Homecoming Preacher

Rev. Dr. Hwa-Young Chong is the District Superintendent for the North Prairie District of the Northern Illinois Conference. In this role, she supervises 67 churches and ministries throughout the district. She also served as an elder in cross-racial and cross-cultural ministries and appointments since 1995. She received her B.A. in Christian Studies from Ewha Women’s University in Seoul, Korea, and M.Div. & Ph.D. in Theology from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois.

Director of the Center for the Asian/Asian American Ministry

Dr. Dong Hyeon Jeong is assistant professor of New Testament and director of the Center for Asian/Asian American Ministry. The son of Korean missionaries in the Philippines, Jeong is an ordained elder in the Philippine Central Conference, Manila Episcopal Area, Southwest Philippines Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church. Jeong’s area of expertise includes biblical studies and languages, social justice, race and ethnicity, and posthumanism.

Homecoming Presenter

The Rev. Dr. Amy Valdez Barker (G-ETS Alumna and Trustee) is currently serving as Interim Associate Pastor at Mountain Park UMC in Stone Mountain, Georgia, and brings over two decades of experience in religious education and church mission. As the former Executive Director of Global Mission Connections at The General Board of Global Ministries she was responsible for leading five regional offices and two global offices in leadership development and scholarships, as well as overseeing the placements and supervision of 200+ missionaries.

Homecoming Presenter

Rev. Ayla Samson is a Pakistani American. She has been serving as a United Methodist Clergy since 2012, and has served churches in Yonkers New York, at G2G Church at Eastside Chicago, Faith Lombard and now at First UMC Morris IL. Rev. Samson has been serving in various positions in both conference level and national level of the United Methodist Church. Rev. Samson has a heart for ministry among diverse intergenerational groups – where gifts of ethnic diversity are enhanced in calls of discipleship in the daily walk of Faith.

Homecoming Teacher

Rev. Dr. Mai-Anh Le Tran (G-ETS 2004) is an internationally recognized leader in theological education, an accomplished scholar, and much sought-after expert in pedagogy. She joined the faculty of Garrett-Evangelical in 2017 as associate professor of religious education and practical theology and served as Academic Dean from 2019 through 2023.

Homecoming Teacher

Rev. Dr. AHyun Lee (G-ETS 2015) is Assistant Professor of Pastoral Theology, Care, and Psychotherapy. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor and an ordained elder in The United Methodist Church. Lee’s research interests include psychotherapy and religion, intercultural pastoral care and counseling, self-psychology, narrative therapy theory, trauma and crisis counseling, trauma-informed pedagogy, Asian and Asian American theology, practical/pastoral theology, feminist/womanist theology, and postcolonial theory and theology.

Homecoming Presenter

The Rev. Dr. Javier A. Viera was named president of Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary on January 1, 2021. President Viera brings extensive experience in church leadership, rigorous academic study, and community building to his work as president. A native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Viera also serves on faculty as Professor of Education and Leadership. His varied scholarly interests center on inter-religious dialogue, adult learning and development, and the history of Latin America, particularly revolutionary and anti-colonial movements in the Hispanic Caribbean.