Leadership Staff

Pastor Dries was born in South Africa, the youngest of four children in a working-class family. His call to ministry grew from his experience of apartheid and the church’s role in South Africa’s journey toward democracy, truth, and reconciliation. These experiences shaped his commitment to justice, belonging, and the belief that every person is created in the image of God. Dries moved to the United States in 1998 and has served Presbyterian congregations in Minnesota, Ohio, Texas, New York, and…

Minister Lea has a long history of social justice activism and music performance. Named by Essence Magazine as one of “25 Women Shaping the World,” Lea is a past winner of the Blues Foundation’s “Keeping the Blues Alive” award (the “Grammys of the Blues”) for her historical work on women’s contributions to that music. Lea is the recipient of the 2016 Golden Formstone Award from Baltimore’s Creative Alliance for her efforts with community arts and commitment to social justice. She…

Marie Herrington is a contemporary voice specialist who composes and performs music that fixates on the capabilities of the human voice, and how far it can go beyond the norm. Grounded in vocal pedagogy, she aims to build and grow voices she works with through her knowledge of the limitations of the human voice and how we can expand upon that as musicians. International award winning composer, Marie has composed music for a multitude of choirs including but not exclusive…