1. Art and Diseño

ACPE Annual Conference
Making Your Connection
May 6-9, 2015
ACPE Critical Thinking in Research and Innovation Award
The Critical Thinking in Research Award recognizes ACPE Supervisors who impact our field through peer-reviewed projects associated
with research that advances the mission of the association: inclusive but not limited to published research in the field of professional
spiritual care, clinical pastoral education pedagogy and innovation in non-traditional contexts.
This year’s awardee is Judith Ragsdale for her study, Behaviors - ACPE Certification Commissioners Seek from Associate Supervisory
Aspirants: a Qualitative Research Study. Judith worked with a team of ACPE Supervisors including Sheryl Lyndes Stowman, Johnny
Bush, Rodney Seeger, and Charles Orme-Rogers on the study. They conducted an IRB approved qualitative research study to
determine what behaviors ACPE Certification Commissioners describe that influence a vote to grant, or deny, a Candidate seeking to
become an ACPE Associate Supervisor. Over 20 members of the ACPE Certification Commission were interviewed individually asking
them what behaviors – and these behaviors could be described in the written materials, viewed on the DVD submitted for certification,
or experienced in the context of the Committee appearance – influenced the Commissioner to vote to grant, or to deny, Associate
status. The interviews were professionally transcribed, reviewed by the principal investigator for accuracy and edited for anonymity,
and then coded using a grounded theory research methodology.
Rev. Judith R. Ragsdale
Judy Ragsdale is the Director of Education and Research in Pastoral Care at Cincinnati Children's Hospital
Medical Center where she has served and directed the CPE program since 1995. She is a native of Richmond,
Virginia, a graduate of the College of William & Mary in Virginia and the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in
Louisville, KY. She holds Privilege of Call in the United Church of Christ. She earned her Ph.D. from Antioch
University’s Leadership and Change Program in 2008. She has been an ACPE Supervisor since 1990 and has
published qualitative research about supervisory CPE in the Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling (2009, 2012)
and in Reflective Practice: Formation and Supervision in Ministry (2012). She has published research about
Religion/Spirituality in the Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation (2014).
Rev. Charles Orme-Rogers
Chuck graduated from Wabash College and the University of Notre Dame with undergraduate and graduate
degrees in developmental psychology. After teaching and doing research in psychology at universities for several
years and developing an automated systems business, Chuck revisited his passion for the intersections of
theology, psychology, and education at Eden Theological Seminary and CPE at St. Luke’s Hospital in St. Louis,
Missouri. Chuck is an Episcopal Priest and works as a Senior Staff Chaplain, ACPE Supervisor, Advance Care
Planning Coordinator, and Palliative Care team member at Meriter-UnityPoint Health in Madison, Wisconsin.
Rev. Johnny C. Bush
Rev Johnny C. Bush is an ACPE Supervisor certified in 2003. He is 30 years ordained Missionary Baptist and is
Senior Pastor of the Greater Faith Baptist Church of Stamford, CT. For over 15 years Rev Bush has served as
part-time Supervisory Faculty for all levels of CPE in multiple healthcare institutions with HealthCare Chaplaincy
Network in New York City. For 10 years he was the Coordinator and Supervisor for CPE at the Riverside Church
of New York City. He has served tenures on National and Regional Certification and presently serves in
leadership as the Chair of ACPE’s largest network, the Racial Ethnic and Multicultural Network. His initial CPE and
supervisory training began in the Southeast Region and completed in the Northeast and Eastern Regions. Rev
Bush earned the M.Div. degree from Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, Columbia, SC.
Rev. Sheryl Lyndes Stowman
Rev. Sheryl Lyndes Stowman is a United Church of Christ minister who serves as a Chaplain and CPE Supervisor
at the University of Minnesota Medical Center, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which is part of the Fairview system
CPE Center. She has been involved in offering Supervisory CPE since 1992 and has regional and national
experience in ACPE certification. Sheryl has been an adjunct faculty member at United Theological Seminary in
St. Paul, Minnesota and is a trained Spiritual Director.
Rev. Rodney W. Seeger
Rod Seeger began supervising CPE in 1975. Except for the two centers in which he trained, all of the CPE he
conducted was at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center. He was the Director of Spiritual Care
Services there for 31 years before he retired. Since then he has helped out supervising CPE when CPE centers
needed some assistance. He has served for twelve years on the Pacific Region Certification Committee. After his
first six years on Certification he served six years as chair of the Pacific Region Peer Review Committee. The last
six years he has been the chair of the Pacific Region Certification Committee. During those same six years he has
served on the Certification Commission of ACPE.