Valerie grew up moving from one side of the country to the other, where the culture of her home emphasized the importance of being a careful observer of the world, telling stories and being a proud Texan! It should not be terribly shocking to learn that she gravitated toward creative expression and pursued life as a visual artist.

It was an awkward youth group dance that drew her to church, eventually bringing Valerie to a deep faith, which in college meant summer projects with Campus Crusade, as she eventually gained three degrees in studio art.

In 2019, Valerie was recruited to teach at SCAD and moved with her family to Savannah, where they were thrilled to find CCA and have embraced learning about this whole Anglican thing!

Valerie strongly believes that the numerous roles she has had in her life, which include: mountain guide; bible study leader; bartender; peacock chaser at fancy weddings; keynote speaker; grant writer; podcast host, Girl Scout leader and a long career as an Art Professor have all prepared her to serve in this newly created full-time role of administrating, facilitating, encouraging and coordinating ministries at CCA as well as The Whitefield Center.