Delight in Disorder Ministry Shepherds
Rev. Tony Roberts, Chief Shepherd
Tony is a born and bred Hoosier, growing up worshiping the god of high school basketball. He was voted top scholar/athlete for his class at Greenwood Community High School (GCHS). He went on to graduate from Hanover College with a B.A. in English and theology. He then obtained a Master of Divinity degree from Louisville Seminary (LPTS) and served in pastoral ministry for over 18 years while battling bipolar disorder. Since 2008, he has been pursuing his vocation as an author and mental health advocate. He is the author of When Despair Meets Delight and administrator of the Facebook community Hope for Troubled Minds. He blogs at delightindisorder.org and is the host of Revealing Voices podcast.
Dr. Susan Lockwood Roberts, President
Dr. Susan Lockwood Roberts is the former Director of Juvenile Education at the Indiana Department of Correction and a past president of the Correctional Education Association Executive Board. Prior to her years of teaching and school administration with the Indiana Department of Correction, she taught seventeen years in the public schools of central Indiana. Susan is a Visiting Clinical Assistant Professor in the School of Education at Indiana University, Bloomington.
With her involvement with the Correctional Education Association, she became involved with NEXUS (Neuroscience Experts and Cross-Sector Unconventional Stakeholders), a group funded by Otsuka America Pharmaceuticals, as a member of its steering committee. This group’s vision is to bring innovative solutions to the front lines of mental health. She is an active member of NAMI.
Katie R. Dale, Secretary
Author of a memoir about psychiatric hospitalizations and her faith, Katie Dale is no stranger to the storms of serious mental illness. She advocates online for Serious Brain Disorders, blogging, speaking, and sharing her story with others wherever she can. When she’s not doing that, she’s getting creative in her freelance business. She’s mom to one child on earth and one in heaven, wife to her hero in uniform, and resides wherever the USAF takes them. You can find her at KatieRDale.com.
Darren Lehman, Treasurer
Darren struggles with Bipolar Schizoaffective Disorder. This has been quite a ride and at times, he wanted to get off this ride any way possible. He is currently in a better place mentally but not without his meds, routines, therapy, and his wife, Caroline. They have a 13 year old daughter and an 8 year old son. He graduated from Purdue University in Management with a minor in Finance. He is grateful to have the privilege to stay home with the kids and invest in their lives in a way that many fathers don’t have the opportunity to do. A year ago, Darren founded “Light and Grace”, a local mental health support group. It has been very rewarding and he plans to increase his advocacy of mental health as his path intersects with others and becomes a stronger support and voice for those struggling.
Rev. Timothy Bedsole, Board Member
Tim is a retired U.S. Army Chaplain and currently serves as the President for the Wiregrass Affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness advocating awareness and education of mental illness issues. He also serves as the Geneva Baptist Association Mission Strategist in south Alabama where he assists churches in developing networks of faith which impact their communities and beyond. His passion is re-linking spiritual values and understanding to humanity. He is married to Tammie and they have three children and 6 grandchildren.
Adela Dickey, Board Member
Adela retired in 2021 after 34 years in Indiana K-12 public education, moving from the high school math and computer classroom to lead her district as Chief Technology Officer for most of her career. She served on boards and as chair of several educational technology organizations over the years and continues to work with these groups in guiding, mentoring, and training. Adela is pleased to utilize her technology and organizational experience to put her faith into action with this ministry.
Jon Merrifield, Board Member
Jon is a behavioral health technician in a community based mental health care setting. He is also the vice president of Wayside Inn homeless shelter in Jennings County, Indiana, where he also volunteers as a supervisor. Having pivoted to a career in mental health from pastoral ministry, Jon cares deeply about the intersection of faith and mental health.