The Reverend Dr. Donna Claycomb Sokol is the pastor of Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church in downtown Washington, DC. Since Donna’s appointment to the congregation in July of 2005, the congregation has transitioned from an elderly congregation in decline to a growing congregation composed of many young adults who are making a vital difference in the heart of the nation’s capital. Donna earned her undergraduate degree in economics from William Woods University, her master of divinity degree from Duke Divinity School, and her doctor of ministry degree in preaching at Wesley Theological Seminary. Prior to responding to her call to ministry, she served as a White House intern and worked for a US Congressman from Ohio and a US Senator from Iowa. Her other church appointments include Minister of Congregational Care at First United Methodist Church in Hendersonville, North Carolina and as the director of admissions at Duke Divinity School. Donna is the co-author of A New Day in the City (Abingdon, 2017). She serves as a member of the Duke Divinity School Board of Visitors, has served as a Trustee for the Forum for Theological Exploration, and regularly speaks on issues of faith and vocation, congregational renewal, and ministry in the margins. She blogs at Words from Washington.