The Team
The Kinship Plot team are people motivated by their Christian faith to build opportunities of true connection and belonging.
Stephanie Ann Vander Lugt
Co-Founder & Co-Executive Director
Clinical social worker, minister, and gardening enthusiast who loves gathering eclectic people around the table
Wes Vander Lugt
Co-Founder & Co-Executive Director
Theology and arts professor, minister, and writer who loves beauty, books, and hospitable life together
Rebecca Hart
Cultivation Program Manager
Oversees the development and implementation of all cultivation-related activities for Kinship Plot
Ranika Chaney
Oddkin Unite Facilitator
Leverages the creativity of local artists to cross boundaries and build community and resonance. Oddkin Unite gathers groups to encounter original art, share a meal, and engage in transformative discussion.
Anne Fisher
Oddkin Unite Coordinator
Leader in early childhood education. Love organizing people to facilitate meaningful connections.
The Board
Kim Summerrow
President
Head of Payable, Platform Transformation, at Wells Fargo in Charlotte. Builder of community, church leader, and social justice advocate.
Kerrie Stewart
Vice-President
Social researcher in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at UNC Charlotte and NC Justice Center board member. Advocates for civic engagement and effectuate social and economic justice for Black women and girls.
Emilio R. Bermejo
Secretary
Assistant professor social work at California Baptist University with a passion for communities of practice and restorative justice.
Brian Diebling
Treasurer
Director at PricewaterhouseCoopers with experience in both non-profit and corporate sectors. Brings his expertise in finances, strategic partnerships, strategic thinking, and passion for serving the community.
Delilah Montalvo
Director
Reentry and social justice advocate with over 20 years of nonprofit experience, currently serving with the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office. She is the creator of the Not My Stories to Tell podcast and a leader in programs that support healing, reintegration, and equity in the Charlotte community.
Elizabeth Bridges
Director
Musician, youth mentor, avid hiker, certified Forest Therapy Guide. Passionate about family and friends, connecting humans and nature, meditative walks, fostering community, and contemplative practices.
Kate Lingbeeek
Director
Program director at a private foundation, avid gardener, and currently exploring how to incorporate cover crops which are appropriate to Michigan's cold climate as a way to nurture those living in the garden soil.
Matthew Lindsay
Director
Ministry Partner at Lake Forest Church – Westlake, where he and his wife, Lili, are active in small group leadership and community engagement. Professionally, he combines engineering and business expertise in leading teams and driving organizational growth, with a lifelong commitment to building up others.
The Wisdom Council
Angelica Garnett
Educator, church leader, and immigration advocate in Charlotte. Passionate about radical welcome, equity, bridge-building, and immigration justice.
Olaniyi Zainabu
Career Readiness Facilitator and Case Manager with extensive experience supporting reentry and career development in Charlotte. A creative at heart, she is also known for her powerful singing, spoken word, and drumming, using art to inspire others to recognize their value and potential
Rev. Helms Jarrell
Contemporary mixed media folk artist, collaborative change maker, minister, and non-profit leader in Charlotte, NC. Passionate about cultivating beloved community through practices of hospitality, creativity, and prayer.
Steve Smith
Spiritual director, former pastor, writer and founder of The Potter's Inn retreat center. Cultivator of companionship and soul care for global ministry leaders in North Carolina.
Dr. Devon Abts
Director of operations and research at the Clemente Course in the Humanities. Theologian with a passion for curating community through the arts and enthusiastic gardener learning to cultivate wonder one plant at a time.
Dr. Daniel Gutierrez
Licensed Professional Counselor, Certified Substance Abuse Counselor, and an Associate Professor in Counseling and Special Education at Virginia Commonwealth University. Passionate about kinship, contemplation, soulful living, and answering the yearnings deep inside.
Frank Martin
A leader in the real estate industry, Frank is also active in community service, especially in the areas of affordable housing and public education. He has served on the boards of the Charlotte Housing Partnership, the Harvest Center, and Sugar Creek Charter.
Dr. James Krohn
Theological educator, former pastor, founder-director of KRUX in Stellenbosch, South Africa. Enthusiast of learning, hospitality, and spiritual transformation.
Joel and Sarah Donohue
Geologists by training, lovers of all things outdoors, and the stewards of Waterfall Hollow Ranch in Tahlequah, OK, where they cultivate hops and honey, deep friendships, and a deliberate life of listening and observing.
Derrell Young
Staff chaplain at Yuma Regional Medical Center in Arizona and PhD candidate in psychology at Regent University, with experience as a pastoral, graphic designer, and spoken work artist.