Presbyterian World Mission has named Tamron Keith as associate director for administration and Rachel Yates as associate director for programs. Keith and Yates are currently staff members of the Presbyterian Mission Agency.
Greg Allen-Pickett, previous general manager of World Mission, recently left the position and now serves as director of global mission with the First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta. Keith, who served as manager of finance for the past three years, will assume additional duties from the portfolio of the general manager and assume the title of associate director of administration.
Yates worked as an attorney for 23 years until she realized she found greater satisfaction working with her congregation and the Denver Presbytery. Most recently, she served as a church support associate on the funds development ministry team, connecting congregations across the western U.S. with World Mission.
“I am thrilled Tamron and Rachel have accepted this call to greater leadership on the World Mission team at this time,” said World Mission director Hunter Farrell. “Tamron is a solid and competent professional and a person of deep integrity and Rachel brings strong leadership skills and a passion for God’s global mission. They will inspire trust across the church.”
Keith was born in Harlem, N.Y., and raised in Louisville. He began his professional career at Presbyterian Distribution Services, a ministry of the former General Assembly Mission Council. He joined the Presbyterian Foundation in 1999 and eventually accepted the position of manager of financial controls, and later operations manager, with New Covenant Trust Company (NCTC), a subsidiary of the Foundation. He moved to Portland, Ore., in 2007, where he served as senior financial analyst for the City of Portland’s Bureau of Technology Services. He served as interim capital technology project manager before joining World Mission in 2012. He has a bachelor of science in mathematics from the University of Louisville and is on course to graduate from Indian University with a master of science in strategic finance fall of 2016. Keith preaches and teaches regularly as an elder and associate pastor at the Refuge in Kentucky Church in Louisville.
Yates spent 23 years at the firm of Holland & Hart in Denver, Colo., the last 13 years as a partner. She has served as a ruling elder, clerk of session and co-chair of the “Faith in Action” team at Calvary Presbyterian Church in Denver, as well as serving two terms on the Denver Presbytery Council and chairing the presbytery’s mission and ministries workgroup. She has a bachelor of arts in religious studies from Leland Stanford Junior University in Palo Alto, Calif. and a juris doctorate from the Boston University School of Law.
Keith begins his new responsibilities immediately, while Yates begins her work in Louisville on January 4, 2016.