Staff
Dr. Keith Herron
Senior Pastor
Email: keith.herron@holmeswood.org
Keith came to Holmeswood as Senior Pastor in 2001 after previous ministries in like-minded churches in Texas as both Pastor and Associate Pastor. He has also served as a Campus Minister on two Texas college campuses. Keith was raised in the Dallas area and holds degrees from Baylor University, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary.
He enjoys sports of all kinds and especially enjoys being a fan of the Chiefs and the San Antonio Spurs. He is an avid reader and prolific writer, having contributed regularly to Baptists Today and ethicsdaily.com.
Dr. Kathy Pickett
Pastor of Congregational Life
Email: kathy.pickett@holmeswood.org
Reverend Picket has been a member of the Holmeswood staff since 1998 and has lived in the Kansas City area all of her life. Kathy has served in virtually every aspect of church life at Holmeswood throughout the years. She is passionate about leading the church to discover new, creative ways to be the church in the twenty-first century and beyond. She graduated from Central Baptist Theological Seminary with her Masters in Divinity and received the C.R. McBride Katherine Willard Eddy Award for Excellence in Ministry. Kathy completed her D.Min at St. Paul School of Theology in spring 2012. She and her husband, Allen, have three grown children and one grandchild.
Don Duvall
Custodian
Don Duvall and his family joined Holmeswood in 1958. Holmeswood was constituted three years earlier and Don has been an integral part of the church during most of its existence. He has been a member of the custodial staff since 1979.
Rev. Kate Hanch
Children's Pastor and Pastor of Creative Communications
Email: kate.hanch@holmeswood.org
Kate was born in Jefferson City, Missouri. She graduated from high school in 2003 and then attended Missouri Baptist University in St. Louis graduating in May 2007 with a degree in Religion. She graduated from Central Baptist Theological Seminary in May 2011 with a Masters in Divinity and received the Wheeler-Proctor Award for Excellence in Theology. She married her husband, Steve, in August 2008. Her hobbies include Mizzou sports, outdoor activities, reading, and road-tripping with Steve.
Gary Youngblood
Custodian
Gary has been a member of Holmeswood for the past 33 years. He has served as a deacon, teacher, choir member and on various committees. Gary retired from Citibank as an auditor in 2008. He joined the Holmeswood custodial staff on a part time basis in April 2010. Gary is an avid Jayhawks fan!
Ben Skalitzky
Director of Administrative Services
ben.skalitzky@holmeswood.org
Ben has been a member at Holmeswood for several years before coming on staff. Ben's background extends over the past 25 years employed in the corporate world as a Senior Program Manager at Sprint and as a Systems Integration Consultant for the Federal Aviation Administration. He's been involved in community service projects and programs through the Junior Chamber of Commerce from the late 80s through the 1990s and was in key leadership roles during his tenure. He has a B.S. Technical/Engineering degree from University of Central Missouri along with many years of program and project management experience. He has a wonderful wife and twin boys in elementary school.
Rev. David McDaniel
Pastor to Younger Adults
David joined our staff in November 2011. He is married to Erin, who is a Pediatric Resident at Children’s Mercy. David is a native of Alabama, where he earned a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Alabama and a M.Div. from Truett Seminary at Baylor University. He has also completed a Chaplain Residency with 4 units of CPE at Baptist Health in Little Rock. He enjoys cheering on the Tide, frequenting coffee shops and restaurants with friends, and firing up the grill for a good cookout. David is pumped about being in a church that encourages asking the tough questions of faith, embracing creativity in ministry, and accepts individuals wherever they are in their walk of life.
Terry Brown
Receptionist/Administrative Assistant
terry.brown@holmeswood.org
Terry has been a member of Holmeswood for 20 years and joined the staff in January 2012. She graduated from Oklahoma University with a
degree in Computer Science. Boomer Sooner!! She previously worked for U. S. Dept
of Agriculture for 17 years as a Computer Specialist. She and her husband, John and I
have 3 children: Spencer (18), Katie (15) and Alex (11). She enjoys cheering for
the Sooners, attending her children’s sporting events and activities and
traveling.
Patty Freeman
Interim Worship Coordinator
patty.freeman@holmeswood.org
Patty Freeman is the newest addition to the church staff, serving as Interim Worship Coordinator while we search for a full-time Minister of Music. Patty is a Kansas City native and has been a member of Holmeswood since 2009. She holds a B.A. in Management & Human Relations from MidAmerica Nazarene University, and her work experience covers many aspects of administration, sales, and marketing in the corporate world. Patty spent 25+ years as a church drama consultant and clinician for the annual Lillenas Drama Conference (Nazarene Publishing House) and 9 years as the coordinator and head adjudicator over drama for the Gospel Music Association's Seminar in the Rockies in Estes Park, CO. In addition to her responsibilities as Interim Worship Coordinator, Patty works part-time for Quality Transcription Specialists, a local small business that provides transcription services for deaf and hearing-impaired students and adults, and does occasional free-lance work writing marketing copy for Lillenas music publishers. Patty and husband, Tim, live in western Kansas City, KS and are willing to feed anyone who makes the journey to visit them.
John Stafford
Interim Choral Director
John Stafford II is currently the Director of Choral Music Activities at Kansas City Kansas Community College. He was previously appointed at Millikin University and Eastern Illinois University teaching music composition, theory and orchestration. His choral and chamber music has been performed throughout North America and Europe. The University of Oregon's Waging Peace Through Singing, an international competition for choral music on the theme of peace, has recognized his work.
He has also received recognition from other organizations such as American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers, the Society of Composers Inc., the National Federation of Music Clubs, Electronic Music Midwest, and Primavera En La Habana 2004 (Spring in Havana) International Electroacoustic Music Festival in Havana, Cuba. His choral and vocal jazz music is published by The Roger Dean Publishing Company and Sound Music Publications. Stafford has degrees from Millikin University (B.M. in Music Business) and Bowling Green State University (M.M. in Composition) and is completing a D.M.A. in Choral Conducting and Literature at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.