Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry has appointed Teri Lawver as board chair of Episcopal Relief & Development.
“I am thrilled to welcome Teri back to the board of directors as board chair,” Bishop Curry said. “Teri and Episcopal Relief & Development know each other exceedingly well and I am confident that, together with the rest of the board and staff, we will create lasting change.”
Lawver served on the board from 2008 to 2013 and has continued to serve on its Advancement Committee. She replaces Neel Lane, who had served in the role since 2015.
Lawver is a vice president with Janssen Pharmaceutical Cos. of Johnson & Johnson. She has more than 20 years of global healthcare and business leadership experience spanning four continents, three healthcare sectors, and dozens of disease areas.
“I am honored to be asked to serve in this capacity and to rejoin this strong board for an organization that has such commitment to empowering others to live healthier, more fulfilling lives,” Lawver said. “Episcopal Relief & Development’s work is unique. I am humbled to be a part of creating long-term solutions in the lives of the most vulnerable.”
Matt Silva also joined the board effective Jan. 1. He is the director of sales for Labatt Food Service in San Antonio, Texas.
Silva volunteered frequently at the Good Samaritan Center in San Antonio as a young man, and was director of the Good Sam basketball camp in high school. He served as an acolyte at St. Mark’s Church in downtown San Antonio, where he and his wife, Virginia, continue as parishioners.
Matthew Townsend is a Halifax-based freelance journalist and volunteer advocate for survivors of sexual misconduct in Anglican settings. He served as editor of the Anglican Journal from 2019 to 2021 and communications missioner for the Anglican Diocese of Quebec from 2019 to 2022. He and his wife recently entered catechism class in the Orthodox Church in America.
