We are thankful for the thoughtful guidance and oversight that we receive from our talented Board of Directors. Each of our Board members brings something special to our ministry, and we treasure their ongoing investment of time, wisdom, and support.
Edmond Ramly, President
I have been connected with The Crossing in a number of ways since I lived in its international housing cooperative in 2007, when I moved to Madison. I grew up in Beirut, Lebanon, and still visit my parents there every year. My two younger brothers both live in the US too, working on the east and west coasts, while I hold down the fort here in the midwest with my wife Claudia. I value learning and love engaging my imagination and creativity in various ways. I am a healthcare systems engineer on faculty at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, where my research and teaching focus on improving preventive care processes. During the rest of my time, I am an organizational development facilitator and improvisational theatre actor and coach. I enjoy painting, writing, dancing, hiking, and cooking with friends.
Sue Dixon, Vice President
For more than 10 years I’ve been inspired by the stories that UW-Madison students have shared about their spiritual, leadership and Quest journeys through The Crossing. I believe that faith is a life-long journey and that faith grows through questioning and learning from others. I believe that The Crossing is a place where ALL are welcome to share their faith questions and to journey together. I am excited to be joining The Crossing Board of Directors in 2020.
I recently retired from TDS, Inc. as a Senior HR Business Partner. I worked for the TDS family of companies for 25+ years in various positions in internal audit, business process improvement, leadership development, and human resources. I grew up in the United Methodist Church and have recently joined Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ. Through my career and spiritual journey I have learned that my calling is to support and serve others; to be a listener, a coach, a mentor, and a trusted advisor. As a new board member, I am excited to bring this calling, along with my people and business skills, to serve the students at The Crossing.
Melissa Chan, Treasurer
I am a Data Visualization Developer for UW-Madison. My experiences as a student with The Crossing and living in Wayland have shaped a large part of who I am today. I am honored to give back now as an alumni and Board member.
Julie Luecke, Secretary
Dr. Julie Luecke in an associate professor and associate dean for Graduate Programs in the School of Education at Edgewood College. She was an elementary classroom teacher for nine years before moving into higher education. She is a member at Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ, involved for many years in children’s programming and serving as a trained Our Whole Lives instructor for middle school youth. She received her BS in Elementary Education from the UW, an M.Ed. in Curriculum from the University of Illinois, and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the UW (including an inspiring course in Spiritually Centered Leadership). During her graduate studies she took a year off to volunteer at Ongwediva College of Education in Namibia. Julie currently teaches children’s literature at both undergraduate and graduate levels, and undergraduate courses in wellness and gender in education, which grows out of her research interest in building support structures for gender expansive students and their peers through educational policy and practice. She has also participated in the Madison/Dane County Courage to Teach yearlong series of professional development and renewal retreats. Julie is honored to be a member of The Crossing community through serving on the Board.
Anna Walther, Student Liaison
As of May 2019, Anna will be a senior, studying Community and Environmental Sociology with a concentration in analysis and research. She spends most of her time working and volunteering with the Badger Volunteers program, Morgridge Center for Public Service, Institute for Research on Poverty, and, of course, The Crossing. She loves birds, black coffee, sitting in the sun, and cooking vegan food.
Dan R. Dick
Dan R. Dick currently serves as Assistant to the Bishop with the Wisconsin Annual Conference. He served as the Director of Connectional Ministries (2009–2015). Dan worked for the General Board of Discipleship in Nashville, TN for 15 years: providing resources in stewardship, leadership development, spiritual formation, congregational and conference planning, spiritual direction, spiritual gifts discovery, and conflict transformation. He continues to author the blog, United Methodeviations (doroteos2@wordpress.com), and has been a speaker and teacher around the world. Author of fourteen books and hundreds of articles, Dan is also an avid reader and loves to play with new ideas. He and his wife, Barbara, live in Sun Prairie.
Mark Fowler
Mark A. Fowler is the lead pastor of First United Methodist Church in Madison, WI. The church is a leader in the capital city. It has chosen to be “downtown for good” and exercise a dynamic public ministry as well as nurture a vibrant congregation. Fowler is the former Leiffer Associate Professor of Congregational Leadership and executive director of the Institute for Transformative Leaders and Communities at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. He also taught United Methodist Studies and Preaching. The ongoing focus of Dr. Fowler’s work is to bring together the resources of a formative seminary with living communities of faith to develop and empower visionary, vibrant and missional leaders for the church. Fowler holds the Wilbur C. Zieglar Preaching Award and his sermons are featured in a collection from other winners of the award in Unfinished Business. Among journal articles and contributions to other publications, he has authored two editions of Mentoring Into Vocation for the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry of The United Methodist Church. Fowler has led workshops and lectured in South Africa, South Korea, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and the United Kingdom. He has been part of the original development team for the Plus program in partnership with the Kellogg School of Management as well as the foundational Vocational Formation and Church Leadership program for Master’s students at G-ETS. Dr. Fowler serves as a resource to the church, a widely travelled preacher and speaker.