I am a PhD student at the Graduate Theological Union (GTU) in Berkeley, California studying Christian Spirituality, particularly the spirituality of land and place. At the same time, I am a candidate in the Presbyterian Church (USA) ready to receive a call and be ordained. I’d love to come preach at your church, lead a retreat for youth, adults or families, teach a class, help with pastoral care, or consult with your governing body about ways to integrate spirituality into the life of your church.
I grew up in Rochester, New York and after graduating college with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religious Studies and International Development, I worked at the First Presbyterian Church of Honeoye Falls as their first full-time Director of Education and Programs.
After two years with the church, I decided to continue pursuing my call to ministry by attending Columbia Theological Seminary. While in seminary I met my husband, Adam Walker Cleaveland, and we got married in May of 2006. A student at Princeton Theological Seminary, Adam took a year of classes at Columbia after we got married so I could finish my Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree.
After graduation in May 2007, we moved to Princeton, NJ so Adam could finish his education at Princeton. While he finished his degrees, I completed a Master of Theology (Th.M.) degree, which allowed me a year of focused study on spirituality and theology of the Spirit. We also adopted our dog, Sadie, who loves to play and cuddle in equal measures despite being a 50lb. lab-pitbull mix.
Adam and I both graduated from Princeton in May 2008 and moved to California so I could begin my doctoral studies at the Graduate Theological Union. One of the unique opportunities of living in the Bay Area was the ability to participate in San Francisco Theological Seminary’s Certificate in Spiritual Direction program. Over the course of three years I attended intensive Jan. term courses, received direction, and provided supervised direction. I am now a certified Spiritual Director and would love to talk with you more about spiritual direction.
2011 was a big year for our family. Adam accepted a call as the Associate Pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Ashland, OR. We moved to Ashland in November and in December our son, Caleb, was born. I am now balancing being a full-time mom, working on my doctoral degree, providing spiritual direction, and offering other freelance services to the Church and our community. You can find samples of what I do on these pages as well as information with which to contact me. I’d love to hear from you.