Meet our Staff

Meet our Staff

Pastoral
Music Ministries
Children’s Ministries
Youth Ministries
Administrative
Adult Education
Congregational Care
Communications
Westminster School for Young Children
Facilities
Information Technology

Pastor and Head of Staff

Donovan Drake

Pastor | Head of Staff Donovan was born in Waukegan, IL, and grew up in Orange City, IA, and Vincennes, IN. A graduate of Northwestern College in Orange City, Donovan also holds a M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, NJ, and a D.Min. from McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago. He has served churches in Morganton, NC, and Durham, NC. His primary areas of interest and experience in ministry include preaching, teaching and pastoral care. Donovan is married to Beth Beran…
Associate Pastor for Adult Education and Spiritual Nurture

Guy D. Griffith

Guy Griffith is of Welsh ancestry and was raised in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.  An avid reader, Guy is nurtured by art, the theatre, and nature. A lifelong learner, he enjoys reading and writing poetry.  He holds a D.Min. from Columbia Theological Seminary (Christian Spirituality); a M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary (Homiletics and Missiology); and a B.A. from the American University, School of International Service (International Relations with a minor in philosophy/religion). Prior to joining Westminster’s staff, he served churches in Alpharetta…
Associate Pastor for Congregational Care

Heidi Hudnut-Beumler

Growing up in a suburb of Minneapolis, Heidi is a graduate of Brown University and Union Theological Seminary (New York). She has served three large, multi-staff churches much like Westminster: in New York City (associate), northern New Jersey and Indianapolis (both interim associates); one mid-size church in central New Jersey (associate); and a solo pastorate in Nashville. In addition, she brings training and experience in hospital chaplaincy and interim ministry. Heidi is excited about this opportunity to continue the strong ministries shepherded by the…
Parish Associate of Congregational Care

Stephanie Boaz

Stephanie Boaz is a graduate of Sweet Briar College and Princeton Theological Seminary. She was ordained in 1998 as a Minister Of Word and Sacrament in the PCUSA. Since then, she has served churches in Indiana, Ohio, Michigan and Georgia. She moved to Tennessee with her husband, Craig, and son, John, in 2021 to be closer to family. They live in Hermitage with their dog Bali. The Boaz family began attending Westminster during the Fall of 2022 with Craig joining…
Executive Director of Family Ministries

Sophie Maness

Sophie Maness was born in Richmond, Virginia and grew up in the Presbyterian Church. She received her BA in psychology from Randolph-Macon College and her MA from the Presbyterian School of Christian Education in Richmond. As a certified Christian Educator, Sophie has enjoyed working with children and parents for over twenty years. Her husband Roger has recently retired from thirty-nine years of service to the Presbyterian Church. Her twins, Jerry and Sophie Ann, have recently graduated from college. Sophie and…
Director of Music Ministries

John Semingson

John Semingson is the Director of Music Ministries for Westminster Presbyterian Church, where he oversees a multi-faceted music program, involving nearly two hundred (200) children, youth and adults.  Prior to this, John served as Minister of Music and Organist at the Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church in Asheville, North Carolina; Director of the University of North Carolina-Asheville Community Chorus; the Carolina Chamber Singers; and was Centennial Summer Director and Organist for the Montreat Conference Center.  Since his childhood days in the…
Organist and Associate Director of Music Ministries

Dale Nickell

Dale Nickell is excited to be Westminster Presbyterian Church’s new Organist and Associate Director of Music Ministries! He had previously been the Director of Music Ministries at First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, TN, where he played the organ and directed the Adult Choir, Children’s Choirs, and Handbell Choir.  Dale received his Master’s Degree in Organ Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music in the studio of Nathan Laube. At Eastman, he also studied improvisation and clavichord with William…
Associate Director of Youth

TJ Piccolo

T.J. Piccolo claims Michigan as his home state. He received his B.A. in Playwriting from Columbia College Chicago in 2012 and his MDiv from Vanderbilt Divinity School in 2022. In his free time, T.J. enjoys writing, running, traveling, attending ghost tours, spending time with his fiancé and future stepdaughter, and secretly living inside the Charlotte location of Hattie B’s.
Associate Director of Youth

Ryland Wheliss

Hi all! My name is Ryland Wheliss, I am 27 years old and I grew up here in Nashville, TN and more specifically in our WPC community. As a member of the “Bailey Clan”, WPC was a large part of my early years. I was a large participant in choir where in the end I sang bass every Sunday. I then went to Davidson College, which is a small liberal arts college in North Carolina, to get my Bachelor’s Degree in…
Executive Director of Operations

Jo Ann McFarlin

Jo Ann relocated to Nashville from Oklahoma City, where she was the Executive Director of Westminster Presbyterian Church for more than 13 years. Prior to that, she lived in Chicago and was the Business Administrator at 4th Presbyterian Church for 3 years.  When she relocated to Chicago, she came from Tulsa, Oklahoma and was the Church Administrator at First Presbyterian Church for more than 12 years.  She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a major in…
Assistant to the Executive Director of Family Ministries

Jaleen Rayburn

Sound Engineer

Joe Debusk

Sexton

Koko Gray

Sexton

Camille Torchon

Sexton

John Penton

Sexton

JW Pryor

Sexton

Mary Davis

Sexton

Steven Fradette