Keynote Speakers

Charlie was born and raised in eastern North Carolina and was baptized in St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Speed, N.C. Since that big moment in that small town in 1970, Charlie has been shaped by God as an artist, a musician, and a priest. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts at East Carolina University in 1992. His accomplishments in ministry include serving as the designer of the General Convention liturgies in Indianapolis and Salt Lake City, opening an interfaith emergency winter shelter, supporting an ecumenical feeding ministry, and starting a young artist’s series.

Charlie earned his Master of Divinity from the Virginia Theological Seminary and his Doctorate in Biblical Preaching from Luther Seminary. He has served in multiple ministry settings, including associate rector/campus minister of St. Paul’s in Greenville, N.C.; rector of St. Gregory’s in Woodstock, New York; and 11 years at Trinity Episcopal Church in Bloomington. He has served as rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia since 2019.

Charlie and his husband, Matthew Cole, a realtor, have been together since 1996. Charlie is an ardent believer in extending the warmth and radical welcome of Jesus in all that we do as a church, and that we should never stop wondering and asking questions about our faith.

Nancy E. Petty began her ministry at Pullen Memorial Baptist Church in June of 1992 where she has served as senior pastor since 2002. Prior to being called as the pastor, she served Pullen as the Minister of Christian Education and Associate Pastor. As Pullen’s pastor she is the spiritual guide of the congregation, performing duties of preaching, teaching, counseling and visitation. She honors the traditions that have developed over the years at Pullen and initiates new traditions that capture the theology of Pullen and the spirit of the members.

Nancy is known as a community faith leader speaking out on issues of social justice, interreligious dialogue, and inclusion of the LGBTQIA+ community. She is chair of the Board for Repairers of the Breach, a non-profit organization that seeks to build a moral agenda rooted in a framework that uplifts our deepest moral and constitutional values to redeem the heart and soul of our country.  She is a contributor to several books written on the Moral Monday movement in North Carolina and has been interviewed several times on Frank Stasio’s “The State of Things” on WUNC. Nancy’s ministry has been recognized by numerous awards including the 2013 Women of Influence Humanitarian Award, Hannah Keith S.F. Inc.; the 2014 North Carolina NAACP Minister of the Year Award; 2016 Champions for Children Award, North Carolina Foundation for Public School Children; and the 2018 Neighbor to Neighbor Award, As Salam Islamic Center in Raleigh. In September 2019, The Center for American Progress listed Nancy as one of nine ministers to watch in our nation.

She is married to Karla Oakley. Karla works in education reform and is often traveling with her work. They have two daughters (Jasmine and Nora), two cats (Tasha and Leo), and one spoiled Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (Louis).