The Office for Regional Conference Ministries (ORCM) and the Regional Conference Retirement Plan (RCRP) board of directors each had their quarterly board meetings on October 19, 2021. In each meeting, their respective boards voted to call individuals to join their staffs.
ORCM voted to call Dr. Margaret Neckles to be its treasurer and chief financial officer. Dr. Neckles has more than 20 years of financial experience in both the corporate world and the Seventh-day Adventist Church. She began her career in corporate America as an accounting clerk. She worked her way up the corporate ladder to senior financial analyst at the firm Fried, Frank, Harrison, Shriver and Jacobsen in New York City. In 2013, she began her denominational career as senior accountant in the Northeastern Conference. She served there for 5 years prior to being promoted to associate treasurer, where she currently serves.
Dr. Neckles is a native of Grenada. She immigrated to the United States in 1985. She is a certified public accountant. Additionally, she has a Masters in Business Administration (MBA), as well as a Ph.D in Business Management. She is scheduled to receive a second Ph.D in Education in 2022.
Dr. Neckles is the mother of 3 daughters: Tonya, Alexandra and Timara. She is slated to begin her tenure at ORCM on November 29th.
Dr. Delbert Baker joins the RCRP staff as director of research and development. From the beginning of his tenure as
executive director of the RCRP, Dr. William T. Cox, Sr. has been consistent in his determination to provide more than just a monthly retirement check to the 830 retirees currently on the Regional Conference Retirement Plan. Dr. Baker will focus on things such as helping keeping our retirees connected to our church, financial planning, pre-needs planning, continuing education for those who desire it, etc.
Dr. Baker has served the Seventh-day Church as a pastor and administrator for nearly 50 years. He pastored in the Allegheny West Conference, served as an administrator at three colleges: Loma Linda University – where he served as assistant to the president, Oakwood University – where he served as president, and Adventist University of Africa in Nairobi, Kenya – where he served as vice chancellor / president. He has also served as General Conference vice-president, editor of Message Magazine, and associate director of the E.G. White Estate.
Dr. Baker holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from Oakwood University and Andrews University, as well as a Ph.D in Organizational Communication. He and his wife, Dr. Susan Baker, have 3 sons, David, Benjamin, and Jonathan and 6 grandchildren. He begins his service to RCRP on November 1st.
We welcome Dr. Neckles and Dr. Baker to the ORCM / RCRP team.