Rev. Julie Taylor has served as Executive Director of Disaster Chaplaincy Services since March, 2005. Through her leadership, the organization has increased the number of active chaplains involved and faith traditions represented. Julie is constantly working to increase the capacity of Disaster Chaplaincy Services to respond to disasters, emergencies, and crises that occur every day in the greater New York metropolitan area.

A Certified Trauma Responder (CTR), Julie has served as a chaplain in a variety of local and national disaster settings, including St. Paul’s Chapel at the World Trade Center site during the 9/11 recovery. She is the current Spiritual Care Coordinator for the Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Network of New York State, and a member of the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF), the Association of Traumatic Stress Specialists, and the Association of Professional Chaplains.

Julie is a dynamic trainer and has been a consultant to the NYC Mayor’s Office of Labor Relations on trauma-related crisis counseling and psychoeducation, and has presented on trauma and disaster to local, national, and international audiences. In February, 2007, Julie was presented with the ICISF Spiritual Leadership Award.

Rev. Julie Taylor can be reached at

Derrick McQueen graduated from Drew University with a BacBA in Theatre Arts and is currently a candidate for a Masters of Divinity at Union Theological Seminary. He comes to us after fourteen years of community development, community activism, and advocacy. He is a trainer and consultant in many areas including organizational structure, ethnic diversity, consensus building and strategic plan implementation. Communications is an area of particular focus as it is a vital means of articulating and streamlining short-, mid- and long- term goals.

Derrick McQueen can be reached at

Suleima Rosario is a 3rd year Master of Divinity student at Union Theological Seminary who hopes to pursue her interests in mission work once she has completed her degree. In the past, she has participated and led church mission trips, which have enabled her to see the importance of disaster readiness. As Volunteer Coordinator, she serves as a liaison between chaplains and the DCS staff keeping both parties up to date with pertinent information.

Suleima Rosario can be reached at

Marlene Smith is a native of Monrovia, Liberia who has lived in cities across the U.S. Her work with local and international community based, civic and non-governmental organizations has included program design and evaluation, marketing, board development and fundraising. While pursuing plans toward ordination as an Episcopal priest, she continues to be involved with ‘third sector’ institutions such as the Design Studio for Social Intervention (DS4SI). Marlene is particularly interested in the role of faith based communities in international development, relief and disaster response.

Marlene Smith can be reached at