Rev. Dr. Sarah Wiles (she/her)
Pastor/Head of Staff

Sarah Wiles became pastor at BPC in 2020. She grew up in North Carolina and is a graduate of Wake Forest University, Union Theological Seminary in New York City (MDiv), and Pittsburgh Theological Seminary where she completed a Doctor of Ministry in Creative Writing and Public Theology. Prior to serving at BPC, Sarah served churches in Tacoma, WA, and Ann Arbor, MI. She and her husband are parents to twins. She believes firmly in the restorative powers of homemade food, long naps, and laughing until you can’t breathe. She loves poetry, Jeopardy, and action movies. You can reach Sarah by emailing her at pastorsarah@blacksburgpres.org.

Rev. Emily Rhodes Hunter (she/her)
Associate Pastor

Rev. Emily Rhodes Hunter began as associate pastor at BPC in January 2025. Prior to this role, she served as both our parish associate and the executive director of UKirk at Virginia Tech. Emily has served as a bereavement counselor and APC board-certified chaplain at Good Samaritan Hospice and Montgomery Hospice. She has also held pastoral roles at Hermon Presbyterian Church and The New York Avenue Presbyterian Church. Emily holds both a Masters of Patient Counseling from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Masters of Divinity from Union Presbyterian Seminary. She completed her undergraduate coursework in English at Sewanee: The University of the South. She loves hearing people's stories, bringing communities together over meals, engaging in faith-based activism and advocacy, and working with folks who are asking questions about their faith. Emily is also an avid podcast listener, a college basketball fan, and most importantly, a partner to Stuart, and parent to Eliza and Miles. You can reach Emily by emailing her at pastoremily@blacksburgpres.org.

Bethany Brownfield (she/her)
Director of Children & Youth Ministries

Bethany grew up in West Virginia and relocated to the NRV in 2020. She holds a master’s degree in teaching from Marshall University and a B.S. in psychology from the University of Richmond. She has worked with diverse learners from preschool age to adult in a variety of settings, ranging from a high-school science classroom to a forest school program to a faith-based, afterschool nonprofit. Bethany enjoys hiking, writing, getting to know the Blue Ridge Mountains, and learning new things alongside her daughter. She loves being in the presence of children and believes their insights and perspectives enliven communities. You can reach Bethany by emailing her at bethany@blacksburgpres.org.

Alice Brooks Sanders (she/her)
Director of Music and Organist

Alice brings with her a long history of leading church music in PC(USA) congregations in Oklahoma and Tennessee. She has a Bachelor of Music in piano with a minor in organ from Baylor University, as well as a Master of Music in piano from the University of Oklahoma. In addition to her church work, Alice has performed in numerous collaborative recitals, maintained a private piano studio, taught preschool music classes, taught applied and classical piano at the college level, and worked as a staff accompanist at several universities. When not involved in musical pursuits, Alice is probably in the garden. She enjoys growing vegetables and has a particular interest in native plants and butterflies. You can reach Alice by emailing her at alice@blacksburgpres.org.

Rhonda Waller (she/her)
Church Administrator

Rhonda Waller began work with BPC in August 2020. She brings with her a varied work experience, including in the medical administrative field and as an early childcare educator. Rhonda maintains the scheduling of all activities with BPC as well as communication, and manages a host of other tasks that keep things on track and running smoothly here. She grew up in southeast Kentucky before attending Berea College then transferring to University of Kentucky, graduating with a B.A. in English/creative writing and a history minor. A long-time resident of Roanoke before moving to Radford, she currently resides with one of her children and her other two children live in Richmond, VA, and Georgia. You can reach Rhonda by emailing her at rhonda@blacksburgpres.org.