The Reverend Laura Mariko Cheifetz is a biracial Asian American queer ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA) who has served in racial and gender justice advocacy, religious publishing, reproductive justice, and theological education in the Midwest, East, and Southeast. Born in California, raised in eastern Oregon and western Washington, she is a double “pastors’ kid.” Laura is a graduate of North Park University (MBA, ’11), McCormick Theological Seminary (M.Div. ’05), and Western Washington University (BA in Sociology, 2000). She is the co-author and editor of “Church on Purpose: Reinventing Discipleship, Community, & Justice” (Judson Press) and co-editor and contributor to “Race in America: Christians Respond to the Crisis” (Westminster John Knox Press), and a contributor to the documentary series “Trouble the Water: Conversations to Disrupt Racism and Dominance.” With the gift of experience in working with young adults, ongoing congregational participation throughout her life, and leadership in the national level of the church, her vocation has been to use her gifts and positions to help make the world a more just place. She lives with her partner and their rescue dog in Nashville, TN, where they seek to cultivate spaces for joy and belonging.