Trinity Church Wall Street Appoints Managing Director of Leadership Development and Managing Director of Mission Real Estate Development
NEW YORK, NY, July 29, 2019 – Trinity Church Wall Street announced today the appointment of two new members of its Grants and Mission Investing team: Robert Garris joins as Managing Director of Leadership Development and the Rev. James I. Clark III joins as Managing Director of Mission Real Estate Development.
As Managing Director for Leadership Development, Mr. Garris will develop the strategy and infrastructure for a global leadership network, as well as managing Trinity’s relationship with the Church Divinity School of the Pacific, an Episcopal seminary in Berkeley, CA, that entered into an alliance with Trinity in March. He will oversee programs with global partners in Africa, Asia the Caribbean, and the Americas.
Mr. Garris brings more than 20 years of experience building innovative international programs at universities and foundations. He joins Trinity from Schwarzman Scholars, where he was the Director of Global Admissions and Strategic Initiatives. Prior to joining Schwarzman Scholars, Mr. Garris served in senior leadership roles at the Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Conference and Research Center; Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs; and at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies.
"I am excited to join Trinity in developing an innovative global network for leadership training that is based in the core values of the church and empowers clergy and lay leaders to engage with their communities to promote social justice, compassion, and inclusiveness," said Mr. Garris.
As Managing Director for Mission Real Estate Development, Rev. Clark will identify potential grantees globally and help themplan, develop and manage income-generating projects that create ongoing financial support for mission work. He will build on existing Trinity partnerships as well as develop new relationships.
Rev. Clark has 35 years of business experience completing $5 billion of commercial real estate transactions encompassing investment, finance, development, portfolio management, and leasing. Previously, as president of Investment Services, he built the national investment brokerage team at Transwestern. He also ran the Midwest real estate region for a major life insurance company and spent 10 years on Wall Street in real estate investment banking at Lehman Brothers.
“I am captivated by the vision of the Rector, Vestry and senior leadership of Trinity Church Wall Street to integrate real estate development with mission and ministry,” Rev. Clark said. “I am thrilled about the opportunity to impact communities on a global scale through self-sustaining and capacity-building real estate projects, and I am grateful to join such a dynamic team at this exciting stage of growth in an organization with tremendous legacy and resources.”
Trinity’s Chief Philanthropy Officer, Neill Coleman, said, “James and Rob will be key players in helping to grow and transform Trinity’s global mission of developing and cultivating leaders, as well as helping churches within the Anglican Communion use their resources to sustain their own missions. They will be working closely together as these two initiatives are deliberately mutually supporting. ”
The Grants and Mission Investing team at Trinity Church Wall Street is focused on four strategic initiatives: racial justice, housing & homelessness, leadership development and mission real estate development. In addition, Trinity has identified Trinity Commons Parish Center, a new neighborhood space that is scheduled to open to the public in spring 2020, as a fifth key initiative.
The appointments of Mr. Garris and Rev. Clark complete Trinity’s leadership team for its key initiatives. They join Lorelei Vargas, Executive Director of Trinity Commons Parish Center, Susan Shah, Managing Director of Racial Justice, and Bea de la Torre, who is the Managing Director for Housing & Homelessness.
About Trinity Church Wall Street
Now in its fourth century, Trinity Church Wall Street is a growing and inclusive Episcopal parish of more than 1,200 members that seeks to serve and heal the world by building neighborhoods that live Gospel truths, generations of faithful leaders, and sustainable communities. The parish is guided by its core values: faith, integrity, inclusiveness, compassion, social justice, and stewardship. Members come from the five boroughs of New York City and surrounding areas to form a racially, ethnically, and economically diverse congregation. More than 20 worship services are offered every week at its historic sanctuaries, Trinity Church and St. Paul’s Chapel, the cornerstones of the parish’s community life, worship, and mission, and online at trinitywallstreet.org. The parish welcomes approximately 2.5 million visitors per year.