Meet Our Staff

  • REv. Jeffrey Rickett

    lead Pastor

    Pastor Jeff brings over twenty years of pastoral leadership and ministry experience coupled with an extensive counseling background. He co-founded and directs Heart Song Counseling, a national biblical counseling ministry working with singles and couples dealing with a variety of issues. He is also a Pastoral Counselor and Church Planting Assessor with the Sent Network.


    Jeff has served as a pastor at Grace Christian Church at Herndon, VA; a church planter and co-pastor at City of Hope, a multi-racial church in Columbia MD; the Small Groups/Shepherding Pastor at Broadneck E.P. Church in Annapolis, MD, and the Small Groups/Pastoral Care Pastor at Chapelgate Presbyterian Church in Howard County, MD.  He has taught, trained, and led seminars on small group leadership and lay counseling and trained others in evangelism, shepherding, and community building.


    Pastor Jeff holds a Bachelor of Arts, Business Administration, Economics and Accounting from McDaniel College and a Master of Divinity from Covenant Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Val, have two young adult children, Samuel and Amanda, and one with the Lord, Scott.

  • Rev. Seongsu hong

    director of next generation ministries

    Pastor SeongSu's principal responsibility as the Director of Next Generation Ministries is to effectively equip our families for discipleship of children, ages birth-12th grade.  He has many years of youth and children's experience and his long term call has been in education, working with families to lay a foundation on Jesus Christ.  


    SeongSu has been married to his wife Kathy for eight years. He loves to play basketball, flag football, and wants to learn pickle ball. He loves the Boston Red Sox, NY Knicks, and Las Vegas Raiders (because of Bo Jackson as the LA Raiders). He loves to cook for people and hopes to have people over to enjoy Korean BBQ. 

  • Dr. Janna Leigh Ryon

    Director of Worship Music

    Janna Leigh is the choir director and piano teacher at Watkins Mill High School. She is a graduate of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, has a Masters in Music from Yale, and a DMA from University of Maryland. She has over 20 years of experience teaching in public schools, has produced and directed many high school musicals, and has 15 years of experience directing choirs and various music teams at churches. She has played at the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall and Strathmore. She is a professional musician trained in the oboe.

  • MICHELLE NELSON

    DIRECTOR OF MINISTRY SUPPORT

    Michelle oversees and coordinates our support teams (administration, communications, events and facilities) for the office and Neelsville ministries. Michelle joined the staff in 2019 as our Office Administrator after 15 years in design and project management as an Architectural Engineer.  She and her husband James have been attending Neelsville since 2010 and the two connected with Neelsville through Rebuilding Together projects.  Since then, she has served with the Children's & Family Ministry Team, Monday Night Women's Bible Study, the Giving Tree Mission and was recently ordained as a Deacon. Michelle, James and their children, Emma and Jack, feel blessed to be a part of the Neelsville family. 

  • Melissa EVANS

    Children'S Ministry Coordinator

    Melissa has been teaching or working in an educational capacity for more than half her life! She holds two teaching degrees and is happy to apply those skills daily at a children's gym where she has worked for fifteen years. Melissa has been married to her husband, Jason, since 2004 and they are blessed with three sons. They have been faithful members of Neelsville Presbyterian Church since 2007 where they have each served in a variety of capacities. Melissa was drawn to the church because of the diversity and the way that the message reached a multi-generational audience. She has been teaching preschool Sunday School for many years, has helped with VBS programs, volunteers as an ESL teacher on weekends, and previously served four years as a Deacon. Melissa is delighted to work alongside the other fervent leaders at Neelsville in discipling local children in their faith journey.

  • Wendy Couillard

    Treasurer

    Wendy is a long-time member of Neelsville Presbyterian Church, and has attended since she was a little girl. Over the years, Wendy has served in many capacities in the life of our church, through Children’s and Youth ministries, Mission trips, Deacons, Fellowship, Music and Worship, and is currently serving as an Elder on the Session Board. She and her husband, Gregg, have been married 34 years. They have three sons, two daughters-in-law, and three grandchildren. Together, they thoroughly enjoy their roles as grandparents and spending as much time with family and friends as possible. They volunteer with the USO at BWI and Walter Reed, and love traveling and boating. Wendy’s favorite things involve family & friends, baking, crafts, music & reading.

  • Alison Williamson

    administrative assistant

    Alison works alongside Michelle Nelson and carries out the many weekly tasks that occur in the office and behind the scenes to support Neelsville as we Worship, Grow and Go. She is a covenant partner at our church and actively serves in the Children's Ministry. She and her husband Michael have a daughter, Rose, who attends a local elementary school and loves birds, drawing, and telling stories. Alison's degree in Music Education prepared her for a career in the arts including 10 years as a clarinet instructor and performer and 15 years of administrative work for the Pittsburgh Symphony. She enjoys photography and day trips with her family. Her love of music and teaching shines as she serves with our Children's Ministry.