SOUTH CENTRAL JURISDICTION
South Central Jurisdiction
2024-2028 Leadership Team Nominees
Meet the slate of nominees for the South Central Jurisdiction's 2024-2028 Leadership Team! Learn about their experiences, watch their videos and get to know those who will lead us in putting our faith, hope and love in action.
President
Stacie Hawkins
Texas Conference
Stacie Hawkins has found joy in serving Christ through the church both locally and globally. As a member of the Windsor Village United Methodist Church in Houston, she has served in several ministries, the Altar Guild, United Women in Faith, and the New Membership Assimilation Team, to name a few. Her service has taken her beyond the local church, as she is a delegate to the Texas Annual Conference and has served on various boards and committees, including Wesley House-Houston. Her love for United Women in Faith is very evident, having served in leadership roles at all five levels of the organization. Her first office was as local secretary at Windsor Village, she served as a member of the national Board of Directors from 2012-2020 and has returned to her conference to provide leadership as the conference vice president. Stacie is in her 22nd year with Texas Southern University, where she started as a Senior Accountant, and currently serves as Director of Human Resources. Stacie strives to let her light shine wherever she goes and is so grateful for each opportunity the Lord gives her to represent Him among His people.
Vice President
Pam Pinkerton-Whitley
Central Texas Conference
Pam Pinkerton-Whitley is a woman of God, born and raised in Omaha, NE. With parents from Tennessee, she is a country girl at heart. Life has allowed her joy-filled and challenging experiences. She is a wife, the proud mother of four, grandmother of seventeen and great-grandmother to one. Pam is a risk taker for God, best when presented with opportunities to step outside the box.
Pam’s journey with United Women in Faith started when she became a youth study leader for UMW Regional Schools, now called Mission u. She currently serves as the Central Texas Conference President. Pam attends Grace Methodist – Metroplex and serves as Administrative Council Chair and Media Chair and she teaches a college-age Sunday School class.
Many would not think that Pam enjoys working behind the scenes. However, when God calls her to step outside of her comfort zone, she responds. Pam’s hobbies include sewing and crocheting. What she most enjoys is writing and she is a journalholic, writing whenever she can, and talking with God often about the things she can do to move into the next level God has for her. Pam writes to inspire others to help them understand and walk on the path that God has set before them. Whenever she can, Pam embraces quiet moments and enjoys attending retreats.
Secretary
Peggy Arensdorf
New Mexico Conference
Peggy Ann Arensdorf lives in Albuquerque, NM. She is 67 years old and has been retired since January 2020. Peggy graduated from Manzano High School in Albuquerque and she has a Bachelor of Arts in government and history and a Master of Public Administration from New Mexico State University.
Single by choice, Peggy is blessed to have two sisters (and their spouses), four nieces and two nephews (and their spouses) and 4 great-nieces and 5 great-nephews who surround her with love and support.
On January 7, 1980, Peggy started her career as a contract specialist for the Air Force at Kelly Air Force Base (AFB), Texas. She also worked at Norton AFB, California, and Hill AFB, Utah. Her last assignment was with the Air Force Inspection Agency (AFIA) at Kirtland AFB, New Mexico. Peggy’s career has included her being a buyer for small and large purchases for the F-15/F-16 airplane and system acquisition for Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM). At AFIA, she worked for the Inspector General of the Air Force and had multiple assignments including participating in gathering data and writing reports that were geared to improving the acquisition workforce, working as a contracting inspector for Air Force agencies and centers and serving as program manager for two software systems used in the inspection process across the Air Force. She retired on January 17, 2020 after 40 years of working for the federal government.
Peggy has been active in United Methodist Women (UMW)/United Women in Faith (UWF) since 1983 when she moved to Redlands, California and joined the First United Methodist Church. As she moved to Riverdale, Utah and back home to Albuquerque, she continued to participate and support UMW/UWF. Since moving to Albuquerque, she has served in the local unit and is currently the president. She has also served as an officer and representative for the Albuquerque district and at the conference level. As a conference officer, she has served as the secretary and chair of nominations and is the current treasurer. She has also served as the conference Legacy Fund Liaison.
In 2021 Peggy was appointed to the Board of Trustees for McCurdy Ministries, a National Mission Institution (NMI) in Española, New Mexico. She chairs the Bylaws and Policy Committee.
Treasurer
Lela Luxen
North Texas Conference
Lela M. Luxen has been a member of First United Methodist Church Richardson since moving to Richardson, Texas in 2007. After retirement from full-time employment for over 40 years as a CPA, she decided to get involved by volunteering at church. After joining Joanna Circle of United Methodist Women (now United Women in Faith) in 2018, she was recruited to serve as Treasurer for the North Texas Conference in 2019. During the years since retirement, she has also served in various roles with her Circle and local unit and as Treasurer for Methodist Dallas Medical Center Auxiliary. With those terms scheduled to conclude at the end of 2024, she is ready to take on the role as Treasurer for South Central Jurisdiction. Lela has been married to her incredibly supportive and loving husband, John Luxen, for 22 years and has one adult son, Jeff Boen.
Committee on Nominations
Chair
Shelley Lee
Arkansas Conference
Shelley Lee's work in the United Methodist Church has been a lifelong effort. Raised in McCrory Arkansas, she was active in Sunday School, Vacation Bible School and the UM youth group.
Shelley has been a member of United Women in Faith for 47 years. She helped start a young women's circle in McCrory in 1976 and then moved on to District and Conference leadership. She is currently the Chairperson of the Arkansas Conference Committee on Nominations.
As a fulltime long term care administrator in her hometown, she went to college at night, earning her Associate degree from ASU Beebe. She and her husband moved to central Arkansas in 1994 for a position with the Department of Human Services; she earned her Baccalaureate degree from Philander Smith College. Finally, she earned a Master's degree in Public Administration from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and continued her 40-year career in public service, managing two long-term care facilities, developing community services and overseeing quality assurance efforts for the State.
When she and her husband joined Pinnacle View UMC in Little Rock in 2021, she felt called to restart the long-inactive unit of United Women in Faith. She serves as president for the Unit, which now has a dozen faithful members.
Another UMC-related service activity includes serving, with her husband, as Central District Disaster Response Coordinators and on the Central District Leadership Team. Shelley and Roy also volunteer for Methodist NOMADS.
At her local church, Pinnacle View UMC, Shelley works with the Food Pantry ministry, sings in the choir, substitutes as a Sunday School teacher and serves on the Administrative Board, in addition to United Women in Faith.
Recently, Shelley received the Woodrow B. Seals Laity Award given annually by the SMU Perkins School of Theology in Dallas to a lay person.
Members
Marjorie S. Franklin
Louisiana Conference
Marjorie S. Franklin is an active member of Warren United Methodist Church in Lake Charles, LA. Marjorie is a certified Lay Servant for the Lake Charles/Acadiana District. In her local church, she is currently serving as the Lay Leader, Worship Leader, Council Chairperson and Sunday School teacher. In her local unit she serves as the program coordinator. Marjorie also serves on the Board of Directors for the Louisiana United Methodist Children and Family Services. She has served in numerous positions on the Local, District and Conference level but her most memorable and challenging position was being elected to serve as the Louisiana Conference UWF President in which she served two terms - four years. Those four years will always remain near and dear to her heart.
Marjorie retired from Davita Dialysis after working as an administrative assistant for 33 years. She and her husband Melvin celebrated 50 years of marriage on December 15, 2023. They are the proud parents of two daughters, Tamika Nicola and Shondricka Myrlene; they have two grandchildren, Alijah Marquez and Joy Lannette. Marjorie's favorite scripture is Philippians 4:13 - I can do ALL things through CHRIST who strengthens me.
Jana Miller
Missouri Conference
Jana Miller has been a member of United Women in Faith for
approximately 31 years. She is a member of the Missouri Conference
and a 40+ member of the Warrensburg First United Methodist Church.
Jana has served at the conference, district, and local levels in many
positions, with her latest one being president of the new Northwest District. This is her last year as president of this wonderful group of ladies. Jana retired from education teaching middle school math while also teaching computer and math review classes to adults in the summer. She also served two years as a professional development leader for the state of Missouri. Her last educational stop was as a math teacher and tutor at the University of Central Missouri. Spending her free time now consists of being Grammy to her two grandchildren, quilting, and UWF. Jana loves all the great women she was met in UWF over the years. She is mother to twin boys, Travis and Logan, who are 33 years old and she has two of the best daughters-in-law ever!
Priscilla R. Patterson
Rio Texas Conference
Priscilla R. Patterson is from the Rio Texas Conference and the El Valle District. She is a member of El Buen Pastor UMC in Edinburg, Texas. Her father was a United Methodist minister, so Priscilla has grown up in the Methodist Church all of her life.
Priscilla has a passion for serving at her local church, district and conference levels. At the local level, she attends Sunday School and sings in the choir. She is vice-president of the local United Women in Faith unit, church council chair, and finance committee vice president; she also belongs to the SPPRC committee and nominations committee.
At the District level, Priscilla serves on the DCOM, as President of the United Women in Faith, and is on the Pastors/Laity Hispanic Ministry Committee.
At the Conference level, Priscilla serves on the United Women in Faith conference committee and Board of Ordained Ministry Executive Board and committee.
She is also a General Conference Delegate and serves on the Board of Directors of Methodist Children’s Home.
Priscilla believes, supports and values women’s leadership and loves being part of a sisterhood whose focus is women, youth and children.
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