Meet
Our Team

Jason grew up in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma (where the wind comes sweeping down the plains). Before becoming Hope’s Lead Pastor in 2009, he worked at churches in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Boise, Idaho. Under his leadership, Hope Church has grown from a church of 65 people to its current size.

Jason enjoys cooking BBQ, eating BBQ, working out, taking naps, backpacking, losing board games to his kids, and everything about summer. He and his wife Kathy are raising their three sons in Oconomowoc.

Burke joined the Hope Church staff in April 2024 after attending Hope Church and serving as a volunteer for several years. Before joining the team, Burke served in the Army and held corporate roles in a multinational manufacturing company. He has a Bachelor of Arts in History and Sociology as well as a Master of Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
Burke and his wife Jessica live in Oconomowoc with their children, Aliza and Levi, and their energetic yellow Labrador Retriever, Murphy. In his free time, he enjoys competing in endurance events, playing board games, reading, spending time outdoors, and giving impromptu TED Talks.

Before coming to Hope, Mikey most recently lived in Asheville North Carolina where he served as an Associate Pastor. Through the years, he has also had the privilege of serving churches in Illinois and in his home state of Texas. He has been passionate about the local church since he experienced the life changing power of Jesus through a friend’s invite to church in high school. Ever since he has invested his life in helping other people do the same. He can’t wait to be part of engaging the unchurched through Hope in Watertown.

In his free time, you can usually find him at a coffee shop by day and a fire pit by night, preferably with friends. He loves baseball, trying new restaurants and meeting new people. Mikey and his wife Morgan have one (spoiled) dog named Lucy, and have had the gift of fostering some incredible children. They are excited to be back in the midwest, and specifically to call Watertown home!

Zach joined the staff in 2021 and oversees Adult Ministries at Hope. Before being at Hope, Zach was an Associate Pastor in San Francisco, California, for 15 years.  He has an M.A. in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary and a Doctorate of Ministry from United Theological Seminary.

Zach is an Oconomowoc native and loves being back in Lake Country. Zach and his wife Meghan have been married for 15 years, have three powerful daughters, and the cutest dog ever. In his free time, Zach enjoys cycling, good coffee, reading, traveling, gastronomy, and pretty much anything outside.

Sean O’Connell serves as Associate Pastor, a role where he works closely with volunteer teams to create a memorable and welcoming experience for each guest who attends Hope Church. Sean also serves as the first point of contact for care requests, ensuring that when a need arises, it is assigned to a pastor or volunteer in a timely manner.

Sean brings a wealth of experience to his role, including time in ministry and the non-profit sector. This role also pairs well with Sean’s greatest strength—the ability to interact and lead all types of people. His friendly, outgoing presence allows him to meet others where they are in their faith journey.

Sean and his wife, Suzanne, reside in the Lake Country area. In his free time, Sean enjoys spending time with his family, reading, working out, playing with his two dogs, and traveling!

Lisa and her husband Gregg began attending Hope in 2014 and have served on multiple teams, including the Greeting and Coffee teams. They have enjoyed all of the Groups at Hope and have made many Christian Friendships. They are excited about being at Hope and seeing where their faith journey will take them.

She enjoys being with her two daughters, reading, crocheting, and enjoying their cabin in the Northwoods of Wisconsin.

Jenn was born and raised near Pittsburgh, PA, but she loves calling Wisconsin her home.  She lives with her husband, Chuck, and their two children, Caleigh and Connor.
 
Jenn started attending Hope Church in 2016, and it changed the direction of her entire life.  She loves sharing Jesus with everyone and especially loves watching kids learn God’s unconditional and perfect love for them. She thinks Sunday is the very best day of the week because she gets to spend the morning at Hope Kids!
 
When she is not at Hope Kids, you can find Jenn playing serious Uno games with her family, watching hockey, reading books, or playing fetch with Riley and Gus, the two Black Labradors of the family.

Meet Olivia! Olivia lives in Oconomowoc with her husband, Anthony, their two daughters, June and Lainey, and Lucky, the family’s “mini” goldendoodle who now surpasses 60 pounds. She grew up in Wisconsin, went to school at UW-Madison, and then moved to Washington DC with her husband shortly after graduating. In DC she worked as a Program Manager for a non-profit school that specialized in serving underserved communities as well as children with disabilities.  

Olivia has a heart for service. She loves working with kids of all ages, collaborating with families to find ways to best support them, and reminding everyone she comes across of the love that Christ has for them. She is excited to watch all the students grow in their faith and in their love for Jesus when they come to Hope.  

In her free time, Olivia loves to read and has a Goodreads “to read” list about a mile long. Scalding HOT coffee is the way to her heart. She loves antiquing and all things vintage and will avoid buying new at all costs. If you see her around Hope, don't be afraid to stop her and introduce yourself!  

Kathy was born and raised in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, so she grew up loving everything in Wisconsin! Prior to getting to work with kids at church, she got to teach a little algebra to some great high school kids and then got to stay at home with her three boys while volunteering here and there at church and schools.

Kathy appreciates childlike joy, food, being outside, and music, even if she has to make up her own lyrics. She is incredibly thankful for Hope's amazing kids’ team and can’t wait until Sunday every week!

Meet Ty! Ty is all about youth ministry and building connections. Helping teenagers navigate life's ups and downs and watching them become their true selves is what lights him up.

Ty is happily married to Lexi, and together, they've made Wisconsin their home sweet home. And let's not forget Jenna, their adorable dog who brings so much joy.

Beyond ministry and family, Ty unleashes his inner nerd – comics, movies, you name it. He's an avid thrift storer and a total foodie, too. Do you have any awesome food spots? Share the love!

Alexis lives in Oconomowoc with her husband, Tyler, and their three children, Ava, Noah, and Leo. She has a background in education and non-profit management. She loves everything about working at Hope, but the most rewarding are the relationships she builds with kids and families. Helping them bring Jesus into their daily lives brings her immense joy and purpose.

In her free time, Alexis loves running (especially outdoors), Peloton strength and boot camp classes, audiobooks, and puzzles. It might surprise you that Alexis is actually an introvert, and alone time is something she cherishes, though you’d never know it by how excited she is to be a part of Hope Kids every Sunday!

Nathan grew up playing sports and music in the Midwest. He went to Western Illinois University for music and met his future wife, Becky. Since then, Nathan and Becky have gotten married, had four kids, and moved multiple times, eventually landing in Wisconsin to join Hope Church.

Nathan enjoys playing with his kids, dance parties in the kitchen, playing and recording music with his wife, and eating delicious food. Thanks for all the cheese, Wisconsin!

Matt graduated from OHS in 1972 and moved to London to join a rock musical to play keyboards, where he met his Swedish wife, Siv. He has worked designing synthesizers, playing keyboards on several albums, and touring with the Christian rock band Servant. He began mixing live shows in the 1990s at everything from large rock festivals to small clubs. He is thrilled to be mixing sound at Hope Church to help spread the good news of Jesus.

Matt enjoys hanging with his 19 grandkids, restoring antique houses, recording and producing talented musicians, walking around Fowler Lake, and having huge concerts in his front yard and local area parks.

Steve has been a part of Hope Church since its beginning. After several years of volunteering in various areas of ministry, he was hired onto Hope’s staff in 2012 to provide photography and video production services to support Hope’s mission of reaching and engaging the unchurched. Today, Steve leads Hope's tech teams, including in-person and online experiences.

Steve graduated from UW-Whitewater with a bachelor’s degree in Multimedia Visual Design. He enjoys spending time with his lovely wife, Christina, hanging out with family, waterskiing, basketball, backpacking, PC gaming with his friends, and competitive powerlifting.

James joined the Hope Church staff in March of 2022. He is married to his wife Courtney, who moved to Wisconsin from Illinois. James was doing Student Ministry for seven years, but during the COVID-19 pandemic, they found massive joy in digital media and felt called by God to serve the online community.

James felt Hope’s vision perfectly fit him as he grew up in the church but walked away at 18. He is passionate about bringing people hurt by the church back to a relationship with God.

Michael is an Oconomowoc native excited to serve as Hope’s Creative Arts Pastor. He loves helping people experience Jesus in engaging, creative ways. Michael graduated from Concordia University, WI, with a bachelor’s in Theology in 2017.

Michael loves spending time with his wife, Katie, and their two children, Nyah and River. He also loves spending time outdoors, playing board games with friends, and creating digital art and photography.

Janelle grew up in Central Florida before relocating to Wisconsin 20 years ago. Janelle and her husband began attending Hope in 2012 and have served on multiple teams, including Kids Connect and Parking, and have also served as Group Leaders. Nathan and Janelle enjoy serving others in marriage ministry through the Family Life Madison Team. In her free time, she loves to kayak, read, walk, travel, listen to live music, dance (especially the Polish polka hop), baking/cooking, and quiet retreats in the Northwoods of Wisconsin.

Austin serves as the Facilities Coordinator at Hope. He and his wife, Ashley, live in Oconomowoc and stay active with their two kids, Winter and Wells, and two dogs.
Prior to joining the Hope staff, Austin managed facilities for an outdoor education center in Colorado and, more recently, managed rental properties in Wisconsin.

If it’s summertime and he’s not at work, you can find him at the lake, fishing or kayaking. He loves spending time with his family, staying active, being close to nature, and praising the Lord.