Consulting Team
Joanne Solis-Walker
Partner and Strategist of CaminoRoad
Consultant ▪ Coach ▪ International Speaker
Rev. Dr. Joanne Solis-Walker is Associate Dean and Professor of Practice of Leadership at Candler School of Theology, Emory University. She previously served as Associate Professor of Practical Theology and Special Assistant to the President on Diversity at Northwest Nazarene University. She has a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership and Development with an emphasis on Ecclesial Leadership. Joanne is a practical theologian with extensive experience in leadership, global missions, and pastoral ministry. She is a visionary builder who has served in Christian higher education, innovating theological programs contextualized to serve diverse communities in Spanish and English. Dra. Solís-Walker is the co-founder and a lead consultant at CaminoRoad. She is an ordained minister of The Wesleyan Church and is married, raising four children.
Eliza Cortés Bast
Research Consultant
Eliza Cortés Bast is a Latina denominational executive and pastor dedicated to helping churches unlock their missional imagination. She is passionate about facilitating strategic processes that help individuals and organizations ask good questions, release talent, and amplify the good. Eliza is an adjunct faculty member and has designed curricula for Cornerstone University and Northpoint Bible College, teaching at the intersection of leadership, business, and ministry. She is an Ed.D. candidate at Cornerstone University in Organizational Leadership. She resides in Michigan with her amazing family.
Michelle Blanco
IDI® Qualified Administrator ▪ Project Administrator ▪ Ethnicity Consultant
Michelle Blanco has served as a missionary overseas and domestically for over a decade and is respected within the field for her ability to bridge theology, culture, and race. Michelle is a Qualified Administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory® and an ethnicity consultant. In addition, she served on the executive team of The Lenses Group, a cross-cultural leadership development platform for US-based missionaries and Christian ecclesial leaders seeking to grow their intercultural competencies. Mrs. Blanco has a Bachelor of Arts in Music from the University of Central Florida and uses her formal training as a singer and actor to address topics of diversity, equity, and inclusion. As a movie enthusiast, Michelle weaves familiar themes into her presentations, which help her audience connect to her message. Michelle is originally from Puerto Rico and resides in Florida with her husband and two children.
Ronnie Farmer Jr.
Consultant
An innovative visual artist, Ronnie Farmer, Jr., expresses great interest in the intersection of art, justice, and theology. Farmer uses dynamic colors and provocative images as a catalyst for dialogue about pressing social issues. A native of Augusta, Georgia, Farmer’s art career began at Augusta’s John S. Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School. Later he moved to Kentucky and earned a B.A. in Religion from Berea College and a M.A. in Worship and the Arts from Asbury Theological Seminary.
In 2010, Farmer completed his clinical pastoral education at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, where he served as a resident chaplain in the pediatric intensive care unit employing creative arts into pastoral care encounters with both children and families in the form of art and music. Farmer believes that the arts can provide a safe and nonthreatening space for processing trauma and grief and continues to be interested in the ways that art can serve as a vehicle for pastoral care.
Farmer's vocational experience in global missions also informs his work. Having spent 3 years serving on leadership with TEAM missions. Farmer is currently the managing director of the I Have A Dream Preschool Academy, which champions racial reconciliation among children.
Sarah F. Farmer
Consultant
Sarah is associate director at Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning. Prior to coming to Wabash, Sarah served as Associate Professor of Practical Theology and Community Development in the School of Theology and Ministry at Indiana Wesleyan University. As a practical theologian, she has taught in the areas of community development, faith formation, youth ministry, and transformative pedagogy. Farmer also served as an associate research scholar and lecturer at Yale Divinity School and helped direct the Adolescent Faith and Flourishing Program at Yale Center for Faith and Culture. Sarah received her M.Div and PhD from Emory University, where she taught as an adjunct faculty and co-directed a Certificate in Theological Studies Program at a Women’s Prison.
Sarah Farmer co-founded the Youth Arts and Peace Camp in Chester, PA and worked with the Youth Hope-Builders Academy at Interdenominational Theological Center. She is co-author with Anne E. Streaty Wimberly of Raising Hope: 4 Paths to Courageous Living for Black Youth. She enjoys action-packed movies, art, finding adventures to do with her children, and listening to her audiobook.
Felicia Melian
Research Consultant
Felicia Melian received her B.A. in Biblical Literature from Indiana Wesleyan University and M.A. in Ministry Leadership from Wesley Seminary. She is an ordained minister and ex-church planter turned writer, researcher, and aspiring public theologian. She specializes in interrogating the invisible, stagnant, and harmful ideas that exist among white evangelicals; especially those that stand in the way of justice. Felicia resides with her husband, Gabe, in Tampa, Florida.
Luigi Peñaranda
Lead Consultant
Luigi Peñaranda, is a bilingual professor specialized in Leadership Studies and Biblical studies. He has a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership and Development and is an ordained minister, with pastoral experience in multi-ethnic and multi-cultural church settings. A passionate educator, an enthusiastic reader, and a music aficionado. Luigi and his family live in San Antonio, TX.
Misty Resendez
IDI® Qualified Administrator ▪ Research Consultant
Dr. Misty Resendez has over 15 years of professional experience in business administration and leadership methodologies. With an Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership, she has practiced in for-profit and non-profit arenas holding clinical and management roles, allowing her to utilize her expertise in coaching and mentoring leaders to increase organizational performance.
An avid educator, Misty spends much of her time teaching both business and community leaders the importance of cultural diversity, leadership, and inclusion—focusing on the impact these necessities have on overall success at work, at home, and abroad. She often presents her research and expertise at national and international leadership conferences.
Misty’s experience enables her to strongly grasp the interworking of people and the organization to positively affect cultural diversity and inclusion, organizational change, and leadership development.
Dan Walker
Partner and Strategist of CaminoRoad
Consultant ▪ Speaker ▪ IDI® Qualified Administrator ▪ CQ® Certified Facilitator
Passionate about community development, reconciliation, and justice, Dan Walker is a praxis-oriented pastor, consultant, and speaker. He is the co-founder of CaminoRoad and serves as Social Justice Catalyst as an ordained minister in the Wesleyan Church. Dan is a doctoral candidate in Urban Ministry Leadership at North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago and previously served as an executive director and national trainer for Love In the Name of Christ (Love INC).