated businesses and commercial real-estate developers. He most recently served as Market Area Executive at Simmons Bank. Prior to Simmons, Chris served as Senior Vice President of Commercial Banking at Southside Bank.

Chris is a graduate of the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University, where he served two terms as trustee after graduation, and the Hankamer School of Business at Baylor University, where he is a member of the Young Alumni Advisory Council. Chris is Treasurer of Zilker 351 and a former Board President of The Young Men’s Business League and Austin Sunshine Camps.

Chief Marketing Officer

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Janet is the chief marketing officer of Texas Methodist Foundation. Prior to joining TMF on staff in 2022, she served as the organization’s contract chief marketing officer since 2014. Janet is the principal of M Group Agency, a strategic marketing agency founded in 2005 that builds the businesses and brands of for-profit and nonprofit organizations. 

As chief marketing officer, Janet has developed and launched four companies in Austin, Texas, one to over a $90 million business and recognized as #6 in the Top 50 Fastest Growing Companies by PricewaterhouseCoopers. Prior to that, she served as the vice president of Marketing North America for Duracell, Inc. 

Janet holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, double majoring in Finance and Marketing, from Babson College, Wellesley, Massachusetts, and a Master of Business Administration, with a specialization in business policy and strategy, graduating magna cum laude, from the University of Connecticut, Hartford Connecticut.

Vice President of Grants Ministry

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Wendolyn serves as vice president of TMF’s Grants Ministry. She is a dynamic leader in serving under-resourced communities and has deep expertise in the measurement of outcomes and transformational change. In addition to her results-driven nonprofit management experience, Wendolyn brings fundraising, grant writing, resource development, coalition building, and advocacy skills to her role. Her experience developing logic models, data collection and analysis to guide strategic direction and decisions will be instrumental in continuing TMF’s trajectory toward resourcing systemic change.

Wendolyn manages TMF’s grant-making ministry which in 2022 funded $2.1 million in grants to 124 churches and other nonprofits. Wendolyn comes to TMF from her most recent position as Outcomes Manager for CitySquare, a nonprofit organization in Dallas offering comprehensive social services that address four key areas related to the persistence of poverty: hunger, health, housing, and hope.

Wendolyn earned a Bachelor of Arts in Special Education from Bennett College in Greensboro, NC. In addition to CitySquare, she has worked with United Way, Salvation Army in Dallas, National Able Network, and the Jane Addams Hull House Association in Chicago.

Senior Engagement Representative

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Rev. Melvin Amerson is a member of the Texas Annual Conference and serves as a Senior Engagement Representative at TMF. His experience and passion lie in encouraging and developing generous, faithful leaders and congregations.

Melvin is the author of Celebrating the Offering, Fruit for Celebrating the Offering, and Stewardship in African American Churches: A New Paradigm, as well as several articles covering topics from generosity, leadership, and visioning. He served as a board member of the Ecumenical Stewardship Center until it was dissolved in 2021 and is currently serving on the Texas Annual Conference Church Leadership Team. He is a nationally recognized generosity consultant known for his engaging presentations. Beyond strengthening congregational leaders, one of his favorite ways to use his skills is to empower Wesley Foundation staff to effectively fund their college ministries.

Melvin obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi, an Master of Divinity degree concentrating in Christian education from Gammon Theological Seminary in Atlanta, Georgia, an Executive Leadership certificate from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and a certificate in Professional Fundraising from Boston University. Recently, he completed a fundraising certificate with the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.

Assistant Vice President Investor Services

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Sara joined TMF in 2000 as assistant vice president investor relations and currently oversees the team responsible for operational and administrative services for institutional and individual investors. Sara and her team manage all new account onboarding, security and cash transfers, and gifts and donations. Her group manages disbursements and rebalancing transactions, account authorizations, and maintains TMF’s electronic archive of institutional client documentation.

Director of Investor Services

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Derek joined TMF as director of investor services in 2018. He is primarily responsible for the management of institutional client relationships and the pursuit of growth opportunities. He most recently served as a managing director at Wespath Institutional Investments, where he led the team responsible for growth and the retention of institutional assets under management within Wespath investment funds. Prior to that, Derek was senior vice president at Community Capital Management, where he marketed the firm’s fixed income strategies to nonprofit institutional investors and their investment consultants. Derek received a Bachelor of Science degree in political science from Florida State University and is a CFA charterholder.

Investor Services

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Randi joined the TMF team in 2014, working alongside Sara Beltran. Randi manages all fund investor account transactions and investor communications. She also manages the stock account and transfers for all nonprofit church affiliates for TMF.

Director of Philanthropy

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Pamela Gray, director of philanthropy, gift planning, started in September of 2023 at TMF. Prior to arriving, she was the national personal philanthropy director at Disabled American Veterans (DAV) in Erlanger, Kentucky, where she managed a team of eleven, focused on individual relationships and gift-planning activities. Pamela has also served as the senior director of philanthropy and alumni at the University of Kentucky (UK), College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. Prior to her return to Kentucky in 2016, she worked as a director, gift planning at Rice University in Houston, Texas.

Pamela has over 29 years of experience in planned giving, major gifts, marketing, public relations, special events, and fundraising data management from previous positions at the University of Denver, Boys and Girls Clubs, Alzheimer’s Association, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, Colorado Historical Society and Denver Dumb Friends League (Humane Society of Denver, Inc.). Pamela holds a Master of Professional Studies degree in Leadership in Organizations from the University of Denver and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Kentucky in communications.

Learning and Innovation Program Manager

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Lauren Hanks serves as the project manager 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!

Event and Program Coordinator

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Amanda Mauer serves as the event and program coordinator with the Learning and Innovation team at Texas Methodist Foundation, supporting the planning and execution of programs and events. She brings more than 15 years of experience in administrative operations, customer service, and event coordination, with a focus on organization, responsiveness, and effective collaboration. She approaches her work with a spirit of hospitality, helping create meaningful and welcoming experiences for those she serves.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Amanda held administrative roles in both Texas and Pennsylvania, including work with Thales in Austin and the Texas Bankers Association. Her experience includes supporting executive leadership, coordinating travel, managing office operations, and assisting with conferences and events.

Senior Advisor

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Bishop Gregory Palmer is senior advisor for Texas Methodist Foundation. He works closely with Rev. Lisa Greenwood, president and chief executive officer, and the executive team to shape initiatives to establish and deepen relationships with leaders and ministries across the Wesleyan ecosystem.

Bishop Palmer is currently serving as the Council of Bishops' executive secretary and in 2008, he served a two-year term as the Council of Bishops’ president. He has served as president of the General Board of Higher Education and as a board member of numerous organizations, including The United Methodist Publishing House, Methodist Theological School in Ohio, United Theological Seminary, and OhioHealth.

Bishop Palmer earned his undergraduate degree from George Washington University and a Master of Divinity from Duke Divinity School. In 2000, Bishop Palmer was elected to the episcopacy and was the resident bishop of the West Ohio Conference of The United Methodist Church before retiring in September 2024.

Vice President of Lending

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Brandon Perry is Vice President of Lending at Wesleyan Impact Partners, joining in April 2025. 

With nearly two decades of experience as a relationship manager in the banking industry, including key roles at Hancock Whitney, Comerica, and Sterling, Brandon specializes in providing strategies that encompass financing real estate development projects and equipment. He is committed to helping clients achieve financial peace of mind, allowing them to focus on what matters most in their lives. 

Brandon earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and Finance from Sam Houston State University, underscoring his commitment to professional excellence and fiduciary responsibility. 

Vice President of Loans

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Paula is the vice president of loans at Texas Methodist Foundation, appointed to that position in 2015. Paula has 30 years of experience in consumer, real estate, and commercial lending. Prior to her appointment at TMF, Paula was senior vice president, national manager for BBVA Compass with responsibility for commercial and industrial, public finance, and global wealth loan documentation and funding control. During her career in commercial banking, she was involved in compliance and training and supervised work teams of 40 or more persons.

Vice President — General Counsel

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Tom has worked on inner-city and international ministry projects for more than 30 years. He served for 10 years as a Chancellor to a United Methodist Conference and now serves as Vice President — General Counsel for TMF. Prior to coming to TMF, Tom practiced law with an emphasis on mediation, mental health, child welfare, and civil rights.

At TMF, Tom supports and encourages laity and clergy to see generosity and stewardship as the “gateway” to one’s growth in discipleship. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Theology and Economics from Georgetown University and a law degree from the University of Texas School of Law.

Assistant Vice President of Loans

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Cheryl's career in nonprofit lending began in 2012 as a loan officer for Heartspring Methodist Foundation. She joined TMF as a loan officer in 2018. With over a decade of experience in nonprofit lending and over 40 years of combined experience in commercial banking and real estate, Cheryl brings a wealth of knowledge to her role. Her extensive background in the financial and real estate industry equips her with the expertise and skills needed to best serve churches as their loan officer both now and in the future.

Learning and Innovation Event Manager

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Leah Yancey is an event manager 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.