Staff

Jennifer is a native of South Carolina and an ordained minister in The United Methodist Church. She loves South Carolina, but has managed to spend all but ten years of her adult life in North Carolina. Those ten years were spent pastoring United Methodist churches across the Upstate. She attended Duke University several times and in the process earned a BA, double majoring in English and Religion, a Master of Divinity, a PhD in religion, and a Graduate Certificate in Women’s Studies. Prior to coming to the Council, she spent 16 years as the United Methodist Chaplain at Duke University, where she also taught undergraduate and divinity school classes, served on committees and task forces, and attended lots of basketball games. She writes frequently for various publications when time permits and preaches regularly in congregations across North Carolina. Jennifer has two adult children, Nathan, who is a software developer in Durham, and Hannah, who is a digital marketing analyst in Charlotte. Jennifer is the overjoyed grandparent of Benjamin and Theodore.

Sharon was raised in NYC in the South Bronx. She has 20 years of office management experience, mostly in the legal field. She is excited to be working for the NC Council of Churches as their Office Manager. She has lived in all over including New York, West Virginia, North Carolina and Texas. Sharon and her husband, Timothy, moved to NC in 1990 after getting married. She has two adult son’s, Travaris and Bernard and a small Pomeranian. In her free time she likes to cook, entertain, and read.

Sean was raised in Austin, Texas where he attended the University of Texas. After earning a BBA with an emphasis in Accounting and Master in Professional Accounting, he attended George W. Truett Theological Seminary where he met his wife, Jamie, and they both earned a Master of Divinity. Prior to coming to the Council, Sean spent twenty years in congregational ministry, most recently as Senior Pastor of a Baptist church in Raleigh, and two years in financial administration for a number of churches in the Triangle. When he is not cheering for his Texas Longhorns, Sean enjoys community theater, playing golf, watching sports, and spending time with his wife and their three children: Avery, Hannah, and Max.

Susannah Tuttle joined the staff in August 2011. She received a Masters of Divinity degree with an emphasis on ecological ethics from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA. In 2004 Susannah was hired as UNC Chapel Hill’s first Sustainability Research Associate and went on to co-initiate Trace Collaborative, LLC a consulting firm specializing in the implementation of sustainability within the design and construction industry. Susannah is a founding member of the Southeast Faith Leaders Network (SFLN) and is an active member of the US Climate Action Network. She currently serves on the Executive Board of the Southeast Climate & Energy Network (SCEN) and serves as the director of international community outreach for the US Climate Fair Share collaborative. Susannah’s motto is “Rowdy Bliss” and when she’s not traveling and exploring new places you can find her hosting gatherings and relaxing at the end of a gravel road where she lives with her husband, Frank – who is a builder, gardener, and musician, and their two beloved dogs. Learn more about NC Interfaith Power & Light: ncipl.org.

Ren Martin recently joined the NC Council of Churches team in July, after working at Virginia Interfaith Power & Light as a communications coordinator. Ren is a Fall 2021 graduate of Virginia Tech, where they earned their bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Sciences, with minors in urban forestry and leadership. During their time at Virginia Tech, they were able to teach title I school children, lead as a VP in a student organization, and worked with North Carolina’s Cooperative Extension. Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Ren grew up visiting their grandparents in the countryside of Buckingham, VA. Due to these experiences, they have a profound love for the environment, making artwork, and meeting new people. Ren was raised as a Catholic and later came back to the faith during their time in college. Now, Ren’s spirituality is a large part of their life, and they are eager to learn from all walks of life. Ren hopes to bring about positive change in the world around them through visual storytelling, communication, and outreach. Through this, Ren aims to uplift and empower people to create a more sustainable future for us all.

Rachel was born and raised in Durham, North Carolina. She is an Appalachian State University alumni with a passion for systemic transformation and equity for all North Carolina residents. Rachel joined the Council is 2018 as Immigration Program Coordinator and her role has since transformed to Communications Director. She enjoys contributing her knowledge and expertise to help promote positive social change through communications and graphic design. In her free time, Rachel loves spending time outside with her wife and two labs, playing rugby, and dancing.

A native of South Carolina, Arlecia has previously called North Carolina home and started her professional career off in the state as a journalist in Eden. She was a journalism educator in Charlotte and later served as a minister in Durham while attending Duke Divinity School, where she earned her Master of Divinity. She is an ordained Baptist minister and formerly served as a senior pastor in the United Church of Christ. Before joining the Council in August 2022, she taught at Claflin University in Orangeburg, S.C., and directed a project to provide professional development to clergy and lay leaders pivoting during COVID-19. Her interest in health and wellness developed as a newspaper reporter covering health issues and new legislation such as HIPAA. Her convictions are rooted in experiences ranging from seeing members of her family and community plagued by the many comorbidities amplified during the pandemic. She is invested in how systemic issues such as gentrification and food and housing insecurity impact health and wholeness and prevent BIPOC people and those in rural communities from thriving. Arlecia is based in Fayetteville, and she enjoys educating people on her Gullah Geechee culture and publishing books and digital content that she hopes will lead to emotional healing and spiritual renewal.

Carrilea is from Sylva in the mountains of western North Carolina. She attended Brevard College where she played soccer and earned a BA in Health Science Studies. She earned her Master of Divinity and a certificate in Religion and Health from Candler School of Theology at Emory University. Carrilea is an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church and has served in a local congregation for several years. Her passion for faith, health, and justice led her to join the Council as the West Regional Associate Director for PHW. She currently lives in Statesville with her husband, Andrew, and their two daughters, Saige and Maya. Carrilea loves the outdoors, adventures/traveling, and good conversations.

Krista is continuing on with PHW after completing her Senior Practicum internship in Peace and Conflict Studies with us in Fall 2021. She will complete her degree in Peace and Conflict Studies with a Gerontology minor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in May 2022 and is planning to seek her MDiv after graduation. Prior to joining PHW, Krista served the Chatham County Council on Aging as the organization’s Development and Communications Director. During her tenure at the Council on Aging, she was a featured panelist on “Creating, Fostering, and Maintaining Connections During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond” at the 2020 Meals on Wheels Virtual Conference and a co-facilitator on Senior Support and Care at the “Mental Health and Well-Being During the Pandemic” event hosted by NC State’s Institute for Emerging Issues. Krista is a member of The Community Church of Chapel Hill Unitarian Universalist.

Stephenie has called North Carolina home for most of her life, living in various cities throughout the Piedmont and Triangle areas. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from UNC-Greensboro. Singing gigs in churches eventually led her to a career of working for religious organizations, where she found great meaning in supporting the church’s work for justice and showing compassion to the members of the church and the wider community. Stephenie joined the PHW staff in August 2022 after working for Binkley Baptist Church (Chapel Hill) for seven years as their Office Manager/Ministry Support Manager. She is thrilled to join PHW in their work to help faith communities live healthy, abundant lives. In her spare time, she loves to sing, bake, spend quality time with her friends, and watch reality competition shows (ask her anything about Survivor). She lives in Chapel Hill with her cat, aptly named Kitty.

Donna was born in Miami, FLA, but has resided in Wilkes County, NC, since she was four years old. Donna comes to us from the world of public health. She has spent over a decade on substance use coalition, prevention, recovery, and harm reduction work in public health and non-profit settings. Donna served as Social Action Coordinator for the Appalachian District United Methodist Women from 2017-2021, and has served in a lay servant role for the United Methodist Church since 2015. Donna is also co-founder of Wilkes Rescue Group, a non-profit 501(c)(3) dog rescue in Wilkes County that was founded in 2018. Donna is an Appalachian State University alumni and loves to cheer on her Mountaineers during football season. Donna spends her spare time working with Wilkes Rescue Group, as well as spending quality time with good friends, and her husband and four rescue dogs.