Doctor of Ministry, 2014
Rev. Dr. Barbara Jim-George
Congratulations Rev. Dr. Barbara Jim-George, classes of 2010 (M.Div.) and 2014 (D.Min.)! Dr. Jim-George was recently elected as Assistant Dean of the Congress of Christian Education at the Progressive National Baptist Convention’s Southwest Region’s conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. Dr. Jim-George serves as Executive Pastor for the True Faith Community Baptist Church in Antioch, California, and is Dean of the Ministers and Lay Leaders Development Institute. Previously, Dr. Jim-George lead Transforming Ministries Group, a 501 (C)(3) nonprofit organization that taught girls aged 11-16 on methods to avoid human trafficking entrapments; and consulted congregations and faith-based organization leaders on forming faith responses to human trafficking of children in their congregations and communities. She has served at all three board levels for the American Baptist Churches, USA Ministers Council, and graduated with honors and awards for both of her degrees from BST.
The Honorable Dr. Barbara Lee
The Honorable Congresswoman Barbara Lee (2014 honorary doctorate) first became involved in politics in 1972 while working on Shirley Chisolm’s presidential campaign and served as a delegate from California at the 1972 Democratic National Convention. In addition to her bachelor’s degree from Mills College, she earned a master’s degree in social work from the University of California, Berkeley. While in graduate school, Lee founded Community Health Alliance for Neighborhood Growth and Education (CHANGE), a mental health services organization for underserved communities. After serving as chief of staff for U.S. Representative Ron Dellums, Lee was elected to the California State Assembly, serving from 1990-1996, and subsequently the California State Senate from 1996-1998. In 1998, Rep. Lee was elected to Congress and will retire at the end of this term. Rep. Lee has been a member of BST’s Board of Trustees since 2017 and has served faithfully on various committees. At a Board Meeting, BST honored Rep. Dr. Lee for her many years of service and her positive impact on our country.
Rev. Michael-Ray Mathews
Michael is president of the Alliance of Baptists and Deputy Director for Faith in Action, formerly PICO National Network, a national community organizing network that gives people of faith the tools that they need to fight for justice and work towards a more equitable society. Michael is a senior fellow at Auburn Seminary and affiliate faculty at BST.
Master of Community Leadership, 2019
Chaplain Kwee T.L. Say
On September 6, 2023, Chaplain Say was promoted to Lieutenant in the United States Navy. Chaplain Say is currently serving as a Command Chaplain aboard the USS ROSS (DDG 71). She joined the U.S. Navy in 2018 as a non-active reservist and started her active duty in the Navy in October 2022. She was awarded two Masters’ degrees in 2019 from Berkeley School of Theology, in Divinity and Community Leadership. Chaplain Say came to America in 2004 from Burma (Myanmar) and is the very first Burmese Karen, her ethnic group from Burma, to become a Chaplain in the United States Navy. She is honored to serve with the finest Sailors the nation has to offer aboard Navy Destroyer USS ROSS, her God, and country.
Master of Community Leadership, 2011
Doctor of Ministry, 2024
Rev. Dr. Michael A. Smith
Michael has been Pastor of the McGee Avenue Baptist Church in Berkeley California for 18 years. In 2014, he became the founding Executive Director of The Center for Food, Faith & Justice which serves as a faith-based non-profit arm of the church as a lead organization dedicated to the issues of environmental and food justice, health equity and economic development. His DMin dissertation topic was The Black Earth Theology Project: Toward Reconciliation and Care of God’s Creation.
Rev. Karen Yee
Rev. Karen Yee is BST’s 2023-24 Alum of the Year! Rev. Lee is Senior Pastor at New Life Christian Fellowship, Castro Valley and is the English-speaking pastor at the Iu-Mienh Friendship Baptist Church in Richmond. She graduated in 1997 from Berkeley School of Theology with her Master of Divinity. Among her many accomplishments, she is on the Executive Board of Directors for the American Baptist Home Mission Society (ABHMS), and a liaison to the Office of the General Secretary. She served as a Trustee for Rainbow Acres, a community for developmentally challenged adults and as the Treasurer of the Executive Council of the Ministers Council of the Greater Bay Area. She was part of the Convener of the Missionary Partnership Team for Ingrid Roldan-Roman, an AB missionary serving in Panama. For 15 years, Rev. Yee was the Associate Pastor at the First Baptist Church of Alameda, an American Baptist church, serving a multi-ethnic, intergenerational congregation of Christ followers, and also served as an active lay leader at the First Chinese Baptist Church of San Francisco.
