Our leadership model actively promotes accountability and commitment through loving engagement
We lovingly inspire our congregants and participants to embrace a shared sense of belonging and ownership. Informed by this dynamic, leadership is an enduring and purposeful experience that we consistently practice to conduct Love, Light and Intelligence through every aspect of our center. The result is that we are forever encouraging new leaders.
At Heart & Soul, our leadership model has four pillars allowing for the facilitation of unique responsibilities and decision-making held within each pillar, and the integration of actions that advance our vision, mission and community.
We practice to conduct Love, Light and Intelligence through every aspect of our center.
Our Heart & Soul Ministers
Led by our Founder and Spiritual Leader, Rev. Dr. Andriette Earl, our Heart & Soul ministers serve as our spiritual guides and teachers. They are the conveners of our spiritual services and oversee the prayer and care of our members and greater community of humans who seek a transformational life experience through a higher level of consciousness and right action. If you have any questions or would like to reach our ministerial team, please email us.
Rev. Dr. Andriette Earl, Founder and Spiritual Leader
Rev. Dr. Andriette Earl is an inspiring and respected leader, life coach, author, composer, and teacher with decades of experience in both corporate and spiritual settings. Locally and globally, she has engaged thousands in conscious and intentional living through the adoption of proven spiritual practices. In 2009, Rev. Dr. Andriette founded Heart & Soul Center of Light (HSCL), a Centers for Spiritual Living (CSL) affiliate and vibrant, world-class teaching and empowerment ministry.
As a teacher, Rev. Dr. Andriette embraces creative spiritual processes to support self-actualization and transformation. At the Holmes Institute School of Spiritual Leadership, where she has taught for more than a decade, students know her to be mentally energetic, creative, and thoughtful in her translation of spiritual principles and practices. The board game she invented, Speak Your Word: The Freedom Game, is one of many examples of how she creates and infuses ingenious methods to encourage others to expand their consciousness and transform their lives.
Readers of her Science of Mind magazine monthly column, From the Inside Out, cite her as bringing “…a tremendous heart, a healing presence, and great enthusiasm for transforming one’s life.” She is the author of From the Inside Out and Embracing Wholeness: Living in Spiritual Congruence and the creator/producer of HSCL’s video blog and podcast, Point of Power. And she co-composed songlyrics with Erika Luckett that center our hearts and embrace the powerful intention of our lives.
Readers of her Science of Mind magazine monthly column, From the Inside Out, cite her as bringing “…a tremendous heart, a healing presence, and great enthusiasm for transforming one’s life.”
As a CSL leader, Rev. Dr. Andriette is a sought-after convener and team-builder. She has had the honor and distinction of preaching in Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, Unity, and Seventh Day Adventist churches. She served two terms on the CSL Minister’s Council (2016-2023) and one year on the CSL Leadership Council. She previously served as a pre-CSL visioning facilitator, on the Nominations Committee, the CSL Convention Committee, and the Spiritually Motivated/Socially Engaged team.
Rev. Dr. Andriette holds a Masters in Consciousness Studies and received an honorary Doctor of Divinity in 2021 from Centers for Spiritual Living.
Rev. Ahman, Heart & Soul Minister
After learning how to meditate and before having any Bible training, Ahman began teaching the metaphysical interpretation of Bible teachings on the radio and later in the San Jose School of Ministry. He believes in one God, and that this One manifests Itself to reach us in diverse ways that include: religion, philosophy, psychology, art, education, and more.
Rev. Ahman received basic training in New Thought Teachings in Los Angeles under the tutelage of Dr. Daniel L. Morgan, founder of Guidance Church of Religious Science. Early in the 1980’s Ahman became a licensed Practitioner, served as the Church Administrator, and was a staff teacher and trained Practitioners. In 1986 he served as a minister of the East Bay Church of Religious Science in Oakland, California.
He believes in one God, and that this One manifests Itself to reach us in diverse ways that include: religion, philosophy, psychology, art, education, and more.
From 1990 through 2000, Ahman facilitated workshops on “A Course in Miracles” and in 1996 his book, The Spiritual Mind Treatment, was published. He is a graduate of the UCRS School of Ministry in San Jose, California.
Rev. Angelo Allen, Director, Lovestreaming
Rev. Angelo Allen’s unexpected journey into spiritual service began in 1985 when he discovered New Thought at a Religious Science church in Anchorage, Alaska. Intrigued by Ernest Holmes’ teachings, he returned to church life in 1998 after a 12-year hiatus. Angelo’s “numinous experience” led him to the East Bay Church of Religious Science in Oakland, where he became deeply involved, eventually serving as the board president.
His dedication to spiritual education became evident as the founding Director of Education at Heart & Soul Center of Light, a center he co-founded in 2009 with Rev. Andriette Earl and Rev. Jack Elliott. Ordained in 2013, Rev. Angelo is a staff minister committed to co-creative spiritual education.
In response to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, he designed and implemented a live-streaming solution for virtual Sunday Celebrations at Heart & Soul. He attributes the success of Heart & Soul’s online outreach to divine inspiration.
Rev. Angelo’s core belief revolves around the transformative power of spiritual principles. He advocates for active and consistent co-creation with God, asserting that there are no limits to what one can achieve through faith and practice in alignment with these principles.
When asked what makes Heart & Soul a special place for spiritual growth, Rev. Angelo says, “Our tagline says it all — It’s the way we love…”
“At Heart & Soul, we love all people unconditionally and we hold a space where everyone can do the inner work required to grow spiritually. We are a community of BELONGING—which is to say, we nurture everyone’s ‘longing to be’ their highest expression of the Divine.”
Rev. Jack Elliott, Chair, Heart & Soul Leadership Council
Ordained in 1985 as a Religious Science Minister, Rev. Jack Elliott is licensed with the Centers for Spiritual Living (CSL). He is the Founding President of Heart & Soul Center of Light and was the catalyst for the founding of three other spiritual communities: Fellowship In Light, Gateway Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and ElderPride Incorporated, a CSL Focus Ministry.
Rev. Jack’s secular career ran adjacent to his spiritual trajectory. He has worked as a human resource and administrative executive leader for two International Banks (Bank of Tokyo, and Toronto Dominion Bank in San Francisco, CA). He held similar roles at three global firms including QRS Corporation and Artesyn Technologies as well as two medical entities.
Rev. Jack’s calling to preach, teach and write began at the onset of the AIDS pandemic when he ministered and served those shunned by their churches and pastors. During the COVID pandemic, he founded ElderPride to serve the elders in the LGBTQ+ community during a time when they felt most marginalized and isolated.
Rev. Jack received his Bachelor’s degree and continued his Masters in Psychology at John F. Kennedy University. He also attended Indiana State University as an undergraduate. His Theological Studies were completed at the Pacific School of Religion.
Heart & Soul inspires Rev. Jack and has been the manifestation of all that he has sought as he traverses his spiritual journey. It is his foundation and his bedrock. Rev. Jack’s calling is to preach, teach, and write and he gets to do all three at Heart & Soul. Most especially, he gets to write and co-direct our theatrical elements embedded in our Summer School.
No matter where he goes, this is where he is spiritually fed. This is his spiritual home. This is his launching pad for a life well lived.
Rev. Sonia Russell, Director, Youth & Family Village
Rev. Sonia is a founding member of Heart & Soul and since then has been committed to her spiritual community’s vision of being a “world-class teaching and empowerment ministry.” She intentionally, passionately and creatively contributes to the attainment of this vision from her heart in big and small ways.
In 2021, Rev. Sonia received her minister’s license from Holmes Institute and the School of Spiritual Leadership. She currently works as the Church Administrator, and her focus as a new staff minister is to re-envision and reignite our Youth & Family Village. She is dedicated to creating an inviting space filled with spiritual programming and learning that encourages the children and young people in our community and the families who hold them.
Rev. Sonia consistently seeks to embrace and exemplify our spiritual practices. This, combined with her productive use of technology, help her to effectively support her community, consciously parent her powerful daughter, and skillfully and successfully design, build, cultivate and grow containers where amazing things happen.
At Heart & Soul, Rev. Sonia’s favorite place to witness spiritual growth and community is while facilitating and participating in foundational level classes where the spark of love and creativity are only just being ignited.
She lovingly invites and encourages you to begin or continue your spiritual learning journey here at Heart & Soul.
Heart & Soul Spiritual Support
A Religious Science practitioner is anyone who uses the Science of Mind and Affirmative Prayer (Spiritual Mind Treatment) to produce specific results in their life experience. That’s you!
A Religious Science Practitioner (RScP), is licensed under the authority of the Centers for Spiritual Living and has completed a series of accredited Science of Mind classes including intensive professional training. After completing training, candidates must pass a written licensing exam and approval by an oral panel.
The role of Practitioners is to see and recognize the spiritual perfection of each person in their presence and to perform Affirmative Prayer and Spiritual Mind Treatment for them.
For more information on the sacred service of our Heart & Soul Practitioners, please contact Dr. Felicia Cosey, Ron Marshall or Brenda Grayson-Shinault. We also invite you to meet our Heart & Soul Licensed Spiritual Practitioners.
Heart & Soul Center of Light… It’s the way we serve.
Leadership Council
Our Leadership Council is charged with the stewardship of the business affairs of Heart & Soul. This includes all aspects of governance, financial oversight, and administration.
If you have any questions or would like to reach our Leadership Council, please email us.
Rev. Dr. Andriette Earl is an inspiring and respected leader, life coach, author, composer, and teacher with decades of experience in both corporate and spiritual settings. Locally and globally, she has engaged thousands in conscious and intentional living through the adoption of proven spiritual practices. In 2009, Rev. Dr. Andriette founded Heart & Soul Center of Light (HSCL), a Centers for Spiritual Living (CSL) affiliate and vibrant, world-class teaching and empowerment ministry.
As a teacher, Rev. Dr. Andriette embraces creative spiritual processes to support self-actualization and transformation. At the Holmes Institute School of Spiritual Leadership, where she has taught for more than a decade, students know her to be mentally energetic, creative, and thoughtful in her translation of spiritual principles and practices. The board game she invented, Speak Your Word: The Freedom Game, is one of many examples of how she creates and infuses ingenious methods to encourage others to expand their consciousness and transform their lives.
Readers of her Science of Mind magazine monthly column, From the Inside Out, cite her as bringing “…a tremendous heart, a healing presence, and great enthusiasm for transforming one’s life.” She is the author of From the Inside Out and Embracing Wholeness: Living in Spiritual Congruence and the creator/producer of HSCL’s video blog and podcast, Point of Power. And she co-composed songlyrics with Erika Luckett that center our hearts and embrace the powerful intention of our lives.
Readers of her Science of Mind magazine monthly column, From the Inside Out, cite her as bringing “…a tremendous heart, a healing presence, and great enthusiasm for transforming one’s life.”
As a CSL leader, Rev. Dr. Andriette is a sought-after convener and team-builder. She has had the honor and distinction of preaching in Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, Unity, and Seventh Day Adventist churches. She served two terms on the CSL Minister’s Council (2016-2023) and one year on the CSL Leadership Council. She previously served as a pre-CSL visioning facilitator, on the Nominations Committee, the CSL Convention Committee, and the Spiritually Motivated/Socially Engaged team.
Rev. Dr. Andriette holds a Masters in Consciousness Studies and received an honorary Doctor of Divinity in 2021 from Centers for Spiritual Living.
Ordained in 1985 as a Religious Science Minister, Rev. Jack Elliott is licensed with the Centers for Spiritual Living (CSL). He is the Founding President of Heart & Soul Center of Light and was the catalyst for the founding of three other spiritual communities: Fellowship In Light, Gateway Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and ElderPride Incorporated, a CSL Focus Ministry.
Rev. Jack’s secular career ran adjacent to his spiritual trajectory. He has worked as a human resource and administrative executive leader for two International Banks (Bank of Tokyo, and Toronto Dominion Bank in San Francisco, CA). He held similar roles at three global firms including QRS Corporation and Artesyn Technologies as well as two medical entities.
Rev. Jack’s calling to preach, teach and write began at the onset of the AIDS pandemic when he ministered and served those shunned by their churches and pastors. During the COVID pandemic, he founded ElderPride to serve the elders in the LGBTQ+ community during a time when they felt most marginalized and isolated.
Rev. Jack received his Bachelor’s degree and continued his Masters in Psychology at John F. Kennedy University. He also attended Indiana State University as an undergraduate. His Theological Studies were completed at the Pacific School of Religion.
Heart & Soul inspires Rev. Jack and has been the manifestation of all that he has sought as he traverses his spiritual journey. It is his foundation and his bedrock. Rev. Jack’s calling is to preach, teach, and write and he gets to do all three at Heart & Soul. Most especially, he gets to write and co-direct our theatrical elements embedded in our Summer School.
No matter where he goes, this is where he is spiritually fed. This is his spiritual home. This is his launching pad for a life well lived.
Ambessa is a father, project manager and multi-disciplinary artist. Originally from Brooklyn, NY where he was born to Haitian parents, Ambessa was always inspired by spirituality, the arts and social justice. These passions led him to pursue the fields of education, music and marketing. On this trek, Ambessa’s motivation was to identify and/or create intersections within these fields to mobilize like-minded people to make the world a better place for themselves and future generations.
Ambessa Cantave holds BA’s in Marketing and Psychology from CUNY York College and is the loving father of two beautiful children, his daughter Aissade and son Shan-Asar.
Al Johnson is a seasoned finance professional with a dedication to optimizing business operations and driving profitability. With more than three decades of experience, he brings a wealth of expertise to his role as a trusted advisor. At Al Johnson CPA where he has practiced since 2003, Al assists local businesses and individuals in achieving their financial goals. His collaborative leadership style fosters teamwork, ensures alignment across departments and encourages the achievement of shared objectives.
Throughout his career, Al has held key leadership positions, notably as Chief Financial Officer at Mulholland Brothers, where he spearheaded a successful manufacturing process overhaul, resulting in substantial cost savings. His strategic acumen and hands-on approach consistently deliver tangible results.
A Certified Public Accountant, Al brings technical skills in finance, regulatory accounting, tax planning, and asset management. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from San Francisco State University and has completed coursework in taxation at Golden Gate University.
Outside of his professional endeavors, Al serves as Treasurer of San Leandro Girl’s Inc., is a board member of Affordable Housing and Homeownership, and a member of the Foundation for a Sustainable Future.
Sheila is known for her calm intensity when navigating complex business ideas and opportunities. She has an inclusive and collaborative work style, and is candid yet thoughtful in her communication. A strategist, she is exceptionally skilled in linking the idea of business growth with the strategic rigor and behavior to achieve it.
After 15 years in marketing innovation with corporations including Quaker Oats and Visa, Sheila founded two successful consulting firms. She grew the combined firms into a 40-employee multi-million-dollar business impact enterprise where she served as the CEO until January 1, 2020 when she sold her controlling interest.
Sheila transitioned into philanthropy, first with Tides, a $1.5B philanthropic social venture accelerator in San Francisco. In 2021, she accepted the inaugural Director, Cross-Organization Operations role at Pivotal Ventures, a Melinda French Gates Company, where she led the development of operational strategies, nurtured culture, and ensured organizational sustainability and impact at scale.
Dedicated to exhibiting proven leadership principles, Sheila has served in various capacities on 16 nonprofit trustee/director/advisory boards. Sheila earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Marketing and Management from Washington University in St. Louis and an MBA with highest honors in Marketing and Finance from Atlanta University.
Sheila is a results-oriented trailblazer who currently serves as an adjunct professor for Sacramento State Continuing Education and Solano Community College. She has more than 45 years of professional experience in early childhood and media education, community outreach, and diversity, equity and inclusion. As the founder of her consulting business, SBS Consulting, Sheila has created and facilitated workshops locally, across the state of California, and for national organizations.
Community and educational leadership are core to Sheila. Her volunteer work includes serving on two leadership committees for the California Association for the Education of Young Children (CAAEYC): Professional Development and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. She also serves on the leadership teams of the Solano Community College Teachers 4 Equity and The Adjunct Alliance Committee. In 2023, she was selected to serve on the Centers for Spiritual Living (CSL) Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee.
For more than 12 years, Sheila has served as our Prayer & Care co-lead including a collaboration with Adult Education to mentor practitioner students and facilitate CSL courses. A current member of HSCL’s Leadership Council, Sheila holds a Master’s Degree in Human Development with a specialization in leadership education.
“Whisper a prayer”
The lyrics of Whisper a Prayer sung in church as a child remind Sheila of the many facets of prayer – “Whisper a prayer in the morning, whisper a prayer at noon, whisper a prayer in the evening to keep your heart in tune.” Written by Walter Elwood Howell, the song is based on the 1 Thessalonians 5:17 – “pray without ceasing”. This song describes Sheila’s personal relationship with prayer. Prayer is her continual sacred communication with God, her Higher Self. This creates a prayer field from which all her prayers are formed: prayers of praise and gratitude, affirmative prayer, and Spiritual Mind Treatment for herself and for others are declared in truth from this foundation.
Scott serves as Managing Director of Brakeley Search and conducts leadership searches on behalf of their clients. A nonprofit professional for more than 30 years, Scott has achieved consistent success and measurable results in building high performing teams, budgeting and financial analysis, problem-solving, and creativity. Additionally, he has served as both staff and consultant to many nonprofits.
Scott has held the position of executive director for the Friends of San Francisco Public Library and recently Chief Advancement Officer for the Parkinson’s Institute and Clinical Center. He holds the Advanced Certified Fundraising Executive (ACFRE) credential, the highest available for fundraisers, and is one of 116 people in North America to achieve this distinction. He has been honored by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Aloha and Silicon Valley chapters as an outstanding fundraising professional.
Scott’s favorite contemplative question is:
What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?
This quote has long inspired Scott to move beyond fear of failure and to know even if he fails, he will have learned something more than if he hadn’t attempted anything. And he might wildly succeed!
A member of Heart & Soul Center of Light since 2018, Scott became a licensed practitioner (RScP) in July 2023. Scott holds a MPA from Golden Gate University in San Francisco and a BA from Washington University in St. Louis. Among his hobbies are food preserving (making pickles and jams) and comic book collecting.
Ignite Circle Leads
The many activities that support Heart & Soul — community outreach, the beautification and maintenance of our building, the health and well-being of our congregants, infinite prosperity, media and production, and the sacred welcoming of all who enter our doors—are facilitated through our volunteer Circles.
All Circles have a leader or co-leaders who work in collaboration to support our intention to be a loving and compassionate, world-class teaching, and empowerment ministry. They are organized under a leadership group we call Ignite.
Also included in Ignite are our Director, Adult Education, Music Curator, Service and Membership Ambassadors, and our Church Administrator.
Our Founder and Spiritual Leader, Rev. Dr. Andriette Earl champions the work of this dynamic group.
