LEADERSHIP

Pastor Steve has served as the senior pastor of Westwood since 2010.  A graduate of Lee University, he completed both his Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and is completing his PhD at Columbia International University.  After ten years in banking and management, he entered pastoral ministry to serve churches in TN, FL, KY, and GA.  In addition to serving in ministry to the local church, he serves as the board chair for WayMaker, Int’l, a missions and ministry organization serving refugees in the Eastern Mediterranean region. He is also a part-time professor at Lee University and Grand Canyon University, and a hospital chaplain for Bradley Medical Center.

Paul was born and raised in Cleveland.  He and his family have attended Westwood since he was five years old. After 17 years of working in a corporate job in the paper & packaging industry and in real estate, he was called to join the ministry team at Westwood in 2004. After serving as Minister of Education for four years, he moved into an executive pastor’s role with responsibilities in administration and educational ministries.  He now continues in this role as the Associate Pastor.
He is a graduate of Lee University and holds an MBA in Ministry from Bryan College.  He is furthering his education through doctoral studies at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Paul and his wife Connie have two canine sidekicks named Spencer and Baxter.

Shane has ministered to our families here at Westwood since 2012.  A graduate of the Lee University College of Education K-8, he holds a Masters in Educational Leadership from Lee University and an Educational Doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction from Liberty University. After eleven years as a public school teacher in the Bradley County School system, he entered full-time ministry to serve here at Westwood. He now serves on our pastoral staff giving oversight to our ministry for families with children.  In addition to his ministry here, Shane serves as the Director of Teacher Education, Field Experiences, Certification and Assistant Professor at Lee University. He and his wife Sarah have two daughters and one son, and serve as foster parents for children who find themselves in need of a home for love and support until reunification with their birth families can occur.

Wayne and his wife, Linda, became members of Westwood in 1981 after being regular attenders for 2 years.  Wayne graduated from East Tennessee State University in 1969 with a B.S. in Education and from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 1974 with a M.Ed. in Administration and School Counseling.   He graduated from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville in 1979 with an Ed.S. in Educational Psychology and Counseling.   While working as a school counselor at Northwest High School in Tunnel Hill, GA, where he worked for 23 years, he began doing pastoral counseling at Westwood and started teaching Sunday School.  Wayne joined the church staff when he retired from education in 2003.  Ordained at Westwood as a deacon in 1988, he was licensed as a minister in 2009 and ordained as a pastor in 2015.   Wayne serves the Westwood family and surrounding community in pastoral care and biblical counseling.  He and his wife Linda have 3 adult sons, 2 daughters-in-law, and are patiently waiting for grandchildren.

Neil joined the Westwood staff in 2017 and currently serves as an Assistant Pastor giving oversight to our extended ministry to other churches in our community.  Neil also serves as a part-time faculty member at Bryan College, Lee University, and UTC.  Neil holds a D.Min. from Liberty University, a Th.M. from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and an M.Div. from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.  He also anticipates completing a Ph.D. in May 2024.  Neil grew up in Florence, S.C., and began following Christ at a young age.  He relocated to Cleveland in 1999 and retired from a career in law enforcement in 2019.  He also retired as a Lieutenant Colonel from the U.S. Army Reserve in 2016.  Neil and his wife, Laura, have two children: Ashley and Riley, both students at Lee University.

Adam is a Cleveland native and a lifelong member of the Westwood family. He graduated from Carson Newman University with a BA in Biology & Chemistry and followed up with seminary studies toward a Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.  He served more than ten years as a church planter, strategy trainer and regional strategy leader over the Central American & Caribbean countries of Latin America.  He is passionate about teaching, creating disciples, and church planting.  After being gone from Cleveland for 18 years, Adam returned to serve in our pastoral ministry in September 2015 giving direction to our missions ministry and now our LifeGroup ministry.  He and his wife Jennifer have three children, Arabella, Corban and Ali Beth.

Debra has been a member of Westwood since 1996 and joined the staff in 2003.  Prior to joining our ministry staff, Debra worked in the corporate world as an executive assistant followed by several years as a stay-at-home mom.  She is passionate about building relationships with members of the church.  Debra and her husband, Mike, have one son, a daughter-in-law, and two sweet granddaughters ... and six dogs.  In her spare time, Debra enjoys playing with her granddaughters and her dogs.

Matt enjoys working with the praise band and choir to lead the church in worshipping God. Originally from Texas, he moved to the Volunteer State to attend the University of Tennessee, where he completed his Master of Music in Choral Conducting. Matt taught high school and university choirs in Knoxville before coming to Westwood. He is currently working toward a PhD at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Matt and his wife Hailey have two sweet daughters, June Magnolia and Dinah Grace.

Melissa has served as the Music Ministry Assistant for the last eight years. Prior to coming on staff at Westwood, She was a medical practice manager for many years here in Cleveland. Her lifelong passion for music is evident in her service to the Westwood church family.

Emily is a Cleveland native and a lifelong part of the Westwood Family. She serves as our Children and Young Families Director. Her background Music and the Arts helps her think creatively about her approach of sharing Jesus with young hearts and minds. She has grown up serving in different areas of the church from Facilities to Awana to Youth Ministry. Her goal is to teach kids about God's deep love for them and to partner with parents as they strive to raise their kids in Christ. Emily and her husband Hunter are the proud parents of Isabelle. They love to travel and find new places to explore, especially if the trip involves thrifting or a visit to a new coffee shop or bookstore.

Dena graduated from Nazareth College of Rochester in Rochester, NY with a BS in Music Therapy. She and her late husband served as worship leaders and in bi-vocational music ministry in Southern Baptist churches in the Rochester, NY area for 5 years.  After returning to Alabama, Dena was a stay at home, homeschooling mom, and served her church in Birmingham as its children’s choir director, sunday school teacher, and music assistant.  In 1997 Dena’s family moved to the Atlanta area where she continued to serve as a sunday school teacher, and spent 14 years in the classroom as a middle school teacher and director. Now at Westwood, she serves as the ministry assistant for our Ministry to Children and Young Families. Dena has a grown son in Louisville, KY and a daughter and son-in-law who worship and serve here at Westwood.

Andrew serves as the minister of students and as a pastoral associate. Andrew is a graduate of the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, with a Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies. He is currently pursuing a PHD in Apologetics and Culture from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Originally from Birmingham, Alabama, he earned his bachelor's degree in RTVF and a Master's degree in Exercise Science from Auburn University. Andrew is passionate about discipleship, biblical fellowship, evangelism, and world missions seeking to help spur the body of Christ to walk in obedience to Jesus' command to fulfill the Great Commission. He and his wife, Ashley, have been members at Westwood since 2019 and have two children, Graysen Elyse, and Emersyn Leigh.

Laura joined the Westwood staff as the Pre-school Ministry Director in 2017.  She holds a Bachelor of Science from Lees McCrae College with a double major in Communications and English.  She has used her education to serve in the area of child care administration for a total of more than (15) years in various settings, including day care, a Christian school and a local church staff.  Laura moved to Cleveland in 1999 with her husband, Neil.  She and Neil have two children, Ashley and Riley.  Laura enjoys reading, making crafts and spending time with her family.

Adam serves as a pastoral associate working with the educational ministries. He was born and raised here in Cleveland before moving to Cookeville to obtain his bachelor’s degree in Biology from Tennessee Technological University. Since returning to Cleveland, he has held a position with the TN Department of Health as an Environmental Health Specialist (Health Inspector). Currently, Adam is pursuing a Master of Divinity in Christian Ministry at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Adam is passionate about the Word of God being accurately taught that the church may be sanctified and God glorified. He and his wife, Sandy, joined Westwood in 2019. They have three sons and a daughter, Justus, Cole, Ryle, and Noelle.

Kathy has been at Westwood since 1986 and has served in various ministries as a member of the church. Kathy worked for several years in the banking industry before choosing to be a work-at-home mom. She joined Westwood's administrative ministry in 1999 after spending twelve years at home with her young children. Kathy currently serves as the Church Administrator and Office Manager. She and her husband, John, have two adult children and a son-in-law, and one very precious grandson.  They enjoy traveling and hunting for antiques.

Justin is passionate about combining his experience in business and ministry to serve God and lead others. He holds an Associate’s Degree in Business Management from Cleveland State Community College and is currently completing his Bachelor’s in Business Administration at Bryan College.
Before transitioning to full-time ministry at Westwood in 2025, Justin spent eleven years in retail finance and management while also serving as a bi-vocational minister since 2019. At Westwood, he serves as an Office Administrator and provides oversight to various ministry teams, including Connections and First Impressions.
Outside of work, Justin enjoys spending quality time with his wife, Hannah, and their daughter, Elizabeth.

Shannon’s dream job has always been to work for God not only in a personal but a professional capacity. Shannon’s dream came true when she joined our Administrative Staff in Spring of 2022. She holds an Associate of Science Degree from Cleveland State Community College. Shannon attends Boanerges Baptist Church in Polk County with her husband, Jeremy, and her three daughters; Allie, Alyx, and Anna. Shannon enjoys spending time with her family, attending church, baking, and anything Christmas. Prior to working at Westwood, she was employed in the banking industry for over thirty years.

Chad has been serving as our minister over media/communication since 2021. He and his wife Lauren were married in 2003 and have grown a wonderful family of 7 children. They have served the local church in many areas of ministry since they were dating. His main role is overseeing our media ministry and ensuring they are connecting the message of Westwood to the community through audio, video, and online platforms. Chad and Lauren also personally love marriage ministry and discipling newly married couples.  

Ethan has worked as sound and media director at Westwood since 2013.  He graduated from Lee University in 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Digital Media with an emphasis in Studio Production.  Since becoming a member of Westwood, he has served in various capacities with the music and youth ministries and now helps give oversight to media presentation, audio and visual.