The Gospel Coalition (TGC) is pleased to announce 16 recent hires, promotions, and transitions—including new editors, event planners, marketing staff, and others.
“As we begin 2022, we’re thrilled to enlist the talents of these individuals to help our growing team continue producing resources that support local churches and help believers connect the gospel to all of life,” said TGC president Julius Kim. “We have exciting initiatives planned for the next few years, and these godly men and women will play critical roles. I’m grateful to God for bringing them onto our team, for the glory of Christ, the advancement of his gospel, and the building up of the church.”
Here are the new staff members and role changes for existing staff members.
Media Team
Andrew Laparra joined the media team in August, overseeing the planning and production of TGC’s video and podcast projects. Andrew is also a solo recording artist who lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with his wife and their two children.
Brannon McAllister joined TGC in December as the managing director of media, overseeing the creative team and leading many of the design and branding efforts for TGC across our web and multimedia platforms. Prior to joining TGC, Brannon has worked as a designer, strategist, and adviser for various start-ups, creatives, and nonprofits. He co-leads Leaf Fellowship, a nine-month faith-and-work discipleship program at Leaf Institute. Brannon and his wife belong to Grace and Peace Presbyterian Church in Greenville, South Carolina.
Operations
Austin Balken joined TGC in September as director of events, leading the logistical planning and execution of TGC conferences and events. Before joining TGC, he worked for Thomson Reuters as a user experience designer and continues to work on freelance UX projects on the side. He lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with his wife and their daughter.
Joe Henegan joined TGC in September as manager of digital marketing, overseeing the areas of digital advertising, digital fundraising, email marketing, and social media marketing. Before joining TGC, Joe worked for The Good Book Company, as well as a number of digital marketing roles at various nonprofits. He lives in London, U.K., with his wife and two daughters. They are members of River Church Sutton.
Helen Van Vooren joined TGC in 2021 as executive assistant to president Julius Kim. She and her husband live in rural San Diego County, California.
Content
Winfree Brisley joined the editorial team in June with a focus on acquiring content by women. Previously the editor for Risen Motherhood (2019–2021), Winfree and her husband have three sons and live in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are members of Uptown Church (PCA).
Jamie Dean will join TGC’s international team in March as international editor. Dean comes to TGC following a 17-year tenure at WORLD Magazine. In her role as TGC’s international editor, Dean will work with TGC’s network of international coalitions to develop content, feature global voices on TGC, and share compelling stories of God’s work across the world.
Megan Hill, who has served as a TGC editor since 2018, is now TGC’s managing editor and will also assist with book acquisitions. The author of several books, she belongs to West Springfield Covenant Community Church (PCA) and lives in Massachusetts with her husband and four children.
Lindsey Hutchinson joined TGC’s women’s initiatives team this month as an assistant to the team. Prior to TGC, she spent the past few years pursuing a master’s degree at Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina. She lives in Florida with her husband and attends St. Petersburg Presbyterian Church.
Jared Kennedy, co-founder of Gospel-Centered Family and author of Keeping Your Children’s Ministry on Mission, joins TGC as an editor overseeing ministry topics and Bible/theology along with acquiring books. He lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with his wife, Megan, and three daughters.
Joanna Kimbrel joined TGC’s women’s initiatives this month in the area of content creation and cohorts. Before joining TGC, Joanna worked for the Daily Grace Co. as a writer, content director, and podcast co-host. She lives in Georgia with her husband and two daughters where they are members of Sojourn Community Church Woodstock.
Brian McKanna, director of diaspora training with Training Leaders International, has joined TGC as an associate editor, overseeing coverage of missions and the global church. Along with his family, Brian has lived on three continents, having worked for over a decade in writing and editing, with an emphasis on travel, culture, and religion.
Ivan Mesa, who for seven years oversaw TGC’s books coverage, spearheaded various editorial initiatives, and acquired books, is now TGC’s editorial director, helping to manage the editorial team and book publishing efforts. He lives in Georgia with his wife and three children.
Matt Smethurst, after five years as managing editor and 10 years with TGC, will transition to a part-time position on March 1, as he plants River City Baptist Church in Richmond, Virginia.
Phil Thompson, who for several years was a manager of web, is now serving as manager of partnerships and content strategist. He is a teaching pastor at Christ Fellowship Eastside and lives in Greenville, South Carolina, with his wife and three daughters.
Cassie Watson has assumed the role of copyeditor and editorial project manager. She lives in Sydney, Australia, and is part of Merrylands Anglican Church.
About The Gospel Coalition
The Gospel Coalition supports the church in making disciples of all nations, by providing gospel-centered resources that are trusted and timely, winsome and wise.
Guided by a Council of more than 40 pastors in the Reformed tradition, TGC seeks to advance gospel-centered ministry for the next generation by producing content (including articles, podcasts, videos, courses, and books) and convening leaders (including conferences, virtual events, training, and regional chapters).
In all of this we want to help Christians around the world better grasp the gospel of Jesus Christ and apply it to all of life in the 21st century. We want to offer biblical truth in an era of great confusion. We want to offer gospel-centered hope for the searching.
Join us by visiting TGC.org so you can be equipped to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself.
The Gospel Coalition