Ministry Leadership Cohort
Staff

I’m a program coordinator at the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship and am grateful to be part of the leadership team for the Ministry Leadership Cohort Program. I love helping plan events, connecting with the MLC students, hearing how God is working in their lives, observing how they serve in their worshiping communities, and seeing the ways they care for each other.

I graduated from Calvin with an education degree and have worked at Calvin for 15 years. I have four wonderful adult children and am “Grammy” to three amazing granddaughters. I’m grateful that I can use my musical gifts and serve the church by singing, directing a choir, and playing the organ. I like to be outside when the weather is good and enjoy taking bike rides (especially when there’s a destination that includes food).

I am grateful to serve on the CICW staff as a member of the Ministry Leadership Cohort Program, as well as a Campus Worship Associate and Resource Development Specialist. I have been serving as the Director of the Calvin Gospel Choir since 2016. While serving at my church as Worship Pastor, I have had opportunities to write music for our congregation and to disciple and train youth and young adult worship leaders. I graduated from Cornerstone University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and earned my master's degree in ministry leadership from Calvin Theological Seminary. I am grateful for the opportunity to connect with the students in this program and to assist with mentoring, equipping, and listening. I am happily married to LaShaunda, and we are parents to our little girl, Nyla Joy.

I am the southern representative in the cohort, having grown up in Georgia, and lived in Florida, North Carolina, Texas, and Kentucky. I am passionate about building community, and I do that in the cohort by crafting meaningful events, by mentoring Peer Leaders, and by being present with students. I also have a great love for the Church. Outside of my work at Calvin, I direct worship at Tabernacle Community Church. I am involved in community service through the graduate chapter of my sorority, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. I also enjoy online fashion and home design games and an occasional Netflix binge.

I am a proud grad of Florida A&M University, where I earned an Bachelor of Science degree in accounting, and of Dallas Theological Seminary, where I received Master of Arts degrees in Christian education and Biblical studies. Ask me how those two areas of study have intersected in my ministry!

I’m grateful to be a part of the leadership team for the MLC. My role includes teaching, working with peer leaders, and interacting with students. I’m always up for conversations over lunch or coffee, and I love it when students randomly drop by my office! I’m probably biased, but I think we’ve got some pretty incredible people in this cohort, and it brings me great joy to see our students learning and growing and making the most of their time at Calvin.

I am an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and I studied music and philosophy at The College That Shall Not Be Named. I completed my MDiv and PhD studies at Fuller Theological Seminary, and I recently published a book on using musical instincts in preaching. (Come find me to get a copy!) My happy place is with my books, but I also enjoy running, spending time outdoors with my family, and binge-watching TV.

I get to direct this awesome cohort program! That includes leading the team, teaching the leadership and internship classes, and crafting the overall initiatives of the Ministry Leadership Cohort. You can often find me in Peets having coffee with students, which is one of the best parts of this program. I love getting to have conversations with students about the things they love and how God might be calling them to do those things in the church or on campus or in the future. It has been a joy to see students grow over their years at Calvin.

I graduated from Calvin with an English major, and now I’m an ordained minister in the Christian Reformed Church (ask me how my English major intersects with my role as a pastor!). I live in the Alger Heights neighborhood with my husband Kyle and my two kids, Beatrice and Calvin. I enjoy reading, spending time outside in my garden, and hosting neighborhood hangouts on my front patio. You are welcome anytime!