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!

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.

Jill grew up in southern California and enjoys traveling there for visits to see her nephews, family, and friends. She also loves day trips, eating good food, meeting up with people for walks or happy hour, finding new trails to hike, getting her neighbors together, and deep connections.

After college, she substitute taught and worked at a large Christian summer camp, then worked in full time ministry with kids and teens at a Presbyterian church in California. She moved to Seattle to work at UPC in January 2019. Jill has a Master’s in Education for School Counseling from Azusa Pacific University, and a Master’s in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary.

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. The Family Ministries team desires that young people be discipled to follow Jesus with their whole lives; formed in Christ, rooted in community, and living for others.

Rebecca is married to her wonderful husband, Casey, who works as a chief engineer on vessels (the big boats!). Together they share their home with four beloved fur babies—dogs, Nisha and Finnegan, and cats, Nala and Shiloh. Rebecca grew up in the Portland, OR area, and has spent most of her adult life in Seattle. She lived and taught English in Hong Kong for four years. Rebecca has a BA in Christian Education and an MEd in TESOL, and her career includes ministry experience—as a Director of Children’s Ministries—and higher education, teaching ESL and serving in various administrative roles at community and technical colleges. She’s an avid traveler, a lover of historical fiction, and happiest when taking long walks with the pups.

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.

Angela grew up in Ellensburg in central Washington—rodeo country, where hay bales and wide-open spaces are part of everyday life. The energy and opportunity of Seattle eventually drew her west, and she has called this area home since 1997.

Angela spent many years working in the medical field, and off and on as a nanny. In recent years, she has sensed a clear calling into ministry, with a heart for encouraging, equipping, and discipling believers in their faith. Angela is especially passionate about investing in college students during a formative season of life—helping them grow in their relationship with Christ, build authentic community, and discover how God is calling them to live and serve. She loves creating welcoming spaces where students can ask honest questions, be known, and experience the love of Christ in tangible ways.

Whether over a cup of coffee, a shared meal, or a thoughtful conversation, Angela delights in getting to know students and walking with them as they grow in faith and purpose.

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 and Theo.

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.

Jaqwan serves as the Young Adult Men’s Intern at UPC. He enjoys connecting with people, learning about humanity, and helping others take steps toward biblical community and kindred. Outside of ministry, Jaqwan is a Christian music producer and film enthusiast who enjoys competitive video games and learning new languages.

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.

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.

Debbie grew up in Southern California, and got her Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Azusa Pacific University. As a pastor’s kid and organist’s daughter, she is well versed in sacred music, hymnody, and church family life. Debbie’s experience with Worship Arts is broad, having sung in choirs and worship teams for many years and also leading visual tech teams at various churches. Her creativity has been used to shape worship media to reflect Biblical truth on the big screen. Her passion is to use her creative gifts for Kingdom purposes, serving as a “second touch” to help people see the sermons they hear. Debbie moved to Seattle in 2006, and started work at UPC in November 2024 as Ministry Coordinator in Worship & Arts. Her favorite pastimes are binging shows and movies, cheering her Theatre Performing Arts son in his endeavors, and connecting with close friends.

Mark grew up in Utica, Michigan. He attended college at Eastern Michigan University and received a BBA in Accounting. He went on to earn an MBA from the University of Phoenix and is a Certified Management Accountant. Mark has worked for publicly traded companies over the last 20 years and held positions as CFO and COO. He loves exploring new places, cooking, hiking, running and spending time with his wife, kids and grandkids.
As the Director of Finance Mark is responsible for Finance and Accounting at UPC and manages IT.

D’Vante grew up in Nassau, Bahamas, and moved to Spokane, WA, for college, earning a B.S. in Biblical Studies. Though pastoral ministry wasn’t his original plan, God called him into full-time ministry, shaping his heart for the church, worship, community engagement, justice, and advocacy. He has served in worship, youth, and outreach roles, earned an M.Div. from Fuller Seminary, and previously pastored in Bellevue, WA, while helping lead initiatives in the Black and Reformed Network, a non-profit within the Christian Reformed Church.

D’Vante is passionate about building Christ-centered communities where all generations feel safe, seen, and spiritually nurtured. He is currently pursuing an M.A. in Counseling, focusing on trauma-informed practices and their role in community change and family systems.

Outside of ministry, you’ll find him flying his drone, sneaking in some time on the pipe organ, reading theology and mental health books, cheering on all things Miami sports, or creating projects that blend faith, justice, and healing. D’Vante is married to Grace, and they have one beautiful daughter, Daisy.

As Director of Outreach, he casts vision, mobilizes leaders, nurtures partnerships, and stewards resources to help UPC embody Christ’s love in our city and beyond.

Anne is a Seattle-area native, attended UW, and has been a part of UPC for many years. She spent most of her adulthood working in corporate marketing and communications before joining the staff at UPC. Anne enjoys strong black coffee, reading classic children’s literature, dog-walking, sunrise and sunset views, baking (cookies are her love language), city hikes, and talking to kids about Jesus.

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 winning an Emmy with his side-hustle concert series called Sessions In Place.

Lora has her degree in Business Information Systems and throughout her career has worked to support many small businesses and organizations. Her specialty is Data Analysis. She is involved with Women’s’ Ministries and serves in childcare at her home church in Monroe. Her and her husband, Ted have two adult sons, a daughter-in-law and two active grandsons. During Covid, they adopted a chocolate Australian cattle dog pup and named her Mocha. They enjoy spending time outdoors, hiking and boating to explore remote destinations in the PNW.

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.

Anna  (pronounced Ah-na) learned about this role through the UPC young adult group. As the Youth Coordinator, she organizes volunteer teams to serve middle and high school students, plans programming and retreats/events, meets with youth for coffee or to attend their games, and works 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!

YoYo was born in China and Came to Seattle in 2013 to study at the University of Washington. She received her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Accounting and Finance and her master’s degree in Professional Accounting Audit at UW. YoYo worked in public accounting before she came to UPC. In her spare time YoYo enjoys cooking, baking and hanging out with friends.

Growing up in the greater Seattle area, Nicole has always had a heart for international students. From a young age, she was involved in clubs with students from around the world. She has worked as a missionary in Chile, served as Internship Coordinator for young adults heading overseas, and as Helpline Specialist for St Vincent de Paul of King County. Nicole has taken several classes with Faith Biblical Counseling Ministries and is a constant learner of Spanish. She is committed to providing practical, compassionate support in every role she takes on. As the Ministry Administrator for Outreach and Care, she continues serving Christ by reaching out and caring for others locally and globally. Outside of work, she enjoys arts and crafts, spending time with her three adult children, watching silly crime dramas and relaxing at home with her cat, Penny.

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 an MA in International Studies in Comparative Religion and an MA in Museology. Polly is passionate about building communities that are on mission to love their neighbors 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 Bridge (20s fellowship) and residential communities, the International Friendship House (international students), Jefferson House (young adults), and Jack’s House (young professionals). In her free time, Polly is the exhibit curator at the Edmonds Historical Museum.