Our Staff
973-408-3189
Ashley Boggan D., General Secretary
Michelle Merkel-Brunskill, Executive Assistant
Mark Shenise, Associate Archivist
Frances Lyons, Reference Archivist
Kevin Dusenberry, Digital Archivist
Alex Parrish, Methodist Curator
Robert J. Williams, General Secretary, retired
Alfred T. Day III, General Secretary, retired
Ashley Boggan D., PhD
General Secretary
aboggan@gcah.org
973-408-3191
Dr. Ashley Boggan D. is the General Secretary of the General Commission on Archives and History. In this role, she ensures that the UMC understands its past in order to envision a more equitable future for all Methodists. Boggan earned her PhD from Drew Theological School’s Graduate Division of Religion, specializing in both Methodist/Wesleyan Studies and Women’s/Gender Studies. She earned an M.A. from the University of Chicago’s Divinity School, specializing in American Religious History. She has previously worked as staff at the General Commission on Archives and History (2012-2014) and the Connectional Table of The United Methodist Church (2014-2016). She was the Director of United Methodist Studies and Assistant Professor Christian History at Hood Theological Seminary (Salisbury, NC), an AME Zion Seminary, from 2017-2019 and was the Director of Women’s and Gender Studies and Assistant Professor of Religion at High Point University (High Point, NC) from 2019-2020. Boggan is a lay member of the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference and the daughter of two ordained United Methodist ministers. Her Methodist lineage dates beyond this, back to the early 19th century when her great-great-great grandfathers were Methodist circuit-riders. She is the author of Nevertheless: American Methodists and Women's Rights (2020); Entangled: A History of American Methodism, Politics, and Sexuality (2018); and added to the revised American Methodism: A Compact History (2022).
Michelle Merkel-Brunskill
Executive Assistant
mmerkel@gcah.org
973-408-3189
Graduate studies (English Literature), Drew University
BA (Literature), Aurora University, 1996
Michelle has been with GCAH since 2000. She provides administrative support for the Commission's General Secretary. Michelle is the public's contact at the Archives to answer questions about general information, subscribing to Methodist History, Historic and Heritage Landmark applications, purchasing GCAH publications, and updating the GCAH directory. Additionally, she is an assistant editor for Methodist History and performs human resources, payroll, and bookkeeping services for the GCAH.
Mark Shenise
Associate Archivist
mshenise@gcah.org
973-408-3194
DLitt Candidate, Drew University
MTS, Drew Theological School, 1985
BA, Olivet Nazarene University, 1981
Mark is the Associate Archivist. His major responsibilities are processing agencies and personal papers, handling reference requests, working on museum displays, overseeing basic conservation needs, working with computers and databases, and preserving/cataloging the artifacts collection. Mark first worked for the archives in 1983 as a Student Assistant. After graduating from Drew Theological Seminary in 1985 and serving as an Associate Pastor in High Mountain Church of the Nazarene, Mark came back to work full-time for the archives in the Fall of 1986. He is a member of the Mendham United Methodist Church. Mark is also a member of the Greater New Jersey Commission on Archives and History.
Frances Lyons
Reference Archivist
flyons@gcah.org
973- 408-3196
Certified Archivist
BA (History) University College Dublin
Archival Studies UCD
Frances joined the staff of the Commission as Reference Archivist in 2008. She previously managed the Archives and Special Properties Collection at American International Group, Inc. in New York City. Prior to working at AIG she was the archivist for The McGraw-Hill Companies.
Kevin Dusenberry
Digital Archivist
kdusenberry@gcah.org
973-408-3195
MLIS (Archives Management), Simmons University, 2023
GradCert (Leadership & Management), Liberty University, 2022
BA (Film Production), Emerson College, 2017
As the Digital Archivist, Kevin is responsible for the digital records collected by GCAH. He leads the continuing development of the Archives' digital program and works to ensure the accessibility of all available resources. He joins GCAH with previous archival experience from WGBH and CBS News Archives. Kevin also serves on the Greater New Jersey Commission on Archives and History.
Alex Parrish
Methodist Curator, Drew University
aparrish@drew.edu
973-408-3910
PhD, ABD (Church History), Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary
MTS Duke Theological School
BA (Bible & Biblical Languages), Moody Bible Institute
Alex Parrish is the primary contact for the Methodist Library at Drew University. The collections include more than 50,000 printed materials related to United Methodism and related denominations. His responsibilities are handling reference requests, cataloging, and managing the Wilson Reading Room.
Robert J. Williams
General Secretary, Retired
PhD, Drew University, 1983
MDiv, Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1973
BA, MS, University of Pennsylvania, 1970
Bob was the General Secretary from 2006 through June of 2014. He is an elder in the Greater New Jersey Conference and lives with his wife, Renee, in Ocean City, New Jersey.
Alfred T. Day III
General Secretary, Retired
Graduate studies, Drew University and Temple University
MDiv Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, 1975
BS, Houghton College, Houghton NY, 1972
Fred was General Secretary from 2014-2020. He is a clergy member of the Eastern Pennsylvania Annual Conference and lives with his wife, Linda, in Cape May Point, New Jersey.