Rev. Kenneth Garrett, MDiv., DMin, is senior pastor of Grace Church, Portland, OR. For 12 years Ken and his wife Sharon belonged to an abusive, controlling church in which their life-choices, beliefs, and behaviors were increasingly brought under the control of church leaders. Ken and Sharon left church in 1996 with their three daughters. Ken attended seminary and has completed post-graduate research in spiritual abuse as it occurs in Christian churches. Ken and Sharon now enjoy many opportunities to counsel and care for survivors of abusive churches from the Portland-metro area and have established the Spiritual Abuse Forum for Education (SAFE), a regular gathering to promote friendship and education for survivors of spiritual abuse. Ken's book, In the House of Friends: Understanding and Healing from Spiritual Abuse in the Christian Church, (Wipf and Stock Press, 2020) describes the inner workings of high-control churches, the pastors who lead them, and the process of leaving and recovering from the abuse inflicted by such churches.

Ashlen Weltz (Hilliard), MSc, PSS (she/her) is a Cult Intervention Specialist and the founder of People Leave Cults.

Ashlen has been featured on HBO, NPR, The Guardian, Hulu, NewsNation, HuffPost, BET+, and recently became an Executive Producer on an upcoming indie film, Beyond the Fence. As a Cult Intervention Specialist, Ashlen collaborates with a team of experts to offer guidance and support to families with loved ones entangled in cult-like groups or relationships. Ashlen has experience working with survivors and families impacted by a range of coercive situations, including cults, gangs, domestic violence, trafficking, and violent extremism. She works closely with these families to craft tailored intervention and recovery strategies. Ashlen firmly believes in a non-coercive approach that empowers clients and their families to make informed decisions.

Prior to founding People Leave Cults, Ashlen gained valuable experience in the cult recovery field by working directly with individuals seeking to leave polygamist communities in the Western United States as a case manager. She later assumed the role of Director of Events for the International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA), successfully organizing regional and international workshops, webinars, and conferences to cater to the diverse needs of professionals and individuals affected by the cult phenomenon. Ashlen's expertise is further strengthened by her MSc in the Psychology of Coercive Control. Her published research, Understanding Reproductive Coercion in Cults and Destructive Group Settings, was the first exploratory analysis of its kind. 

Ashlen has also been an active volunteer co-organizer and presenter of the Spiritual Abuse Forum for Education (SAFE) Meetups in Portland, Oregon since 2020. She recently organized her second conference for survivors and helping professionals in the Pacific Northwest, which successfully connected individuals from all across the country in May 2024. Ashlen holds an active certification as a State of Oregon Traditional Health Worker: Peer Support Specialist (PSS) for Adult Mental Health issued by the Oregon Health Authority, Equity and Inclusion Division (Credential ID THW000111819). Ashlen's lived experience of mental health related to coercive influence(s) and over 2000+ hours of volunteer work as a peer support specialist in the community with survivors led to certification in July of 2024.

Kent Burtner, M. Div., M.A., served as a Roman Catholic priest of the Dominican Order for 20 years, resigning from the priesthood in 1994. He subsequently served as program manager for an interfaith social-services agency, director of the agency’s Cult Resource Center, public-information officer for a local county public-health department, and parish business manager. A published author, Kent has also lectured extensively in the United States, Canada and Spain. In 1983, he received the Leo J. Ryan Award from the Cult Awareness Network for his work educating the public about cults and thought-reform programs. Kent makes his home in Portland, Oregon and as a pastoral counselor has consulted with more than a thousand individuals or families about the cult affiliations of their loved ones and about adjusting to life after leaving a cult or other high-control group. wkburtner@aol.com.

Sharon and Ken escaped an abusive, high-control “bible-based” church in 1996. Sharon has a keen interest in all matters related to healing and recovery from spiritual use. She’s played a major role in helping spiritual abuse survivors find recovery over the past 25 years. Sharon is a natural people connector and community builder! If you are interested in helping with our SAFE meetups, Sharon is the person to contact! Sharon also serves as Director of Community Outreach at her church and manages its guest house. She and Ken have three daughters and five grandchildren. She and Ken founded the Spiritual Abuse Forum for Education after finding their community lacked a comfortable, open forum for people from all walks of life to meet other survivors of abuse in a spiritual/religious setting and pursue healthy recovery.