2025 Annual Conference Highlights

APC recognized the work and dedication of Chaplain Kimberly Murman RBCC at the 2025 APC Annual Conference for her contributions to the profession and to APC with the Anton Boisen Professional Service Award.

Chaplain Kimberly Murman RBCC was first certified in January 2003, but her involvement with APC started years before she was certified and has continued far beyond her retirement from professional chaplaincy. In her time with APC Kimberly has been active on the local, state, and national levels; always with an eye on improving opportunities for the members of APC, and always with a focus on education and continuing education for chaplains.

In November of 2004, just a year after being Board Certified, Kimberly started serving as the APC Arizona State Continuing Education Chair. The following year she joined the Standards, Education and Research Council, which was an especially important council under APC’s former Governance Structure.  In December of that same year, she accepted the opportunity to serve on the Annual Conference Planning Committee and repeated that service in 2007 and again in 2025, she helped plan the education offered at this conference!

Then in 2008 she started what would become two-terms as a member of the Standards of Practice Acute Care Work Group and the following year she started serving on the Education and Research Council, and in 2012 she joined the Implementation Task Force. But Kimberly was just getting started!

In 2012, Kimberly was named to the APC Board of Directors. In her roles on the Board, Chaplain Murman served on several important and demanding committees including the Finance Committee, the Board Leadership Development and Nominating Committee, she was Chair of the Standards Committee, she served on the Health Care Reform Strategic Partnerships Task Force, the 2015 Symposium Task Force and the White Paper Task Force.

In November 2014 Kimberly began her path on the APC Executive committee, serving one-year term as Secretary of the APC Board and moved through the Treasurer and President-elect positions, culminating in her becoming the President of APC in 2016.

Since leaving the board, Chaplain Murman has served APC as a member of the Education Committee, Board Leadership Development and Nominating Committee, Professional Ethics Commission and more!

Chaplain Kimberly Murman RBCC has served APC with distinction and is more than deserving of this recognition, the 2025 Anton Boisen Professional Service Award.

APC recognized the work and dedication of Marilyn “JD” Barnes BCC at the 2025 APC Annual Conference for her contributions to the profession and service to APC with the Distinguished Service Award

Marilyn JD Barnes is an ordained Itinerate Elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church and a Board Certified Chaplain through the Association of Professional Chaplains. She is a graduate of two historically black colleges and universities; Texas Southern University where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science and Southern University where she received a Master of Science Degree in Computer Science. She holds a Master of Arts Degree in Pastoral Care and Counseling from Garett Evangelical Theological Seminary and a Master of Public Health Degree with a concentration in Epidemiology from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Chaplain Barnes serves as Chair of the Department of Patient Counseling in the College of Health Professions and the Director of Pastoral Care at VCU Health in Virginia. Rev. Barnes is a Transforming Chaplaincy Research Fellow as part of the John Templeton Foundation initiative to promote research literacy in the field of chaplaincy. Her publications include the seminal chaplaincy research, “What do I do? Developing a taxonomy of chaplaincy activities and interventions for spiritual care in intensive care unit palliative care,” which developed a normative language for chaplains and is currently being incorporated into chaplaincy practice in a variety of settings in the US and around the world.

Marilyn exemplifies the qualities and dedication that the APC Distinguished Service Award seeks to recognize. Her unwavering commitment to excellence, innovation, and community service has made a profound impact on our organization and the broader community.

Marilyn is a dedicated leader in patient counseling and spiritual care, she exemplifies compassion! Her contributions have significantly enhanced healthcare quality at VCU and inspired many. Through her strategic planning and execution, she has successfully launched numerous programs that address critical issues and benefit diverse populations. Her commitment to mentorship has empowered many emerging leaders, ensuring the next generation is equipped to carry forward our mission.

Marilyn JD Barnes embodies the values of dedication, innovation, and service that the APC Distinguished Service Award represents. Her significant contributions have not only advanced our organization but have also left a lasting legacy in the community.

APC recognized the work and dedication of Margaret Yochum MDiv BCC at the 2025 APC Annual Conference for her contributions to the profession and service to APC with the Distinguished Service Award

Margaret Yochum, MDiv, BCC serves as a Staff Chaplain in the Department of Spiritual Care at University Health Hospital in San Antonio, Texas. Previously, Chaplain Yochum served over 10 years at a free-standing Children’s Hospital in Ohio. Margaret was born in Atlanta, Georgia and spent the most formative years of her life in Columbus, Indiana. She graduated from Hanover College in Indiana with a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Theology. She completed her Seminary training at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky and received her CPE training at Clarian North Medical Center in Indiana, and Greenville Memorial Hospital in South Carolina.

Margaret received her board certification from BCCI in 2014 and immediately after earning her own certification, Margaret began serving on certification committees, welcoming new chaplains into the profession. Chaplain Yochum has shown dedication to APC and the profession by dedicating hours and hours of her personal time to helping improve and grow what APC and BCCI do. She has served APC as an Area 3 Certification Chair, as a Certification Commission Member, she has and continues to assist APC’s office staff in forming certification interview committees, organizing and chairing the BCCI Certification Specialist group. She has served as mentor for candidates applying for certification and served on APC annual-conference planning committees.

In addition to her service with APC and BCCI, Chaplain Yochum has served on the Board for the Chaplains Association of Ohio for many years. Her proudest professional accomplishment is the initiation of a new chaplaincy position as Transport Team Chaplain, where she had the opportunity to provide support to families before, during and after ambulance/helicopter transport to the hospital. She is ordained and endorsed by the Presbyterian Church (USA).

She has done all of this and is also a wife to Brad, mother to Malachi, age six, and Stella, age three. Chaplain Yochum is dedicated, organized, and productive! We can think of few others as deserving of this Distinguished Service Award.

APC recognized the work and dedication of Chaplain Titus George BCC at the 2025 APC Annual Conference for his contributions to the profession and to APC as an Outstanding Local Leader.

Chaplain George is APC’s Northern California State Representative. He has served as a Board Certified Chaplain with Kaiser Permanente in the Bay Area, California, since 2007. A first-generation immigrant from India, his journey into chaplaincy was shaped by a profound commitment to justice, equality, and the power of narratives in healing. His unique background, spanning theological education, sociology, and narrative therapy, has informed his approach to spiritual care, making him a transformative leader in the field.

A pioneering voice for diversity and inclusion in professional chaplaincy, Chaplain George has challenged the dominant paradigms of spiritual care, advocating for culturally responsive models that acknowledge the lived experiences of ethnically and culturally diverse patients. Recognizing the limitations of a “one-size-fits-all” approach in chaplaincy education and certification, he has worked tirelessly to create spaces for dialogue among chaplains from diverse backgrounds. His efforts have contributed to greater awareness within the Association of Professional Chaplains about the need for more inclusive training, research, and certification practices.

Chaplain George’s impact extends beyond advocacy. As an educator and mentor, he has nurtured the next generation of chaplains, introducing them to the principles of narrative therapy and the significance of illness narratives in spiritual care. His presentations and publications in peer-reviewed journals have furthered the discourse on culturally informed chaplaincy, challenging Western-dominated frameworks and advocating for a constructivist, context-driven approach to spiritual care.

One of Chaplain George’s most significant contributions has been his role in promoting Board Certification for women within his faith tradition, the Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar. Historically, ordination in his church was reserved for men, creating a barrier for women seeking endorsement for Board Certification. Recognizing this systemic challenge, Chaplain George facilitated critical conversations between the APC and church leadership, advocating for a broader understanding of chaplaincy that aligns with contemporary healthcare needs. His efforts led to the groundbreaking endorsement of the first woman from his church for Board Certification—an achievement that has paved the way for future generations of women chaplains.

Chaplain George embodies the spirit of APC and professional chaplaincy through his dedication to excellence, his innovative contributions to the field, and his unwavering commitment to justice and equity in spiritual care. His work has left an indelible mark on the profession, shaping the future of chaplaincy in ways that honor the diversity and dignity of all those served.