Leadership Team

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Executive Director

Karen Collier

Karen grew up in small-town Alabama where she fell in love with music and theatre.  From a young age, she has been performing and using her talents to glorify the Lord.  With a Bachelor's of Music in musical theatre, she loves being creative and inviting kids into another world full of imagination and dreams.  She also spent 5 years working for WinShape Camps and leading summer staffers alongside her amazing husband, Aaron. 

Although she isn’t on stage as often as she once was as a professional performer, you can find her chasing around her 2 amazing kiddos and serving at Piedmont Church where she was been the Preschool Director for 5 years.  
 
She is so excited to be leading the amazing team at RISE UP! and cannot wait to see what the Lord has in store for the kids and families all over the Metro Atlanta area. God is on the move and the RISE UP! team is ready to follow where He leads.
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Curriculum Team Leader

Jennifer Duncan

Jennifer grew up in a large family who believed that children are at the heart of God’s kingdom plan.  Together with aunts, uncles, and cousins, they traveled around South Carolina conducting VBS, camps, and holiday programs which is where Jennifer got comfortable doing ANYTHING on a stage.  She hopes to combine the excitement of God’s word with her professional training in literature to craft high-energy stories that teach kids about God’s unconditional love!

Jennifer attended Emmanuel College, The University of South Carolina, and The University of Tennessee, where she earned multiple degrees in English and literature. When she’s not writing silly jokes and covering kids in shaving cream, she is an English professor at Georgia State University’s Perimeter College.  

Jennifer is married to Jason, a pastor at Mount Paran North Church, and together they’re raising Jack and Lucy to be awesome humans!

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Curriculum & Technology Team

Kelly Addeo

Kelly is a Midwestern girl, growing up in Indiana and obtaining a Computer Science degree from Purdue University.  She met her husband, Sam, at their first place of employment and is a proud mom to their sons, Evan and Drake.
 
After moving to Georgia in 2008, she used her technical skills in various volunteer roles.  Ironically, it was her creative side (she loves a fun costume!) that brought her into the RISE UP! team to work on curriculum.  Not long after, a need arose in IT and she was happy to jump in!  She is thankful she can use her skills for a ministry that is kingdom focused!
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Technology Team

Lindsay Trotti

Lindsay is native to Atlanta, grew up in Marietta, and attended Georgia Tech where she received her degree in Industrial Engineering. She is a full-time mother to 3 children: Trey, Ryan, and Caroline. Lindsay married her high-school sweetheart and best friend, Paul.

Before kids, Lindsay worked for IBM and gained skills that she never imagined would be useful when starting a ministry!  Lindsay is a self proclaimed nerd who loves to problem solve and make things run efficiently. She uses these talents to help make RISE UP! run smoothly with the help of technology solutions.

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Finance Director

Rhonda Thorpe

Rhonda is a Georgia girl. She graduated from Mercer University with an Accounting degree.  She has been married to her husband Scott since 1984.  They have a son and daughter, and they are excited to welcome their first grandchild.  She loves children and tries to find a way to volunteer for organizations that teach children about character and God's love. RISE UP! gives her the opportunity to use both her accounting skills and her love for children.

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