Meet Our Team

At Convergence, our team is made up of artists, faith leaders, and visionaries who are passionate about the intersection of creativity and spiritual formation. Each person brings unique gifts to our community, helping to shape a space where faith and artistry thrive. Get to know the people who help lead and support our mission.

Lisa Cole Smith

Founding Pastor/Artistic Director

  • Rev. Lisa Cole Smith is the host of the Be. Make. Do. Podcast and has served as the pastor of Convergence, a creative community of faith in Alexandria, VA for the last 19 years. Lisa graduated from Carnegie Mellon University and worked as a professional actor and director for many years before attending seminary and seeking a way to merge her calling as an artist and a person of faith. In addition to coaching artists, Lisa is a frequent workshop leader, and presenter as well as teaching classes in theology and the arts at various seminaries. Her calling is to equip artists to serve as prophetic critics and imaginative visionaries in the world.

Dan ABH

Digital Media Producer

  • With over 13 years of experience in production, management, and coordinating community projects and programs at Convergence, Dan ABH is also the producer and co-creator of the Be. Make. Do. soul|makers podcast. He is passionate about the mission, the people he serves, and the organization itself, with a strong focus on leadership, digital media, and communications. His commitment to community service is evident through his tenure on the Board of Directors for the Howard Gardner School in Alexandria, VA, from 2017 to 2024.

    Dan resides in Alexandria, VA, with his wife, Lauren, and their Italian greyhound, Benny. When he’s not leading communications, creating content, or producing, you can find him drumming with the award-winning DC band Flowerbomb, cooking in the kitchen, watching The West Wing, hunting for rare bourbons, laughing with his wife, or enjoying and collecting vinyl records.

Rita Hadley

Office Manager

  • Rita Stevens Hadley is the Office and Facilities Manager at Convergence, where she brings a wealth of experience and a creative vision to her work. A graduate of Taylor University in Indiana, Rita further honed her skills at the Washington School of Photography in Bethesda, MD, earning a Certificate in Professional Photography.

    An award-winning photojournalist with a deep passion for hospitality, Rita is a visionary leader in arts and community engagement. Her expertise lies in creating transformative spaces that encourage dialogue, healing, and empowerment. Over the years, Rita has designed innovative programs, led impactful events, and curated immersive environments that foster meaningful connections.

    With decades of experience in facilitating workshops, retreats, and arts-based initiatives, Rita excels at helping individuals deepen their self-awareness and build a stronger sense of community. Whether she’s planning community dinners, developing curriculum, or curating visual experiences, Rita’s work is rooted in a commitment to helping others discover their voice and their place within the larger narrative.

Lydia Wohlgemuth

Social Media Manager

  • With a background in professional writing and over six years in nonprofit communications, Lydia serves as the Social Media Manager at Convergence. She’s passionate about using online platforms to inspire and equip artists to pursue their creative calling. Lydia lives in The Woodlands, Texas, with her husband and their new baby boy. When she’s not crafting social media content, you’ll likely find her reading on her back porch, baking a loaf of sourdough, or taking walks with her family and friends.

Patrice Gerideau

Associate Minister

  • Patrice is a writer and theologian, who serves as Associate Minister of Spiritual Formation and Creative Practice. Trained in theology, creative writing, and spiritual formation, she holds a Doctor of Ministry from Boston University and an MFA in Creative Writing from Goddard College.

    Patrice offers contemplative presence through scriptwriting, group facilitation, and formation experiences rooted in prayer, presence, and creative practice.

    Ordained at Convergence, she is passionate about cultivating spaces where God’s unconditional love can be felt beyond the walls of religion and where inner transformation inspires outer change.

Stewards Council

2024-2025 Members

Adrienne Reedy, Chair

Mary Harris, Treasurer

Anita Breitenberg Naylor, Clerk

Rodney Blake

Jim Cole

We are calling people to engage art making as a means of creative and spiritual wholeness because our souls need to be nourished, our imaginations re-awakened, and our passions flamed for living into the fullness of who we were created to be.