Wesleyan Impact Partnners Announces Bishop Gregory Palmer as Senior Advisor

AUSTIN, Texas: Wesleyan Impact Partners announces that Bishop Gregory Palmer has been named senior advisor. Bishop Palmer will work closely with Rev. Lisa Greenwood, president and chief executive officer, and the executive team to shape initiatives to establish and deepen relationships with leaders and ministries across the Wesleyan ecosystem. Bishop Palmer will work closely with Wesleyan Impact Partners’ Learning and Innovation ministry, shaping leadership events and cohorts to share learnings and empower leaders through conversation, speaking, and writing.

"Bishop Palmer's distinguished career in The United Methodist Church and strong relationships across Wesleyan theological expressions will help guide the mission of Wesleyan Impact Partners to support a Spirit-led movement of love, generosity, and belonging,” said Rev. Lisa Greenwood. “We are honored to welcome him onto our team.”

A Duke University Divinity School graduate, Bishop Palmer was elected to the episcopacy in 2000 and was the resident bishop of the West Ohio Conference of The United Methodist Church before retiring in September of 2024. In 2008, he served a two-year term as the Council of Bishops’ president. He has served as president of the General Board of Higher Education and as a board member of numerous organizations, including The United Methodist Publishing House, Methodist Theological School in Ohio, United Theological Seminary, and OhioHealth. Currently, Bishop Palmer is serving four years as the Council of Bishops' executive secretary.

“Bishop Palmer is a visionary and courageous leader,” said Rev. Dr. Blair Thompson, Vice President of Learning and Innovation for Wesleyan Impact Partners. “He is one of the most deeply faithful people I know, so grounded in scripture and so open to the Spirit’s guidance. What a gift to have him with us!”

"I look forward to joining Wesleyan Impact Partners' work in helping congregations and the communities they serve to flourish," said Bishop Palmer. "The church continues to be a powerful guiding light and spiritual home for so many in this season of great promise and possibility."

About Wesleyan Impact Partners

Wesleyan Impact Partners is a national nonprofit and ministry partner to the church and its leaders, offering investment opportunities, loans, endowment and gift planning, leadership cohorts, and learning and innovation. We strengthen the church's mission toward building a world of grace, love, and belonging. Throughout its 55-plus-year history, Wesleyan Impact Partners has made thousands of loans, empowering churches and nonprofits across the United States to pursue their God-sized dreams. Wesleyan Impact Partners lifts up the work of courageous spiritual entrepreneurs across the Wesleyan Ecosystem through its nationally recognized Locke Innovative Leader Award and its thought-provoking podcast, Igniting Imagination. This work is made possible through ministry partnerships nationwide with impact-focused investors, borrowers, donors, and foundations. Based in Austin, Texas, the organization is led by Rev. Lisa Greenwood, president and chief executive officer, who is also the president and chief executive officer of the Texas Methodist Foundation. To learn more, visit wesleyanimpactpartners.org.

Contact
Janet M. Mitchell
Chief Marketing Officer
Wesleyan Impact Partners
jmitchell@wesleyanimpactpartners.org
512-583-1942