ASHLEY | PRESIDENT

ASHLEY (she/they) is a full-time social work student graduating after the summer of 2024. Ashley is a semi-retired birth and bereavement doula who is passionate about reproductive justice among many other social justice endeavors. They're also mom to two of the coolest elementary-aged kids (Carter and Lennon). Their husband Tyler–whom they happened to meet at Galileo–is the pastor of another local DOC church. Ashley's interests include holistic health, social justice and spirituality. They were baptized right here at Galileo in 2017! They’re still learning, witnessing and experiencing how God is present in our lives. Ashley deeply enjoys both reading & conversations about the wonder and mysteries of God with their husband and their church family. Their favorite things to do include imagining/playing with their kids,Sci-fi, nature, and gardening.

WES | Co-TREASURER

WES (he/him/his) struggles to define himself in his constant search for meaning. He is a human trying to be worthy of sharing space with other amazing humans, a champion of social justice, wannabe author, student of public policy, part-time kayaker, part-time crafter, bourbon aficionado, cupcake junkie, full-time therapist, grown-up lost boy, TBD… Most recently he has taken to being a stepparent and developing a love of all things Lego. Relationships are such an important part of his life, and he loves to pen cards and letters to special people using his collection of fountain pens and interesting inks. A homebody by nature, his favorite way to spend time with people is small conversational groups. Wes also enjoys reading, learning about sciency “stuff,” baking, watching documentaries, making fun of bad TV, questioning everything, and trying to keep his acerbic wit in check. Like so many people at Galileo, Wes is overcoming his early church years to have a better understanding of his place in God’s universe. His current focus is figuring out how to accept love and grace, and just let God get what God wants without such a damn fight. The best way to get to know him is tacos, cupcakes, bourbon, and conversation…in any order. 

KATE | Co-Treasurer

KATE (she/her) has already lived a rich and varied life full of experiences and vocations that shape her world view. She has been a wrangler and guide in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, an architectural draftsperson, and business owner, among other things. She feels most at home when outdoors hiking, kayaking, or biking. She’s also a nerd who loves deep conversation, reading, music of all kinds, listening to podcasts about topics as varied as social justice, economics, neurobiology, psychology, and personal development. Currently, Kate is a senior manager at a food company where she is the chief cheerleader and advocate for her team members while also working to ensure that food safety rules are followed enterprise wide to keep consumers safe. 

Kate is so grateful to have found Galileo and this community of spiritual refugees at the prompting of her beautiful fiancée, Marilyn, when they met and began dating in 2021. Marilyn currently serves on the SCT. Together, they raise puppies for Canine Companions, an organization that provides service dogs to give people greater independence. If you see us around the Big Red Barn with our current pup in training, feel free to stop by and ask to give some pets and cuddles to the cute wiggly embodiment of love and joy!

Francine

FRANCINE (she/her) is a native of Arlington, Texas and a Texas Ranger baseball fan for life. She is a lifelong member of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). She mostly thinks it's funny and lucky that she majored in Political Science and minored in Film and French and with that degree ended up working for a non-profit. She loves Galileo because of the amazing people. She believes that every single person should know that God loves them just as they are! You are wonderfully and fearfully made in God's image. She chose to serve on the MLT to help create a church that her kids could join one day. She has a sweet cocker spaniel and a husband that keeps her busy, when she is not at work! You will find her most weekends either cooking a new recipe, hiking or biking a trail, or kayaking at a Texas State Park.

LANE

LANE (he/him/his) is a husband to Emily and dog dad to Marla and Wade, who makes a living telling his clients how to spend their marketing budgets. When he's not heads-down in Excel, you can likely find him training for a half marathon, cooking something, or completely selling out to make Emily laugh (this includes lots of objectively terrible dancing and shamelessly bad dad jokes.) Finding a spiritual home at Galileo has helped him reconstruct so many elements of his faith, especially as it relates to understanding the true personhood of Jesus and what it really means for God to get everything God wants.

Kristen

KRISTEN (she/her/hers) is a dog mom to Zero, full-time Medical Assistant, and full-time Criminal Justice Major on track to graduate in December 2024 from UTA. Following graduation she plans to attend UTA to get her Masters in Social Work. She made her way to Texas from North Carolina in June of 2017. 

In her free time, if she isn’t studying, you can catch Kristen and Zero at The Liberty Lounge in Fort Worth drinking mocktails. Or binging some old TV show. She also enjoys learning and speaking about the things she loves the most: drag, sloths, serial killers, being gay, etc. 

During the pandemic, Kristen found herself overwhelmed by deconstruction and often likes to make sure what she believes is “the real deal”. Following the recommendation of her two best friends, she started attending Galileo in October of 2022. Galileo has served as a place for Kristen to come out as a queer, as well as restore her trust in the God that gets everything God wants. She believes Galileo is the perfect place for a spiritual refugee and has made it her mission to love everyone who walks through Galileo’s doors. 

Jillian

JILLIAN (she/her/hers) has been married to her amazingly supportive partner Janice since 2002 and they are moms to two cats. She is currently attending Brite Divinity School working towards her Masters in Divinity. Jillian has been on a journey of personal and spiritual discovery and renovation since 2021 and believes her Creator needed her to embrace her true self before she could truly embrace her Creator. She also promises that she really does like you, she’s just not always great at displaying it! Sorry in advance!

Jillian is retired from sports radio after 25 years and enjoys editing audio for podcasts as well as voice acting. She also enjoys pro wrestling, building Lego sets, and binging her comfort shows. She and Janice have been at Galileo since June of 2022 and have never felt more accepted and loved, and Jillian wants to make sure everyone- and she means everyone!- is welcome at the table of our Lord. 

Kelly

KELLY (she/they) is the head of product for a close-knit startup working to improve the lives of those taking care of aging parents.   She has been super fortunate to hang out with a lot of smart people, solving problems and building software for over 20 years.   Originally a physics major at UTA, she made the switch to liberal arts - because, well, math is hard. Physics for poets is more her speed and she still has a strong love for astronomy.

She has been with her wife Lisa for two decades now, running off to Massachusetts to get married before it was legal in Texas.  They have two young kiddos that keep them on their toes and it has been the best thing they ever did together. 

Kelly wasn’t raised in a church and always felt uncomfortable, unwelcome or just uninspired in those spaces.  She found Galileo and listened to “That’s What She Said” for maaaaaany years before finally making her way to the barn in the summer of 2022.

KAT

KAT (she/her) I live with my dog Raffi, a derpy rottweiler, beagle mix that loves people as much as I do.  Currently, I work as a chiropractic assistant which is a mix of assisting patients with physical therapy and floating the front desk.  I have had a variety of jobs including working for another church in events/outreach and for the Navy as a master at arms dog handler and a search and rescue specialist. Because of my first career I have lived all over the country and seen much of the world.    I graduated school at the University of Queensland in Australia with a BS Biology, MS Zoology, DVSc Veterinary Sciences. My hobbies include hiking, camping, reading, adventuring to festivals/community events, Legos and all things Star Trek.  I also visit the dog park frequently so Raffi can spend time with her BFF’s Buddy and Athena. To be honest, life has not been easy.  I left home at 14 and took my siblings with me then raised them.  I have been widowed twice.  My family, including my boys, were killed by a drunk driver.  It absolutely changed who I was.  It also made me determined to love harder, love louder. I found Galileo thru a 3 am Google search when I couldn’t sleep.  I needed a church that was inclusive of ALL people - disabled, LGBTQ+, neurodiverse, etc.  I wanted something different. I am passionate about the care of people thru hospitality.  I desire connection and real relationships.  My hope is to help create/foster more opportunities for Galileo folks to find community.  

TIM

TIM (he/him) Tim found Galileo the same day but independently from his wife as they drove home from work one day in 2021. Tim is a trombonist and university professor who enjoys performing with his friends both new and old, and loves to help people find their passion for life through music. Tim grew up in the Anglican tradition albeit a son of two devoutly agnostic parents. He relishes the opportunity to join his chosen family at Galileo every week, spending time with those who affirm him and his family. Tim is honored to be on the MLT and can’t imagine doing anything more important than contributing to our lives together.