Staff
Taylor Lewis Guthrie Hartman, Pastor
The Rev. Dr. Taylor Lewis Guthrie Hartman is an ordained pastor in the Presbyterian Church (USA). She is the pastor of Second Presbyterian Church in Richmond, Virginia with a heart for mission, worship, and music in downtown Richmond and throughout the world.
Taylor has served in churches and ministries in Louisville, Boston, Durham, and Statesboro, and a school in Brooklyn. Her heart-home is Montreat, NC. She was raised by the saints of her home church in Louisville, trained in fine arts, sociology, and religious studies at Washington University in St. Louis, earned her Masters of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School, and her Doctorate in Ministry in Creative Writing and Public Theology at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary with a focus on poetry. In between that, she taught Elementary Special Education through Teach for America and has been in some sort of staff or volunteer role at Montreat Conference Center (almost) every year since 2002.
Taylor is a regular retreat and workshop leader, keynote speaker, and advocate for building up the connectional church that is the PC(USA) especially when it comes to serving in various presbytery and denominational roles.
Her other loves outside the church are photography, the occasional sewing project, and playing games with her sweet family. She shares her life with her artist and educator husband, their wily kiddos, and a kitten named Pepper.
Kate Fiedler, Associate Pastor
Kate grew up as a child of the church in Virginia and North Carolina, and she has moved across the state line eight times. She is a graduate of Davidson College--where she nurtured her joy of community building and cape-wearing--and Union Presbyterian Seminary. Before arriving at Second in August of 2020, Kate served in different calls: at Trinity Episcopal School in Charlotte, as Director of Admissions at Union Presbyterian Seminary, and as Associate Pastor at University Presbyterian Church in Chapel Hill. Kate loves the church and dreams of how the Spirit leads us to build up the beloved community through advocacy, justice, and truth-telling. During her leisure time, Kate enjoys road trips, live music, reading poetry and mysteries, exploring new restaurants, swimming, and cheering on her favorite sports teams: the Cubs, the Warriors, and the Tar Heels.
Hannah Garrity, Director of Christian Faith, Life, and Arts
Hannah Garrity is an artist. She is the director of christian faith, life, and arts at the wonderful 2nd Presbyterian Church, of Richmond, Va. Hannah is founding creative partner of A Sanctified Art, LLC: Art, Faith, & Honest Connection; We make art & creative resources for church leaders and spiritual seekers. She serves as liturgical artist for the Montreat Conference Center’s Summer Worship Series. Hannah graduated with her Bachelor of Fine Art degree with a concentration in painting from Cornell University, in 2004, and was inducted into the Cornell Athletics Hall of Fame, in 2014. She also holds her Master of Science degree in teaching from Pace University and was an educator in public and private schools for 17 years, beginning with Teach for America in Brooklyn, NY. She loves and is dedicated to her precious family. She explores the intersection between theology, race, and the image of God.
Mukshah Phom, Children’s Minister and Director of Urban Engagement
Mukshah C. Phom is a graduate of Union Theological Seminary in the city of New York. She comes from the beautiful hills of Nagaland in Northeast India. She has several years of experience working in Children’s ministry. She has also served as an assistant professor of Christian Theology in one of the theological schools in India. She is passionate about re-imagining theology from indigenous perspectives drawing resources from her Phom tribal context. She weaves together the threads of faith and scholarship with a deep-seated passion for justice. In her free time, she loves gardening, exploring the tranquil beauty of local parks, and wandering through flower gardens.
Jeffrey Riehl, Director of Music
Jeff was appointed Director of Music at Second Presbyterian Church in the summer of 1999. He leads the Adult Choir and oversees the church's various music ministries. Additionally, he is Associate Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at the University of Richmond, where he has taught since 1995. Jeff earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Conducting at the Eastman School of Music where he was a conducting Fellow and received the Walter Hagan Conducting Award, the Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting at Westminster Choir College, and the Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education at Lebanon Valley College of Pennsylvania. He is also an active solo singer and choral clinician.
Kathy Toole, Organist
Kathy grew up in the southern end of Chesterfield County. The first church that listed her as organist was Second Presbyterian in Petersburg. Coming to Second Presbyterian RVA offers a sense of completing the circle. Between these years, she has served in Presbyterian, Baptist, Episcopal churches, and before coming to Second completed 26 years at Bon Air UMC as Minister of Music. During those years, Kathy was actively involved in leadership roles for the Music and Worship Arts Conference sponsored by the Fellowship of Worship Artists at Lake Junaluska, NC. Kathy believes fervently that music is a means of grace, opening hearts and minds to greater resonance with God. Kathy received a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Pedagogy at Hartt School of Music in Hartford, CT and an M.Div. at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C. Outside of the church, Kathy has a passion for gardening, especially planting for pollinators, incorporating natives into the landscape.
Dorothy DeJong, Office Manager
Dorothy came to Second Presbyterian Church with 18 years of office work in an Episcopal church. She has been at Second since April of 2006, and considers herself to be interdenominational.
Kerry Randolph, Sexton
Kerry has served as sexton at Second since 1989. His major responsibility and love is the care and cleaning of the Sanctuary and the Chapel. You can see his loving touches everywhere.
Gene Roland, Building Administrator
Gene grew up in Newport News and spent his college years trying to be a rock-n-roll star. After a 1990 gig at DC’s 9:30 Club, Gene found himself living in a dorm at MCV, serving as the after-hours maintenance man for VCU Housing. Over the years, Gene’s building management experience has included resident housing on VCU’s Monroe Park campus, medical office buildings at the old St. Luke’s Hospital on Parham Road, the historic Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School, and St. James’s Episcopal Church in the Fan. Gene joined Second Presbyterian at the start of 2022 with a tool bag in one hand and a smartphone in the other, sure in the fact that if something can’t be repaired, it can be photographed and uploaded to the internet. When not managing facilities and fixing things, Gene enjoys reading Russian literature, writing songs and short stories, listening to music, watching science fiction, and, on occasion, playing the guitar.
Willa Jacob, Administrative Assistant
Willa came to Second Presbyterian in 1995 to sing with the choir. In October 2012, she began working in the church office, after several years of working for a publication at Union Presbyterian Seminary.
Elva Mapp, Walk-In Coordinator
Born in Bristol, Tennessee, Elva also spent time in Georgia, Louisiana, and Connecticut, but has been in Richmond, Virginia for much of her childhood and most of her adult life. A lifelong Presbyterian, she is an ordained Elder and Deacon, and a participant in many groups in the life of the church. She is a graduate of Yale University, History B.A., The College of William and Mary, J.D., and Virginia Commonwealth University, M.Ed. She also teaches music, movement, games, arts, and crafts to children ranging in age from infant through 8th grade at Tuckaway Ellwood House, Tuckaway Harbor, and St. Bridget's School.
Bo Jacob, Production Director
Bo has a 50+ Yrs. background of live music production ranging from local gigs to international tours. He started working for Second Pres. in the fall of 2010. Since coming to 2Pres. he has overseen the design, installation and implementation of the systems that provide Live Streaming of Second’s Sunday Morning Services and the addition of interactive A/V presentation systems located throughout the 2Pres. facilities. During the Pandemic, with the help of key volunteers, Bo recorded and produced the spoken word and music for the weekly online worship services. He is a graduate of VCU (B.S. Advertising). Bo and his wife, Willa, have two daughters, Jacy and Cary.
Natasha Taylor, Seminary Intern
Natasha is entering her final year at Union Presbyterian Seminary and is looking forward to joining Second Pres this year for her pastoral internship as she continues to discern her call to ministry! If all goes well, she'll graduate in May with a Master of Divinity and a Master of Arts in Christian Education. Natasha calls Virginia home but has also lived in the Midwest and the Northeast; everywhere she has lived has found a special place in her heart. She graduated from Northern Michigan University with a degree in Outdoor Recreation Leadership and Management, and after many summers at Presbyterian camps, spent a few years as a program director in southern New York. She has also worked as a preschool teacher, and a Christian educator in Methodist churches. Natasha and her husband Nate moved back to Richmond a few years ago when he received a call as the Associate Pastor at Salisbury Presbyterian Church in Midlothian. Natasha loves to read and be crafty when she can, especially when joining Nate's artistic vision. Together they also enjoy watching movies and shows, as well as listening to Terry Pratchett novels on road trips to visit family.