Our Team

Lisa supports the Senior Pastor’s Office as the Administrative Coordinator. She first attended UPC when she was at Roosevelt High School and later joined the church as an adult in 1994. About that same time, Lisa met her husband, Peter, at a UPC adults ministry function. Lisa and Peter rescue senior dogs and have found great joy with old dogs. They currently have a young dog, Sadie, who brings a lot of energy into their household!

In his 30 plus years on staff at UPC, Tony has performed maintenance on almost every part of the facility, including janitorial, hospitality (brewing Sunday coffee) and maintenance (small remodels even). Recently, he has been focused on painting and floor care. When he is not at UPC he enjoys time with extended family, working on his cars or taking his Harley out for a road trip when the weather is nice.

Sue is a familiar face to those serving the Deacon ministry. She’s been a friendly smile to many over the past (almost 20) years. Sue is a gracious shepherd to those grieving the loss of a loved one, she’s delivered countless meals to homebound congregants and is ready to serve. Sue is married to Bryan.

Imani was born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya. She graduated from West Nairobi School and moved to Seattle with her family in September 2018. Imani attended Shoreline Community College, graduating in June 2021. She will continue further studies part-time and online at Western Washington University starting September 2022. Her deep desire is that her faith in Christ can continue to deepen, that her love for others can continue to stretch wide, and that she can continue to add value to the Family and Children’s Ministry in every way possible. As the Children’s Coordinator and Family Ministries Admin, she oversees the administrative systems for the Family Ministries as she communicates with her team and the operational team at UPC. Imani oversees Sunday school programming, milestones, camps, youth retreats, and special events and coordinates with interns and volunteers weekly. She hopes that all families feel safe, loved, and welcomed. Her hobbies include cooking, baking, playing guitar, adventuring, and experimenting with photography.

Jill grew up in southern California, got a Master’s in Education for School Counseling at Azusa Pacific University, worked at a large Christian summer camp, Forest Home, for many summers, then worked with kids and teens at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach. Jill moved to Seattle and started working at UPC in January 2019. She recently finished a Master’s in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary. Jill loves exploring new places, eating good food, meeting up with friends for walks or hikes, visiting California, binging shows, and dreaming of trip planning again.

As the Director of Family Ministries, her job is to lead, manage, and advocate for UPC’s ministry to kids and youth from birth to 12th grade and their families.

Anna  (pronounced Ah-na) learned about this role through the UPC young adult group. As the Youth Coordinator, she will organize volunteer teams to serve middle and high school students, plan programming and retreats/events, meet with youth for coffee or to attend their games, and work closely with Jill. Anna is outgoing and friendly, organized, has a vibrant faith, has experience leading and managing volunteer teams, has experience leading worship, and is excited about this new role!

Jack produces and edits video content for UPC and acts as camera operator and video switcher for Sunday services and other livestreamed events. In his spare time he enjoys making horror movies.

A Bellingham resident and Washington native, Wade is a graduate of Western Washington University, with degrees in Piano and French. He furthered his studies in piano, vocal accompaniment and opera coaching in Salzburg and Graz, Austria. Wade began his post graduate organ studies at Pacific Lutheran University, where he was one of four organists chosen nationally to perform in the international symposium, The Organ in the New Millennium. He holds a Master of Music in Organ Performance and Literature from the University of Notre Dame, and Germany’s highest degree in Organ Performance from the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Rostock, Germany. Wade is a multi-faceted performer, pianist, organist, and accompanist who has performed extensively in the Pacific Northwest and throughout Europe. He has been a church musician since the age of 13, and leading people in worship is one of his greatest joys in life.

Arden is originally from Honolulu, Hawaii, and graduated from Seattle Pacific University, where she majored in Exercise Science and played on the women’s soccer team. For the past seven years, Arden has served in various roles on the Fellowship of Christian Athletes staff team, most recently as the Seattle Collegiate Director. She is passionate about equipping college student leaders, discipleship, and good food! Arden and her Husband Chris live in Kirkland with their dog Koda and enjoy going on walks.

David B. Gardner, DMA, has a heart for leading God’s people in worship, and he has served churches in Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, and Kansas. He has conducted church, community, and college choirs for more than three decades, and has been delighted to serve as the Director of Worship and Arts at UPC since 2014. He holds degrees from Seattle Pacific University, Western Seminary, and The University of Arizona. David is blessed to be husband to Cheryl, father to Carol, Katie, Annelise, and Sarah, and grandfather to Emma.

Valerie holds an M.Ed TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). Her interest in the Language Institute began over 25 years ago when she observed classes at UPC, never imagining she would become a future Director. Her teaching experience spans from beginners to advanced, serving refugees to post-docs. She brings experience with World Relief, Associates for Cultural Exchange—SPU campus, Business English—UW’s Foster School and intensive English programs at PC USA partner, LCC International University in Lithuania.

You might find Valerie at Island Books, scanning the Young Adult section for the next great classroom read. She envisions new classes and partnerships, recruits and supports volunteer teachers and tutors, interviews and places participants, puts the puzzle pieces together, and raises funds to maintain the program.

Favorite pastime? Getting out with her husband and four grands! Reading, thrifting, hiking, biking, skiing, and gluten-free baking all take a close second. The violin gets dusted off occasionally!

As Director of Facilities, Esmaeil has the responsibility—along with the Facilities team—to take care of the church building, our eight auxiliary properties, parking lots, and all the equipment that makes them function as our church home. Esmaeil is no stranger to large properties in city settings, having spent 10 years as Operations Manager for First Presbyterian Church of Seattle, and facilities management for Lake City Presbyterian and Capitol Hill Presbyterian. In his free time, you can find spending time with his wife and three sons or hiking up big peaks.

Born in South Korea and raised in America, Nawon is a passionate worshiper with a heart to serve congregational singing, to lift up praise, glory, and honor for the Living Almighty God. Nawon is a jazz musician with a Bachelor’s Degree in Film Scoring from Berklee College of Music. He loves to spend fun and quality time with his wife Sooja and two daughters, Hana and Yuna. Although the Pacific Northwest is brand new for the long New England surviving Jang family, they are excited to be a part of this beautiful place.

Lori manages the Finance, HR and IS staff. She prepares all financial reports along with the Dashboard for Session and staff. She works with the auditors for the annual review. She spearheaded the annual budget planning process. Numbers and Excel spreadsheets are her friends! Please reach out to Lori if you have any questions about the UPC finances.

She loves water, snow, and steam (the 3 states of H2O): water skiing, downhill and cross-country skiing, swimming and hot tubbing. Traveling and experiencing other cultures are her passion. And lately, her mantra is, “See you on Zoom.”

Matthew is here to make sure that UPC is able to open and close at the correct times. He also ensures that all of the events get set up so that people can come, and fellowship can grow at our church. When he is not working, he is most likely doing school work, so he can finish his Environmental Science major at the University of Washington. Matthew has been attending UPC his entire life, and he is really glad that this job gives him a chance to give back to a community that has helped to lay the first bricks in his relationship with the Lord.

Rina manages the database that holds information about contacts, events, small groups, donations, etc. As examples, we use the information to print security and allergy ID tags for children attending Sunday school, and to register participants for UPC events and classes. She also processes the payroll and keeps track of the Membership Rolls.

She loves sci-fi, road trips, and crafting—anything that gives her an excuse to put glitter on things. Sparkly is her favorite color.

Vivienne served as a volunteer, working with Ministry with Internationals, before joining the UPC staff in 2008–2011 as Director for Global Friends and the International Friendship House. Just this past November, she returned to Seattle with her husband and two adorable children, Isabella and Isaiah. It has always been in their plans to move back to Seattle and be a part of Global Friends again. She and her family are very excited to be back “home,” working with close friends to do this exciting work with internationals! She has also agreed to take on the administrative responsibilities for Language Institute.

Minh has decades of experience and wisdom, and is always happy to use both to lend a hand. You’ll find him hard at work making sure the church is in top shape, and he’s always willing to help. Plus, he and his wife are wonderful cooks. The UPC staff always find peace in the knowledge that Minh Luu is only ever one phone call away.

Parker joined UPC as a Facilities Steward in fall of 2021. He has largely served in hospitality during his time at UPC, including brewing coffee for Sunday service, setting up events, and helping people with their questions and needs. He is a student at the University of Washington. He loves being around friends, whether outside, around town or simply together at home.

Jason serves UPC as Director of Media Services, leading the Media team through in-person event production, livestream and radio broadcasts, content creation and distribution, and audiovisual system design, installation, and maintenance. Since taking this role in 2017, Jason and the Media team have successfully updated the sanctuary sound system, remodeled the Geneva event space, and ushered in a sophisticated live broadcasting system, among many other smaller projects. Jason is a musician and enjoys working closely with UPC’s music team to help create an excellent worship experience. After a long day’s work, he loves to partake in delicious craft beers, and on weekends he enjoys writing about himself in the third person.

Bang is our IT Technician extraordinaire. He supports and troubleshoots computer issues, manages user data, solves hardware and software complications, assists our Systems Administrator with telecommunications systems, and keeps the internet up and working throughout the building. After solving all our computer headaches, Bang enjoys spending time with his wife, praying, and living life to the fullest.

Miko serves as the Young Adults Ministry Coordinator at UPC. He grew up in Las Vegas and graduated from Seattle University with a degree in Finance. After graduation, Miko worked as a college ministry Intern with the INN, which led to where he is today. Miko connects with young adults (18–28), introduces them to a positive, Christian community, plans content for our gatherings, finds opportunities to serve, provides resources for folks to dive deeper into their faith, and comes up with activities that are lighthearted and fun on the weekends. He has a strong passion for Christian discipleship and enjoys helping others orient their lives in a way that produces greater devotion to Jesus. His interests include plant-based nutrition, working out, writing, and reading.

Kim was born and raised in the Seattle area and has only lived away from the PNW during her college years in California. Kim formerly worked as a high school counselor and career counselor before focusing on raising her three sons with her husband, Kurt. She and her family have called UPC home for the past 25 years and are grateful for the “village” that UPC became for their family. Kim joined the Children’s Ministry team in 2016 to coordinate MOPS, Refresh, and mid-week childcare. Kim loves to be a part of helping moms with young kids find community and support as they embark on the parenting journey. In her spare time, Kim enjoys playing tennis (especially when she wins), boating, skiing, and going on walks with friends

Oliver has been around the UPC universe for 10+ years now. He got his start as an Audio Visual Technician and has evolved into the Associate Director of Media Services, which he’s perfect for since he brings a wealth of AV knowledge, an abundance of creativity, and a vast amount of problem-solving abilities. When he’s not remedying UPC’s AV woes, you can find him attending concerts, comedy, dining out/drinking tasty beverages, or working on his side-hustle concert series called Sessions In Place.

Debbie is an Eastern Washington native and a Coug! After working for Weyerhaeuser Company as a Project Manager in the Information Systems Division, she was called into teaching and received a Masters in Teaching from Seattle University. She taught middle school math and science at Forest Ridge School in Bellevue. Debbie met and married her husband, Crary Symons, at UPC and they have raised their 3 children in the UPC community. Debbie’s previous volunteer experience in Children’s Ministry came in handy when she began working in the department in 2013. She partners with staff, volunteers and families sharing the Good News of Jesus to UPC’s youngest members. In her free time, Debbie enjoys traveling with Crary to cheer their kids on in basketball, softball, and any other endeavors they take on. She loves to spend time with friends, play tennis, garden, and tutor kids in math.

Barb encourages us to join God’s mission of reconciling our neighbors to Jesus, through neighborhood engagement and building relationships. Barb has a heart for those who live on the margins—people who are physically, emotionally, or spiritually hungry. She is amazed that the same Spirit of God who was in Jesus dwells in us to bring Good News to the poor, heal the sick, give sight to the blind, and free the oppressed (Luke 4:18–19). Barb is always ready to participate in God’s work by going on a neighborhood prayer walk, serving food to the hungry, or going wherever the Spirit leads. She is open to new ways UPC can serve its neighbors, so let her know where the Spirit may be leading you. Barb has a Ph.D. in Physiology and M.Div from Fuller, and likes talking about science and faith, eating ice cream, swimming, and cheering for the Green Bay Packers.

Joanna supports data entry, reimbursement requests, and payments. She finds joy and refreshment in spending time with family and friends and in travel.

Paul is responsible for the support and administration of UPC’s computing and network infrastructure as well as the computer needs of the UPC staff. This includes managing the network, servers, internet connectivity, phone system, and much more. When not at UPC he enjoys being outdoors, preferably in the sunshine!

Polly is a third-generation Seattleite and a graduate of the University of Washington with a MA in International Studies in Comparative Religion and is currently in the UW Museology MA program. Polly is passionate about building communities that are on mission and developing young adult leaders. She has spent her career working with young adults, previously as campus staff with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. Polly oversees UPC’s International Friendship House (international students) and Jack’s House (young professionals).

Julie works with contributions and receivables—deposits cash and checks, monitors online income, and compiles reports regarding weekly income. She makes sure contribution records are thorough and accurate, corresponds with congregants regarding contributions if any questions arise, and manages UPC credit card expenses. Julie is an active member at Wallingford Presbyterian Church. She enjoys a good book, a walk in the woods, and any college football game in the fall. (Go Buckeyes!)