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Megan Mash has been serving as the Music Minister at Sebastian United Methodist Church since 2010. Megan was hired to use music as a tool for outreach into the community of Sebastian. She has done this by starting a summer music camp that now is comprised of three weeks throughout the summer that are designed for ages 5-17, creating and sustaining a missional concert series and directing multiple intergenerational ensembles. Megan is passionate about worship design and congregational song. She is most looking forward to renewal in her work through the Doctorate of Pastoral Music. Studying music and theology together is something important to her and it continues to enhance how she perceives and executes her role as a church musician. She hopes to gain new perspectives to enhance her work in planning liturgy. Megan is also seeking new ideas about how to further engage her community in spiritual growth with her colleagues.

Megan earned a Bachelor of Arts in music and religion from Simpson College in Indianola, IA. She earned a Masters of Sacred Music with a concentration in organ from SMU. She is an active member in The Hymn Society, American Guild of Organists and Choristers Guild.

Michael currently serves as Minister of Worship at Cityview Bible Church in Round Rock, Texas. He relocated from his native town of Richmond, Virginia to Texas in November 2011. In June 2011, Michael married Alicia Peters-Jordan and she joined him in Texas where they both serve as leaders in Music, Worship and Fine Arts Ministry.

Michael was educated in the Richmond Public School system and moved on to pursue an undergraduate and graduate education. Michael is a proud alumnus of Hampton University (BA Music Education, 2005) and Liberty University (MA Worship Studies, 2009). While Michael did not intend to pursue any formal degrees beyond his Master of Arts, his colleagues and mentors urged him to consider doctoral studies. The Doctoral of Pastoral Music degree program was suggested, then researched, and ultimately became Michael's next pursuit. The title of the DPM degree program was the initial attraction, but while researching the offered core, concentration, and elective courses, Michael was convinced that this educational journey would provide the necessary tools to heighten his effectiveness in his current vocation, expose him to other opportunities, and equip him to enlighten and educate others in his field of service.

Embarking on this DPM journey is frightening and exciting for Michael. Yet, he trusts that the training, exposure, networking, and nurture of the Perkins School of Theology at ±¬×ߺÚÁÏ and the grace, guidance, and goodness of God will provide a lifetime of victories.

Ee Hwee currently serves as pastoral staff at Wesley Methodist Church, Singapore, where she oversees the Worship and Music ministry and plans the weekly liturgy of the four traditional services. Her current focus is in building the church up through prayerful planning of the weekly liturgy, and in cultivating Christian discipleship through Scripture, songs, and stories within the community. Previously, she served as a worship minister in a Baptist church, an adjunct lecturer at Singapore Bible College, a primary school teacher, and a biostatistician in cancer research.  Ee Hwee loves learning, thinking, research, and writing, and hopes to use her experience and training in statistics, education, music, theology, and pastoral ministry to lead and nurture those whom God has given her to shepherd. 

James Stanley is the Director of Music and Worship Arts at First United Methodist Church in Little Rock, Arkansas where he has worked since 2016. He has been continuously employed in church work for twenty years as an organist, choir director, praise team leader, and youth leader. James holds a bachelors degree and a masters degree from the Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University in organ and organ pedagogy, respectively. He is an active recitalist and contemporary worship clinician. His organ compositions are published by Lorenz. In his free time, he enjoys classical guitar, mandolin, and jazz piano. He lives in North Little Rock with his wife, Christen and their two sons.

Karl Utz is the English Language Coordinator and lecturer in church music at Sabah Theological Seminary in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. Born and raised in the United States, Karl has a passion for teaching pastors and church musicians around the world. After graduating from universities in Oklahoma and Texas, Karl moved to Sabah, Malaysia, in August 2015 to train church musicians at a large Anglican church. He soon discovered a passion for teaching and became a full-time English and music instructor in Malaysia for students of all ages from countries as wide-ranging as China, Russia, Japan, Columbia, and Turkey. In Sabah, Karl met his future wife, and they are now happily married with two young children. 

He holds a Bachelor of Music in Sacred Music (Piano Performance) from Oral Roberts University, and a Master of Music in Church Music (Piano Performance) from Baylor University. Through the Doctorate of Pastoral Music program at the Perkins School of Theology, Karl hopes to further his skills as a lecturer and learn how to better contextualize church music education for students in Malaysia.

Don Kirkindoll has directed music programs and ministries since 1997. He currently serves as the Director of Music and Worship Arts at St. James United Methodist Church, Little Rock, Arkansas. Choirs under his direction have performed at Walt Disney World, Carnegie Hall, David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center, and churches and cathedrals throughout the UK—most notably Canterbury Cathedral, Southwark Cathedral, Wesley’s Chapel, and Canongate Kirk. He has performed as a vocalist at the White House, Carnegie Hall, and Lincoln Center, as well as concerts in Europe, South Africa, and throughout the southeastern U.S.A.

Don earned a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Centenary College of Louisiana, and a Master of Music in Conducting from the University of South Carolina. He is thrilled to begin the DPM at SMU, meet new colleagues, and make new connections. Don is passionate about worship design and the use of the arts in worship and ministry, and he can’t wait to learn more and deepen his ministry impact. Don lives in Clyde, NC with his wife, Kriss. Their teenager, Nat, is embarking on her own college journey this fall.

Creighton Holder  currently serves as Director of Music (Organist/Choirmaster) at the First Presbyterian Church of Oxford, Mississippi, where he programs all service music, coordinates the Music at First concert series, and teaches in the Music at First piano studio. Creighton is active in the Oxford community as Co-Director of the Oxford Civic Chorus, Subdean of the Oxford-University of Mississippi chapter of the American Guild of Organists, and as a collaborative pianist in the University of Mississippi music department. He also serves as the Music in Worship chair for the Mississippi American Choral Directors Association. 

Creighton is a graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi where he earned degrees in piano performance and choral conducting; his primary instructors were Dr. Ellen Price Elder and Dr. Gregory Fuller. He recently completed the Certificate in Injury-Preventive Keyboard Technique at Salem College (Winston-Salem, North Carolina) under the instruction of Dr. Barbara Lister-Sink. Through his experiences in ministry, Creighton has developed a passion for celebrating diverse voices in sacred music and strengthening representation of women composers. He is excited to collaborate with colleagues in the DPM program and learn from their experiences.

Felicia has been serving Kingswood United Methodist Church in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, as Director of Music Ministry since 2020.

Since starting her position, she has led three choirs, two praise teams, and the youth music program, including starting a youth praise band with up to 16 members. She received a Master of Theological Studies and a Master of Sacred Music from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois, where she studied under world-renowned hymn writers, Dr. Ruth Duck, F.H.S., and Rev. Dr. Cynthia A. Wilson, F.H.S.

Felicia is passionate about music and worship, and she hopes that through this program she can gain additional tools to enrich the music and worship experience she offers the world.

Zvony (Zvonimir) Nagy is a Croatian-born American organist, pianist, choral conductor, composer, and educator. He holds a Doctor of Music degree from Northwestern University and has studied piano and organ performance at Texas Christian University and the University of Zagreb, Croatia.

As an organist and pianist, Nagy has performed as a soloist, chamber musician, and choral conductor throughout the United States and Europe. He received the second prize in the César Franck-Olivier Messiaen International Organ Competition in Haarlem, the Netherlands. His piano and organ recordings are available at PARMA Recordings-Ravello Records, Albany Records, and MSR Classics; Universal Edition and Paraclete Press publish his music. He has a proven record of internationally recognized scholarly and creative work as a university professor. As an improviser, he draws from historical and experimental improvisation practices, interactive media technologies, and interdisciplinary collaborations. His book, Embodiment of Musical Creativity: The Cognitive and Performative Causality of Musical Composition (Routledge, 2017 offers an innovative look at the interdisciplinary nature of the psychology of musical creativity.

Nagy has directed sacred music at churches and cathedrals throughout the United States, demonstrating his ongoing commitment to church music and leadership experience with various music programs. He serves as Director of Music and Worship at King of Glory Lutheran Church in Dallas, Texas. For more information, visit

Vernon L. Clark is an accomplished educator, minister of music, and theater artist who has served the Chicagoland area for over four decades. Following 35 years of distinguished service in public education, he retired in 2017 as an associate principal from Evanston Township High School. Parallel to his academic career, Mr. Clark has served as Minister of Music for numerous congregations, frequently sharing his ministry nationwide as a sought-after guest clinician, performer, and workshop presenter. Vernon is an ordained minister and currently serves as Minister of Music at the historic Second Baptist Church in Evanston, Illinois. 
 
His notable media and performance highlights include singing the National Anthem at Comiskey Park, appearing on The Arsenio Hall Show, and traveling to Cape Town, South Africa, as a guest performer and lecturer. He has also performed alongside his ensemble, the Heirs of Joy, for the Indianapolis Colts, U.S. Senator Carol Moseley Braun, and television shows Gospel Soundstage, and Singsation. An active theatrical music and vocal director and actor, he is currently collaborating with playwright Gloria Bond Clunie on the musical, Blu. 
 
Vernon L. Clark is a native Virginian who has resided in Chicago since the autumn of 1981. 
He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Livingstone College, a Master of Music from Northwestern University, and an Advanced Certificate in Educational Leadership from National Louis University. A lifelong learner, he is currently pursuing a Doctor of Pastoral Music degree to continue cultivating transformative music ministries. 

Rev. Jackson Henry currently serves as the Pastor of Worship and Music at First United Methodist Church in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He is an ordained deacon in the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference of the United Methodist Church and has served in church music for over thirty years. In addition to his role as a pastor, Jackson is also a performer, composer, and arranger. Several of his works have been published as choral anthems and in hymn collections.

He is delighted to study in the Doctor of Pastoral Music program, in which he hopes to strengthen his research skills, particularly in the area of music-making, trauma, and recovery within a church setting. He also looks forward to the challenge of increasing his critical thinking skills as he moves into the later season of his career.

Jackson received a Bachelor of Music in Performance (piano) from Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville, Tennessee, and he is a graduate of the Master of Sacred Music program at Perkins School of Theology, ±¬×ߺÚÁÏ.

Keara Parciak currently serves as the assistant director of liturgy for liturgical and pastoral music at the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio (a Catholic, Marianist institution). Not only is she the principle liturgical musician (cantor and keyboardist) of the campus, but she also is the director of the undergraduate music minister program: a program that offers students paid opportunities to learn and serve as liturgical music ministers for the campus. Prior to arriving at the university of Dayton, Keara has served in Catholic parish ministry as director of music and liturgy.

A native of New Jersey, Keara earned a Masters of Music in Sacred Music with concentrations in piano and composition from Westminster Choir College, and a Bachelors of Arts in Music and in French from St. Joseph’s University. She has spent extensive time studying performance and music theory/composition in Paris at the Ecole Normale de Musique and at the Schola Cantorum. As an accomplished composer, Keara is published by Simply Liturgical and Oregon Catholic Press (OCP) and her pieces have been performed in various parts of the United States and in Paris, France. Keara has also sung under the batons of several prominent conductors including Yannick Nezet-Seguin, Daniele Gatti, and Jacques LaCombe.

Keara is passionate about accepted musical diversity within liturgies and making liturgical music interesting while still accessible.  As a pianist and avid improviser, she enjoys “digging” through hymns to find the harmony, color and emotion buried underneath. She hopes to continue to explore that passion and discover what is buried underneath through the doctor of pastoral music program at SMU.