General Secretary of the General Board of Church & Society

United Methodist Church

Speaking September 19

Jim Winkler has served as general secretary of the General Board of Church & Society (GBCS), the international public policy and social justice agency of The United Methodist Church since November, 2000.  As the chief executive of the board, Jim leads a staff of 22 who seek the implementation of the Church’s Social Principles through  education, witness, and advocacy.  The board carries out a wide-ranging ministry of peace and justice throughout the world with offices in Washington, DC and New York City.

Jim Winkler has re-energized the work of the board around a three-part vision: to help United Methodists link mercy and justice; to connect the work of the board with local churches and annual conferences around the globe; and to be the premier denominational advocacy agency on Capitol Hill. Jim has led delegations to the Middle East, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq and Germany seeking peaceful solutions to global conflict and traveled throughout the world to support the justice work of the United Methodist in Africa, Asia and Europe. He has preached and led workshops and training events in Russia, Nigeria, and the Philippines, and is a frequent spokesperson for the justice work of The United Methodist Church to the national and international media.

Jim is a member of the Justice and Advocacy Commission of the National Council of Churches of the United States of America, a member of the steering committee of the Campaign for Health Care Now, a board member of several organizations including the Faith and Politics Institute, Churches for the Middle East Peace, and Africa Action.

Jim Winkler is the son, brother, nephew and great grandson of United Methodist preachers and United Methodist Women. He studied history at the University of Illinois and George Mason University.  After graduation from college, Jim served as a short-term missionary with the Pacific Conference of Churches in Suva, Fiji.  At the Board of Church and Society he held the position of Seminar Designer, Director of Annual Conference Relations and Assistant General Secretary of Resourcing Congregational Life before his nomination as General Secretary.

Dr. Rank's work centers on poverty, social welfare, economic inequality, and policy, including the use of welfare myths, class division and economic inequalities as political campaign issues. His recent research has explored the life course probabilities of experiencing poverty in America. His most recent book, One Nation, Underprivileged: Why American Poverty Affects Us All was published by Oxford University Press in 2004. The recipient of the Outstanding Research Award from the Society of Social Work and Research, Rank has written numerous articles for a variety of distinguished journals such as Social Work, American Sociological Review, Psychological Science, and Social Science Quarterly.

Professor Rank is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Annual Faculty Teaching Award from the Council of Students of Arts and Sciences, the Feldman Award from the Groves Conference on Marriage and the Family, the Founders Day Distinguished Faculty Award from the Washington University Alumni Board of Governors, the Faculty Award to Improve Learning from the William T. Kemper Foundation, and the Outstanding Research Award from the Society for Social Work and Research. He has also been listed in Who's Who in America and Who's Who Among America's Teachers: The Best Teachers in America Selected by the Best Students.

Dr. Rank's research has been reported in a wide range of outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The Christian Science Monitor, The Chicago Tribune, USA Today, The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Voice of America, National Public Radio, and Good Morning America. He has provided his research expertise to members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, as well as many national organizations involved in issues of economic and social justice.

Herbert S. Hadley Professor of Social Welfare

Professor, George Warren Brown School of Social Work

Washington University

Speaking November 14

President & CEO, Saint Louis Zoo

Speaking January 9

In April 2002, Jeffrey P. Bonner, Ph.D., was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of the Saint Louis Zoo.  He served as President and CEO of the Indianapolis Zoo and White River Gardens from 1993 to 2002. 

From 1987 to 1993, Dr. Bonner was Vice President for Research and Special Projects at the St. Louis Science Center, where he supervised long-range planning of exhibits and associated programming.  He began his work at the Science Center in 1983 as Director of Exhibits and Programs. 

Dr. Bonner received his B.A. in anthropology from the University of Missouri – Columbia in 1975.  He received his M.A. and M. Phil. degrees in anthropology from Columbia University in New York in 1977 and 1979, along with his Ph.D. from Columbia in 1982.  He is a Burgess Fellow, Traveling Fellow, Fulbright Scholar, President’s Fellow and a recipient of the National Research Service Award.  Dr. Bonner is the author of numerous articles and has written a book based on his doctoral research in northern India. 

He serves on numerous boards, including the World Zoo Conservation Strategy, the Conservation Breeding Specialist Group, the International Species Information System, the International Center for Tropical Ecology at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Recently he was elected chair of the Amphibian Ark, a worldwide partnership of zoos and aquariums to address the amphibian extinction crisis, the greatest species conservation challenge in history. One third to one half of all amphibian species are threatened with extinction, with probably up to 170 species already gone in recent years.

Bonner is also the author of Sailing with Noah, Stories from the World of Zoos.  The book, published in 2006, is an intensely personal, behind-the-scenes look at modern zoos.  Bonner explores the role of zoos in today's society and their future as institutions of education, conservation and research.  Written in a lively, accessible style, he relates a variety of true stories about animals and those who care for them, offering his perspective on heavily-publicized incidents and describing less-known events with compassion and humor.

Project Peanut Butter is focused on bringing relief to the small country of Malawi located in Southeast Africa. Malawi is bordered by the nations of Zambia, Mozambique and Tanzania and covers approximately 118,500 square kilometers, making it roughly the size of the state of Pennsylvania. Of its population of 12 million people, 90% subsist as rural farmers with a median per capita income of just $44 per year, one of the lowest in Sub-Saharan Africa. As one of the world's least developed nations, Malawians are often faced with challenges of establishing a market economy, fighting infectious disease, and most significantly for this project, struggling with issues of malnutrition.

 As rural peasant farmers, most families grow corn on small plots of land surrounding their local villages of mud huts with grass roofs. A staple part of their diet is known as nsima, which is essentially simple corn dough with little nutritional value. Maize corn contains only 7% fat by volume by weight and yet constitutes approximately 70% of daily diet. The effects of such an energy poor diet have most drastic effects on Malawian children, especially between the critical growth periods from 6 months to 18 months of age. Malnutrition affects 70% of all children in the nation with an estimated 13% of children dying before the age of five years old from malnutrition. Nutritional Rehabilitation Units (NRUs) have been established by the Malawian government and treat more than 20,000 children annually for malnutrition through an inpatient based approach in much overcrowded clinics.

Project Peanut Butter was founded by Dr. Mark Manary, who currently serves as a Professor of Pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri. He has served the community by holding many academic positions since earning his medical degree in Pediatrics from Washington University School of Medicine. Dr. Manary visits Malawi several times a year to assist his local team with Project Peanut Butter. In addition to his professorship in the United States, Dr. Manary also serves as a Senior Lecturer in Pediatrics at the Medical College of Malawi in Blantyre, Malawi. He has worked intensively in Africa for the past twenty years and has an extensive list of publications reflecting his commitment to developing treatments and preventions of malnutrition.

Most recently, Dr. Manary has received the distinguished award of Academic Humanitarian Physician of the Year by the American Association of Medical Colleges for his outstanding work. His complete curriculum vitae can be accessed in PDF version at the link above.

Dr. Manary currently resides in St. Louis, Missouri with his wife and two children.

Mark J. Manary

Professor of Pediatrics

Washington University School of Medicine

Speaking February 20

Peter H. Raven, Ph.D., Director Missouri Botanical Garden, George Engelmann Professor of Botany, Washington University

Peter H. Raven, a world leader in conservation and biodiversity, has devoted more than 36 years to building at the Missouri Botanical Garden a world-class institution of research, education, and horticultural display.  He is the recipient of the National Medal of Science, the highest award given in this country for scientific accomplishment.  Described by TIME magazine as a “Hero for the Planet,” Dr. Raven champions research around the world to preserve endangered plants and is a leading advocate for conservation and a sustainable environment.  He has served as president of the Missouri Botanical Garden and George Engelmann Professor of Botany at Washington University since 1971.  In founding the Garden, Henry Shaw specified that the Professor of Botany at Washington University would be the president of the Garden, so Dr. Raven occupies a dual position.  Under Dr. Raven’s leadership, the Missouri Botanical Garden has become a leader in botanical research in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, with strong programs in North America as well.

Dr. Raven received the 1988 St. Louis Award for outstanding service to the community and was named the 1989 St. Louis Man of the Year.  Six years later, he was inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame.  In 1999, he received the Regional Chamber and Growth Association’s Right Arm of St. Louis Award and was named to the Academy of Missouri Squires.

Dr. Raven is a member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, a group of 80 scientists from around the world that advises the Pope on matters of science and technology, and is on the steering committee of a Creation Care coalition of Evangelical Christian leaders and scientists that recently completed a trip to Alaska to view the effects of global warming.

As a result of his work in science and conservation, Dr. Raven is the recipient of numerous prizes and awards, including the prestigious International Prize for Biology from the government of Japan; Environmental Prize of the Institut de la Vie; Volvo Environment Prize; Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement; the Sasakawa Environment Prize; and the International Cosmos Prize.  He also has held Guggenheim and John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Fellowships.

Dr. Raven received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1960 after completing his undergraduate work at the University of California, Berkeley.  He holds honorary degrees from a number of universities around the world, including locally St. Louis University, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, University of Missouri-Columbia, Washington University, Webster University, and Maryville University.