The Society for Orthodox Christian History in the Americas (SOCHA) is pleased to count as members of its Advisory Board the following distinguished scholars:

V. Rev. John H. Erickson, retired Dean of St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (Crestwood, New York), Peter N. Gramowich Professor of Church History Emeritus

Rev. Thomas E. FitzGerald, Th.D., Dean of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology (Brookline, Massachusetts), Professor of Church History and Historical Theology

David C. Ford, Ph.D., Professor of Church History at St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (South Canaan, Pennsylvania)

V. Rev. Michael J. Oleksa, Ph.D., retired Dean of St. Herman Orthodox Theological Seminary (Kodiak, Alaska), Adjunct Instructor in Church History

Rev. Deacon Andrei V. Psarev, M.Th., Instructor of Canon Law and Russian Church History at Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary (Jordanville, New York)

Rev. Protodeacon Stanimir Spasovic, Ph.D., Professor of Canon Law and History at St. Sava Orthodox School of Theology (Libertyville, Illinois)

The Society is governed by an Executive Board consisting of the following members:

Rev. D. Oliver Herbel, Ph.D., Executive Director

Fr. Oliver is the pastor of Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church in Fargo, North Dakota. He holds a Ph.D. in Historical Theology from Saint Louis University. His dissertation was entitled, Turning to Tradition: Intra-Christian Converts and the Making of an American Orthodox Church. Fr. Oliver also holds a Master of Arts degree in the History of Christianity from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, and a Master of Divinity degree from St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. He is the author of Sarapion of Thmuis: The Letter to Bishop Eudoxius, the Letter to the Monks, and Against the Manichaeans, with an introduction and argument for Sarapion’s authorship of the “Letter to the Monks,” forthcoming (2010) from the Centre for Early Christian Studies in Australia. He has also published several peer-reviewed articles, including: “A Catholic, Presbyterian, and Orthodox Journey: The Changing Church Affiliation and Enduring Social Vision of Nicholas Bjerring” in Zeitschrift fur Neuere Theologiegeschichte; “Ratramnus of Corbie, Paulinus of Aquileia, and Aeneas of Paris as Sources for Bonaventure’s Filioque Arguments in the Sentences” in Fraciscan Studies; and “Anselm the Neo-Nestorian? Responding to the Accusation in Light of On the Incarnation of the Word,” in St. Vladimir’s Theological Quarterly. Fr. Oliver enjoys fencing (foil and epee), playing chess, working on air cooled Volkswagens, home remodeling, and spending time with his family.

Fr. Oliver is also the author of the Frontier Orthodoxy weblog (early columns here).

To view Fr. Oliver’s curriculum vitae, click here.

Rev. Andrew S. Damick, M.Div., Associate Director

Fr. Andrew is the pastor of St. Paul Orthodox Church in Emmaus, Pennsylvania. He is a 2007 summa cum laude graduate of St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, graduating with Distinction with honors in Church History. His M.Div. thesis is entitled The Archbishop’s Wife: Archbishop Aftimios Ofiesh, the American Orthodox Catholic Church, and the Founding of the Antiochian Archdiocese (1880-1934). He focuses on Orthodox history in America in the early 20th century. He is one of the founding administrators and editors of the OrthodoxWiki website, specializing in articles on the history of Orthodoxy in America. Fr. Andrew is also the author of the Roads From Emmaus and Christ in the Mountains weblogs. Fr. Andrew and his wife Kh. Nicole have one child and are expecting another in December 2009. He also plays the mountain dulcimer and bowed psaltery.

Matthew F. Namee, Associate Director

Matthew Namee is the host of the American Orthodox History podcast on Ancient Faith Radio. He specializes in the history of Orthodoxy in America from the mid-19th to the mid-20th centuries. He authored the peer-reviewed article, “Father Raphael Morgan: The First Orthodox Priest of African Descent in America” in St. Vladimir’s Theological Quarterly (2009) and is coauthor of Wichita’s Lebanese Heritage (Arcadia, 2010). He has lectured at the conferences of St. Vladimir’s Seminary, the Orthodox Theological Society in America, and the Brotherhood of St. Moses the Black. Matthew is the former research assistant to baseball author and historian Bill James, and he cofounded The Hardball Times in 2004. Matthew and his wife Catherine have one child, and they attend St. George Orthodox Cathedral (Antiochian) in Wichita, Kansas. To contact Matthew, email him at mfnamee [at] gmail [dot] com.