Staff and Leadership

Rev. Christy Jo Harber

Lead Pastor

Chloe Specht

Associate Pastor

Brandi Miller

Office Manager

Brandon Stroup

Music Director

Emma Nelson

Office Manager

Board
Gary Barksdale, Moderator
Rita Day, Treasurer
Steve Johnson, Chair of Elders
Jacqueline Diachun, Board Member at-large
Don Lowe, Board Member at-large
Laura Trippy, Board Member at-large
Vicki Vaughn, Board Member at-large
Richard Day
Bruce Lawrence

Elders
Steve Johnson, Chair
Gary Barksdale
Janet Brumfield
Rita Day
Jacqueline Diachun
Nancy McKenney
Jimmy Owens
Conley Salyer
Eula Spears
Michael Wells
Dorothy Drury, Elder Emeritus
Willis Spears, Elder Emeritus

All ordained Disciples of Christ ministers are recognized as Elders of Woodland Christian Church:
Rev. Dave Carr
Rev. Nancy Jo Kemper

Rev. Christy Jo Harber

Lead Pastor

Pastor Christy Jo was born and raised in West Tennessee and received a Bachelors in Nonprofit Leadership from Murray State University. She graduated from Vanderbilt Divinity School in Nashville, TN, in 2017 with a Master of Divinity.

She served as Associate Pastor at Eastwood Christian Church (2017-2020). She has served as our Pastor here at WCC since 2020.

For fun she enjoys learning about the enneagram, going hiking, and exploring waterfalls!

Brandi Miller

Office Manager

Brandi was born and raised in Kentucky and received a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Lindsey Wilson College. She is currently enrolled in the online Master of Social Work program at the University of Kentucky. She lives in Lexington with her dog, Olivia. She has been with Woodland since January 2021.

She enjoys taking Olivia to the park, reading, listening to music, and crocheting!

Emma Nelson

Office Manager

Emma was born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky. She is an esthetician and nail technician who owns and operates her own studio downtown.

In her free time, Emma likes to read, paint, watch movies and spend time with her partner of 7 years, Tommy. Together they have a cat and a dog who are extremely spoiled and get tons of attention.

She is excited to be a part of the Woodland Christian Church administrative team!

Chloe Specht

Associate Pastor

Chloe Specht (she/they) is the Associate Pastor of WCC, where she has been on staff since November 2022 after serving Woodland as an intern in the summer of 2021.

Chloe was born and raised in the Appalachian south. They hold a Bachelor of Science in Christian Ministries and Theology (with a minor in literature) from Mid-America Christian University and a Master of Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary, as well as a certificate in Historical Contexts of the Bible from Jerusalem University College.

Chloe has over 5 years of faith-based nonprofit experience in communications, program development, and spiritual caregiving and firmly believes that Christian theology and spirituality can be a tool for liberation. She is deeply grateful and honored to serve as WCC’s first openly queer pastor.

In their spare time, Chloe writes, crochets, and dotes on their houseplants.

Brandon Stroup

Music Director

Brandon was born and raised in a small town in southern Ohio. A first-generation college graduate, Brandon received a Bachelor of Music in Music Education degree from Capital University, a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from Messiah University, and is currently completing a Doctorate in Music Education.

For the past 19 years, he has taught choir and piano in the public school system in Ohio, Arizona, and Florida. Additionally, Brandon has served through music ministry in several churches, most recently at Pilgrim United Church of Christ in Cincinnati (2021-2022). He has served as the Music Director at Woodland since October 2022.

For fun Brandon enjoys riding horses with his partner, Matt (along with hanging out with their seven dogs, donkey, two Pygmy goats and barn cat!), spending time with family, and cooking. Oh, and he is also a diehard fan of the Cincinnati Bengals and the Ohio State Buckeyes!

Staff and Leadership

Rev. Christy Jo Harber

Chloe Specht

Brandi Miller

Brandon Stroup

Emma Nelson

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