Foundation Welcomes New Faces, New Perspectives to Board
Rev. Clifton Conrad, Sr.
Joe Crouch, Jr.
Robert Kimbro
Irwin Felps
The United Methodist Foundation of Louisiana Board of Trustees elected three new board members at its Annual Meeting on April 25.
Newly elected members of the Board of Trustees include Rev. Clifton Conrad, Sr.; Joe Crouch, Jr.; and Robert Kimbro. They will begin their new terms June 1.
Conrad is a native of Baton Rouge and is senior pastor of the Asbury-St. Matthew United Methodist Church in Algiers.
Conrad spent several years as a science teacher and a school counselor before earning his Master of Divinity degree from Gammon School of Theology in 2007. He currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Board of Ordained Ministry for the Louisiana Annual Conference and as Co-Chair of the Conference’s Black Methodists for Church Renewal.
Crouch is a retired CPA in Alexandria, La. He earned an MBA in 1972 and worked in the accounting industry for 35+ years.
Crouch has been a member of First United Methodist Church of Alexandria since 1976 and has served as chair of the church’s Leadership Board and Administrative Board. He has served as a Board member and officer of the Salvation Army of Alexandria and the Lions Club of Alexandria.
Kimbro earned a B.S. in Accounting from LSU in 1980 and worked for 38 years in public accounting, including as managing partner for Ernst & Young in New Orleans. In 2020, he started Safeway, L.L.C., a financial management services firm.
He has been a leader in a multitude of nonprofit and community organizations and currently serves on the Board of Trustees and Executive Committee of the Southeast Louisiana United Way. He is also on the Dean’s Advisory Council of the LSU Ourso School of Business and is the 2020 recipient of the LCPA’s Distinguished Public Service Award.
Irwin Felps, of Central, was recognized for his many years of service to the Board. He has a long history of involvement with the Foundation and served as Board Chair from 2012 to 2014. He is a member of Blackwater United Methodist Church and retired executive director of the Louisiana State Police Retirement System.
“We value these leaders who so generously give of their time and talent to our board,” said Foundation President Chris Spencer. “Their broad range of skills and experiences will expand our board’s impact as we strive to carry out our mission to serve our churches, donors and Methodist-related ministries across Louisiana.”
Located in Baton Rouge, the United Methodist Foundation of Louisiana was founded in 1975 and serves United Methodist churches, institutions and individuals through planned giving education, financial management, loans and grants. It is one of the largest United Methodist Foundations in the denomination, with approximately $198 million in assets under management.