Team

We are a “dream factory” where God-given dreams are sought after; where everything is an experiment; and where each person plays a unique role.

Executive Leadership

  • Mark Batterson

    Lead Pastor
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    Mark was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and grew up in Naperville, Illinois.

    Mark went to the University of Chicago on scholarship playing basketball and majoring in pre-law. After a prayer walk through a cow pasture, he felt called to full time ministry and ended up at Central Bible College in Springfield, Missouri. That’s the short story. Mark also holds a Doctor of Ministry from Regent University. He is the author of a dozen books including his first published title, In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day and The Circle Maker, a New York Times Bestseller.

    Mark and his wife, Lora, moved to Washington, DC, in 1994 to direct an inner-city ministry. He has served as Lead Pastor of National Community Church since 1996. Under his leadership, NCC has grown from a core group of 19 people to one church with multiple locations.

    Mark and Lora live on Capitol Hill and have three children: Parker, Summer, and Josiah.

  • Marion Mason

    NoVA Campus Pastor
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    Marion is originally from Lincolnton, GA, but as a military child, he spent a number of years in North Carolina and the DC metro area. Marion is a sports enthusiast and competed in Track and Field at the University of Virginia, where he graduated with a BA in Government and Foreign Affairs. He holds Master’s degrees in Public Administration and Non-Profit Management from George Mason University and Religion (Christian Leadership) from Liberty University. Marion has a deep passion for creating environments that optimize learning, personal development, and spiritual growth. Marion and his wife, Tamika, have been married since 2004 and have three beautiful daughters, Mianna, Makyah, and Mykal. For the 10 years prior to NCC, Marion and Tamika served the Boston community through a multi-ethnic church plant, various non-profit organizations, and local colleges. The Mason family enjoys barbecues, sports, board games, and outdoor activities.

  • Joel Schmidgall

    Executive Pastor & DC Campus Pastor
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    Joel was born and raised in Naperville, Illinois. He is an unpaid marketer for all things Chicago, especially the Cubs, Malnotti’s pizza, and Portillo’s beef-and-cheddar!

    In his role as Executive Pastor, Joel oversees the pastoral staff for and pastors the DC Campus. He also provides leadership to missions and outreach initiatives, and serves on the weekend teaching team. Joel founded and now serves as President of the board of the DC Dream Center, a community center committed to inspiring and equipping youth and adults to reach their God-given potential.

    Joel and his wife, Nina, are authors of Praying Circles Around Your Marriage. They live on Capitol Hill with their three kids: Eloise, Ezekiel, and Lorenza.

  • Heather Zempel

    Dream Collective Executive Director
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    A native Alabamian, Heather Zempel currently leads the discipleship efforts at National Community Church in Washington, DC where she oversees small groups, directs leadership development training, and serves on the weekend teaching team.

    Heather followed a circuitous route into full-time ministry. Having obtained bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biological engineering from Louisiana State University (Geaux Tigers!), she worked as an environmental engineer and as a policy consultant on energy and environment in the United States Senate before coming on staff at National Community Church. Using her educational background, Heather now can be found exploring environments that foster spiritual growth.

    She lives on Capitol Hill where she can be found enjoying the adventures of parenting with her husband Ryan as they raise Sawyer, their fun-loving and energetic daughter. Heather is the author of Sacred Roads, Community is Messy, and Amazed and Confused.

Staff

  • Joseph Antwine

    Facilities Engineer
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    Joseph was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, and grew up in Fort Meade, Maryland. While in Anne Arundel County Joseph had the opportunity to learn different trades, but masonry and plumbing are some of his favorites. Joseph also enjoys martial arts, making music, and traveling. Joseph feels very grateful to have the opportunity to work at NCC and loves attending Sunday services to get the message that always seems to speak to instances pertaining to his life. 

  • Christina Borja

    Treasurer
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    Christina is married to Dairo, who she met in Cuenca, Ecuador while doing a year-long missions term. The rest, as they say, is history. They live in DC and have two children, Giovanni and Cali. Christina served as our Chief Financial Officer from 2002 to 2019 and has had several different jobs over the years at NCC, including overseeing the construction of 201 F Street NE (coffeehouse, church offices, and meeting space for community events) and was our founding manager of Ebenezers Coffeehouse.

  • Ashlei Brathwaite

    Family Ministries Director
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    Born in Colorado to two military parents, Ashlei moved to the DMV area so long ago that she’s basically a native of the area. Having a background in Psychology she spent many years in education and coached HS & Club Volleyball. After several prayers to find a way to merge her love of the next generation & their development with her faith. Having attended NCC since 2018, she was blessed to find a role on staff working with kids & their families. Her passion for this next generation’s faith foundation drives her to make every Sunday & each interaction a special one for kids, families, and her amazing volunteers!

    When she’s not at work, you can find her trying out new recipes, making travel plans, reading books, and doing car karaoke!

  • Noreen Bryant

    Chief Communications Officer | Director, NCC Creative Studios
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    Noreen began her career in journalism, then worked in marketing and comms for her alma mater, the University of Michigan. She then directed comms for a nationwide bookstore chain (anybody remember what those are?). After she and her family moved from Michigan to Virginia, she was honored to serve as Comms Director at a venerable church in Bristow, VA. She joined the NCC team in 2016.  At NCC, Noreen directs ministry, event, and strategic communications. She also leads NCC Creative Studios. She and her husband have two grown children.

  • Joel Buckner

    NCC Learning Director
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    Joel brings 17+ years of experience to NCC, having worked in higher education and the non-profit sector. He’s your go-to guy for career advice, creativity boosts, and just getting things done. He’s all about keeping it exciting—think accountability, inspiration, and transformation.

    Beyond NCC, he’s a devoted husband and father, a coach, loves singing and photography, and loves traveling.

  • Jasmine Chestnut

    NoVA Groups Director
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    A true native to the DMV, Jasmine Chestnut was born in Washington, D.C., raised in Maryland, and has called the City of Alexandria, VA home since 2006. No joke – it really was the word “community” that drew her to NCC. Her heart is to see individuals awakened to the truth and love within and surrounding them through participation in authentic relationships formed in the context of reciprocal, sustainable communities. That’s definitely a group effort!… which is why she loves serving on our Groups team. Jasmine brings creativity and a design thinking lens to ministry, influenced by her 17 years designing human-centered environments that support people as they work, learn, connect, and heal.

    Jasmine is committed to being a lifelong student, practicing the arts of being a wife to William, mom to Layla, Jacob, and Levi, and friend while finding time to explore the intersections of her interests in food, tea, art, herbalism, spiritual formation, rookie gardening, forest bathing, and mountain-seeking. She holds a M.A. in Interior Design and a B.S. in Biology, and is amazed at how she continues to draw from both throughout her exciting journey of a career.

  • Jenni Clayville

    NoVA Campus Weekend Experience Pastor
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    Jenni Wong Clayville was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. She is wife to Brian and boy-mom to Chance & Paxton. Jenni is an unpretentious foodie, more pretentious coffee lover, mediocre CrossFitter, and a self-proclaimed comedienne.

    Her educational background is in Psychology (Social and Behavioral Sciences) and Theology, and how they connect holistically. Jenni has been in full-time ministry since 2001, serving as a Pastor in churches in Portland, OR., El Paso, TX., Oklahoma City, OK., and Fort Worth, TX. She has a wide variety of ministry experience in positions such as Worship Pastor to First Impressions to Executive Pastor. Now, she and her family have planted roots in Fairfax, VA.

    In her spare time, you can find Jenni reading in her favorite chair at home, sitting in a soccer field cheering on her sons, scrolling through social media, avoiding shopping malls, finding the funny in just about anything and avoiding clowns. Mostly the scary ones. Which are all of them.

  • Ernest Clover

    DC Dream Center Executive Director
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    Ernest was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, before earning his BA in History from Defiance College, Ohio, and a Master’s in International Relations from the University of Denver. Starting his career in healthcare in Washington DC, he worked as Chief of Staff at National eHealth Collaborative. Ernest became a mentor at the DC Dream Center in 2009 and has served as Executive Director since 2012. As Executive Director he has overseen, developed, and helped lead the construction of the Dream Center building, the expansion of its programs and focus, as well as its role and function in the community.

    In his spare time Ernest loves to read and play golf. He and his wife Rachel have been married for 15+ years and have three children: Dylan, Makenzie and Kai. 

  • Joshua Coad

    Worship Leader
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    Josh Coad grew up in Ft. Worth, TX. In 2010, he graduated from Texas Christian University with a degree in writing. With 15 years’ experience leading worship, Josh is passionate about crafting worship experiences that lead to a greater awareness of God, encourage community, and shape worshippers to follow the way of Jesus.

    Josh loves to read, write, and spend time with his family. He lives in D.C. with his wife, Rachael, and their two daughters, Ellie and Nora.

  • Austin Dailey

    Facilities Manager
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    Austin was born in Alpharetta, GA and raised in Southwest, FL, where he attended Southeastern University to study Organizational Leadership. Austin enjoys getting outside to enjoy the company of friends and family while staying healthy and active. He also enjoys road tripping across the country and exploring most of the country’s National Parks with his wife Summer. Austin and Summer attend NCC’s Capital Turnaround campus and enjoy doing life with their NCC small group family.

  • Cat Davis

    Dream Collective Executive Assistant
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    Cat was born in New Mexico, raised in Missouri, and went to the Illinois Institute of Art- Chicago where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Interior Design.  Through her in-school focus of commercial design, she transitioned into visual merchandising, styling, and window installations for large fashion retail companies.  In 2018 Cat and her husband (Dustin) moved to Washington DC where they started attending NCC.  She is now excited to support the vision and mission of Dream Collective.

    Cat and her husband enjoy traveling, food, coffee, and hanging out with their dog (Kona).

  • Chris Douglas

    Director, NCC Worship | Weekend Experience Pastor
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    Chris Douglas is a worship pastor and songwriter who is passionate for Jesus and His kingdom. Chris’s music is born out of the worship life of the local church.

    Chris’s love for music led him to Shenandoah Conservatory in Winchester, VA, where he earned a BFA in Musical Theatre. Graduating in 2010, Chris left the theater stage and pursued a calling in ministry. Over the last decade of ministry, Chris fell in love with the Alpha Course, speaking locally and internationally at Alpha weekends and teaching on the gift of healing.

    Chris, his beautiful wife, Kathryn, their daughter, Ryan, their son, Corbin, and puppy, Cooper, live in Northern Virginia.

  • Roderick Durham

    Information Technology Director
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    Rod descends from a line of engineers, carpenters, farmers, and blacksmiths and leads the Information Technology efforts at NCC where he oversees activities and resources that involve electricity and computer chips. His hometown is either Carson, CA or Springfield, VA depending on his preference but he has family roots in DC’s Ward 7. Rod is an MIT-trained engineer and has worked in positions at NeXT computer, the Naval Research Laboratory, and as a teacher at Cornerstone Community School among other consulting roles throughout the IT, defense, and intelligence industries. Rod enjoys working with driven teams to accomplish a mission. Rod has been married to his wife Taz since 2019 and they have two children, Gabrielle and Cory. As Rod feels aligned with NCC’s convictions, manifesto, and beliefs, he believes he’s at home in his role at National Community Church.

  • Heather Gonzales

    Stewardship Team
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    Heather Gonzales has attended NCC since arriving in Washington as an intern in 1999. She and her husband, Nathan, have served as small group leaders, coaches and zone leaders. When she’s not chasing after her kids, Heather can be found at the National Association of Evangelicals, working to gather the many voices of evangelicals together to be more effective for Jesus Christ and his cause.

  • Louise Goodwin

    First Impressions Director
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    Louise is honored to serve as the NoVA First Impressions Director and is passionate about connecting with people and serving the Lord through the local church. Louise puts the “extra” in extrovert. Whether she is serving as a counselor, coach, spiritual director, or connecting with guests, she gets great joy in listening to others share their story. Her love for others’ stories is only surpassed by her love for healing and seeing people find new levels of freedom.

    Originally from Boise, Idaho, Louise greatly misses the smell of mountain dirt. She cut her teeth in ministry as a worship leader, and cultivated a love for Bible study, worship leadership, and inner-healing at Northwest Nazarene University where she earned a degree in Religious Studies, followed by a masters in Mental Health Counseling at UMass – Boston. She thoroughly enjoys living at the intersection of theology and psychology where she channels her inner monk and practices holy noticing in order to develop a better understanding of the human experience and God’s relentless pursuit of our whole selves.

    Louise is wife to Jeremy, and mom to Isaac and Caleb. After seven military moves in 17 years, the Goodwin’s are thrilled to have purchased a home in Arlington and look forward to growing some roots! Her perfect day includes sleeping in, brunch, and either a hike or an afternoon of sand volleyball. The day ends sitting next to a fire pit roasting locally-made, small-batch marshmallows and belly-laughing with good friends. Consider yourself invited!

  • Natalia Guzman

    Missions Faith Partnership Coordinator
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    Natalia was born and raised in a small town in the Caribbean coast of Colombia. She graduated from law school in her hometown in 2018. Shortly after that and pursuing God’s calling, she moved to Colorado to work on a cultural exchange program that would bring her to DC a year later. She joined NCC in mid-2019 and started serving with the first impressions team at the Lincoln campus. Later that year she would join the Living Room and learn about the Missions ministry at NCC. Natalia became a Missions Protege in 2020, and officially joined NCC Staff in 2022 as the NoVA Campus Missions Lead. Natalia is very passionate about people and creating relationships, she believes that Jesus’s perfect love is beautifully manifested through community. Her favorite things include outdoor activities, learning languages, and bringing people together.

  • Jillian Hays

    Operations Project Manager
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    Jillian moved to DC in 2016 and began at NCC shortly after arriving. She is originally from Minnesota, the land of lakes, long winters, and nice people. She has a degree in Public Relations from the University of Northwestern – St. Paul. Out of college she did communications and development for a non-profit that focused on anti-trafficking and urban outreach. On NCC’s Operations Team, she coordinates the staff events, and works with our COO on development initiatives, organizational operations, and property management, putting together her love for details and spreadsheets with creativity and hospitality. 

    She is wife to Cameron, and mom to Rowan. They are often found in their kitchen, on a hiking trail, at a favorite bakery, or in their garden. So really anything involving food or nature. 

  • Brian Hill

    Stewardship Team
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    Brian Hill has been attending NCC since 1998. He and his family have been faithful shareholders throughout NCC’s journey. He, and his wife Kim, have served as small group leaders, coaches, and zone leaders. Brian is a practicing attorney at a law firm in D.C. and has faithfully served on our Stewardship Team since 2004.

  • Steffen Humbert

    Missions Pastor
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    Steffen is a South Florida native and is committed to reclaiming the unfortunate “Florida man” headline. Formerly the lead youth pastor here at NCC, Steffen has committed over 10 years to various ministry roles all centered around missions imagination and spiritual formation. He is equally drawn to both the needs of the city and the contemplative offerings of the wilderness. Steffen, and his brilliant wife Celeste, are boy-parents to Theo and Jude and reside together in SE DC. When not in office, you’ll likely find Steffen somewhere going off trail, tinkering on a project, reading half a book, rambling about something geeky or trying to make friends with your dog. 

  • Dee Jackson

    Office Manager
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    Dee is a “southern girl” originally from San Antonio, Texas. She moved the DC area in 2003 when she made a job transition and it was, by far, the best decision she’s ever made. Her love of food and culture was part of the main reasons she loves living here, although, she still can’t find tex-mex as great as it is in San Antonio! She loves spending time with friends over a great meal and just being in community. You can also find her with a cup of coffee in her hand with a great book. Serving and loving God’s people are her passion. Dee has been a member of NCC since 2016 and joined the team January 2020. She is humbled and honored to serve, and also excited to see what God will do through her.

  • Jay Jay Janes

    Production Director & Senior Production Engineer
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    Jay Jay grew up all over as a Navy kid. He started touring as a guitar tech and production manager at age 16. This continued until his two daughters, Eva & Sierra, were born. Jay Jay toured with MXPX and Blink 182, but since 1999 has been working in production in ministry contexts. In his spare time, he loves working on guitars, hanging with his family and eating Thai food.

  • Matthew Johnson

    Chief Operating Officer
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    Matt grew up in the southern tier of New York where he also served as Executive Administrator of a local church for more than seven years prior to coming to NCC.

    Having graduated from Susquehanna University with a degree in Business Administration/Micro-Economics, Matt’s service in ministry found its origins over the course of a decade in fields as varied as law enforcement, commercial sales, and construction—experiences he draws from daily in the most unexpected ways. Prior to his current role at NCC, he served as our Interim CFO and Business & Operations Director.

    Along with wife, Nicole, and sons – Gabe, Sam, and Nate, the family settled into the Washington, DC, area in 2013 and have a shared passion for authentic New York-style pizza.

    On weekends, Matt’s love for anything mechanical, adventure activities, and being outdoors, makes mountain biking his favorite “leisure” activity. He can most commonly be found building something, fixing something, or planning how to build or fix something.

  • Caroline Kim

    Graphic Designer
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    Caroline grew up in a lot of places—most notably, North Carolina, Colorado, and southwestern Germany. She moved to the DMV in 2021 after completing her undergraduate and a MA in Visual Communication Design. A lifelong artist-type, Caroline is especially interested in the space where creativity and theology overlap. She studied these connections in Fuller Seminary’s Master of Divinity program, from which she graduated in 2024.

    Caroline supports NCC Creative Studios in stewarding the visual brand and communication of the church through graphic design. When she’s not designing, she enjoys reading and writing, exploring the city, conversing over coffee, making candles, or spending a quiet evening at home in Capitol Hill with her husband, Steve, and their cats, George and Metalord.

  • Lauren Loudan

    DC Children’s Pastor
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    Pastor Lauren was born and raised in the Shenandoah Valley. She graduated from North Central University, in Minneapolis, MN, with a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies with concentrations in Intercultural Studies and Children’s Ministries. She has spoken to a variety of audiences within the US, as well as internationally. It is her mission in life to show others the love of Christ while helping them discover their purpose and potential. Previously, Lauren was a kid’s pastor for 9 years and served as a missionary in Dakar, Senegal, working among the Wolof people from 2014-2016. She is a dedicated mother to her daughter, Lyla. In her free time, Lauren enjoys spending quality time with Lyla, listening to audiobooks, practicing yoga and Pilates, and being a karaoke superstar while driving in her car.

  • Juliet Main

    8th Day Productions Director
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    Juliet Main manages NCC’s marketplace ventures, The Miracle Theatre – a second-run movie theatre and live performance venue and the Capital Turnaround.

    Originally from Belle Fourche, SD, Juliet went to the University of Wyoming on a rodeo scholarship where she studied Communications and International Relations and Comparative Government. Upon graduation she moved to Washington, DC to work for a US Congresswoman. After five years on Capitol Hill, she escaped the Beltway and did a stint with Youth with a Mission (YWAM) in Townsville, Queensland Australia where she was part of an event management team that coordinated events in Australia, New Zealand and Greece.

    Juliet began attending NCC when it was one church, one location, and Pastor Mark wore a suit.

  • Steve Martin

    Senior Accountant
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    Steve joined the NCC staff in 2017 and for a short time had the fringe benefit of working at the same place as his two daughters, Bethany Strumpell and Tiffany Dukes, before they moved on to other adventures. Although he no longer sees them every day at work, hanging out with them and their families is still one of the best things in his life.

    Steve grew up in New Holland, PA, and loves to return to visit family amidst the picturesque farmland there. He likes rooting for Pennsylvania teams particularly the Phillies, Eagles, Sixers and Steelers. Before joining the NCC Finance team Steve taught high school math for 26 years including 6 in Hong Kong and 18 in Clinton, MD. He now lives in a condo very near the Mount Vernon bike path in Alexandria, VA. Biking and running and walking on that trail are some of his favorite activities.

  • Nick Montgomery

    Middle School Youth Director
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    Nick is a DMV native who grew up in Loudoun County, Virginia. In college he studied Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science, and after that he worked a nine-year career in software engineering. Nick started in youth ministry as a volunteer in September 2017. After serving for many years as a small group leader, in the summer of 2023 he felt a specific conviction to go into full-time youth ministry, and he’s thrilled to officially join the youth ministry team in 2024.

    Nick and his family are excited to be a part of NCC. They’re compelled by what the Lord is doing in our church, our community, and our city.

    Outside the office, you’ll typically find Nick homeschooling his children, playing pick-up sports, nerding out about BibleProject’s podcast, and strumming his guitar.

  • Carmelle Norice

    Stewardship Team
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    Carmelle was planted at NCC in 2022. She has served as a local missions team leader and on the NCC Worship team. A compassionate advocate for the vulnerable and marginalized, Carmelle serves as a Justice Ambassador for Prison Fellowship and a member of the Board of Directors for Christian Legal Aid of DC and The Frederick Douglass Project for Justice. Professionally, Carmelle works as a physician scientist at a global biopharmaceutical company.

  • Bill Payne

    Ebenezers Coffeehouse General Manager
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    Bill is a native of Oregon and spent much of his childhood in Northeast Iowa. Following graduation from the University of South Carolina, Bill served as a combat engineer officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. He deployed twice in support of combat operations in Iraq and taught newly commissioned Marine officers at The Basic School in Quantico, Virginia. Thereafter, Bill joined the Foreign Service where he was posted in New Delhi, India and Pretoria, South Africa. Bill came to Christ in coffee shops and has been passionate about sharing this joy with others ever since. Bill and his wife Marie enjoy travel, photography, and discovering new coffee shops together.

  • Isis Pree

    Kids Creative Coordinator
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    Isis is a Washington DC native. She has always had a heart for children. In 2016 she rededicated her life to Christ and was baptized in 2017. Since then, she felt a calling to work in ministry with children, but had no idea how that would happen. In April 2022, she and her husband joined NCC to build a faith-filled community. She started serving at NCC Kids at the DC campus and soon after became a kid’s ministry protégé. She desires to help children and youth develop, sustain and nurture their own relationship with God. When she is not dancing around with NCC Kids or playing games with NCC Youth, she is at home with her two little ones and husband.

  • Ramon Santiago

    Business and Operations Director
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    Ramon brings over 16 years of professional experience in non-profit and trade association strategic planning and project management to NCC’s Central Support Team. Key responsibilities as a member of this team focus on HR, Lease Management, Project Management, and insurance & Compliance. He holds a Masters degree in Tourism Administration- Event and Meeting Management from GWU and is a certified meeting professional and digital event strategist. He’s lived in the DMV for more than 24 years and has been part of the NCC community since 2007. In his spare time, he enjoys training in martial arts, traveling, watching adventure and sci-fi shows and films, and most importantly, spending time with family and loved ones.

  • Collin Savage

    Youth Pastor
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    Collin was born in DC and grew up in PG County Maryland. Collin went to the University of Maryland College Park, where he received a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice. It was during those years in college where Collin felt the Lord calling him to full-time ministry. He would go on to earn a Masters’s degree in Biblical Studies from Trinity Theological Seminary. After three years of teaching Bible in a school setting, Collin and his family joined the team at National Community Church. Collin and his wife, Rachael, have three amazing kids, Jedi, Kylo, and Mace. The Savage family enjoys Chick-Fil-A, sports, good books, and some good music.

  • Nina Schmidgall

    Pastor of Ministries and Discipleship
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    Nina was raised in northern California, in the heart of the Silicon Valley. She originally moved to the nation’s capital to work for the United States Congress which she did for just under a decade. After many years as the NCC Family Ministry Pastor, Nina now serves as the NCC Pastor of Ministries. She is also the Director of Church Partnerships for the newly launched Dream Collective – a network of church leaders, artists, and entrepreneurs. Check it out at thedreamcollective.com.

    Growing up in California, Nina attended a performing arts high school which is possibly where she caught her flair for overly expressing emotions! She is a graduate of Westmont College in beautiful Santa Barbara. She received her Master’s in Ministerial Leadership from Southeastern University in Lakeland Florida. Nina is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Missiology through Southeastern University.

    Nina and her husband, Joel, are the authors of Praying Circles Around Your Marriage. They are raising their three incredible kids on Capitol Hill, just steps from the United States Capitol and around the corner from at least five great coffee shops.

  • Robb Schmidgall

    Online Campus Pastor
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    Robb and his wife, Nicole, and their kids, Noah, Sam Bert, Trudy, and Rosabelle, live in Gainesville (the one in Virginia). Robb, originally from the Chicago suburb of Naperville, is a fan of most things Chicago: food, sports, the skyline, but NOT the weather. A foodie, a sports fan, a hiker, a camper, a boater, a handy-man, and his kid’s favorite motivational speaker (cue Matt Foley).

    Robb has participated in or led international mission trips to Kenya, Germany, Ethiopia, Argentina (2x), Mexico, Jamaica (2x), the Bahamas, and Haiti. He also has a strong commitment to mission here in our own country, and spent 2 years working in the Cabrini Green & Robert Taylor housing projects in inner-city Chicago.

    Robb has lived in Gainesville for 10+ years, and remembers when Linton Hall Rd was single lane each direction, and Giant was the only shopping in town.

  • Maggie Seagren

    Executive Assistant to Lead Pastor
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    Maggie was born and raised on a farm in the Chicago suburbs but moved to Florida in 2018 to play college volleyball and get her undergrad in Organizational leadership and Missions/Evangelism at Southeastern University. While at SEU she served on missions teams to both Brazil and Dominican Republic and was able to do a study tour in DC during the height of the pandemic, where her love for DC began. After graduating, she continued to serve at SEU while being a graduate assistant for the Department of Spiritual Formation and getting her Masters in Ministerial Leadership. She joined the NCC team shortly after finishing her master’s and now serves as Executive Assistant to the Lead Pastor.

  • Anthony Stewart

    Facilities Engineer
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    Growing up in the DMV area playing sports and going to school, Anthony has always had a love of working with his hands. He went to Towson University to become a business student realizing that wasn’t the fit for him. He saw the chance to work in IT after college. Being in that field and able to help others was such a blessing. He saw how much joy that brought him. His wife and he started in a small group and fell in love with NCC. Now, being able to work in the church while doing something he loves, he couldn’t pass. It’s a great chance to grow in spirit and talent.

  • Kiersten Telzerow

    Groups Pastor
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    Kiersten was born in Michigan, grew up in Pennsylvania, and went to school at Indiana Wesleyan University where she earned both her bachelor degree in Christian Ministry and her Master of Divinity degree. She’s married to her husband Matt, and they have a sweet goldendoodle named Luna. After finishing her undergrad degree, she moved to Atlanta where she served at a multi-campus church for a residency in Adult Spiritual Formation. It was during this time that she felt a prompting to work in Small Group ministry and was given a dream one night that she was working in Washington, D.C. Pursuing that dream led to a job promotion for her husband and a position for her at NCC. They moved to DC in 2015 and have loved it ever since!

    In her spare time, you’ll find her trying new coffee shops, cooking, or reading.

  • Robert Tolosa

    Live Video Production Manger
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    Rob grew up in the Virginia and Maryland area. He is a graduate of The Broadcasting Institute of Maryland, where he studied television production. He has worked as a cameraman and director for various types of productions for the last 23 years. In the past he was also a lighting designer for church in the DC area. Recently, he has been working as a Production Manager for live events and webcasts in the corporate world.

    In his free time he enjoys hanging out with his wife and three kids. He loves cooking, home improvement projects, watching movies, and riding his old motorcycle.

  • David Tress

    Lead Creative
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    Dave is the Lead Creative at NCC, overseeing All Things Video.

    Dave grew up near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He went on to graduate from The Columbus College of Art and Design in Columbus, Ohio with a BFA specializing in Film and Video. He became a Videographer and Editor working at ID8 Creative in Vestal, NY, as well as with their sister company Favorite Color in NYC, creating many corporate and commercial productions. While in Vestal, he was very involved with his local church on their media team, as well as serving in the young adult ministry. Most recently, he spent a year in Lancaster, PA, doing freelance video work.

    Dave believes that he was “created to be creative”, so when Pastor Mark said that “the church should be the most creative place on the planet”, he knew this was the place for him. He loves to spend time with friends, as well as create through drawing, writing, and making films. He currently resides on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.

  • Suzanne Vel

    Executive Assistant to Executive Pastor
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    Suzanne came to NCC in 2019 from Northern VA. She is originally from Connecticut. She has a degree in Marketing and Statistics from Babson College in Wellesley, MA. Her career began as a data analyst, followed by marriage, kids, volunteering at school, being an administrative assistant to the Care Ministries department of a church, and most recently the Digital Experience Specialist for an elementary school in Loudoun County. In her free time she has trained for and successfully completed 8 full marathons and also spent over 1000 days seeking God’s direction for her life. From that experience she wrote a self-published book, sharing her passion to lead others to their best life possible too. She is always willing to give an encouraging word, be a cheerleader, or offer a smile. Suzanne and her family began attending NCC in 2016. Suzanne is honored to work at NCC as an Executive Assistant to Pastor Joel Schmidgall, and looks forward to fulfilling God-sized dreams every day, simply by coming to work.

  • Alexus Wilcox

    Digital Storyteller
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    Alexus is NCC’s Digital Storyteller, savvy in all things social media. 

    Alexus grew up in Raleigh, NC before joining the U.S. Air Force as a Public Affairs Specialist. She excelled at developing and implementing communication strategies and multimedia projects. Alexus believes that quality storytelling, told at the right time, in the right way, can inspire generations and make a lasting impact.

    As the sole content producer for a 3-country deployment, she was awarded for superior performance during an effort to enhance U.S. relations with South America. She’s also worked as a Program Manager with the Department of Commerce to promote impactful partnerships between businesses, community-and-faith based organizations focused on equity, job creation, and economic growth.

    Alexus holds multiple certifications in photojournalism, mass communication and project management. She played a dual role as actor and advisor for a 48-hour short film competition and won a 1st place team award in Denver, Colorado. 

    When she’s not crafting communication strategies, Alexus can be found at a coffee shop or restaurant around the city with a book in her hand or somewhere engaging in a physically adventurous activity.

  • Ryan Zempel

    Pastor of Recovery & Care
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    Ryan hails from the great state of Oregon, where he grew up in a log house his family built. He graduated from George Fox University in 1998 with a Computer Science degree and moved to Washington, DC to put his skills to use managing websites and social media.

    At that time, Ryan started attending National Community Church and began dealing with issues of brokenness in his life. He recommitted himself to Christ and felt called to help others understand the truth about God’s love for them and grow into the fullness of who He created them to be.

    He married the incomparable Heather Sawyer (who he met in 1999 on his first visit to an NCC small group) in 2004. In 2015, their extremely energetic daughter Sawyer Elizabeth joined the family and they haven’t had a moment’s rest since.

    Ryan received an M.A. in Practical Theology from Regent University in 2011 and joined the NCC staff in September 2012. He serves as the ministry leader for NCC’s Celebrate Recovery program, coordinates NCC’s pastoral care team, and facilitates connections to professional therapists.