Our mission is to strengthen the souls of pastors, spiritual leaders and the congregations and organizations they serve.
The Transforming Center is communities of men and women who gather around the presence of Christ for the purpose of spiritual transformation so that we can discern and do the will of God.
Each person who serves in leadership with the Transforming Center has completed one or more of the two-year Transforming Community® experiences. We are committed to carrying out our mission through a process of ongoing transformation so that we can discern and do the will of God. Our leadership together is shaped by a commitment to the Transforming Center Guiding Values and Principles.
The leadership community of the Transforming Center is made up of the Board of Directors and other ministry leaders.
Board of Directors
Dr. Ruth Haley Barton (Doctor of Divinity, Northern Baptist Theological Seminary) is founder of the Transforming Center. Trained at the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation and the Loyola University Chicago Institute for Pastoral Studies, she is a seasoned spiritual director, teacher and retreat leader. She has served on the pastoral staff of several churches including Willow Creek, is Professor of Spiritual Transformation at Northern Seminary, and the author of spiritual formation books and resources, including Pursuing God's Will Together: A Discernment Practice for Leadership Groups (June, 2012), Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership, Sacred Rhythms and Invitation to Solitude and Silence.
Jim Duncan serves as board treasurer and is president of Navtrak, Inc., a Maryland-based technology company. Jim and his wife, Jeanie, along with three other couples, founded Grace Fellowship Church (Timonium, MD) almost thirty years ago. Jim has a JD from the University of Maryland School of Law and has also been involved in Christian Microfinance in the developing world with Opportunity International.
Rev. Dr. J. Taylor Haley is senior pastor/head of staff at First Presbyterian Church, LaCrosse, Wisconsin. Jonathan holds a Master of Divinity from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Ministry from McCormick Seminary. He serves on the board of the Transforming Center and is a 7-time Ironman competitor. Jonathan has been with the Transforming Center since its very first retreat.
Deborah Harris has been a valued member of numerous boards, including Leadership Network, the Arts and Science Council (President), the Board of Trustees of the North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center (Founding Chairman), and the Fistula Foundation which supports the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital in Ethiopia. A member of Myers Park Presbyterian Church, she has served on the Board of Directors of World Vision U.S., the Board of Trustees of the University of North Carolina Arts and Science Foundation and Wake Forest University.
Rev. Dr. David Hughes is senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina where he has served since 1991. He holds an M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Rory Noland is director of Heart of the Artist Ministries and serves as worship leader for the Transforming Center. Rory served for twenty years as music director at Willow Creek and is a composer, song writer, speaker, and author of several books on worship and the arts, including The Worshiping Artist, Thriving as an Artist in the Church, The Heart of the Artist and Worship on Earth as it is in Heaven.
Ministry Leaders
Dalene Strieff is executive assistant and registrar for the Transforming Center. She comes with more than twenty years of corporate administrative experience. She also serves as a lay leader in church ministry.
David Strieff serves as our database manager and liturgical assistant along with managing Transforming Resources™. David and Dalene attend Church of the Resurrection in Glen Ellyn.
Jeffery James leads the marketing and communication efforts of the Transforming Center. He has over 20 years experience creating brand communications for a wide variety of clients. He is the principal of Spire2 Communications, Inc. He earned his B.F.A. in graphic design from the Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida.
Jeanie Duncan is the administrator for several of our Transforming Communities. She is retired from a career in education, most recently as the head of the Cambridge School in Baltimore, MD, a school noteworthy for its integrated approach to Christian education. She is a leader in the area of adult spiritual transformation at Grace Fellowship Church.
Jerry Lee serves the Transforming Communities as a faithful intercessor while graciously providing hospitality. She attended the University of Texas and Columbia College of Missouri. She has spent over 30 years as an international flight attendant. Presently she co-leads the prayer ministry at Willow McHenry.
Dr. Charlotte Dillon received her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology in 1989 from Northwestern University, and has been a licensed clinical psychologist in the state of Illinois since 1991. She is an adjunct faculty member in the Institute of Pastoral Studies at Loyola University. Dr. Dillon's passion is focused on clarifying and articulating the nuances of healthy spiritual and relational connections that facilitate transformation and healing across one's life cycle. Char teaches and is also available for psychological consultations during Transforming Community retreats.
