GracePointe Staff
JOSH SCOTT
Lead Pastor
Josh (he/him) has been a pastor for the last two decades. The focus of his work is reimagining, reframing, and reclaiming faith through a Progressive Christian lens. Josh is married to Carla, and they live with their five kids and labradoodle, Lucy.
Tiffany Dowdy
Director of Children & Youth
Tiffany (they/she) joins GracePointe with over 12 years of ministry experience working with kids and youth. The majority of their work has been focused around helping students align their head, heart, and hands to more fully live out their faith. They are passionate about social justice and leading within the church and community. Outside of ministry, Tiffany can be found coaching soccer, enjoying a hike, embracing their creative side, or spending time with their two dogs, Rue and Emerson.
RICKY BRADDY
Director of Music & Arts
Ricky (he/him) is a graduate of Belmont University, and a long-time resident of Nashville, TN. His music career has taken him to many stages, but the church is where his heart finds home. Having led worship for over 20 years, he is ambitiously seeking new ways to create worship experiences that harmonize with Progressive Christianity. He lives with his partner, Logan, and their Goldendoodle, Sawyer Dean.
Emily Wyer
Director of Communications & Operations
Emily (she/her) is a long-time member and volunteer at GracePointe. She started helping with communion, load out, and hospitality in the 2000s. Now, she curates in-person Sunday morning gatherings, serves as host for GracePointe’s Young Adult Meetup, and assists in marketing. Emily’s extensive experience in event coordinating paired with her heart for the GP community makes her a great fit for her role as Director of Communications & Operations. In her spare time, you can find Emily riding horses, playing guitar, or connecting with others over coffee.
Adam Budnick
Technical Production Coordinator
Bio coming soon!
MIKE MAESHIRO
Senior Director of Online Campus
Mike (he/him) is a former minister, mentor and teacher from Bethel Church in Redding, CA. He is an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, a content creator and a queer theology enthusiast. He has over a decade of leadership and social marketing experience. He loves playing volleyball, writing and is obsessed with movies. He is gay, single, and has no pets.
Leadership Council
BRIAN GILLELAND
Brian has lived in Middle Tennessee since before the turn of the century (mid 80’s) and has seen a lot of changes. Gratefully many of those changes are in how he sees the world around him. Born and raised in a traditional and loving evangelical Christian family, he struggled with the fact that tradition often outweighed loving.
He and his wife, Kathi, live in Nashville and operate a landscape design business which feeds his love of both nature and art. They have a collective of five adult children and two grandchildren that he considers tangible proof of God’s grace.
Traveling to new places is a passion he shares with Kathi. Currently just a few states short of having been to all 50 states together, they have also visited Peru and Uganda.
Being a part of the GracePointe community since 2015 is a vital part of his spiritual journey, and he is thankful for the opportunity to serve.
Please email lc@gracepointe.net.
FAITH MOTe
Faith (she/her) is originally from central Alabama and later moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, to pursue her law degree. In 2018, she moved to Jackson and worked as an Assistant District Attorney. She also served on the board of directors for the anti-sex trafficking nonprofit, Scarlet Rope Project. In September 2021, she moved to Nashville to represent indigent clients at the Public Defender’s Office. Throughout her educational and professional life, Faith has remained dedicated to public service and social justice. In her spare time, Faith likes to spend time outdoors with her dog Tucker, hiking, kayaking, searching for the best coffee in Nashville, and hanging out with friends.
While her journey to GracePointe was not an easy one, she was thankful to find it during 2020. Because of her experiences, she wants everyone to feel welcomed, accepted, and loved, not in spite of who they are, but because of it. She strives to make her home, spaces, and friendships hospitable—a space for others to be seen and loved. That is what she found in the queer community and what she hopes to see in our faith community.
Faith is honored to serve at GracePointe as a member of the Leadership Council, GP Kids volunteer leader, hospitality team volunteer, and upcoming book study leader. GracePointe has been a place of rest and growth for her… a place of genuine community and friendship where there is freedom to question and space to do justice.
Please email lc@gracepointe.net.
lori macmath
Lori was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but her life has included nearly 30 moves around the country. 20 of those have been with her husband, Scott. They share 3 twenty-something children who live scattered throughout the US as well. It has been through those moves and experiences that Lori has been able to engage, learn, and grow with both diverse and marginalized communities. It is her passion for people and inclusive church that led her to seek out a community such as GracePointe. Lori is unique to Leadership Council in that she currently lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She works passionately for a non-profit, Citizens Project, in the equity, inclusion and justice sphere; specifically, civic engagement in those marginalized communities. Lori has been a part of the GracePointe family since 2017 where she hosts a thriving care group with online family for 1.5 years. In her free time, she enjoys any and all-time hiking in the Rocky Mountains that surround her, cheering on the Clemson Tigers, feeding and baking for anyone who knocks on the door, and of course spoiling Denver, the 3-year-old Puli.
Please email lc@gracepointe.net.
david Surbaugh
David grew up in West Virginia and after graduating from high school went off to Chicago for college. After acquiring a degree in history, he quickly realized that by-and-large there was not a big job market for historians with only a BA and went to work starting and running a Logos Bookstore in the near-north area of Chicago. Bookstores and book publishing would become his life-long vocation. Now retired, he has the time to read the many interesting books he encountered in his working years. Besides reading, David enjoys cooking, visits to the gym, hanging with friends, and most of all, spending time with his wife, Susan. David and Susan moved to Nashville (Franklin specifically) 25 years ago, raised two young men, and have been part of GracePointe for 10 years. This is David’s second term on the Leadership Council after sitting out 2 years.
Please email lc@gracepointe.net.
Andi RodriguEZ
Andi Rodriguez, originally from Costa Rica and now a Nashvillian since April 2022, boasts a rich background in Fortune 500 companies, specializing in operations, training, quality, and workforce program management. Currently a Program Manager at Amazon, Andi focuses on machine learning development and robotics technologies within Amazon Robotics. Away from the professional arena, Andi treasures moments with family and friends, enjoying the finer details of life and exploring destinations worldwide. A passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion, Andi, a proud Costa Rican immigrant, actively supports LGBTQ+ initiatives, both personally and professionally.
Beyond personal advocacy, Andi is deeply involved in community service, having supported non-profit organizations in Costa Rica. Since joining Gracepoint in July 2022, Andi's connection goes beyond professional development—it's personal. Gracepoint has profoundly impacted not just Andi but the entire Rodriguez family. It served as a sanctuary, helping Andi overcome trauma from conservative Christianity, fostering a sense of belonging that was always present but needed discovery. Now, as part of Gracepointe , Andi looks forward to contributing to its vision and a place where his children will one day find a true sense of home.
Please email lc@gracepointe.net.
ANDREW BROWN
Andrew (he/him) was born in small-town Mississippi, attending Mississippi State for his undergraduate degree and pursuing his MBA at The University of Alabama. After graduating, he moved to Pennsylvania, beginning his career in Human Resources and Talent Acquisition. This is where he met his beautiful, now wife, Lindsey. They have lived in Nashville for over 4 years and continue to grow their roots in the community that they call home. Andrew now runs a recruiting company with a close friend, partnering with companies across the nation to find talent for their organizations.
Growing up in a faithful and loving evangelical Christian (Southern Baptist) family, as he began to explore more of the world, he encountered new worldviews and cultures, expanding his perspective, realizing not all things still fit from his religious upbringing. Having stepped away from church for a time, he found GracePointe by happenstance in 2019 after moving to Nashville, and it created a refreshing common ground of learning and growth for he and Lindsey. Both coming from different religious backgrounds themselves, Southern Baptist and Catholicism respectively, GracePointe allowed for a wonderful community of openness and love that they were both seeking.
Discovering GracePoint was a defining moment in Andrew's spiritual walk, and he is honored at the opportunity to serve.
Please email lc@gracepointe.net.
CRAIG AMMON
Craig came to Gracepointe in the summer of 2015, not realizing it was in the middle of deconstructing their faith. Craig is grateful to Gracepointe for guiding them on this path of reconstruction. Craig loves to spend their free time hanging with their very active adult kids and grandson, or taking ballroom dance lessons and traveling with their partner, Peter. Craig anticipates moving in the next year due to Peter’s job, and will become a faithful member of the online community. While serving on the LC, Craig would love to help spread the message of GracePointe beyond Nashville (because EVERYONE needs to hear it!), and foster a sense of belonging among our growing online community.
Please email lc@gracepointe.net.
LOUISE NEWCOMB
Louise (she/her/hers) has been with GracePointe for almost 2 years (online & in person) and lived in Nashville for 4 years. Originally from Northern Ohio, Louise moved here to be closer to her husband's family. Louise has 2 children (6-year-old daughter & 3-year-old son). She works full-time as a social worker, providing support/helping people with a wide variety of needs, and empowering them. She is a member of an online care group in our GP community, attends Common Ground, helps at events, and volunteers in kids’ ministries. She enjoys watching movies, site-seeing, scrapbooking, is a Libra, and fall her my favorite season. GracePointe has had a profound impact on her life and relationship with God. Louise looks forward to helping GP flourish and sharing our community with others seeking a place to call home!
Please email lc@gracepointe.net.
TROY NALL
Troy (he/him) grew up in a small town in rural south Alabama. Later, he moved to Birmingham, Alabama for college and graduate school where he studied health informatics and information management and began his career with the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). He relocated to New Haven, Connecticut in 2010 to manage an administrative department for the VA healthcare system. He moved to Nashville in 2019 to be nearer to family after beginning a remote position with the Veterans Health Administration’s headquarters.
Troy was raised by a loving family in the Southern Baptist church and departed from it in young adulthood after accepting his identify as a gay man. GracePointe has provided a spiritual home and supporting community for Troy since early 2022 where he has found space for exploration and acceptance of his understanding of the Divine, reclaiming many concepts from his childhood faith in a profound way. He is honored to be part of GracePointe’s work towards supporting others in their spiritual journeys as it has supported him.
Troy lives in Nashville with his husband, Jordan. They are foster parents and enjoy time with one another and their two beagles, Gabby and Gus.
Please email lc@gracepointe.net.
JEFF CLARK
Jeff is a Professor of Information Systems and Analytics at MTSU, CEO / Producer of Wild Goose Festival, Executive Director of MBAA International, and former Managing Partner of McLean~Clark, LLC with years of experience in political consulting, media, strategic leadership, and over five decades of hands-on social justice work.As a strategic thinker who loves the creative and the technical sides of things, Jeff hopes to bring his passion for both creativity and execution, grounded in a PhD in Systems and a DMin, to help create a safer, more just way of living. When not at MTSU or Wild Goose or in a group discussion, you might find Jeeff indulging in ice cream, dancing the night away, or going on a road bike trip.
Please email lc@gracepointe.net.
murphy gill
Born & raised in Nashville, Murphy and his high school sweetheart Michelle spent 30+ years in pastoral ministry with most of that time in MI. After several years of theological questioning and wrestling with the many inconsistent positions his conservative denomination held on important social issues, particularly full inclusion of LGBTQIA+ folks into the life and work of the church, he resigned from his church. Murphy & Michelle then moved back home to Nashville where he now sells residential Real Estate and is a passionate advocate and ally for the LGBTQIA+ community. Murphy & Michelle found a home at GracePointe shortly after returning to Nashville in 2018. They have an adult son named Daniel, a female cat named Bill and they live in Goodlettsville on the northeast side of town. My FaceBook bio describes me well “Nashville REALTOR®, Coffee Snob, Football Fan, Cyclist, LGBTQIA+ Advocate, Pastor, Husband and Dad".
Please email lc@gracepointe.net.