Churches United board welcomes 2 new members
Charley Joyce and Adriane Cooper will play a critical role in helping to shape the future of Churches United
Churches United board member Charley Joyce
Two new members have joined the Churches United board this month: Charley Joyce and Adriane Cooper.
The board plays a critical role in guiding Churches United, such as setting annual and long-range goals, approving general policies, overseeing fundraising and ensuring the proper handling of assets and finances.
Joyce is a Jamestown, North Dakota, native who enlisted in the Marine Corps at 17. After completing his service, he attended Moorhead State University and graduated with a degree in social work.
After obtaining his degree, Joyce joined Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) and was placed at United Tribes, which he described as a “tremendous experience.”
Upon finishing his VISTA commitment, Joyce went on to obtain his master's of social work from the University of Iowa and spent the next 45 years working in child welfare and mental health, the last 15 of which were spent in private practice.
Churches United board member Adriane Cooper
“Many of the youth that I served were, at times, homeless. The vast majority were remarkable youth, and I enjoyed and was honored to work with them,” Joyce said. “As a result of these experiences, I became familiar with organizations that serve the homeless, including Churches United. I also have a good friend who serves on the Churches United board, and he has spoken highly of the mission of Churches United.”
Joyce said he enjoys serving people and is excited to serve on the Churches United Board.
“My first goal is to learn of the services that Churches United provides and how the board interfaces with the support and development of these services,” Joyce said.
Joyce has been married to his wife, Gretchen, for 50 years, and the couple has two adult daughters and three grandchildren. In his spare time, Joyce enjoyed biking, traveling, hiking, reading and spending time with family and friends.
Cooper grew up in north-central Minnesota and graduated from Bagley High School before attending Bemidji State University. Grad school brought her to the Fargo-Moorhead area, where she quickly realized that working with people was her strong suit, and switched from science to education, obtaining her education degrees from MSUM.
She then taught at Moorhead High for about 10 years, and then transitioned into working with homeschool families, as well as homeschooling her own son. Currently, Cooper now works for the family business with her husband, son and brother.
Cooper first became familiar with Churches United during her tenure at Moorhead High.
“We had students experiencing homelessness,” she said. “My classes and family volunteered or organized donations for CU from time to time. In early spring 2025, I became re-engaged with CU via a gardening project. Now that my son is an adult, I have more time to dedicate to volunteering. I have found CU to be an amazing organization to do that with.”
The mission of Churches United is what interested Cooper in joining the board, coupled with recent organizational change, which has allowed it to move forward in its commitment to serving the community.
“I am so excited to be part of the CU organization,” she said. “Every person I have met (at Churches United) … has a clear dedication to the people they serve; being a part of this team feels very special to me. The past year has been transformational for this organization, and I feel like I am joining at a time that holds such excitement for how the organization can move forward.”
She noted that, in her opinion, homelessness is possibly the most pressing issue in the region, and that there is “a lot of room for a lot of people to make a difference.”
In her free time, Cooper enjoys gardening, reading, volunteering and spending time and with friends and family whenever she can.