“Surely I know the plans I have for You, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm to give you a Future with Hope” - Jeremiah 29:11
Traumatic experiences can sometimes lead to long-lasting difficult spiritual and moral questions. The result may be loss of faith, increased guilt, shame, self-blame, and alienation from other people and from God. Individuals may experience a depression and a disconnection between the beliefs they were raised with, and their expectations about life. VOACC's Church Without Walls was designed to be on the forefront of the conversations about healing and recovery.
Join us for our in-person Spiritual Colloquium entitled A Future With Hope, as we explore the topic of "Healing From Trauma and Spiritual Growth."
Meet Our Panelists
Geneva Riley Tiggle serves as the Executive Director of Organizational Excellence for Volunteers of America Chesapeake & Carolinas. She earned her MSW-Clinical Social Work degree at New York University. Geneva is an advanced practice licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW-C) and a board-certified clinical supervisor. Geneva has been in the field of Behavioral Health and Human Services for over 25 years and joined the executive leadership team of the Chesapeake and Carolinas affiliate in 2021. Geneva loves her work at Volunteers of America and is proud to lead implementation for trauma-informed care.
Rabbanit Chava Evans is one of a handful of women ordained within the Orthodox Jewish tradition in the United States. She holds a B.A. in Religion from Brown University and an M.F.A. in Fine Arts from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and ordination from Yeshivat Maharat. She holds the James Manning Medal for Excellence in the Academic Study of Religion from Brown University and has served as a Rotary International Scholar to Jerusalem from the United States. For the past five years she has lived and worked in the Washington D.C. area as a hospice and hospital chaplain. She has just completed her first book with Rabbi Eryn London, "Mishkan Refuah," a liturgical handbook for Jewish healthcare chaplains, which will be available from Lioness Press this Spring.
Collette Uwadia is an experienced community development strategist and program manager with over 25 years in management consulting, finance, and non-profit sectors. She is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and a Maxwell Leadership Trainer, Speaker, and Coach.
She serves as the Executive Director and Lead Consultant at LEVERAGE FOUNDATION where communities across multiple cultural diversities are served through project management, leadership development and brand marketing strategy design. She works with individuals and teams to rediscover their passion, empower them to become more aware of their abilities where they derive fulfillment, and continue to remain significant in their careers and businesses.
She is an ordained Minister: a member of the ministerial board of Jesus House DC for the last 12 years, she sits on the Strategy Team council of the church. She is also the Minister-in-Charge of Member Care and Community Outreach. In addition, she serves in the Pastoral Care ministry.
Cyndi Thompson has a BA in Sociology with a minor in Criminal Justice and a Master's Degree in Educational Psychology from Edinboro University. Cyndi has worked in the field of addictions for 20 years and has assumed positions from a therapist to CEO and is currently the Director of Operations for Volunteers of America Chesapeake and Carolinas-Cyndi joined the VOACC team in December 2020 to bring knowledge in the areas of behavioral health and human services for expansion efforts in the Carolinas. Cyndi is a trauma survivor spanning from childhood, into adulthood.
I was a single mother who raised two children-both graduated high school and attended college. I am a high school drop out who then went back and obtained my GED-once my kids were old enough, I went back and obtained my associate’s degree, then my bachelors and finally my masters…and I may not be done yet. I can say I am a survivor and through my experiences, I hope to be able to encourage others, that they can overcome traumatic life experiences and use them as building blocks and not sinking ships
Jayson T. Williams is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Mayson-Dixon Companies, a family of companies that was originally founded in 2015 as MD Strategic Consulting, a public affairs firm that utilizes campaign-style tactics to tell clients’ stories to achieve their missions. As the company grew, Jayson’s love of community organizing transformed into a passion for equitable community development. He has since started complimentary businesses such as, Mayson-Dixon Properties & Development, Modern Builders, Modern Suppliers, and Essential Title that combined with MD Strategic Consulting created the first turnkey community development firm that engages in neighborhoods, builds residential and commercial projects, solves complex supply chain issues, manages properties of all sizes, performs title work, and thoughtfully brings investment partners into thriving and underserved communities alike.
WHAT IS MORAL INJURY?
Moral Injury is a relatively recent term used to describe a crisis that soldiers have faced for centuries, the internal suffering that results from breaking your own moral code. It's a wound of the conscience, and it's not just military members who struggle. Anyone can experience Moral Injury. To learn more visit www.voa.org/moral-injury-center.
