Pastor/Head of Staff | 318-222-0604 ext 227

A native of the Carolinas, Will was born in Charleston, SC and then later grew up in Atlanta, GA. He graduated from Davidson College with a degree in history, and from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity. While in Pittsburgh, Will worked as hospice chaplain and on staff at a local church, and upon graduation served churches in Indianapolis, IN and Dalton, GA before arriving at First Shreveport. Will earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from Columbia Theological Seminary with a concentration in Christian Spirituality. He has served in Presbytery leadership and on local non-profit boards. Outside of church, Will and his wife, Katie, also an ordained PC(USA) minister, enjoy travel, food, and reading, and especially their three children. They live in the South Highland neighborhood.

 Choir Director and Organist | 318-222-0604 ext 210

Holly grew up in Huntsville, Alabama, as a NASA kid and proud southern Baptist. She graduated from Birmingham-Southern College with a Bachelor of Music degree, and the Eastman School of Music/University of Rochester with Master’s and Doctoral degrees in organ performance, as well as the prestigious Performer’s Certificate. Holly moved to First Presbyterian, Shreveport as the Organist/Choir Director in 1992, coming from a similar position at First Presbyterian in Salisbury, North Carolina. She has had vast experience working with a variety of denominations prior to becoming Presbyterian, but particularly enjoys reformed worship. The music ministry in her hands is a joyous, varied, enthusiastic, and educational/inspirational ministry, composed of choirs and ensembles of all ages. Holly is also an adjunct faculty member at Centenary College in Shreveport, and enjoys attending concerts, listening to recordings, reading, cooking, traveling, and concertizing in her spare time. She is married to Richard Watson, a professional symphonic trumpeter from Evanston, Illinois; one of their greatest joys in life is performing and traveling together.

Director of Children & Family Ministry | 318-222-0604 ext 225

Lynace served as the Director of Children's Ministries from August 2013-September 2014 and returned as Director of Children & Family Ministry in March of 2015. Originally from Danville, PA, Lynace received a B.M. in Music Education from Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, PA and an M.A. in Christian Education from Princeton Theological Seminary, in Princeton, NJ. After seminary, Lynace served as the Children's and Youth Choir Director for Wesley United Methodist Church in Bloomsburg, PA and was a member of the adjunct faculty at Luzerne County Community College in Nanticoke, PA. Before coming to First Presbyterian, she spent two years as the Director of Children's Ministry and Children's Choir Director at First United Methodist Church in Natchitoches, LA. Lynace is a Certified Christian Educator and as her call to ministry, seeks to encourage children to have a personal relationship with Christ through bible study, worship, fellowship, and service. Her study interests include children in worship, the role of families in spiritual development, congregational singing, and the Sacraments. Beyond work, Lynace enjoys going to the movies, crocheting, baking & cooking, and spending time with her husband, TC Veit, and their four children.

Stoer Pastoral Resident | 318-222-0604 ext 228

Drew comes to us from Richmond, Virginia where he received his undergraduate degree in theoretical mathematics from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2013 and taught middle school math for Richmond Public Schools. He attended Union Presbyterian Seminary, where he found a passion for the intersection of theology and the arts and graduated with a Master of Divinity in 2023. Drew is very excited to be at FPC Shreveport, especially to be working with the youth ministry and community outreach aspects of the Stoer Residency.

Youth Director | 318-222-0604

Dakota Dunn grew up in a small town in upstate New York just outside of Albany. Dakota went to college at Eastern University, near Philadelphia, where she studied youth ministry and minored in psychology in biblical studies and studied abroad in Israel for a semester. Dakota enjoys being outdoors and her main passions are for youth and Jesus. She and her husband, Garrett, were recently married and are  excited to begin married life in Shreveport with their two dogs. 

Pastoral Care Coordinator | 318-222-0604

Jacob is a lifelong member of First Presbyterian Shreveport. He is a graduate of Caddo Magnet High school (Shreveport, LA - 2004) holds a B.A. in English and Economics from The Colorado College (Colorado Springs, CO - 2008) and an MBA from LSU (Baton Rouge, LA - 2012). He has worked for the Governor’s Office of Louisiana, and Morris & Dickson Co. He served as an elder, as moderator of the evangelism ministry and as moderator of the Diaconate of First Presbyterian Shreveport. His role at FPC is to assist the staff by ensuring that pastoral care is provided to all of the members of our church from the many resources that we have. He enjoys cooking, hunting, fishing, and traveling with his wife Elaine and two children.