Pastoral Staff

The Reverend Dr. Byron Thomas
Senior Pastor

The Reverend Dr. Byron Thomas

Pastor Byron served as senior pastor of three churches in Atlanta and as District Superintendent of the Southwest District of the North Georgia Annual Conference before joining us here at Glenn. He currently serves as a member of the Connectional Table, which helps shape the vision, mission, and ministry of the UMC. Dr. Thomas has served as Chaplain and Educational Liaison at the United Methodist Children’s Home (now Wellroot), President of Black Methodists for Church Renewal for North Georgia and for the Southeastern Jurisdiction, and Chair of the Board of the Interfaith Children’s Movement (ICM). In his free time, he enjoys skydiving and traveling. He is married to DuWanna Thomas, and they are the proud parents of two adult sons.

bthomas@glennumc.org; 404.634.3936, ext 104

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The Reverend Susan Pinson
Senior Associate Minister
Congregational Care | Children | Older Adults

The Reverend Susan Pinson

Susan began serving at Glenn Memorial in 2008, after completing a Master of Divinity at Duke Divinity School and a Master of Social Work in gerontology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She was ordained a Deacon in 2011. Susan and her husband, Mathew, are both "PKs" - preacher's kids - who grew up in the North Georgia Conference and met while attending Reinhardt College. They now spend their time chasing their own elementary and preschool “PKs.” Susan has authored a publication in the Journal of Christianity and Social Work: "Aging Memory Loss, Dementia, and Alzheimer's Disease: The Role of Christian Social Workers and the Church." Susan leads ministries with children, older adults and pastoral care for all ages.

spinson@glennumc.org; 404.634.3936, ext. 103

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The Reverend Jimmy Moor
Interim Associate Pastor

The Reverend Jimmy Moor

The Rev. Jimmy Moor, a retired elder with the North Georgia Annual Conference and, with his wife Julie, a faithful participant in the life of our church, is serving as interim part-time associate pastor in 2025. Jimmy will focus his work in two areas—Spiritual Formation and Justice. Jimmy has served United Methodist Churches across North Georgia, as well as serving as the Director of Camp Glisson. He and Julie are the proud parents of their two adult children, Allyson and Josh, and even prouder grandparents.

Jimmy.Moor@ngumc.net 404-634-3936 (leave a message in the church office)

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Program Staff

Julia Edwards
Financial Secretary

Julia Edwards

Julia is originally from Jamaica and spent some years in New York where she earned an Associate degree in Accounting and a Bachelors’ degree in Business Management. She relocated to Georgia in 1992 and Atlanta has been her home since. Most of Julia's thirty-plus years of her career has been in Accounting. She has two children of which one gained his wings in 2017 after fighting Brain cancer and the other is a college graduate. In her free time she love to play soccer, travel, read and spend time with her family and friends. jedwards@glennumc.org 404-634-3936 Ext 108

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Cliff Richards
Church Business Administrator

Cliff Richards

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Cliff’s primary areas of focus at Glenn are finance and budgeting, facilities & office management, Human Resources, insurance and risk management, and information technology. In 2024, Cliff left Decatur Cooperative Ministries after 23 years of service where he oversaw the Homelessness Prevention Program, coordinated the Food Cooperative, managed Emergency Food Assistance and several other key initiatives. Through these efforts and his extensive experience as a lay leader at Druid Hills UMC, he chaired the Administrative Council, Staff-Parish Relations Committee, and the Stewardship Program. He is currently an active member of North Decatur UMC.

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Hannah Ellwood
Glenn School for Young Children Director

Hannah Ellwood

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Adrielle Gray
Childcare Coordinator

Katherine “Kat” Griffith
Administrative Assistant

Kat Griffith

To Kat, the job at Glenn is the culmination of two paths coming together. She has supported several church staffs for many years as a volunteer and, in her professional career, has received numerous awards for her attention to detail and to a customer’s needs. Kat is also a fifth-generation native Atlantan and has lived in Decatur, Stone Mountain, and Tucker. She is a graduate of Georgia State University and enjoys genealogy, photography, and exploring old cemeteries. kgriffith@glennumc.org; 404.634.3936, ext 132

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Jon Kissel
Glenn Recreation Basketball Coordinator

Jon Kissel

Introducing our Glenn Recreation Basketball Coordinator, Jon Kissel! "To the Glenn Hoops basketball families & fans: I'll be working as the basketball coordinator this year in what will be my seventh season in the GlenNBA. I have met many of you, but for those unfamiliar, I was pulled into the league when I moved to Atlanta in 2016 by former Glenn pastor Blair Setnor and have been coaching at the elementary and middle school levels ever since. I'm a big fan of the community that's built up around the league, as it reminds me of Saturdays spent in pole barn basketball gyms back in my native Indiana. I'm honored and excited that I get to help make this great thing succeed, and in that vein, if you choose to participate again this year, please feel free to reach out if there's any way I can help make your experience smoother. Registration has opened for the new season, using the same system from last year (http://www.glennrecreation.org/). We are offering the usual divisions (Coed 1st-2nd grade, Boys 3rd-5th, Boys 6th-8th, and High School Boys) and there'll be a renewed push to have Girls divisions at 3rd-5th, 6th-8th, and High School for the first time since the 2019-2020 season. Registration will be open until October 13th, with evaluations and drafts to follow on October 14th. If you're interested in coaching or assistant coaching at any level, please sign up through the website. The program lives and dies on its volunteers and their considerable generosity with their time. Additionally, for those with high-school aged kids, we're always looking for scorekeepers once the games start. Scorekeepers are paid $10 a game. High schoolers are also welcome and encouraged to assistant coach, with an adult present as head coach, at the elementary and coed levels. Nothing like wrangling a bunch of 8-year-olds to show colleges that you're a good and patient leader. Again, please feel free to ask if there's any concern or technical hiccup that I can help with. Let's have a great season!" – Jon Kissel

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Olivia Starks-Ulrich

Communications Director

Olivia Starks-Ulrich

Olivia Starks-Ulrich, Communications Director

Olivia Starks-Ulrich is a Methodist PK (preacher's kid) from East Tennessee. With bachelor's degrees in Faith & Social Justice and Communications from Belmont University (go Bruins!), and a Master's of Divinity from Candler School of Theology, she is currently the Communications Director for Glenn. Here, she is responsible for website content, e-newsletters, printed designs/publications, audio visual and media strategy, and managing the social media channels. Her prior work experiences include The Carter Center, Candler's Office of Communications, and Goizueta Business School's Office of Graduate Admissions. (She even completed her Contextual Education placement for Candler at Glenn!) When Olivia is not at Glenn, you'll find her in a yoga class, writing, or using her AMC A-List movie pass.

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Ben Ladner
Youth Ministries Director

Ben Ladner

Ben Ladner, Youth Director

Ben is in his second year as Glenn’s youth director but has been an active Glenn member for over 20 years. An Atlanta native and Glenn Youth alumnus, Ben graduated from Indiana University in 2019 with a Bachelor’s degree in journalism and covered the NBA professionally before joining the Glenn staff in 2022. He’s also active in Glenn’s young adult and men’s groups, and he continues to write about basketball and play music in his free time.

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If you’d like to contact Ben, email bladner@glennumc.org or include your email address along with a message.

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Sutton Smith

Young Adult Ministries Director

Sutton Smith

Sutton Smith, Young Adult Ministries Director

Sutton provides support to our young adults and college students through Sunday worship, Tuesday fellowship nights, and more. Sutton is a graduate of Yale Divinity School and Birmingham-Southern College. As a lifelong United Methodist, she is now a certified candidate for ordination in the Alabama-West Florida Conference with hopes of becoming a Deacon. She serves on the board of Reconciling Ministries Network, which furthers her work to create an inclusive community where all people are welcomed and valued. Before Glenn, Sutton worked in Columbia Theological Seminary's Office of Enrollment Management and Vocational Outreach.

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Carol Wilson
Summer Camp Director

Music Staff

Michael Grassi Dauterman
Director of Music and Worship Arts

Michael Dauterman

Michael is thrilled to have completed his fifth year of ministry with the wonderful community of Glenn Memorial as the Director of Music and Worship Arts! He has previously held this title at Grace UMC (Midtown Atlanta), Holy Trinity Episocopal (Decatur), and First UMC Melrose (Melrose, MA). In addition to his church positions, Michael also taught in both private and public schools for 7 years in Cincinnati, Ohio and in Atlanta. Michael has previously served as Director of Choral Music at Riverwood International Charter School and The Westminster Schools where his ensembles have consistently received Superior ratings at adjudicated festivals and competitions. He has taken his singers to such places as London, New York, Vienna, and Berlin in order to expand their cultural and musical literacy and appreciation. Michael has also sung professionally as a member of such choral ensembles as Handel & Haydn Society (Boston), Kinnara Ensemble (Princeton, NJ), Atlanta Master Chorale, Skylark (Atlanta), Cecilia Ensemble (Augusta, GA), and Vocal Arts Ensemble (Cincinnati) and maintains an active performance schedule as a baritone soloist. He has appeared with the Emory University Chorus, Clayton State Masterworks Singers, Kennesaw State University, and the Summer Singers of Atlanta. Michael holds degrees from the University of Cincinnati, College Conservatory of Music (Bachelor in Music Education) and Boston University (Master of Sacred Music). He is the proud husband of Jordan, dad of Nora and, in his limited spare time, you can catch him on the Beltline training for a marathon, on the golf course, or at one of Atlanta’s many amazing breweries.

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Mary Lindsey Lewis
Cherub Choir Director

Mary Lindsey Lewis

Mary Lindsey Lewis was born into a musical family and has been involved in musical interests her entire life. She graduated from Furman University with a degree in Elementary/Early Childhood Education in 1974. During her years at Furman she sang with the Furman Singers under the direction of Bingham Vick, Jr. Upon returning to Atlanta, she began her teaching career with DeKalb County Schools and earned a Masters Degree in Elementary/Early Childhood Education from Georgia State University. Mary Lindsey has sung with the Collegium Vocale of Emory, the Mercer University Singers – now known as the Michael O’Neal Singers, and the Glenn Chancel Choir. She regularly attends the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Opera and Atlanta Ballet and enjoys gardening, birding, travel and cats.

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Katie Woolf
Covenant Choir Director

Katie Woolf

Katie Woolf joined the music staff at Glenn UMC in Fall 2019 as Covenant Choir Director and Staff Singer. She also conducts choruses at Paideia School and the Atlanta Young Singers. Prior to teaching at Paideia, Katie conducted choirs and taught voice at the Cobb County Center for Excellence in the Performing Arts and Harvard University. An Atlanta native, Katie earned degrees in voice and conducting from Furman University, Boston University, and the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She currently lives in Druid Hills with her dog Rosie and, in her spare time, enjoys shooting photos, doing yoga, and traveling.

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Wes Griffin
Youth Choir Director

Ezechiel Daos
Assistant Director of Music and Principal Keyboardist

Ezechiel Daos

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Ezechiel will accompany the Chancel Choir, lead congregational singing from the piano and organ, help lead the 8:30 a.m. worship service, and work closely with our pastoral and music ministry teams in shaping our worship life. Ezechiel comes to Glenn from a yearlong position as the 2024–2025 Gerre Hancock Intern in Church Music at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in downtown Atlanta. Also, he currently teaches K–8 music at Christ the King School in Buckhead. He holds degrees in Music Education and Vocal Performance from Central Methodist University and a Master of Music in Organ Performance from the University of North Texas, with additional studies in harpsichord.

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Robert Cushing
Youth Choir Accompanist

Robert Cushing

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A regular participant in the life of Glenn, Robert sang in the Youth Choir growing up and has been a member of the Chancel Choir in recent years. Robert holds degrees from Furman University and the University of Georgia and brings extensive experience as a collaborative pianist, teacher, and arts administrator. He currently co-directs the Decatur Fine Arts Academy, where he teaches piano and composition and oversees a team of instructors. As Youth Choir Accompanist, Robert will play for weekly rehearsals and accompany the choir during their worship leadership throughout the year.

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Ministry Interns

Ariel Murphy
Family Ministries Intern

George Wasson
Youth Ministry Intern