Rev. Katie Sexton has served as Executive Director of Arizona Faith Network since 2019. Rev. Sexton comes to AFN with years of nonprofit experience specializing in ministry, leadership, interfaith work, and community organizing. She has a proven track record of building impactful communities that work to transform our world for the common good.

Before being hired as the permanent Executive Director of AFN, Rev. Sexton served as the Senior Pastor for Coolwater Christian Church in Scottsdale, Arizona. Before that, she worked in higher education for over a decade, managing key departments, establishing organizational processes, and cultivating community relationships.

Rev. Sexton has her M.S. in Nonprofit Management (2019), a Master of Divinity from Lexington Theological Seminary, and an M.A. in Christian Studies from Grand Canyon University. She is ordained with the Disciples of Christ church, and is a certified Community Organizer. She previously served as a member of AFN’s Board of Directors and has volunteered her service on multiple committees.

In addition to her role at AFN, Rev. Sexton currently serves as the Board President of the Justa Center, President of the Alumni Council of Lexington Theological Seminary, and sits on the Board of Directors for Bread for the World. She is also pursuing her Doctorate of Ministry at Lexington Theological Seminary; she anticipates graduating in June 2025.

Bhikkhu Vasu Bandhu is a Buddhist Monk at the Dhammapada Sangha; serving as Interfaith Manager for the Arizona Faith Network; representing North America on the International Youth Committee of Religions for Peace; as Co-Chair on the Faith for Earth Youth Council of the United Nations Environment Programme; as a Global Council Trustee from North America for the United Religions Initiative; as Chair for the North American Interfaith Network; and on the Global Youth Network of the Charter for Compassion. He has served the interfaith movement since age 18, collaborating with diverse interfaith organizations including the Parliament of the World's Religions. He is 29 years old; his studies are in Political Science and Social Projects from UnADM; 4 years ago, he migrated from his country of origin, Mexico, to the United States of America to live with his husband, who is Muslim.

Rev. ellie hutchison serves as the Southern Arizona Community Organizer with AFN and is ordained by The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries in covenant with the Southwest United Church of Christ. They currently volunteer with St. Peter’s Episcopal Prison Ministry inside Arizona's only womxn's prison. They bring a wealth of experience as an educator, community co-creator, poet & writer, and theologian. Their ministry is based in Womanist Liberation Theology and interfaith engagement through the use of embodiment practices in and through the arts and humanities. They also work actively with the communities experiencing homelessness, those migrating to the United States, and those who are directly impacted by incarceration. ellie also spent 15+ years as a creative writing and poetry teacher throughout the Philadelphia and Phoenix communities. ellie previously served as a part-time Social Justice Coordinator with AZ Faith Network.

Rev. Bart Smith joyfully serves as a Southern Arizona Organizer with AFN and is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and a student in the Master of Social Work program at Arizona State University Tucson.

Prior to joining the AFN team, he was the Donor Engagement Manager and Faith Community Liaison for Habitat for Humanity Tucson. Bart was also the lead pastor of St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church in Tucson for eight years and, with that congregation and its community partners, engaged in ministries of social justice and community organizing including border and immigration issues, asylum-seeker hospitality, refugee resettlement, LGBTQIA+ inclusion, housing insecurity, and voting rights. He has over 18 years experience working with a variety of congregations, church institutions, and nonprofit organizations and has served the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in volunteer leadership roles.

Claiming both Macon and LaGrange, Georgia as hometowns, Bart is a graduate of the University of Georgia (B.A.) and Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary (M.Div.) and was ordained by the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta.

Medina Moore comes to AFN with social justice, faith-based initiative, voter rights and education, events planning, logistical administration, and criminal justice reform experience. As a family member of a formerly incarcerated individual, she has a heart for impacted families and individuals. Forging a strong belief in equality for all, her passion has been to educate her generation, Millennials, as well as younger generations about the importance of voting and knowing the laws within their state. Excited to take on the role as the Voting Rights Organizer she will be collaborating with faith-based leaders to build our faith communities in voter rights education and civic engagement. Medina was licensed to preach, as an Evangelist, in Phoenix, Arizona in 2018 through JGM Enternational Ministries and is currently serving in small groups at her local church. She owns a cosmetic line with her daughter, Me Ar Beauty www.mearbeauty.com. Expertly creating cosmetics for all skins type with focus on black and indigenous individuals and melanated skin tones as she saw the disparity in products in-store and online. She loves to share the gospel to others and most importantly the Love of God.

Before joining AFN, Arene Rushdan worked as an assistant nursing director. Before retiring from Riverside County, she worked in the inpatient mental health facility as a utilization review nurse and case manager. Arene is the youngest of 16 children and has always had a passion for serving others and education. She hold a masters degree in nursing education from California State University Dominguez Hills. Arene’s Faith background is Seventh Day Adventist/Christianity.

She first served as the cooling center organizer in 2021 and finds great joy serving others.

David Topping joined the staff of AFN in January, 2018 as Administrator of Communications, Database Improvement, and IT Support. He had previously provided technical support to AFN during his 10 years of service as the Computer Systems Manager of the Desert Southwest Conference of the United Methodist Church, where AFN's office is hosted. David has served as a church music director since the 1970s and is married to a United Methodist clergy member. He sings professionally with the GRAMMY-winning Phoenix Chorale and operates a web-hosting and consulting business for nonprofits and musical artists.