Rev. Tondala Hayward – projected Director of Ministerial Services

Rev. Tondala Hayward serves as Campus Minister at the University of Memphis Wesley Foundation (Memphis Wesley). She is an ordained elder, licensed elementary educator, and experienced leader in ministry, education, and community engagement. Rev. Hayward earned a Bachelor of Science in Education with a minor in Sociology from the University of Memphis, a Master of Arts in Elementary Education from the University of Phoenix, and a Master of Divinity from Memphis Theological Seminary.

Affectionately known as “Pastor T,” she has more than a decade of experience leading cross-racial and cross-cultural ministries in both urban and suburban settings. Her diverse background includes serving churches, teaching in public and private schools, and participating on conference leadership teams and boards, including Board of Ordained Ministry and Metro District Committee on Ministry. These experiences have equipped her to connect authentically with individuals across generations, cultures, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Grounded in her faith and guided by the Holy Spirit, Rev. Hayward is passionate about spiritual growth, discipleship, and helping others discern their call to ministry. She is committed to fostering inclusive communities rooted in love, compassion, and justice. Her ministry also emphasizes anti-racism work through awareness, building relationships, and cultivating beloved communities.

Rev. Hayward is married to Alan and is the proud mother of two married sons, stepmother to one daughter, and grandmother of four. Her favorite scripture, Proverbs 3:5–6, reflects the foundation of her faith and leadership: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.”

Rev. B.J. Brack – projected Property Reimagination Leader

Rev. B.J. Brack is projected to serve as Associate to the District Superintendent in the Southwestern District of the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference. He is also projected to serve as conference Property Reimagination Leader. In this role, he will help facilitate a team in determining how we best utilize the property God has given us.

He began his ministry in the Kentucky Annual Conference before moving to Tennessee in 1998, where he was later ordained as an elder. Rev. Brack currently serves as the Harpeth River District Superintendent. His experience serving in this role and with the conference’s board of trustees will be extremely valuable in this transitional season. He has served congregations across Davidson and Montgomery counties and worked for a year in the Conference Office in Administrative Services.

He recently achieved an Executive Certificate in Religious Fundraising, became a Fellow in Charitable Estate Planning, and worked on a Certificate in Church Administration. He also worked closely with Faith and Innovation to explore alternative building uses for our churches. In an environment where it is getting more difficult to fund operating budgets with tithes and offerings, it is vital that we work to form community partnerships and alternative funding plans so churches can be fruitful in their mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. 

Rev. Brack lives in Tennessee with his wife, Laura, and enjoys spending time with their two adult sons and attending Nashville Predators hockey games.

Rev. Kristin Clark-Banks – projected Innovator in Residence

Rev. Kristin Clark-Banks is an ordained elder who is passionate about cultivating cultures of intentional disciple-making and equipping spiritual leaders for faithful ministry in a changing world. Beginning in July, she will serve the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference as Innovator in Residence, launching The Way Opening – a relational, connectional network designed to equip clergy and lay spiritual leaders to develop contextually rooted disciple-making systems through relational accompaniment, shared learning, and faithful experimentation.

Most recently, Rev. Clark-Banks served for 10 years as Senior Pastor of Forest Hills UMC, where she guided the congregation through a season of transformation by developing a clear, relational disciple-making pathway that extends beyond the church’s walls. This work – emerging from lived pastoral experience – has borne meaningful spiritual fruit in individuals, relationships, and the surrounding community, fueling a growing call to equip spiritual leaders across the connection.

Through The Way Opening, Rev. Clark-Banks is cultivating a growing network of spiritual leaders who are seeking to faithfully respond to God’s movement in this moment – sharing wisdom, testing new approaches, and learning from one another as they develop disciple-making practices rooted in their local context.

A native Nashvillian, Rev. Clark-Banks is a graduate of Trevecca Nazarene University and holds a Master of Divinity from Duke Divinity School. She continues to contribute to the life of the conference through spiritual leadership development, teaching, and her involvement with the Faith & Innovation Team.

Rev. Clark-Banks is occasionally known for laughing at her own jokes before telling the punchline. She enjoys reading, traveling, and cooking delicious food, and finds joy in tending her container garden. She can often be heard belting out Broadway tunes – Hamilton and Wicked are always close at hand. She loves spending time with her husband, Brady, her son, Thaddeus, and their dog, Henri.

Rev. Dr. Deborah C. Suddarth – projected Infrastructure Coordinator

Rev. Dr. Deborah Suddarth answered the call to ministry the summer before her senior year in high school. Originally from Oklahoma, she grew up in the United Methodist Church and attended a United Methodist University, Oklahoma City University, majoring in religion. Upon graduation in 1993, she moved to Nashville to attend Vanderbilt University Divinity School.

In May 2018, Dr. Suddarth received her Doctor of Ministry in Wesleyan Missions and Evangelism from Wesley Theological School in Washington DC. Her dissertation project was the founding of Collierville Connected, a coalition of nine churches inspired to connect, build, and strengthen relationships across our community for the betterment of all. 

She has served as Senior Pastor of Collierville United Methodist Church in Collierville, Tennessee, since 2021 and was the Executive Pastor from 2015 to 2021. During these 11 years, Dr. Suddarth has helped the church develop extensive training for elected volunteers and staff, created processes and manuals for each administrative committee, provided spiritual leadership through worship and preaching, led book studies with administrative board members, and deepened lay-led congregational care ministries.

As senior pastor, she has also helped revitalize Collierville UMC after a failed disaffiliation vote in February 2023. Along with incredible laity and staff, they right-sized the budget and staff, developed extensive volunteer leadership, and have watched the worship numbers and annual pledge figures grow significantly each year.

Since transferring from the Oklahoma Conference as a probationary Deacon in 1996, Dr. Suddarth has served as an Associate at Colonial Park UMC and St. Paul UMC in Memphis, has been on the Memphis Conference Staff in Jackson, and as the Senior Pastor of Mullins UMC, Memphis.

Dr. Suddarth and her husband, Trey, have two children. Clareese “Reese” is a junior in college, and Douglas is a junior in high school. Trey is a Latin teacher and coach. Dr. Suddarth is excited to be on Conference Staff again, where she can meld her spiritual leadership, congregational life experiences, and gifts for project management and task organization.