New officers now leading RCC

A church newspaper executive from Dallas is now leading RCC.

Debbie K. Christian was elected to a one-year term as RCC president April 8 in Chicago during Religion Communicators Congress 2010. She succeeds Douglas F. Cannon, Ph.D., APR, a longtime United Methodist Church communicator from San Antonio. He led the council for two years and continues on the Executive Committee as past president.

Other new council officers/Executive Committee members are:

• Vice president: Laura Flippen-Tenzel, communications coordinator, United Methodist Endorsing Agency, Nashville, Tenn. She succeeds Anuttama Dasa, director of communications, International Society of Krishna Consciousness, Washington.
• Secretary: M. Terry Barone, communications group leader, California Southern Baptist Convention, Fresno, Calif. He succeeds Christian.
• Brian R. Gray, APR, editor, Momentum, National Catholic Education Association, Washington, continues as treasurer.

Four new members were elected to the RCC Board of Governors:

• Pamela R. Burdine, associate, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, Louisville, Ky.
• Melissa Dixon, National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., New York.
• Royya L. James, conference relations coordinator, United Methodist Communications, Nashville, Tenn.
• Martha S. Taylor, communications director, Arkansas Conference, United Methodist Church, Little Rock, Ark.

Eight Board of Governors members continue serving:

• The Rev. Kenneth B. Bedell, Ph.D., senior adviser, U.S. Department of Education, Washington.
• Paul Black, director of communication ministries, Illinois Great Rivers Conference, United Methodist Church, Springfield, Ill.
• Mohamed ElSanousi, director of communications and community outreach, Islamic Society of North America, Washington.
• Timothy Frakes, Tim Frakes Productions, Glen Ellyn, Ill.
• Kimberly Purifoy, senior editor, brand management specialist, Board of Pensions, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Minneapolis.
• Janice Rizzo, assistant director of marketing and editor, Seeds of the Parish, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Chicago.
• The Rev. John R. Spangler Jr., executive assistant to the president for communication and planning, Lutheran Seminary at Gettysburg, Gettysburg, Pa.
• Donn J. Tilson, Ph.D., APR, associate professor, public relations, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Fla.

Christian joined RCC in 1995 and was first elected to the Board of Governors in 2003. She joined the board’s Executive Committee as secretary from 2007 to 2008. She served as treasurer from 2008 to 2009 and again as secretary and from 2009 to 2010. In addition, she has been an officer of the Dallas-Fort Worth Chapter for 14 years.