Mike Maruca founded Anna Julia Cooper School in 2009.  AJS is a K-8, tuition-fee, independent, faith-based school for low-income families primarily from Richmond’s East End. He holds a BA in Comparative Religions from Bates College, an MA in Philosophy from the University of St. Louis, and an Master’s in Divinity from Weston School of Theology. Mike was a member of the Jesuit’s Society of Jesus from 1980 until 1996. He had many preaching experiences during that time, primarily at Sacred Heart Church in South Richmond and at Church of the Epiphany in Chesterfield.  

Fun fact: Mike once played centerfield at The Diamond and was picked off second base in the same game! He is married to Jeanine and has a daughter, Ellie, a stepson, Justin, and a Golden Retriever named Harper. Mike loves watching the staff around him do beautiful things and seeing students grow and change.

Rev. Faye Cooper Baldwin grew up in the Deep South.  Her ancestors were of African and Native American descent. She says, Though she does not speak the dialect of her ancestors, she knows the pain of their suffering. Called out from a literal fire, she sought to understand the meaning of the call through study of the scriptures and by listening and sitting at the feet of men and women whom she trusted.  

She was ordained by The Mount Olive Baptist Church of Stafford, Virginia. She is the first female clergy set-apart by the Mount Olive Church.  After moving to Richmond, Virginia, to attend seminary, she joined the Quioccasin Baptist Church.

Rev. Baldwin earned a Master of Divinity from The Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology; and she earned a Master of Art in Christian Education from Union Presbyterian Seminary.  Upon graduating from the School of Theology, she served as the teaching assistant to the professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling and the Ministry of Pastoral Care for nine and one-half years.

Affectionately known as Reverend Faye, and to some Dr. Faye, she maintains that God is the author of Equity and Equality, and, therefore, we must advocate and practice equity and equality in the church.  She says, Preaching and teaching is the way of the cross and both are necessary and priceless for God’s people in living life.

Currently, Reverend Baldwin serves in a local Presbyterian Church, serving as a covenant pastor. She continues to preach in other denominational settings in an effort to bridge relations between different faith traditions.  

Reverend Baldwin is a lifetime member of the Tuckahoe Baptist Association of Virginia and currently serves as Third Vice-Moderator of the Association. She has served as a convention teacher for Baptist General Convention.  She is the first female clergy to serve as the President of the Ministers Council of American Baptist Churches of the South, Area II. She is a recipient of several Together in Ministry grants from American Baptist Churches and the Lilly Foundation: for the purpose of facilitating a group of female clergy in the area of self-care; and for facilitating a group of clergy and laypeople in the area of Christian practices for the purpose of growing in the life of faith.  

Reverend Baldwin loves the Lord, and she is committed to the church and its ministry. One of her guiding principles from scripture is: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God to everyone who has faith..." (Romans 1:16)

Rev. Ben Robertson IV is the tenth rector of All Saints Episcopal Church. A native of Louisville, Kentucky, he graduated from Kenyon College in 1996 and Virginia Theological Seminary in 2003. Before being called to All Saints in 2023, Ben served parishes in Louisville, Gastonia, North Carolina, Memphis, and most recently as Rector of the Chapel of the Cross in Madison, Mississippi.  Between college and seminary, he worked as a Legislative Aide in the U.S. House of Representatives. Ben is married to Dr. Ellen Robertson, and they are blessed with two children, Anna and Henry. Ellen is a member of the faculty at Randolph-Macon College and an Associate Professor of Physician Assistant Studies.

Ben’s passions in the Church are many, especially ministry with children and families, leadership development, using social media as an agent for evangelism, and introducing folks to the traditions of Episcopal worship. 

Ben’s favorite prayer was written by the Rev. Addison K. Groff. It prays, in part, disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly, to venture on wilder seas where storms will show Your mastery; where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars.

Rev. Dr. John W. Kinney has served as the pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Beaverdam, Virginia, for more than four decades. He has devoted himself to the pursuit of excellence in theological training and ministerial preparation and has distinguished himself as a systematic theologian, academician, and administrator in a career that spans over 35 years. He received undergraduate and graduate degrees from Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia, and Virginia Union University, Richmond respectively. He earned his Ph.D. from Columbia University/Union Theological Seminary, New York. He also has shared instruction at Chicago Theology Seminary, Chicago; Randolph Macon College, Ashland; Union Theological Seminary, Richmond; and the College of William and Mary, Williamsburg.

Rev. Kinney has lectured extensively across the breadth of this nation and in Africa. He has been a featured lecturer at numerous universities and colleges. He also has presented at numerous theological schools. He is recognized for his theological constructions, addressing the designed harmony in creation and the subsequent fragmentation and separation with particular attention to racism, sexism, and materialism. His thoughts are included in several publications and crystallized in an article entitled The Theology of Fallenness: The Roots of Racism.

His commitment to the needs of the community at large is apparent by his avid participation in several professional societies and organizations. Dr. Kinney has served as a consultant to the American Baptist Convention, the Progressive National Baptist Convention, the Progressive National Baptist Convention, the Baptist General Convention of Virginia, and both the U.S. Air Force and Navy Chaplain Corps. He has been a member of the American Society of Church History, the American Academy of Religion and the Society for the Study of Black Religion. He has served the larger community of theological educators through multiple leadership roles in the Association of Theological Schools in the U.S. and Canada. Dr. Kinney chaired the committee on Race and Ethnicity from 1998 to 2000. He served as a member on the Commission on Accrediting for the Association of Theological Schools in the U.S. and Canada from 2000 to 2006 and actively continued as Commission Chair (2004 - 2006), Vice President (2006 - 2008), President (2008 - 2010), and Personnel Committee Chair (2010 - 2012). His service to academia is complimented by his service to the parish. Dr. Kinney has served as the pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Beaverdam, Virginia, for more than 35 years.