Bishop J. Jon Bruno has appointed Troy Elder, an attorney specializing in human rights, to serve as Bishop’s Legate for Global Partnership, a part-time position on the staff of the Diocese of Los Angeles.
Elder will work closely with Diocesan Council’s Program Group on Global Partnership, supporting initiatives including the diocese’s companion relationships with Jerusalem and El Salvador, outreach to child refugees, and raising awareness of emerging and ongoing opportunities for international service.
“Troy’s background and legal expertise make him uniquely suited for this role,” Bishop Bruno said. “I look forward to the new ways in which he will be of service as the diocese and our congregations continue to affirm human rights and the dignity of every person.”
A 1995 Yale Law School graduate, Elder was admitted to the bar in New York in 1996, in Paris in 1999, and in Florida in 2001. He was clinical associate professor of law at Florida International University College of Law in Miami, where he founded Miami’s first public, law-school based legal aid clinic representing torture victims, asylum seekers and neglected juvenile immigrants, among others. A Michigan native, Elder holds a bachelor of arts in political science and French from the University of Michigan, having also earned a certificate and high honors from the Université d’Aix-Marseille II. He speaks fluent French, Spanish, and conversational Haitian Creole. He also holds a master of arts in religion (ethics) from Yale Divinity School.
Elder is the founder of Faithright, a new NGO designed to “promote the respect of human rights by and within the world’s religious and faith communities.”
Elder has been welcomed to his role by the Program Group on Global Partnerships, chaired by the Rev. Canon George Woodward, rector of St. Edmund’s Church in San Marino.
Speaking of his new position, Elder said, “Whether overseas or here at home, the Diocese of Los Angeles has demonstrated a unique sensitivity to human rights, accompaniment, and solidarity. I’m thus humbled and thrilled to be of service to our myriad global partnerships, and hope only that my work may help redeem the promise of this vision.”