Steering Committee

Dean Miller

Dean Miller currently serves as the Team Leader for the Impact Missions Team of the Baptist General Association of Virginia. In this capacity he oversees a myriad of staff and volunteers who are collectively engaged in missional activity locally, nationally, and globally. He has an undergraduate degree in Church Ministries and Sociology and a Masters of Divinity.

Dean has also earned several certificates from the United States Federal Emergency Management Agency in the area of disaster management. He has actively served in disaster response for over twenty-five years and been deployed to all parts of the world.

Emmett Dunn

Emmett Dunn has served as President of the North American Baptist Fellowship since January 2023. He also serves as Executive Secretary-Treasurer of Lott Carey.

Rev. Dunn has over twenty years of experience in working with the Baptist World Alliance. His education includes a Bachelor of Theology Degree from the Liberia Baptist Theological Seminary in 1986, a Graduate Certificate of work accomplished from the Protestant Episcopal Seminary of Virginia (VTS) in 1989, and a Master of Divinity Degree from the Howard University School of Divinity in 1991.

Jennifer Lau

Jennifer Lau began her tenure as Executive Director of Canadian Baptist Ministries (CBM) in 2020. She is the first woman and layperson to hold that position in its 150-year history. CBM is the global mission agency that represents the mission concerns of over 930 Canadian Baptist churches across the country. Jennifer has served with CBM since 2002, primarily focused on providing strategic direction for all of CBM’s partnerships and initiatives in North America. In addition to her work with CBM, Jennifer currently serves as a Vice-President of the Baptist World Alliance.

Melissa Lipsett

Melissa Lipsett is the CEO of Baptist World Aid Australia. She is a strong professional and servant leader, playing active roles in governance across the church and for the Christian sector. She holds a Bachelor of Ministry and a Bachelor of Applied Science and is also a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Her skills in leading and managing diverse teams and complex organizations were developed in the Australian military, refined in executive leadership within the contemporary church context, and further developed in the Christian for purpose sector. She has extensive cross cultural experience and a deep appreciation and respect for working alongside First Nations people. 

Lucas has been the director of Middle East Revive and Thrive, the community development and relief division of Thimar, since late 2014. Previously, Lucas worked in community development and local NGO capacity building in Central Asia and the Caucasus with the US Peace Corps, then created poverty mapping tools with the World Resources Institute in Washington, DC. Following that, Lucas joined Food for the Hungry covering food security and livelihoods programs around the world. Through FH’s partnership with Thimar and its response to the Syrian crisis, Lucas moved to Lebanon for his current role where he lives with his family.

Albert Reyes

Dr. Albert L. Reyes is the sixth President and CEO of Buckner International, a faith-based nonprofit ministry dedicated to serving vulnerable children, families and senior adults in the United States and internationally. He is a member of the board of trustees of the Christian Alliance for Orphans, Angelo State University Foundation, and Stark College and Seminary.

He has also served as pastor of three churches and as a manager for Sprint’s National Customer Service Center. He has been involved in numerous roles with the 2.5 million-member Baptist General Convention of Texas, serving as its president in 2005. He currently serves as a Baptist World Alliance Trustee after completing a 5-year term as a BWA Vice President from 2020-2025.

Marsha Scipio

Marsha Scipio is the Director of Baptist World Aid and the BFAD Facilitator. She has the privilege of partnering with Baptist conventions to impact the lives of some of the most vulnerable people. Marsha has a demonstrated commitment to public service and social justice, having spent twenty-plus years in nonprofit management and youth and community development prior to joining BWA. Marsha also serves as an Associate Minister at Berean Baptist Church in New York, USA. She has earned degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary (M.Div.), Georgetown University Law Center (JD), New York University (M.A. Psychology) and Yale University (B.A. Psychology and African-American Studies).