Rev. Sarah Wiles (she/her)
Pastor/Head of Staff

Sarah Wiles became pastor at BPC in 2020. She grew up in North Carolina and is a graduate of Wake Forest University and Union Theological Seminary in New York City. Prior to serving at BPC, Sarah served churches in Tacoma, WA and Ann Arbor, MI. She and her husband Joseph are parents to twins Zoë and Isaac. She believes firmly in the restorative powers of homemade food, long naps, and laughing until you can’t breathe. She loves poetry, Jeopardy, and action movies. She is currently engaged in a Doctor of Ministry program in Creative Writing and Public Theology through Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. You can reach Sarah by emailing her at pastorsarah@blacksburgpres.org.

Rev. Emily Rhodes Hunter (she/her)
Parish Associate and UKirk Campus Minister

Rev. Emily Rhodes Hunter joined BPC as a parish associate in 2021 and also serves as the Presbyterian campus minister for UKirk at Virginia Tech. Prior to these roles, Emily has served as a bereavement counselor and chaplain at Good Samaritan Hospice and Montgomery Hospice. She has also held pastoral roles at Hermon Presbyterian Church and The New York Avenue Presbyterian Church. Emily holds both a Masters of Patient Counseling from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Masters of Divinity from Union Presbyterian Seminary. She and her husband, Stuart, are parents to two young children: Eliza and Miles. You can reach Emily by emailing her at emily@blacksburgpres.org.

Sarah Windes (she/her) Coordinator of Church Life

Sarah Windes was appointed as Coordinator of Church Life in November 2019.  She is a certified Christian Educator with a master’s degree from the Presbyterian School of Christian Education in Richmond, VA. In the 1980’s and 1990’s, she served nine years as Director of Christian Education for The Presbyterian Church of Radford, Virginia.

As Coordinator of Church Life, Sarah is responsible for maintaining and supporting congregational activities. She helps organize, publicize and plan congregational activities and programs, and she coordinates ways for church members and volunteers to connect to and be supported in these activities and programs.

Sarah is a graduate of Rhodes College in Memphis, TN, with a degree in English. She has been a volunteer with BPC, since she became a member in the mid-1990s, and has served as Sunday school teacher, elder, chair of worship, chair of adult education, and most recently, leader of the Creation Care Team, which links with her volunteer community service as a Virginia Master Naturalist. She has two adult sons. You can reach Sarah by emailing her at sarah@blacksburgpres.org.

Susan Hunter (she/her)
Director Children’s Education and Youth Ministries

A childhood member of Blacksburg Presbyterian, Susan Hunter has served in its classrooms in almost every capacity–as a caregiver, teacher, volunteer, and now staff. Named Director of Children and Youth Ministries in 2008, Susan provides direction and staff support for the Nursery, and Sunday School program for Preschool-12th Graders; coordinates the mid-high and senior-high youth groups; staffs vacation Bible school; and recruits and trains lay leaders for church school and youth programs. With a degree in clothing and textiles and additional training in architecture, she is also a member of the arts subcommittee. You can reach Susan by emailing her at susanh@blacksburgpres.org.

Alice Brooks Sanders (she/her)
Director of Music and Organist

Alice brings with her a long history of leading church music in PC(USA) congregations in Oklahoma and Tennessee. She has a Bachelor of Music in piano with a minor in organ from Baylor University, as well as a Master of Music in piano from the University of Oklahoma. In addition to her church work, Alice has performed in numerous collaborative recitals, maintained a private piano studio, taught preschool music classes, taught applied and classical piano at the college level, and worked as a staff accompanist at several universities. When not involved in musical pursuits, Alice is probably in the garden. She enjoys growing vegetables and has a particular interest in native plants and butterflies. You can reach Alice by emailing her at alice@blacksburgpres.org.

Rhonda Waller (she/her)
Office Manager/Director of Communications

Rhonda Waller began work with BPC in August 2020.  She brings with her a varied work experience, including in the medical administrative field and as an early childcare educator.  Rhonda maintains the scheduling of all activities with BPC as well as communication, and manages a host of other tasks that keep things on track and running smoothly here.  She grew up in southeast Kentucky before attending Berea College and eventually graduating from the University of Kentucky with a B.A. in English and creative writing, and a history minor.  A long-time resident of Roanoke before moving to Christiansburg, she currently resides with one of her children and her other two children live in Roanoke and Richmond. You can reach Rhonda by emailing her at rhonda@blacksburgpres.org.