GOPP, AMY

The Rev. Amy Gopp is the Vice President of External Relations for IMA World Health, a global and ecumenical public health organization. Gopp is an ordained minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) with two decades of experience in faith-based relief and development. Previously she served as the Director of Member Relations and Pastoral Care at Church World Service and as Executive Director of Week of Compassion, the relief, refugee and development mission fund of the Disciples of Christ. A passionate global activist for girls and women’s rights, education and empowerment, Rev. Gopp is one of the key leaders of the interfaith We Will Speak Out U.S. coalition and campaign to end sexual and gender-based violence.

Through dynamic preaching, creative teaching and strategic leadership, Gopp urges God’s people to engage in compassionate service that imbues hope and empowerment for all. A graduate of the American University School of International Service, Antioch University and Union Theological Seminary, for many years she lived in the war-ridden former Yugoslavia with Mennonite Central Committee, serving as a peace activist aiming to relieve refugee concerns, promote interfaith dialogue, and provide education toward conflict resolution. Additionally, Gopp coordinated the award-winning Pontanima Interfaith Choir in Sarajevo, Bosnia. She served as Associate Minister for Outreach at Manhattan’s Park Avenue Christian Church and as the United Nations liaison for Wider Church Ministries. She co-founded the Poverty Initiative, a NYC-based program equipping faith leaders to challenge oppressive economic structures that contribute to poverty in America. She serves as Vice Chair of the Union Theological Seminary Board of Trustees.

Amy is a contributor and co-editor of Split Ticket: Independent Faith in a Time of Partisan Politics and Help and Hope: Disaster Preparedness and Response Tools for Congregations, and the author of numerous articles and devotionals. She and her husband, eco-activist and artist Frédéric Vigne, live in Kent, Ohio, although they are frequently found traveling the world, singing in their living room at the top of their lungs, or cooking French meals.