I graduated from Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in 1997 and after serving in Fredericksburg, Virginia have been serving St. Philip since 2000.  My passions are for my family, the church, golf, Duke University basketball, and really anything sports – not necessarily in that order.  I do love the community at St. Philip and am excited about our shared ministry together.  I am convinced God has great things in store for us.

I graduated from Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in 1997.  For ten years I raised my three sons, taught religion at the community college in Fredericksburg and then in Roanoke, and argued with God.  After much discernment, I was ordained in 2007 and now serve as one of the pastors at St. Philip.  I LOVE what I do!  I am passionate about the gospel and about God’s call for us as Christians to love and to serve our sisters and brothers in need.  I am also passionate about my family, lifelong learning, and travel.  I have a somewhat dorky love of geography and culture – God’s people are so diverse and so amazing!  I rest most certainly in God’s love for me and for all humanity.  Let’s share that love with the world! 

I am a student at Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary and am interning at St. Philip as part of my studies towards becoming a pastor.  I grew up in Pennsylvania/Ohio and went to college in Minnesota.  I enjoy reading, hiking, and I love to travel and explore new places.  I am excited about all the ministry opportunities here at St. Philip and the chance to learn and grow from one another.

I have loved church music all of my life.  As a child, I sang in the choir.  When I was a teenager, I began playing the piano for church services. After high school, I studied organ and became a church organist.  While attending Roanoke College where I obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music, I became the organist and choir director of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church where I served for many years.  As of August, 2010, I became the Director of Music Ministries at St. Philip Lutheran Church. 

As well as my church responsibilities, I am a music educator. I am the mother of two grown children. Their names are Kristin and Gina. My two other ‘children’ are Zeus, a Cocker Spaniel/Dalmatian mix, and Ellie, a dachshund/beagle mix from Angels of Assisi.  On breaks from school, I enjoy taking every opportunity to travel. From Italy to San Jose, from Seattle to Sweetwater, Tennessee, I take every opportunity that I can to enjoy and learn about new places! 

I have been married to my husband Wade for 18 years. Our family is complete with our 7 year old son Thomas and a YorkiePoo named Junebug. Before moving to Roanoke in 2004, we lived in Nashville, TN, where I worked as an Administrative Assistant for a life insurance company and for United Methodist Communications.  I have a B.A. in English and minors in history and business from Bridgewater College.  I enjoy cooking, reading, and hiking and am passionate about the environment and feeding hungry people in our area.