ABOUT
Why Brugmansia Ministries?
Brugmansia is a genus of flowering plants that are commonly called Angel’s Trumpets. The name Brugmansia Ministries references our organization's focus on combining scientific and religious knowledge to amplify the voices of populations suffering from climate change, or are forced into climate migration, within religious communities.
Our organization is comprised of scientists, engineers, scholars, and religious leaders. As a team with varied backgrounds and experiences, we understand lasting and positive changes to address climate challenges must include foundational cultural and worldview shifts in addition to the implementation of technological advancements and infrastructure development.
Mission
Brugmansia Ministries’ mission is to address climate change and climate migration through the building of physical, relational, and spiritual infrastructure within faith communities to increase the resilience and adaptive capacity of those communities to proactively address climate-driven environmental and human disasters.
Vision
Faith communities prepared and empowered to serve individuals and groups suffering from environmental disasters or forced into climate-related migration.
Who We Are
Josh Richardson
Executive Director
Josh Richardson is an environmental geologist, ecological thinker, public theologian, and faith leader. Josh holds a Master of Science in Geological Sciences focusing on Aqueous Geochemistry from Ohio University and a Master of Arts in Public Ministry from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. When not worrying about humanity’s understanding of the natural world, Josh enjoys writing, recording, and producing music, as well as playing board games with friends in a safe and socially distanced manner.
To contact Josh, email director@brugmansiaministries.org
Neha Gupta
Board Member
Neha Gupta is a climate adaptation professional and an earth scientist with a background in geology, hydrology, and ecology. She is currently working on developing projects that advance sustainability and climate action with university and community collaboration as part of the University Climate Change Coalition. She is also a PhD candidate at the University of Arizona's Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences pursuing research to advance resilience with regards to water resources. She is a former elected community official who places a high priority on community engagement and social/environmental/climate justice. She holds a M.S. in Hydrogeology and a B.S. in Geology from Ohio University, and worked on soil and groundwater contaminant remediation prior to attending the University of Arizona. She likes to hike with her dog and read science fiction in her free time. She is excited to join the Brugmansia team!
Daniel Joranko
Board Member
Daniel Joranko is the coordinator for Tennessee Interfaith Power and Light. He also coordinates the Creation Care Ministry of the Tennessee Conference of the United Methodist Church. He was a founder of the Earthkeepers Program hosted through United Methodist Global Ministries. Daniel is an Adjunct Lecturer at the Vanderbilt Divinity School where he teaches courses on Sustainable Community Development, Nonviolent Social Movements, and Restorative Justice. He also coordinated courses for the Divinity School at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution for 2007-2020. He has a Ph.D. in Resource Development form Michigan State University and a Master of Divinity Degree from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. He lives in Nashville Tennessee in an intentional community called Nashville Greenlands, which is part of the Catholic Worker movement.
Claire LePage-Morgan
Board Member
Claire Morgan is a non-profit and higher education professional currently working for Duke University. She holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of North Carolina. She enjoys reading dystopian fiction, walking in Duke Forest, and worrying about the future. She currently attends Chapel Hill Mennonite Fellowship in North Carolina.
Patrick Mulloy, M.DIV
Board Member
For his undergrad Patrick graduated from Iowa State University with a BS in Construction Engineering. Working in the construction field he worked on a wide variety of projects in a wide variety of marketplaces. Later he graduated from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary with his MDiv. Patrick is currently a Provisional Deacon with the Iowa Conference of the United Methodist Church. Currently he is working as a Chaplain with the VA Medical Center in Sioux Falls.
Michael Wilkerson
Board Member
Michael is a third-year Master of Divinity student at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL. He moved to the area from the East Valley of Phoenix, Arizona, where he worked as a component design engineer for Intel Corporation over the previous 20 years. Prior to that, Michael served in the U. S. Navy for 13 years in both enlisted roles and as a commissioned officer in submarines. He received both his Bachelor and Master of Electrical Engineering degrees from the University of Florida in Gainesville.
Michael is currently a certified candidate for elder ordination in the Desert Southwest Conference of the United Methodist Church. In his spare time Michael enjoys playing games, puzzles, and exploring new places or ideas.
Mark Bank
Innovation Volunteer
Mark Bank is a senior platform engineer at McKesson. He holds a BS in Computer Science from Kent State University and has managed big data systems since 2013, particularly in the healthcare domain. He has a passion for modeling systems and believes climate change poses an existential threat to humans. He is an occasional dungeon master and a tenor in his church choir.