Meet the Staff
Rev. Phyllis R. Earley
Lead Pastor
703-549-5500 Ext. 101
pastor@trinityalexandria.org
Reverend Phyllis R. Earley was appointed as Trinity's Lead Pastor in 2010.
Phyllis was born in Norfolk, Virginia and raised in Norfolk County, which is now the city of Chesapeake. She is a graduate of Virginia Wesleyan College (BA in Religious Studies, 1992) and received her Masters of Divinity from Wesley Theological Seminary in 1995.
An ordained elder in The Virginia Conference of The United Methodist Church, she has served local churches on the Farmville, Norfolk Arlington, and Alexandria Districts. Her most recent appointment was as the Alexandria District Program Coordinator, Bi-District Youth Coordinator, and Bi-District Young Adult liaison.
Phyllis is married to Reverend Dr. James N. Earley II, who is the pastor of Walker Chapel United Methodist Church in Arlington. They are the proud parents of their grown children, Alacia and Nathan. Phyllis enjoys reading, traveling, meeting people, cheering the Redskins, spending time with family and playing with their dog Goldie.
Rev. Matthew J. Benton
Associate Pastor
703-549-5500 Ext. 102
associate@trinityalexandria.org
Reverend Matthew Benton is in his first year at Trinity having been appointed on July 1, 2011.
Matt was born in Springfield, Va., just down 395. A proud graduate of West Springfield High School, the University of Virginia (BA Religious Studies 2008), Matt just received his Masters of Divinity from Wesley Theological Seminary in May of 2011.
Matt is a provisional member of the Virginia Annual Conference and Trinity is his first appointment. Matt is excited to begin his time in ministry at Trinity. Before being Commissioned, Matt did his seminary internship at Fredericksburg UMC and has been involved with youth ministry at First UMC in Charlottesville and Burke UMC.
Matt recently married his wife Emily in June 2011. Emily is a math teacher at West Springfield High School and also coaches track and field. Every Sunday after worship, you can count on Matt bolting back to the couch to cheer on his beloved Redskins. Matt can often be found on golf courses across the area. He and Emily also enjoy watching sports, going for a run, travelling, and spending time with family.
Linda Cancellieri
Gloria Oberkehr
Director of Trinity MOPS Preschool
(703) 549-7422
Gloria Oberkehr has over 30 years of experience in the field of early-childhood education. She has taught young children, directed schools seeking quality- standard recognition, and has acted as a mentor to other early-childhood educators wanting to grow professionally. Gloria and her husband, Charles, moved from Long Island, NY to Northern Virginia in November 2010. During her short tenure as director, she's ushered in much positive change and growth within the Trinity MOPS Program. Gloria and Charles currently live in Mount Vernon with their dog, a Collie named Prince. They have five grown children and two grandchildren.
Heather Tveter
Administrative Assistant
703-549-5500 Ext. 100
office@trinityalexandria.org
Heather Tveter was born and raised in Colorado. She met her husband, Mickey, when she was an undergraduate student studying journalism at Colorado State University. She later earned a MA in Television and Film from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications. Before coming to Trinity, she worked in the television industry for 5 years, helping to produce science and history programs for the National Geographic Channel. She and Mickey have lived in the Fairlington community of Arlington for 5 years and are raising an adorable Pembroke Welsh Corgi named Demmy. During Heather’s spare time, she enjoys playing the piano, traveling and reading.
Ronnie Willett
Buildings & Grounds
(703) 549-5500 Ext. 105 (after 3:00pm)
Ronnie is the person on staff that has the most history here with Trinity United Methodist Church. He has been here over 18 years, starting off by him performing odd jobs every now and then until it evolved to him checking in with the church on a daily basis! Ronnie is truly a person of commitment and is always willing to lend a helping hand to his Church family. Ronnie enjoys meeting all the members here at Trinity and has made many lasting relationships with different members of the congregation. He is very reliable and always willing to help us fix any of our problems in and around the Church. Some of his fondest memories are just hanging out with the youth who stop by the church. He treats many of the youth as though they were his own.
Maria Medrano Nursery Supervisor
Elsa Mirandez Childcare Staff
