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Christian Union

Marcus Buckley

Vice President of Development, Communications, and HR

Marcus has served as the Ministry Director of Christian Union Vita, at Cornell University, since February, 2023. He has recently been named to the ministry's Executive Team, as a Vice President who oversees Development, Communications, and HR.

Marcus' career in ministry began as a church pianist while in college, and he took a position as lead pastor the year after his graduation from Stetson University. For nearly 30 years he has pastored churches in Florida and South Carolina while also serving as a police chaplain. During this time, Marcus completed his Master of Divinity degree from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and earned his Doctor of Ministry from North Greenville University. In addition to pastoring and preaching in a broad variety of contexts, he has also hosted Christian talk radio programs, taught college classes, contributed numerous articles to a variety of publications, and has authored two novels with a third forthcoming.

Marcus and his wife, Lea Ann, have three children: Emma, Victoria, and Brandon, and four dogs. In his free time, Marcus enjoys tinkering with anything and everything related to automobiles.



Vickie Coonan

HR & Operations Specialist

vickie coonanVickie joined Christian Union in 2017 to support the VP of Operations and the team in Princeton. She brings to Christian Union more than nine years of administrative experience at Star 99.1 FM, a Christian radio station in the New York metropolitan area. Prior to that, she volunteered at various organizations and Bible studies in the Princeton area in leadership roles,·all while performing her duties as a Domestic Engineer for 17 years.

Vickie grew up in Maryland and earned a BS in business and finance from Mount St. Mary's University. In 1985, she moved to New Jersey to be near her college sweetheart, John, whom she married in 1989. Vickie and John live in Princeton and have three wonderful children, Jimmy, Marykate, and Joe.

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Leslie Baier Muscolo

Executive Assistant

Leslie joined Christian Union in the beginning of 2013 out of a desire to serve in Christian ministry and currently supports Operations and Christian Union Universities. Led to Christ in her freshman year of college, Leslie has a special affinity for campus ministry.

Receiving a degree in Social Sciences and the Visual Arts from SUNY Purchase in Westchester, NY, Leslie has had a variety of work experience ranging from photography gigs, newspaper and magazine ad layout, leading children’s music and play programs, account executive/photo research work in NYC, and managing a portrait studio.  Outside of Christian Union, Leslie keeps herself busy with her photography and floor plan business which she founded in 2008. Her husband, Patrick, joined the business in 2015 and can often teams up with her on home shoots, measuring and drawing the home’s layout.

In her free time, Leslie teaches in the children’s ministry in her church and enjoys walking or running along the canal, enjoying a mochaccino while listening to local music groups, and working in her garden. She can occasionally be found on the basketball court shooting hoops.

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David Johnson

IT Director 

David grew up in Southeastern Pennsylvania and graduated from The Pennsylvania State University with a degree in Marketing. David served with Campus Crusade for Christ for four years, first working in their development office, in major gifts, and then as Director of Development Services. Subsequently, David earned a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Eastern University. He has worked in the technology sector for EDS in quality assurance and as a marketing manager for Covad Communications. 

Dave was married to his late wife, Jennifer, for 24 years. Dave and Jennifer served in China together in 2002-2003, teaching and sharing their lives and their faith. Dave joined Christian Union in 2008 with Jennifer's loving support; she went home to be the Lord in July of 2020. He and Jennifer have three sons: Andrew, Samuel, and Ben. Dave currently resides in the greater Philadelphia area. 


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Helene Ulrich

Office Manager

Helene grew up in Edison, New Jersey. She taught high school for ten years and then went to work for AT&T in a variety of capacities, including Programmer, Systems Analyst, Project Manager, and Quality Manager.

After twenty years in the telecommunications industry, she joined Christian Union in 2003. She has two daughters, Elaina and Anne.

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Contact the communications staff by email using: Firstname.Lastname@ChristianUnion.org

Developing Leaders at Strategic Institutions


NATIONAL LEADERSHIP

Jason Walsh, Vice President, CUU
View bio>



CHRISTIAN UNION MINISTRY FACULTY / LOCAL LEADERSHIP

Brown University

Sheri Casali, Ministry Fellow 
View bio >

Columbia University

Craig Holliday, Ministry Director
Viviana Hinojosa, Ministry Fellow
Ayomide Tikare, Administrative Assistant and House Manager
View bios >

Cornell University

Lea Ann Buckley, Administration/Ministry Associate

View bios >

Dartmouth College

Timothy Pillsbury, Ministry Director

View bio >

Harvard College

James Galvin, Ministry Fellow
Sadie Sasser, Ministry Fellow
View bios >

Harvard Law School

Justin Yim, Ministry Director
View Bio >

Princeton University

Mike Vincent, Ministry Director
Qwynn Gross, Ministry Fellow
Jake Thomas, Ministry Fellow
View bios >

Stanford University 

Justin Woyak, Senior Ministry Fellow
Susan Brown, Ministry Fellow
View bios >

University of Pennsylvania



Yale University

Chitra Kovoor, Minstry Fellow
Michael Racine, Ministry Fellow and Writer
Bethany Walsh, Administrative Assistant
View bios >

Serving Christian Union's Financial Partners 

Marcus Buckley

Vice President of Development, Communications, and HR

Marcus has served as the Ministry Director of Christian Union Vita, at Cornell University, since February, 2023. He has recently been named to the ministry's Executive Team, as a Vice President who oversees Development, Communications, and HR.

Marcus' career in ministry began as a church pianist while in college, and he took a position as lead pastor the year after his graduation from Stetson University. For nearly 30 years he has pastored churches in Florida and South Carolina while also serving as a police chaplain. During this time, Marcus completed his Master of Divinity degree from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and earned his Doctor of Ministry from North Greenville University. In addition to pastoring and preaching in a broad variety of contexts, he has also hosted Christian talk radio programs, taught college classes, contributed numerous articles to a variety of publications, and has authored two novels with a third forthcoming.

Marcus and his wife, Lea Ann, have three children: Emma, Victoria, and Brandon, and four dogs. In his free time, Marcus enjoys tinkering with anything and everything related to automobiles.

Woody O'Cain

Director of Development


Woody began serving as the Director of Development of Christian Union in March 2025. He has served numerous higher education institutions over his 35-year career, initially in the areas of admissions, financial aid, marketing, and enrollment. The latter part of his career has been in the areas of development and alumni and parent engagement. 

Woody served Furman University as Director of Admissions for a decade in enrollment. During his tenure there, O’Cain's work elevated Furman’s national reputation as an academically competitive and diverse liberal arts institution. He also served on the board of the Southern Association of College Admissions Counselors and has been a popular keynote presenter and panelist for schools around the country on all topics related to the college selection process. 

Most recently he has served in alumni and development roles at Stetson University in DeLand, FL before returning to his home state of SC to serve as Director of Development at the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law.

Woody and his wife of 34 years, Patty, have two daughters: Ashley O'Cain Templeton, who is the Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at the University of Georgia, and Allie, who is a vet tech at an area veterinary hospital in South Carolina. In his free time, Woody enjoys any activity outside, from landscaping to fishing, along with many woodworking projects. 


Patty Fillman

Administrative Assistant

Patty provides crucial administrative support to the development team. She graduated from Mansfield University with a degree in Early Childhood Education and has worked a variety of secretarial and managerial jobs while fulfilling her primary responsibility of raising her children. 

Patty has three wonderful, grown children: Adam, Rachel, and Hannah. Between them, she and her husband, Jim, have four children and three grandchildren.
 


Contact the Christian Union development staff by email using: Firstname.Lastname@ChristianUnion.org

Sharing Christian Union's Mission and Vision

Marcus Buckley

Vice President of Development, Communications, and HR

Marcus has served as the Ministry Director of Christian Union Vita, at Cornell University, since February, 2023. He has recently been named to the ministry's Executive Team, as a Vice President who oversees Development, Communications, and HR.

Marcus' career in ministry began as a church pianist while in college, and he took a position as lead pastor the year after his graduation from Stetson University. For nearly 30 years he has pastored churches in Florida and South Carolina while also serving as a police chaplain. During this time, Marcus completed his Master of Divinity degree from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and earned his Doctor of Ministry from North Greenville University. In addition to pastoring and preaching in a broad variety of contexts, he has also hosted Christian talk radio programs, taught college classes, contributed numerous articles to a variety of publications, and has authored two novels with a third forthcoming.

Marcus and his wife, Lea Ann, have three children: Emma, Victoria, and Brandon, and four dogs. In his free time, Marcus enjoys tinkering with anything and everything related to automobiles.



Patrick Dennis 

Creative Director

Patrick DennisPatrick oversees the design and creative direction of Christian Union's brand communications. He has spent more than twenty years helping for-profit companies and non-profit organizations tell their story well. From 1999 to 2009, he served as the president and creative director of a brand strategy and communication design firm that he co-founded in Northern Virginia. During that time, he had the opportunity to consult with and serve a wide range of companies, as well as organizations ranging from well-funded startups to Fortune 500 companies. Upon selling his share of the firm in 2009, he began consulting with Christian Union and a small number of other clients.

He and Karey live in Northern Virginia and have three children. They enjoy skiing and diving together, and Patrick has been known to be found on the golf course occasionally.


Serving Alumni of Christian Union Universities' Ministries 

Christine Foster

Director of Alumni Mentoring

Christine2020Christine was raised as an Episcopalian and renewed her faith as a young adult by participating in the Alpha Program at St. Bartholomew's in New York City. A native Californian, she earned a BA in history from the University of Pennsylvania. 
 
Christine's first career was as a newspaper and magazine reporter, including stints at Stanford's alumni magazine, Forbes, and The Philadelphia Inquirer. She most recently served as Director of Development for The William F. Buckley, Jr. Program at Yale and has also worked in development and alumni relations at two private schools in Connecticut.
 
Christine lives in Connecticut with her husband and three children.



Susan Brown

Cornerstone Partner Coordinator

Susan grew up in California and can’t imagine living anywhere else. She came to faith at an early age and has sought out opportunities to grow and serve Jesus in her church and local community ever since. 


Over the past twenty-five years Susan has served in a wide range of ministry and leadership roles, including the nonprofit sector and the local public schools. She previously served as a volunteer Bible Course leader for Christian Union, helping to launch the very first women’s Bible Course at Stanford. She looks forward to being back on campus, spending time with students.


A graduate of Biola University, Susan enjoys travel, gardening, reading, baking and spending time with her three children and friends. 




 
Contact the Christian Union alumni engagement staff by email using: Firstname.Lastname@ChristianUnion.org

Developing and Connecting Christian Leaders Across America

Jeffrey Walsh

Vice President of Christian Union America 

Jeffrey Walsh is a retired U.S. Army Master Sergeant with over 23 years of experience as a Military Police Soldier, Educator, National Director of Police, and leadership education. He is also an ordained Christian minister with a lifetime of experience in pastoral ministry. He has served in various assignments and attachments worldwide with the U.S. Army National Guard Bureau, the 5th Special Forces Group, and the 169th Regional Training Institute. Jeffrey spent the last ten years in senior leadership positions, including National Director and Subject Matter Expert of Military Police Education and Leadership and Senior Leader of Advanced Leadership Training Programs.

Jeffrey is an expert in spiritual care and reducing destructive behaviors like suicide, sexual assault, and domestic violence. He has trained military leaders across North America in his former role as the National Military Law Enforcement Subject Matter Expert and Connecticut State Equal Opportunity and Sexual Assault Program Coordinator. He is pursuing his Doctor of Ministry at Alliance University in New York City, with prior education in Biblical Theology and Pastoral Ministry from Nazarene Bible College in Colorado Springs. Jeffrey's overseas combat experience has earned him numerous service awards, including the Bronze Star medal with Valor and four presidential unit awards. His passion for serving others stems from a personal journey of healing and transformation through the Spirit of God.


Grace Ann Arvey

Director, Christian Union America

Grace Ann brings a lifelong passion for seeing the good news of the gospel transforming people's lives in the community. This passion led her to spend her early career years as an elementary educator at an inner-city school. She received her B.A. in Elementary Education from Covenant College and her M.Ed. in English Language Learning from Western Governors University.  When the Lord opened the door for her to work alongside her husband's financial company as an executive assistant, she learned that she loved working with adults to transform culture from the top-down.  
 
Grace Ann resides in the scenic city of Chattanooga with her husband and their two toddlers--one who is biological and one who is adopted. During her free time, she loves to be outdoors exploring God's beautiful creation, hiking and boating with her family.

Developing Leaders at Strategic Institutions

Jason Walsh

Vice President, Christian Union Universities

Jason Walsh honorably served 10 years in the United States Marine Corps, 3 years in the 102nd Mounted Infantry Battalion with the Connecticut Army National Guard, and 4 years as a Firefighter/EMT for the City of Stamford Fire Department in Stamford, CT. At the Pentagon, Jason served as a Mission Planner, supporting the highest levels of U.S. leadership, including the resident, Vice President, Secretary of Defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff, and military generals across all branches. While deployed to Afghanistan, He was a Combat Aviation Operations Chief at Camp Dwyer, Afghanistan, a Forward Operating Base (FOB) to combat insurgent activity in the Helmand Valley, which was a hotbed of terrorist activity and the most dangerous province in Afghanistan at the time. Jason served in and out of combat zones with multiple government agencies, including the CIA, FBI, Secret Service, the U.S. Army’s 20th Special Forces Group, and the British SAS.

Throughout nearly 20 years of service in military and local agencies combined, Jason’s leadership has been at the forefront!  Jason graduated from Marine Corps Recruit Training, Parris Island, SC (Boot Camp), as the Platoon Honor Graduate, #1 out of 96 recruits. He was promoted to Sergeant within his first 4 years of Marine Corps service. He was selected from the top 1% of the Marine Corps globally for recruiting duty. Jason was also a .50 Cal Machine Gunner, becoming proficient in all U.S. Army Infantry weapons systems, criminal profiling, and interrogation. He was selected in the top 10 out of 2000 applicants to be a Firefighter/EMT. He was later selected as an instructor at the Stamford Regional Fire Training School after unanimously being voted platoon leader in his own firefighter recruit class. His service is recognized with numerous military medals and personal awards, including the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, 2 Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, 3 Marine Corps Good Conduct Medals, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.

Jason is the Vice President of Christian Union Universities, based at Yale University. He is also an associate pastor at The Rock Church in Wallingford, CT. Jason’s passion for Jesus and service is deeply personal. Overcoming homelessness and personal hardship, he attributes his transformation to the love and healing power of Jesus Christ. He is committed to sharing this message and believes that Jesus has a unique plan and message for each individual that can transform their life.

Jason holds a bachelor’s degree in Pastoral Leadership and Ministries from Nazarene Bible College in Colorado Springs, CO, with additional education in Theology and Urban Missions from Alliance Theological Seminary in Manhattan, NY.



Christian Union

Matt Bennett

Founder and President, Christian Union
Cornell BS '88, Cornell MBA '89
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School MDiv '10

Matt Bennett is founder and president of Christian Union, a Christian leadership development organization with the mission to bring sweeping spiritual and cultural transformation to our nation and the world by developing and networking Christian leaders to make an impact for Christ. Christian Union focuses its activity on America's most selective and influential universities and on professionals in the nation's key cities.

A native of Houston, Texas, Matt earned BS and MBA degrees from Cornell University and holds a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He worked for Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru) at Princeton University for 12 years, and developed the ministry into one of the largest in the history of the Ivy League. In 2002, he founded Christian Union. The ministry has been featured in The New York Times, PBS, NPR, Christianity Today, and World Magazine. Matt currently resides in New York City.



Ed Morgan

Independent Board Member
bio coming soon

 



Dian Naman

Independent Board Member
Alumna, Columbia University

Dian Naman is a wonderful woman of God and is a tremendous addition to the Board. She and her husband Vince first became acquainted with Christian Union through their children’s involvement. It started with Luke, a 2015 graduate of Dartmouth and an active participant in Christian Union activities, and then their youngest daughter Brianna, a 2017 graduate of Brown, who was also involved with Christian Union.

The Naman’s eldest daughters also attended Ivy League Schools but before Christian Union was fully formed and/or present at their respective universities. Natalia, the oldest, went to Princeton earning a BA in English, theater, and African-American Studies (2008). She also earned an MFA, Dramatic Writing from NYU in 2010. Julia attended Yale and graduated in 2012. Christian Union featured the all-Ivy family in CU: The Magazine in 2016.

While Vince is a proud Princetonian and is now a plastic surgeon, Dian attended Columbia University for nursing school and runs their medical clinic and spa, Chattahoochee Plastic Surgery. Dian and Vince have been generous advocates and financial supporters of CU over the years. They love the mission of Christian Union and enjoy the prayer and fasting initiatives from Day & Night. They have also hosted or been a key connector to CU events in Columbus, GA where they are pillars in their community.
 


Winston Wu

Independent Board Member
UC Berkeley B.S. Business Administration '00
 
After working on Wall Street for eleven years, Winston Wu has co-founded several companies, where he served as COO, Operating and Managing Member. He has also worked as a consultant and advisor to startup companies and existing businesses. He has broad experience in mortgage credit and derivatives as well as real estate, lending, capital raising, product or services testing and implementation, hiring and HR.
 
He previously served as the President and Board Member of the Board of Trustees of Trinity Grace Church Chelsea, NYC and worked on the merger with Hope Church NYC. He is passionate about spiritual and personal development, the integration of faith and work, community formation and redemptive communication.
 

Christian Union

Matt Bennett

Founder and President

mattMatt Bennett is founder and president of Christian Union, a Christian leadership development organization with the mission to bring sweeping spiritual and cultural transformation to our nation and the world by developing and networking Christian leaders to make an impact for Christ. Christian Union focuses its activity on America's most influential universities and on professionals in the nation's key cities.

A native of Houston, Texas, Matt earned BS and MBA degrees from Cornell University and holds a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He worked for Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru) at Princeton University for 12 years, and developed the ministry into one of the largest in the history of the Ivy League. In 2002, he founded Christian Union. The ministry has been featured in The New York Times, PBS, NPR, Christianity Today, and World Magazine. Matt currently resides in New York City.

Follow Matt Bennett on Twitter: @MattWadeBennett. 

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Marcus Buckley

Vice President of Development and Communications

Beginning his career in ministry as a church pianist while in college, Marcus took a position as lead pastor the year after his graduation from Stetson University. For nearly 30 years he has pastored churches in Florida and South Carolina while also serving as a police chaplain. During this time, Marcus completed his Master of Divinity degree from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and earned his Doctor of Ministry from North Greenville University. In addition to pastoring and preaching in a broad variety of contexts, he has also hosted Christian talk radio programs, taught college classes, contributed numerous articles to a variety of publications, and has authored two novels with a third forthcoming.
 
Marcus began his work at Christian Union as Ministry Director of Christian Union Vita at Cornell in February 2023, along with his wife, Lea Ann, who serves as the CU Vita Administration/Ministry Associate. They have three children, Emma, Victoria, and Brandon, and four dogs. In his free time, Marcus enjoys tinkering with anything and everything related to automobiles.



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Jeffrey Walsh

Vice President of Christian Union America and Finance/Legal

Jeffrey Walsh is a retired U.S. Army Master Sergeant with over 23 years of experience as a Military Police Soldier, Educator, National Director of Police, and leadership education. He is also an ordained Christian minister with a lifetime of experience in pastoral ministry. He has served in various assignments and attachments worldwide with the U.S. Army National Guard Bureau, the 5th Special Forces Group, and the 169th Regional Training Institute. Jeffrey spent the last ten years in senior leadership positions, including National Director and Subject Matter Expert of Military Police Education and Leadership and Senior Leader of Advanced Leadership Training Programs.

Jeffrey is an expert in spiritual care and reducing destructive behaviors like suicide, sexual assault, and domestic violence. He has trained military leaders across North America in his former role as the National Military Law Enforcement Subject Matter Expert and Connecticut State Equal Opportunity and Sexual Assault Program Coordinator. He is pursuing his Doctor of Ministry at Alliance University in New York City, with prior education in Biblical Theology and Pastoral Ministry from Nazarene Bible College in Colorado Springs. Jeffrey's overseas combat experience has earned him numerous service awards, including the Bronze Star medal with Valor and four presidential unit awards. His passion for serving others stems from a personal journey of healing and transformation through the Spirit of God.




Jason Walsh

Vice President, Christian Union Universities

Jason Walsh honorably served 10 years in the United States Marine Corps, 3 years in the 102nd Mounted Infantry Battalion with the Connecticut Army National Guard, and 4 years as a Firefighter/EMT for the City of Stamford Fire Department in Stamford, CT. At the Pentagon, Jason served as a Mission Planner, supporting the highest levels of U.S. leadership, including the resident, Vice President, Secretary of Defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff, and military generals across all branches. While deployed to Afghanistan, He was a Combat Aviation Operations Chief at Camp Dwyer, Afghanistan, a Forward Operating Base (FOB) to combat insurgent activity in the Helmand Valley, which was a hotbed of terrorist activity and the most dangerous province in Afghanistan at the time. Jason served in and out of combat zones with multiple government agencies, including the CIA, FBI, Secret Service, the U.S. Army’s 20th Special Forces Group, and the British SAS.

Throughout nearly 20 years of service in military and local agencies combined, Jason’s leadership has been at the forefront!  Jason graduated from Marine Corps Recruit Training, Parris Island, SC (Boot Camp), as the Platoon Honor Graduate, #1 out of 96 recruits. He was promoted to Sergeant within his first 4 years of Marine Corps service. He was selected from the top 1% of the Marine Corps globally for recruiting duty. Jason was also a .50 Cal Machine Gunner, becoming proficient in all U.S. Army Infantry weapons systems, criminal profiling, and interrogation. He was selected in the top 10 out of 2000 applicants to be a Firefighter/EMT. He was later selected as an instructor at the Stamford Regional Fire Training School after unanimously being voted platoon leader in his own firefighter recruit class. His service is recognized with numerous military medals and personal awards, including the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, 2 Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, 3 Marine Corps Good Conduct Medals, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.

Jason is the Vice President of Christian Union Universities, based at Yale University. He is also an associate pastor at The Rock Church in Wallingford, CT. Jason’s passion for Jesus and service is deeply personal. Overcoming homelessness and personal hardship, he attributes his transformation to the love and healing power of Jesus Christ. He is committed to sharing this message and believes that Jesus has a unique plan and message for each individual that can transform their life.

Jason holds a bachelor’s degree in Pastoral Leadership and Ministries from Nazarene Bible College in Colorado Springs, CO, with additional education in Theology and Urban Missions from Alliance Theological Seminary in Manhattan, NY.



Quincy "Wolfgang" Watkins

Vice President, Spiritual Formation

quincyQuincy earned a BS in Economics from Temple University and an MBA in Marketing and Organizational Development from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He has held numerous executive-level, corporate positions and is a gifted business strategist. In addition, Quincy is a sought after preacher, lecturer, and prophetic minister with more than two decades of ministry experience. A bishop with One Accord Assemblies, he has overseen five congregations. Quincy joined Christian Union in 2008, bringing a dynamic blend of corporate and ministerial experience to his roles, including five years as a ministry fellow. As VP of Spiritual Formation, Quincy ministers to Christian Union faculty, staff, and students, helping develop and deepen lifestyles of seeking God wholeheartedly.

Quincy's lifelong mission is to provide health and balance to the Body of Christ through holistic preaching, teaching, and deliverance. As a bi-vocational minister, he continues to serve as lead pastor of The Neighborhood Church in Darby, Pennsylvania, and Wilmington, Delaware. A native of Chicago, Quincy is happily married to Fay.

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Executive Director Christian Union New York
bio coming soon