Millennium Magazine_6th Ed

328 Millennium - A Marquis Who’s Who Magazine J esse Bethke Gomez, a transformative chief executive officer and thought leader on complex issues advancing societal change through local, national and international engagement. His expertise spans executive leadership of multi-million dollar corporations, board governance and creating high performance companies. He was among the 100 Most Influential Healthcare Leaders in Minnesota in 2008. Jesse managed high impact consultancy to for-profit corporations and marketing with million-dollar ad budget. Jesse serves as executive director of the Metropolitan Center for Independent Living, participated in the first Hispanic Policy Summit held by the White House in 2011 and is the first Minnesotan to receive the Reconocimiento Ohtli Award from Mexico. Mr. Bethke Gomez was appointed by Minnesota Supreme Court to the Minnesota Judicial Selection Commission in 2015 and 2011. He is a national speaker and published author on advanced strategy for corporations and served on 38 boards and commissions. He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota and a master’s degree fromMetropolitan State University. He is a Kellogg Fellow and an American Red Cross Presidential Scholar. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Metropolitan Center for Independent Living Saint Paul, MN PEGGY M. BILLINGS R emembered eternally for her philanthropy, the late Peggy M. Billings first received a BS from Millsaps College in 1950 and an MA from Columbia University in 1957. For three decades, she served as a church executive at the Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church in New York City. Prior to this appointment, she completed missionary work in Korea from 1952 to 1963, focusing her efforts on human rights. Aiming to touch the lives of students through faith, Ms. Billings was also a lecturer of world Christianity at the Yale Divinity School and a professor of religion and society at the Candler School of Theology of Emory University. She has been nationally recognized for her address at the United Methodist Women Assembly in 1973; since that time, her speech has been used as a basic text for United Methodist Women. Ms. Billings was the recipient of the Ball Award from the Methodist Federation for Social Action and the Human Rights Award from the Korean Christian Scholars Association of North America. She also received citations from the National Council of Churches in Korea and the Korean Institute For Human Rights. CHURCH EXECUTIVE Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church Trumansburg, NY JESSE BETHKE GOMEZ SOCIAL SERVICES AND NONPROFIT