Board of Trustees
Young-il Choo, Acting Chair and Treasurer
Young-il is a software engineer with interests in theology, technology, and philosophy of science who started attending NCB events after moving to the Bay Area over 25 years ago. Earlier, he conducted research in computing and taught at Yale University. He is a member of the First Covenant Church of Oakland.
Phil Stillman, Secretary
Phil Stillman is a graduate of the degree program at New College Berkeley with a Masters in Christian Studies. After earning a medical degree at UC San Francisco, NCB prepared him to serve the Lord in his profession of anesthesiology. He has served as a department chair and also as a consultant in a medical software company. He and his wife, Siggie, have three children and have served together in short-term missions in Guatemala and Ethiopia.
Sarah Akutagawa
Sarah Jue Lam Akutagawa is the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Learning and Consultation at a philanthropy in Redwood City, CA. She served with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship for 11 years overseeing international students college ministries and as InterVarsity's National Director of Diversity. Sarah was born and raised in San Francisco where she currently lives with her husband Jon and their two children, Kota and Mie.
Michael Barram, PhD
Dr. Michael Barram is a professor of theology and religious studies at St. Mary’s College of California. As a biblical scholar, his work focuses on missional hermeneutics and the formative function of biblical texts for moral and economic reasoning. Michael is a member of First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley.
Alyssa Lorenzo
Alyssa has worked in urban ministry settings and is currently a Product Manager at a startup using AI to help patients navigate health systems. She is particularly interested in holistic health and serving the marginalized. Originally from Austin, Texas, Alyssa has now enjoyed living in the Bay Area for over a decade.
Al Tizon
Dr. Al Tizon is lead pastor of Grace Fellowship Community Church in San Francisco. He is also affiliate professor of missional and global leadership at North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago. He and his wife Janice live in the San Francisco Bay Area. They have four grown children and, at the time of this writing, six grandchildren and one on the way.
Laurel Gasque (At-large Trustee)
Laurel Gasque is an art historian and author. She has pioneered the arts in theological education and taught on the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. She has served with many arts and faith organizations in North America and internationally. Laurel has a longstanding connection with NCB as her husband, W. Ward Gasque, was seconded from Regent College (Vancouver, BC) to be New College Berkeley’s first president.
Earl Palmer (At-large Trustee)
The late Rev. Dr. Earl Palmer was a founding trustee of NCB. He served in pastoral ministries at University Presbyterian Church in Seattle, Union Church in Manila, First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley, and The National Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C. He had a commitment to expositional preaching of biblical texts, as well as a strong interest in pursuing theological themes that are present in classic and contemporary literature. He was one of the most gifted teachers of the Bible, with a unique style that unfolds the text and allows the listener to make great discoveries