Meet Our Staff
Peter Henry
Our Head of Staff, Peter Henry, joined DCPC in July 2019 from Grosse Pointe Memorial Church located in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan. Peter had served as the head of staff of that 1,200 member PCUSA congregation since 2007. Prior to Grosse Pointe Memorial, Peter served as Interim Associate Pastor at Nassau Presbyterian Church (Princeton, NJ) and Associate Pastor for Youth at Myers Park Presbyterian (Charlotte, NC).​Peter earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois in 1992. He also holds a master's degree of divinity, a Master of Theology and homiletics, and a Ph.D. in practical theology – homiletics from Princeton Theological Seminary.​Peter is married to Shawn Samuelson Henry, a teacher, published playwright, novelist and short story author. They have 3 children, two of whom are in college and one of whom is in high school. Peter enjoys the greenways and open spaces of the Lake Norman area and is currently training for a sprint triathlon.
Robert Alexander
Our Associate Pastor for Discipleship & Missions, Robert Alexander, is a graduate of NC State University, the Presbyterian School of Christian Education, and Columbia Theological Seminary.
Robert is passionate about worship, spiritual formation in families, and mission. Robert has led a variety of national and international Mission Teams.
Closer to home, he loves connecting people with ministries where they can share their gifts in service to God. He enjoys playing guitar, running, and watching movies. He lives in Cornelius with his wife, Jenny, and their three children.
John Ryan
Our Associate Pastor for Faith Formation, John Ryan, was born in Ft. Lauderdale and grew up in West Virginia, near Pittsburgh. After earning his bachelor's degree at Westminster College, John pursued his master's degree at the Presbyterian School of Christian Education in Richmond, Virginia.
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He received his doctorate in Educational Ministry from Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia. Prior to serving at DCPC, John was on the staff at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Atlanta.
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John loves reading, college football (Go Bulldogs!), traveling, and cycling. He combined two of those interests three years ago, when he rode his bike 140 miles from Passau, Germany, to Vienna, Austria, along the Danube River.
Caitlyn Zold
Our Campus Minister, Caitlyn Zold, joined DCPC in January 2022. Caitlyn is a proud alumna of Union Presbyterian Seminary and Presbyterian College. While working towards her M.Div., she served as Director of Faith Formation at Southminster Presbyterian in Richmond, VA. Between college and seminary, Caitlyn served as a Young Adult Volunteer in Asheville, NC, and as Pastoral Assistant at Shandon Presbyterian Church and UKirk at the University of South Carolina. Here, she first discovered a love for ministry with college students. Caitlyn was ordained at DCPC on September 18, 2022. She is grateful and excited for the opportunity to continue that work with Davidson students.
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Caitlyn is from Hartsville, SC, is married to Matthew, and considers herself an ice cream connoisseur.
Deborah Conner
Our Parish Associate for Senior Adult Visitation, Deborah Conner, was born in Germany and grew up in an Air Force family living throughout the continental U.S., Alaska and Europe. She received a B.A. from San Francisco State University, an M.Div. from Columbia Seminary in Decatur, GA, and a D.Min. from the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary in Iowa focusing on issues related to clergy leadership and congregational care. Deborah has served churches in California, Georgia, and North Carolina as an Elder and Pastor working in the areas of Christian Education, Family Ministry, Evangelism, Member Engagement, and Pastoral Care. Most recently she served Myers Park Presbyterian Church in Congregational Care and First Presbyterian Church, Greensboro as a transitional pastor in Mission and Outreach. Deborah is a long-time practitioner of centering prayer who is interested in helping people cultivate emotionally healthy spirituality in their lives. She enjoys spending time with family, writing, reading and creating art.
Deborah and her husband Steve live in Davidson and have two grown sons and two grandchildren.
David Brinson
Our Director of Music, David Brinson, is a native of Matthews, N.C. He earned a Bachelor's Degree in Music Education and Music Performance with a concentration in Sacred Music from Appalachian State University, where he majored in organ, voice, and choral studies.
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In 2009, he earned a Master's Degree in Sacred Music with a concentration in Organ from Emory University. David is a Certified Church Musician with the Presbyterian Association of Musicians.
David and his wife Kelli have two sons and a yellow lab.
Sarah Lynch
Our Associate Director of Music, Sarah Lynch, started at DCPC in September of 2021. She loves helping people of all ages and abilities explore and share their musical gifts from God.
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Sarah grew up in Charleston, WV, and attended the University of Michigan and West Virginia University where she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education and Voice Performance. She served Matthews Presbyterian Church in Matthews, NC, as Director of Music Ministries from 2009-2021.
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Sarah enjoys making music, being outside, and yoga. She has a dog and two cats.
Jenny Alexander
Our Director of Children's Ministry, Jenny Alexander, is responsible for the Children's Ministries program at DCPC. Jenny grew up in small town Indiana, but has claimed the south as home since 1998. She attended Purdue University and graduated from the University of Evansville with a degree in Elementary Education.
Children, education, and faith formation have been her lifelong passions. After 10 years as a stay-at-home mom, Jenny is grateful for work that honors the family, encourages participation in church life, and serves a God who loves us.
In her spare time, Jenny enjoys reading, travel and quality time with friends and family. She lives in Cornelius with her husband, Robert and three daughters.
Phaedra Smith
Our Director of Youth Ministry, Phaedra Smith, began her work at DCPC in June of 2025. Prior to joining the DCPC family, she was the Associate Director of Children and Youth Ministries at First Presbyterian Church of Greensboro. She was on Summer Staff at Montreat Conference Center for three years, a preschool teacher at her home church for two years, and a youth intern at Myers Park Presbyterian Church for half a year. Phae graduated in 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Ministries from Liberty University Online. She comes to us with a passion for the PCUSA and showing young people the love of God through deep connections, lighthearted games, and meaningful devotions.
Originally from Virginia Beach, Phae is one of four children and has an identical twin sister. When not at church, she can be found at the pottery studio, reading, backpacking, or walking her Giant Schnauzer named Rufus!
Stephanie Malushizky
Our Director of Membership & Communications, Stephanie Malushizky, joined the staff in March of 2010. An Ordained Deacon with the PC(USA), she was no stranger to our congregation as she had been a member since 1999.
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As an active member, she was involved in many aspects of DCPC’s ministry, from chairing the former Pines Connection Committee (now SAGES) to moderating the Diaconate.
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Stephanie is a graduate of Appalachian State University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree, a major in Marketing, and a minor in International Business. Stephanie lives in Davidson with her husband, Dave. She has two children and two step-children. In her spare time, Stephanie enjoys hiking with her two Labs, Maizey and Juno; and singing and playing the mandolin and keyboards in a local band called Sunday Union.
Diana Ruso
Our Church Administrator, Diana Ruso, joined the DCPC staff on April 1, 2025. Her background is in the banking sector but as Diana says, "I could do the financial and management pieces easily and that is important. It is the people piece that I always loved."
Diana lives in Davidson with her family. A Virginia Tech graduate, she also has community theater in her past. And who knows? Maybe again in the future. In the meantime, contact Diana with any DCPC financial, administration, or building questions.
Mariette Lavert
Our Administrative Assistant, Mariette Levert, was born and raised in The Netherlands. Her family moved to the United States (CT) in 2018 and moved to Davidson in 2021.
Her background is in Operational Management and Data Privacy and Security.
Mariette became a DCPC member in May 2022 and she enjoys working with the DCPC staff and church members.
Rhonda Boggs
Our Administrative Assistant, Rhonda Boggs, joined the DCPC staff in April 2011. She moved to Davidson from Asheville, NC where she was Accounting Assistant and Contract Administrator for a landscape company.
Rhonda attended AB Technical Community College and Gaston College.
She spends her free time taking pictures of beautiful Lake Norman, as well as swimming and boating. Rhonda also enjoys spending time with her son and family.
Peggy Tilley
Our full time Custodian, Peggy Tilley, will be working at DCPC Sunday through Thursday each week. Peggy is a lifelong resident of Mooresville and has three sisters and a brother.
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When she is not working, Peggy enjoys sewing on a variety of projects, crafts, and cake decorating. Peggy was, in fact, the baker for Stephanie Malushizky's wedding cake!
Kristin Clark
Our DCPC Weekday Preschool Director, Kristin Clark, has worked in early childhood education for over 27 years, 15 have been at DCPC.
She attended Texas Tech University and after helped write and coordinate curriculum for many early childhood centers in Texas.
Kristin loves DCPC preschool because of her belief that each child is celebrated for their unique gifts from God.
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Jan Tevepaugh
Our Assistant DCPC Weekday Preschool Director, Jan Tevepaugh, is a third generation DCPC member and is a graduate of NC State University. Her entire career has been working with children in different capacities. She has been involved with the Preschool since 1987, where she revels in the joy of children. She has also chaired the Children’s Ministry and Preschool Board.
Marlea Akins
Marlea Akins, our Preschool Enrichment Program Director, joined DCPC in the early 2000's. She has served in the church as a middle school youth group leader and on the global missions committee. In 2006 she and her husband, Jeff, were married at DCPC. They have 2 children who were baptized at DCPC. Both of her children attended DCPC Preschool; she began substitute teaching at DCPC in 2013 and teaching in 2014. Marlea loves the opportunity to watch the children thrive and grow every single day in such a nurturing and caring environment. In 2021 she started serving on the Children's Ministry Committee. She helped in starting the Preschool Enrichment Program back up in 2022. She is looking forward to growing the program in faith, service, and community.