Rev. Celinda Miranda, LCSW & PPSC
Celinda was awarded the 2022 Alum of the Year at the sold out 150th Anniversary Banquet in October 2022 with Dr. Cornel West as the featured speaker (video on BST’s YouTube page). Celinda has worked in the bilingual mental health services for 33 years and teaches at San Jose State University. Celinda is an associate minister at Emmanuel Baptist Church in San Jose, California.
Rev. Hkun Naung
Rev. Naung graduated from BST with his Master of Divinity, was ordained in 2024, and is Pastor of the Washington Kachin Baptist Church which meets at Panther Lake Community Church in Kent, Washington. On December 29, 2024, Rev. Naung performed his first baptisms. Initially, the baptism candidates were a group of youths from Washington Kachin Baptist Church, and grew to include members of the Karen Community Church of Greater Seattle. The December 29 service included 12 baptisms performed by the three pastors, special music, scripture readings in English, Karen, and Kachin, a sermon, communion, and a celebratory lunch. The full story can be read in the latest edition of Evergreen Notes. Rev. Naung asks people to pray for the Kachin people, who suffer in great danger in a civil war.
Doctor of Divinity, 2022
Rev. Dr. Curtis Price
Curtis is Pastor at First Baptist Church in Salt Lake City, Utah. Curtis has over 20 years of experience as a pastor and has served at Salt Lake First Baptist Church for 14 years. Curtis’ DMin dissertation topic at BST is entitled Redeeming the Church: Healing and Reconciliation Between the LGBTQ Community and the Church.
Rev. Dr. Shane B. Scott
On Easter Sunday, March 31, 2024, Rev. Dr. Scott formally began as Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church, Capitol Hill in Nashville, Tennessee. Prior to this position, for 12 years Rev. Dr. Scott served as Senior Pastor of Macedonia Baptist Church, in Watts (Los Angeles), California. A native of Franklin, Louisiana, and raised in Richmond, California, Dr. Scott graduated from Berkeley School of Theology in 2008 with a Master of Divinity degree. He also earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religion and Philosophy from Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and a Doctor of Ministry degree from New York Theological Seminary in New York City, New York. Dr. Scott also holds a certificate in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
Rev. Dr. Margareth L. Valui
Rev. Dr. Valui became the first woman to have her ordination recognized in the Tangkhul Baptist Churches Association on December 29, 2023, at Teinem Baptist Church in Tuinem, Manipur (India). Rev. Dr. Valui was ordained on September 14, 2006, at South Wayne Baptist Church. She is the Family Life and Discipleship Pastor at Santa Clara First Baptist Church in Santa Clara, California, and is also Affiliate Faculty at Berkeley School of Theology where she teaches courses in ministry and technology. Rev. Dr. Valui graduated from BST in 2021 with her Doctor of Ministry, In addition, Rev. Dr. Valui has also obtained her Master in Youth Ministry (MA) from Northern Baptist Theological Seminary; Licensed Teacher (T2T, MA) from Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne; Master in Sociology (MA) from Delhi School of Economics; and Bachelor in Sociology (BA) from Miranda College, University of Delhi.
Rev. Shavon K. Walker
Rev. Shavon Walker Shavon was ordained by Burien Community Church (BCC) in Burien, Washington, hosted at Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church in Oakland, California. BST professor Rev. Dr. Valerie Miles-Tribble was in attendance as well as Rev. Nathan Brittsan, BST Trustee.
Shavon’s spiritual background is rich and storied; she credits First Baptist Church of Berkeley for introducing her to the American Baptist Church. She resides in Fremont, California and is a Minister of Worship at BCC whereby she helps with the online service, leads worship, and sometimes preaches on Zoom, and occasionally in person. Shavon holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California; a Master’s Degree in English Literature from Cal State University East Bay in Hayward, California; and a Master of Divinity from BST. Shavon is also the Ministry Associate for Social Media at Evergreen Association-ABC. Shavon even has a ministry on Twitch called Soul Food streams that combines cooking and faith where she answers theological and social justice questions.
