SPEAKERS

Richard Stephenson started working for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in 1998, serving as Chaplain and Campus Pastor for Madison Academy in Nashville, TN. In 2005, while still serving as chaplain, he accepted the call as Director of Technology for Madison Academy and later Director of IT for the Kentucky- Tennessee Conference.

In 2009 he accepted the call to serve at the Southern Union Conference where he worked for 10 years, first as Associate Director, and then as Director of Information Technology.

In 2018 Richard accepted the call to serve as Director of Technology for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America. And in June 2022 Richard was elected at the General Conference Session in St. Louis to serve as Associate Treasurer of the General Conference, where his portfolio includes Technology and Digital Strategy.

Richard loves to integrate technology into mission, in a way that sustains and strengthens the Church. Richard is the father of two, and husband of one. Richard loves the Lord, loves the Lord’s Church.

Josue Pierre serves as an associate treasurer and the data protection officer for the General Conference. His responsibilities also include serving as the corporate secretary of the General Conference Corporation, oversight of the General Conference’s contracts procurement and purchasing processes, and oversight of the General Conference’s real property and intellectual property inventory. Prior to joining the Treasury department in 2022, Josue served as an associate general counsel for the General Conference.

Josue earned a Bachelor of Business Administration (emphasis in accounting) from Andrews University in 1994 and a Juris Doctor from George Washington University Law School in 1997. Before joining the General Conference, he accumulated more than 19 years of experience in various areas of the law, which includes commercial transactions, commercial finance, contracts, real estate, corporate governance, nonprofit law, appellate and civil litigation.

Born and raised in New York to Haitian parents who served the Church in ministry and in the mission field for more than 40 years.

He is married to Danielle since 1994 and they have two daughters - Katherine and Madeline.

Born in Argentina and a Canadian citizen by choice, Adrian brings astrong engineering background to technology leadership. After graduating with honors in Electronic Engineering and later earning his MBA, his career has spanned software development at the National Justice Department in Argentina, IT leadership at educational institutions in Argentina and the Philippines, and network administration in Canada. With years of experience participating in ICANN through the At-Large group, he has developed expertise in Internet governance.

Adrian has maintained his leadership training through certifications and courses, with a specialization in cybersecurity leadership. Currently serving as Director of Information Services for the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist world headquarters, he focuses on building effective teams to support the organization’s global mission.

John serves as the Director of Digital Media Technologies at the General Conference. Since 1999, he has held various communication technology roles within the GC. John has an undergraduate degree in computer science and a master's degree in strategic communication.

Kenrie is an accomplished and collaborative technology leader with more than two decades of experience in innovation, digital transformation, and enterprise software solutions. He serves as Director of Software Solutions for Adventist Technology at the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, overseeing strategic systems development, enterprise integrations, and high impact initiatives. His journey spans academia, digital records management, and enterprise IT leadership. Kenrie is passionate about using technology to help people work smarter and extend their impact. He remains committed to advancing technology that elevates mission, improves efficiency, and empowers people.

Born in Uruguay and raised in Argentina as part of a missionary family, Mildred is a proud Canadian who immigrated to Lacombe in 2008. She holds a bachelor’s in nutritional science and a post graduate diploma in education, with experience spanning clinical nutrition, public health, and K-12 education. After serving as a self sustained missionary with her husband Adrian in southern Argentina, she helped develop the Nutrition program at River Plate University and then worked at the Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies in the Philippines. From 2011, she served in the Education department at the Alberta Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, developing expertise in technology projects including First Nations students. Currently, she is the Project Manager for the Adventist Technology group at the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist world headquarters.

Eder Marski is the Associate Director, IS Security at the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. With 25 years of IT experience across Brazil and the U.S., his career includes roles as IT Director for the Southern Union Conference, Computer Science faculty at Southwestern Adventist University, and positions in the Dallas telecommunications sector.

Beyond his technical career, Eder is a former Fire Fighter Captain and a licensed Amateur Ham Radio operator, bringing a unique perspective on crisis leadership and mission-critical communications to the field of cyber defense. He specializes in datacenter administration, threat hunting, information system auditing, and team leadership. Eder holds an MBA and is currently a PhD candidate in Cyber Defense at Dakota State University. He lives in Maryland, USA, with his wife and family, where he enjoys road biking.

Stephen Filkoski is the Director of the Office of Data Governance at the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventist (GC) proudly serving the church at the GC since 1992. Prior positions at the GC include working in the ITS department as a Software Developer, Development Manager, Associate Director of Development, IT Director, and Cyber Director.

Stephen holds an MS in Information Technology and an MBA from the University of Maryland. In addition, he holds many certifications and is a Project Management Professional (PMP) and Certified Information Security Manager (CISM).

God has blessed Stephen to be able to work for the church he loves for the great majority of his career. He is married to his wife of 33 years, Lyvouch, and has three grown children and spends most of his free time enjoying the outdoors and spending time with his family.

Ernest Staats is a cybersecurity, privacy, and compliance professional with over 20 years of global experience helping organizations protect data, manage risk, and meet regulatory requirements with confidence. He specializes in aligning information security and data protection with organizational mission and strategy, making complex requirements practical and actionable.

Ernest works across healthcare, government, nonprofits, and mission-driven organizations, and currently contracts with the General Conference (GC) as their Technical Data Protection Officer (DPO), supporting global data protection governance, security architecture, and compliance initiatives.

Known for his clear communication and integrity-driven approach, Ernest helps leaders view cybersecurity not just as a requirement, but as a foundation for trust, resilience, and long term impact.

Dr. Pacifique Nizeyimana is a Rwandan academic leader, statistician, and data science expert currently serving as Interim Vice-Chancellor of the Adventist University of Central Africa (AUCA). He holds a PhD in Statistics (Bioinformatics Modeling) from Kyungpook National University and a Master’s degree from Hallym University in South Korea.

His work integrates advanced analytics, AI, and machine learning with education, public health, and institutional governance. He has held leadership and research roles with AUCA, AIMS, Jhpiego Rwanda, and the Society for Family Health Rwanda, contributing to digital health systems, predictive modeling, and data governance. A widely published researcher and MSc Big Data Analytics lecturer, he is committed to ethical, data-driven innovation that advances the Adventist mission, digital transformation, and collaboration across Africa.

Thembinkosi Moyo is a dedicated servant leader with over 22 years of experience applying technology to support the mission of the Adventist Church. He currently serves as the Director of World Church Platforms at the General Conference (GC), where he is privileged to help coordinate global technology solutions. Mr. Moyo approaches his work as a natural problem solver, focusing on how IT infrastructure and systems can best serve the needs of the church across its various entities.

His background is uniquely grounded in both accounting and technology, a combination that has allowed him to contribute to the successful implementation and maintenance of essential systems, including SunPlus and the Adventist Church Management System. Before joining the GC, Mr. Moyo served as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division (SID), where he worked to ensure the division's Technology resources were aligned with its strategic goals, including the adoption of cloud services like Azure, AWS, and Office 365.

Throughout his career, which includes roles in IT management and systems administration at institutions like Solusi University and Helderburg College, Mr. Moyo has focused on practical solutions, such as implementing academic registration systems (IUTUS) and e-learning platforms (Moodle). He holds a Master of Science in Information Systems Management and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting, which provide the foundation for his collaborative and service-oriented leadership style, aimed at supporting the church's work worldwide.

Dr. Rachel Nankware Mgeni, MD, MMed (Internal Medicine) is a seasoned internist clinician and the Head of the Department of Internal Medicine at ASOME Medical School. Drawing from her extensive clinical and academic experience, Dr. Mgeni brings an evidence-based medical perspective to the conversation on work life pressures and stress among technology professionals, offering practical insights on maintaining health, balance, and resilience in today’s demanding digital environments.

Sherri Ingram-Hudgins has supported the church’s mission through technology for more than twenty-four years—initially as a developer, and for the last twelve years as Director of the Adventist Church Management System (ACMS) office at the General Conference. Under her leadership, ACMS now serves 150 countries across eleven divisions. In her spare time, Sherri enjoys being with her three grandsons and occasionally finds moments to paint with watercolors.

Prof Mpofu is currently serving as Mission Director and President of Solusi University - the mother of missions in Africa. He is a founding member of Mission Go ministry a supporting ministry in sharing the love of Jesus in partnership with university students on public campuses and respective alumni.

He is a versatile and outcome-driven global leader with an impressive record of accomplishments as a Professor in Industrial Engineering, Academic Head, Board Member, Industry Research Chair, National Research Chair, Industrial Consultant and Founder of a Commercialization Incubator.

He successfully navigated various dynamic and diverse environments focusing on areas such as Advanced Manufacturing technologies involving Expert Systems. He has implemented Artificial Intelligence adoption while working collaboratively to meet critical project deadlines under tight schedules within Mechatronics industries.

He has an ability to adapt quickly coupled with discernment has been pivotal factors that have aided me in achieving success amidst ever-changing circumstances

Sunplus Payroll Technology Manager, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Yovian holds a Master's degree in Software Engineering from Andrews University and a Master's degree in Accounting from the University of Maryland.

For 13 years, Yovian served as an Implementation and Training Specialist in the North American Division, and for the past 9 years, Yovian has served as the Sunplus Payroll Technology Manager, overseeing the implementation and support of payroll systems within the General Conference Sunplus network around the world.

His commitment to innovation and excellence has made a significant impact on enhancing payroll technology and ensuring smooth operational processes. Yovian is passionate about sharing knowledge and empowering others through effective training and development initiatives.