Indianapolis

Wynesia Jackson joined the staff of Center for Congregations in March 2024 as the Director of Staff and Grants Administrator for Congregations with Community.

Wynesia is a graduate of DePauw University (B.A. Sociology) and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div.).  Before joining Congregations with Community, she served the local church in various capacities. She most enjoys teaching and writing Bible studies and developing leaders.

Wynesia is passionate about faith formation. In 2021, she authored her first book, a six-week devotional on the fruit of the Spirit, entitled Refueling Your Faith: Daily Encouragement for a Spirit-filled Life.

Weronika Hajduczyk-Wilson joined the Center for Congregations in January 2024 as the administrative assistant for Congregations With Community. Prior to joining the Center, she was a paralegal and holds a Bachelor of Arts in German from IUPUI.

Weronika is a first generation Polish American and  is TESOL-certified, which has afforded her several years of experience as an ESL teacher and German/Polish language interpreter and translator. She is currently enrolled at Indiana State University in the Student Affairs and Higher Education Master’s program, with a projected graduation date of 2025.

Lafayette Slaydon (they/them) joined the Center For Congregations team in 2023 as an administrative assistant in the Central office. Prior to joining the Center, their previous experience included grassroots and nonprofit community centered work focused on the application of harm reduction principles to all areas of service and community life. Lafayette continues to be active in the community specifically in organizing grassroots efforts around food security and housing equity in downtown Indianapolis. As a person of faith, Lafayette works to live out the message of Psalms 82:3 & Isaiah 1:17.

Lafayette holds a degree in social work from Ivy Tech University and currently attends Indiana University. Lafayette is a native Louisianian and Cajun and moved to Indianapolis in 2014. When they are not at work Lafayette spends their time with their family, friends, and beloved (and grumpy) 23-year-old cat, Large Marge.

John James is a person who centers compassion and connection at the heart of his work. He has a professional background in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and a deep commitment to serving others across all contexts. With a Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis from Spalding University and Board Certification as a Behavior Analyst (BCBA), he brings a wealth of expertise in providing support and guidance to others in need. John’s journey in the field of ABA has been driven by a desire to integrate his passion for helping others with his professional practice, bringing compassion, empathy, and a spirit of service to his work.

In his current role as Resource Consultant with the Center for Congregations, John is dedicated to fostering growth, providing congregations with pertinent resources, guiding congregational leaders through the Center’s many pillars or support, and creating a meaningful and inclusive community for all. Drawing on his experience in clinical leadership and informed by behavioral philosophy, he offers a unique blend of professional expertise and guidance to address the holistic needs of congregations. With a heart for helping and a commitment to serving others in alignment with their faith values, John seeks to make a meaningful difference in the lives of those he encounters.

Karen Goley serves as the senior director of the Congregational Resource Guide (CRG) and Resources.  Prior to joining the Center, Karen spent over fifteen years in the human resources field, serving nonprofit and financial services organizations in the Indianapolis area and the suburbs of Chicago.

With faith as her foundation, Karen enjoys spending quality time with her family and is a very proud Purdue University alum.  Having earned a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership and Supervision, Karen put her pride on full display by naming the family pup Mackey- after Purdue basketball’s Mackey Arena.  Boiler Up!

Ashley Ivy is the senior director of finance for the Center for Congregations. Ashley performs all financial and accounting processes, necessary for the efficient operations of the Center. Ashley has a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Ball State University and an MBA-Accounting Specialization from Indiana Wesleyan University. Ashley brings more than 12 years of accounting and management experience; specializing in not-for-profit accounting, strategic planning, and operations. She also has 5+ years of experience in human resources, managing compensation and benefits packages, as well as fostering positive work environments. Ashley also serves as an independent small business consultant and is experienced in teaching college level accounting courses and training others to utilize various Microsoft Office applications.

Ashley is a member of Repairing the Breach Ministries in Muncie, Indiana, where she serves as Secretary on the Board of Directors. She is very active in her community; serving on the Thrive Credit Union supervisory committee, the Whitely Community Council education committee, and is a member of other various service organizations. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and their children.

Noemi Cifuentes hails from Guatemala City as the youngest of nine children.  She became a resident of New York in early 2001, however, shortly after 9/11 Noemi relocated to Indianapolis, IN.

Since being in the great city of Indianapolis, Noemi has served the Christian community in multiple capacities both personally and professionally.  For nine years, she served as the Director of Hispanic Ministry at Old Bethel UMC. She later became a Case Manager at Wheeler Mission Ministry as the Family Coordinator and the Office Manager for SENDCDC. After working with the Center for Congregations as a Contract Resource Consultant for several years, Noemi joined the team full-time as an Associate for Resource Consulting.

Noemi enjoys interacting with people and sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Her passion for teaching the Bible to beginners is unparalleled.  She is married to the love of her life, Temo, is the mother of three children and a proud Grandmother. In her free time, Noemi loves to drive and listen to music, paint, and sew and has been noted for having quite the sense of humor.

A Baptist minister, McKenzie Scott Lewis’ faith experience ranges from Methodist, Church of God in Christ, Charismatic to Baptist. He has taught at IUPUI, served as corporate diversity director at Wellpoint Inc, coordinated diversity and inclusion efforts at Clarian Health Partners and served as CEO and chief cultural strategist for The MSL Group. He brings energy and experience to engage listeners from all walks of life.

A graduate of DePauw University, McKenzie has written extensively in his area of expertise, including the articles “Building Boardroom Trust” from the July 2009 Leadership Ventures Newsletter; “Editorial on Diversity” in the November 2008 Indiana Business Journal (IBJ); “Clarian Health Partners: United We Thrive” in the April 2007 issue of DiversityInc, Magazine; and “Helping Diversity to Grow Up” in New York Voice/Harlem USA October 1997 edition.

Formerly the director of the Center’s Northwest office in Crown Point, McKenzie Scott Lewis is the director of a new Center for Congregations project: Congregations with Communities.

Susan Weber coordinates the evaluation processes for Lilly Endowment Inc.’s Religion Division. She spent several years as the Indianapolis Center for Congregation’s director of evaluation and congregational learning, as well as a resource consultant to congregations.

Susan is a Roman Catholic lay woman. Prior to her work at the Center, she served the Archdiocese of Indianapolis as coordinator of boards of education, office of Catholic education from 1976-1985. For almost 20 years thereafter, she was an independent consultant and group facilitator for dioceses, churches, religious communities, and schools nationwide. Sue has degrees from St. Mary-of-the-Woods College and Indiana University, Bloomington and is professionally certificated as a group facilitator through Indiana University.