Plenary Sessions

René Padilla
C. René Padilla was born in Quito, Ecuador, and raised in Bogotá, Colombia. He has been living in Buenos Aires, Argentina, since 1967. He received a B.A. in Philosophy from Wheaton College, an M.A. in Theology from Wheaton College Graduate School, and a Ph.D. in New Testament from the University of Manchester, England. In 1992, he was granted an honorary D.D. by Wheaton College. He is a founding member of the Latin American Theological Fellowship (FTL, its acronym in Spanish) and of the Kairos Foundation in Buenos Aires, Argentina. For twelve years, until recently, he was the International President of Tearfund – U.K. and Ireland. He is presently the President of the Micah Network and Executive Director of Ediciones Kairos, the publishing arm of the Kairos Foundation. He has lectured in many countries around the world and has written and edited several books in English and Spanish. His main work, Mission Between the Times: Essays on the Kingdom of God, has been published in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish, German, and Korean.

Jaisankar Sarma
Jaisankar Sarma is the Vice President for Transformational Development with World Vision International, an international Christian relief and development organization operating in over 100 countries. Mr. Sarma’s work focuses on sustainable development of local communities, impact measurement, program evaluation and promoting knowledge management in non-profit, humanitarian organizations. At World Vision International, he promotes ongoing learning and continuous improvement of program performance to contribute to the well-being of children in different contexts, using approaches that are community empowering and solidly rooted in Christian principles. He has provided Biblical training to many young people and teaches them the practices of Christian involvement with the poor, in the context of globalizing secularity and religious plurality. Mr. Sarma has a post-graduate degree in Agricultural Extension and Rural Sociology from the Tamil Nadu University of Agriculture in India. Mr. Sarma is a member of the First Alliance Church in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Lisa Sharon Harper
Lisa Sharon Harper is a graduate of the USC School of Theatre’s MFA Playwriting class of 1995. She has written several plays and is the author of Evangelical Does Not Equal Republican…Or Democrat (2008). She co-founded the Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA) Youth Theater “Laugh & Learn,” a youth-based improvisational comedy troupe, and the USC School of Theatre Neighborhood-Turn Project (now a flag-ship program of the USC School of Theatre). Ms. Harper has conducted ethnic reconciliation training conferences through Intervarsity’s National Institute of Staff Education and Training (NISET). In 2006, Ms. Harper earned her masters degree in Human Rights, with a concentration in Religion & the Media, from Columbia University. She is the co-founder and executive director of NY Faith & Justice, a movement of churches, organizations and individuals dedicated to following Christ, uniting the church and ending poverty in New York through spiritual formation, education, and direct advocacy. Her work and her Shalom Talk Series have inspired similar ethnic reconciliation and justice movements across the country. Ms. Harper is a member of All Angels Episcopal Church in New York City.

Tony Campolo
Dr. Tony Campolo is Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Eastern University in St. Davids, Pennsylvania. He previously served for ten years on the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of Eastern College and earned a Ph.D. from Temple University. Dr. Campolo is the Founder and President of the Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education (EAPE). He has worked to create, nurture and support programs for “at-risk” children in cities across North America, and has helped establish schools and universities in several developing countries. He is the author of 35 books, including recently published Red Letter Christians, A Citizen’s Guide to Faith and Politics (Regal) and The God of Intimacy and Action (Jossey-Bass). Dr. Campolo is an ordained minister, has served American Baptist Churches in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and is presently recognized as an associate pastor of the Mount Carmel Baptist Church in West Philadelphia. Dr. Campolo and his wife, Peggy, live in the Philadelphia area and have two grown children and four grandchildren.

Benjamin Homan
Benjamin Homan’s role, since 2001, as President/CEO of Food for the Hungry places him at the crossroads of faith communities, humanitarian response and foreign assistance reform. While having briefed government leaders, including the U.S. President, the Secretary of State and the National Security Advisor, he is also an ordained Presbyterian elder, lay-preacher and a former Vice President of Covenant Theological Seminary. Mr. Homan is the former Chair of the Alliance for Food Security, the past President of AERDO (Association of Evangelical Relief and Development Organizations) and past Chair of USAID’s Advisory Committee. He has served on the faculties of Chaffey College, Biola University, the University of Nebraska and the University of California-Irvine. In May 2008, he and his wife celebrated 20 years of marriage with their 3 children.