I am originally from Madison, WI, but have lived in Durham for almost 18 years and have been attending Blacknall since the fall of 2019. I am married to Trig Steinbrenner, and we have two children, Liesl (10) and Mason (8). During the week, I stay busy working in the UNC Department of Health Sciences, where I teach and mentor students in the speech-language pathology and speech and hearing science programs, and engage in community-based autism research.

I love many things about the Blacknall community, but some aspects that especially stand out are the posture of humility, the commitment to supporting local and global missions, the intentional inclusion of children and youth in worship and community life, and the strong intergenerational relationships across the church, which have helped me to feel challenged, encouraged, rooted and known.

I (very imperfectly) love Jesus and deeply need the words I often pray with my kids: “please help us to love others like you love us.” I see that prayer shaping how I try to show up with patience and presence – an area that I admittedly have a long way to grow. I am drawn closer to God as I serve alongside others and build deeper relationships both inside and outside the church. One way I currently do this is by serving on the teaching team for kindergartners and 1st graders during the Sunday school hour. I also recently served as a co-leader with the Alpha team and loved getting to know a new group of people each week as we explored big life questions together.

I am honored to be nominated to serve as a Deacon. If I am elected, I look forward to supporting ministries that help people feel included, connected, and cared for within the church, as well as ministries that reach out, particularly in the city of Durham.