The Rev. Leslie Copeland Tune named NCC's assistant director for justice and advocacy
The Rev. Leslie Copeland Tune has been appointed assistant director for Justice and Advocacy for the National Council of Churches USA, effective September 5.
In this new position, Ms. Tune will work directly with the Rev. Brenda Girton-Mitchell, NCC associate general secretary for Justice and Advocacy, managing the efforts of the revised Justice for Women Working Group, Tirzah (the young adult women group) and the Women in Ministry Group. She will also assist in developing and maintaining outreach to denominational women executives.
"Leslie Tune is well known to us as a woman of strong faith, considerable talent and an unwavering commitment to the ideals the Council strives to uphold," said the Rev. Bob Edgar, general secretary of the NCC. "I'm delighted the Council will continue to benefit from her leadership skills and caring support."
Rev. Tune has been the NCC's Washington Communication Officer since April 2003. She was recently appointed to staff a newly created NCC commission to work toward the just and sustainable rebuilding of the Gulf Coast region following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Tune has more than 15 years of experience in communications, as a public affairs manager for the American Counseling Association, media relations specialist for the University of Maryland, assistant account executive at Ruder Finn PR in New York, and as public relations manager for Cox, Matthews and Associates. She also started her own marketing and consulting business in 1999. Her clients have included: North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company, the Baltimore Metropolitan Council, Webb Patterson Communications, Faith and Politics Institute and Grammy-nominated Jazz Artist Nneena Freelon.
In addition, Tune serves as Assistant Pastor at Norbeck Community Church in Silver Spring, Md., where Rev. Courtenay L. Miller is the pastor. Tune was licensed and ordained to the Gospel ministry in 1997 and 2001, respectively, under the leadership of Rev. Dr. H. Beecher Hicks, Jr. at Metropolitan Baptist Church in Washington, D.C.
Tune is a member of the WETA-TV Community Advisory Board and completed the Women in Government Relations Public Policy Fellowship in 1992.
Born and raised in Mt. Vernon, N.Y., Tune earned a bachelor's degree from the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University, an M.B.A. from the University of Maryland with a concentration in marketing, and a Master of Theological Studies from Duke University.
She and her husband, Rev. Romal Tune, are the parents of two children, Aman Victoria, 7, and Jordan Romal, 6.
The National Council of Churches USA is composed of 35 Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, historic African American and peace communions representing 45 million Christians in 100,000 local congregations in the United States.
For more information see www.councilofchurches.org.
Contact NCC News: Rev. Daniel Webster, 212-870-2252, dwebster@councilofchurches.org; or Philip E. Jenks, 212-870-2228, pjenks@councilofchurches.org