Women's Symposium September 20, 2025

Dr. Winbush was an Associate Stated Clerk and director of Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations in the Presbyterian Church (USA). Robina was a strong, passionate and courageous advocate for justice and peace. She gave her life to fostering lasting relationships across the world. Her witness as a true and faithful ecumenist and interfaith leader was sealed by the broad range of global impact that she made on both people and institutions.

Vera Poe Swann (1930–2022) was a lifelong servant of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), dedicating thirty-three of her forty-one years of work to mission and ministry. Born in Cheraw, S.C., and a graduate of Johnson C. Smith University, she first served as a missionary in Allahabad, India, where she taught Bible at Ewing Christian College, helped organize the Jamna Christian Basic School, and co-founded a home for vagrant boys. Together with her husband, the Reverend Darius L. Swann, she also helped establish the Christian Drama Program to train pastors and teachers in northern India.

Beyond her mission service, Vera held significant leadership roles in the church and community. She served as vice president of the Board of Trustees of Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary, moderator of National Black Presbyterian Women, and president of the Greater Atlanta Chapter of the National Black Presbyterian Caucus. Her wider work included teaching at Castle High School in Hawaii, Northern Virginia Community College, and directing the Southern African Student Refugee Program. She was honored to serve as a national observer for South Africa’s first democratic elections. Vera also contributed as a board member of the Maria Fearing Fund, continuing her commitment to supporting mission in Africa. She is remembered as a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and faithful leader whose legacy continues to inspire.

The Rev. Dr. Katie Geneva Cannon (1950–2018) was a pioneering theologian, the first African American woman ordained in the United Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and a founder of Womanist theology. A North Carolina native, she graduated from Barber-Scotia College, earned her Master of Divinity from Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary, and completed both a Master’s and Doctor of Philosophy at Union Theological Seminary. Throughout her career, she taught at Temple University, Episcopal Divinity School, Harvard Divinity School, and later Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, VA, where she became a guiding voice for generations of students and scholars.

Dr. Cannon’s work helped shape the field of Womanist theology, bringing together the intersections of race, gender, and faith. She authored and inspired groundbreaking scholarship, trained countless church leaders, and founded the Center for Womanist Leadership at Union Presbyterian Seminary, later renamed in her honor. In 2018, shortly before her passing, she received the PC(USA) Excellence in Theological Education Award. Today, her sermons, lectures, and writings are preserved in the Katie Geneva Cannon Digital Collection, ensuring her prophetic voice continues to challenge and inspire the church and academy alike.

Katherine Johnson (1918–2020) was a trailblazing mathematician whose brilliance and perseverance helped shape America’s space program. Born in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, she excelled in school from an early age, graduating from West Virginia State College at 18 with highest honors in mathematics. In 1953, she joined NACA (later NASA) at Langley Research Center, where her skills in flight research and trajectory analysis quickly distinguished her. Her calculations contributed to Alan Shepard’s Freedom 7 mission in 1961, and in 1962, astronaut John Glenn famously insisted she verify the orbital equations for his Friendship 7 flight before he would launch.

Over her 33-year career with NASA, Johnson’s work was critical to Project Apollo, the Space Shuttle program, and the development of Earth observation satellites. She coauthored 26 research reports and became one of the first women in her division to receive credit on a technical publication. In 2015, President Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, recognizing her extraordinary contributions. Remembered as both a brilliant scientist and a humble servant, Katherine Johnson’s legacy continues to inspire future generations to reach higher, dream bigger, and push beyond barriers.

Dr. Thelma Cornelia Davidson Adair (1920–2024) was a pioneering educator, church leader, and advocate for justice who became the first African American woman elected Moderator of the General Assembly of the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. in 1976. As Moderator, she traveled to more than 70 countries, meeting with leaders including President Gerald Ford, and urged the church to embrace a radical faith rooted in action and justice. A lifelong educator, she earned her Doctor of Education from Teachers College at Columbia University and served as a professor at Queens College, City University of New York, for over 30 years. She also organized Head Start programs and early childhood initiatives that shaped the lives of countless children and families.

Beyond the church, Dr. Adair held leadership in Church Women United, serving as president from 1980 to 1984, where she worked globally for peace and justice, even helping to organize a one-million-person rally for nuclear disarmament in New York’s Central Park. She consulted with the Peace Corps, UNESCO, and Operation Crossroads Africa, always uplifting local voices and encouraging partnerships across denominational and cultural lines. Remembered for her prophetic witness, powerful teaching, and tireless advocacy, Dr. Adair’s legacy continues to inspire those committed to faith, education, and justice.