Meet our First 5 Writing Team
Lysa TerKeurst is a mother of five and the President of Proverbs 31 Ministries. She is the New York Times bestselling author of The Best Yes, Unglued and Made to Crave. Lysa was recently awarded the Champions of Faith Author Award and has been published in multiple publications such as Focus on the Family and CNN online. Additionally, she has appeared on the Today show as one of the leading voices in the Christian community.
Each year, Lysa is a featured keynote presenter at more than 40 events across North America, including the Women of Faith conferences and the Catalyst Leadership Conference. She has a passion for equipping women to share their stories for God’s glory through Proverbs 31 Ministries’ annual She Speaks Conference and writer training program, COMPEL: Words That Move People. Connect with Lysa!
Kelley Brown is an introvert who is continually surprised by her love of public speaking. She holds a Master’s degree in Theological Studies from Beeson Divinity School, and she enjoys equipping women to study the Bible with confidence and curiosity. As a writer for LifeWay’s devotional Journey, Director of Women’s Ministry at her local church, and host of the StoryTellers Live podcast, Kelley takes every opportunity to highlight the goodness of God. She and her husband, Scott, live in Birmingham, Alabama, with their four children. With two daughters adopted from China, they passionately advocate orphan care and adoption.
Kellye Schiffner Carver is a wife, psychologist and Bible study leader in Mansfield, Texas. She’s also a proud granddaughter, daughter and sister of three inspiring military servicemen, which fuels her commitment to public service. She has a passion for digging into Scripture and exploring the deeper context and meaning of passages that sometimes seem all-too-familiar or unrelatable. In her free time, you can find Kellye volunteering at her home church, playing French horn in a community symphony, creating family documentary films and attempting to befriend her husband’s cat.
Lyli Dunbar’s burning passion as a writer, speaker and mentor is to fuel a wildfire faith in the weary hearted. She starts every weekday by digging into the Word verse by verse with thousands of women as a writer and mentor to 1,200 group leaders at Love God Greatly. A fireball at heart, Lyli is energized by singing karaoke in the car with her husband, reading 12 books at a time, and cooking Cuban food for a full house. Connect with Lyli!
Kayla Ferris is the wife of a farmer, the mother of four daughters ages 12, 9, 7, and 4, and a friend to good books, fresh air, and dark chocolate. But first and foremost, she is a follower of Jesus. Kayla has been a stay-at- home mom for the past 12 years, where she has spent her time washing dishes, folding laundry and changing diapers. Kayla also has a passion and stirring in her heart to put words together to share God’s love and truth. Her blogs are honest and heartfelt, with a splash of humor for good measure. You can read more of what God has been teaching Kayla by visiting her website.
Grace Fox is a passionate Jesus follower, wife, mom to three married kids, and grandma to eight littles with another due in May. She’s also a career global worker whose “yes” to Jesus has meant sharing His love in Nepal, Egypt, Russia, and Eastern Europe. The most recent “yes” meant purging her household to move aboard a sailboat in Vancouver, British Columbia where she’s His ambassador in a marina. Grace has authored nine books including her latest Bible study, Forever Changed and is a regular contributor to Guideposts’ Mornings with Jesus annual devotional. Her passion is to see women transformed by applying Scripture to their lives. Connect with Grace: www.gracefox.com
Sarah Frazer is a writer and Bible study mentor. She is the wife of Jason and mother of five. Although she is preparing to be a full-time missionary to Honduras, her passion is to encourage women to study the Bible. Sarah is also an author of three self-published Bible studies for women. She shares tools for deep-rooted Bible study at sarahefrazer.com.
Denise J. Hughes is a teacher at heart. She connects with women through stories and biblically-based messages that meet women right where they’re at in everyday life. She’s the author of Deeper Waters and the Bible study series Word Writers, and she’s currently pursuing an M.Div. at Gateway Seminary. With an M.A. in English, Denise has taught composition at Azusa Pacific University and she enjoys writing for (in)courage by DaySpring. Denise lives in Southern California with her husband and three kids, and she always finds time for peach tea, old books, and a good football game. You can connect with her at denisejhughes.com and on Instagram: @DeniseJHughes.
Nicki Koziarz is a Proverbs 31 Ministries speaker and best-selling author of the book and Lifeway Bible study 5 Habits of a Woman Who Doesn’t Quit. She is wife to Kris, mom to three girls, Taylor, Hope and Kennedy and one slightly famous pug, Herman. Her family lives just outside Charlotte,NC where they own a farm affectionately called, The Fixer Upper Farm. Connect with Nicki!
Katy McCown is a writer, speaker, President of She Laughs Ministries and wife to NFL quarterback, Luke McCown. Katy left her job as a television news reporter to join her husband on their adventure in the National Football League. 13 years, 6 kids and 6 teams later, it’s safe to say the road has been anything but predictable. Through the ups and downs of life, Katy has found God’s Word to be her constant stream of security and strength; and she has a passion for teaching others these truths. The everyday Katy loves a strong cup of coffee – or two – and her car is never clean. Never ever. Connect with Katy!
Titania Paige, affectionately known as “Nia,” is the animated wife of her best friend, Gerald. She founded her blog and ministry LifeBeforeEternity.com in August 2016. There, she helps women embrace a lifestyle of faith by teaching spiritual habits that lead to wholeness in Christ. Known to shake things up with her passion and transparency, Nia’s messages are down-to-earth, energetic, and Bible-centered. When she isn’t writing or vlogging, she’s convincing her husband to take her out for Thai food, studying Japanese, and learning Korean pop dances.
Melanie Davis Porter is a lover of Jesus, the arts, good books and Tennessee in the Fall. An experienced playwright for the church, she is passionate about sharing the gospel via the stage, and she leads a Christian theatre team. Melanie has a degree in Communications and is a devotional writer and blogger. She also teaches Bible Study with a women’s jail ministry. She’s been married for 34 years to a proud, Vietnam combat Vet, and she has three adult sons, one precious daughter-in-law, six awesome grands, and three Shih Tzu pups. Her favorite things include anything chocolate, rides through Cades cove, good belly laughs and grace-filled friends. You can connect with Melanie at https://melaniedavisporter.com/.
Melissa Spoelstra is first and foremost a Christ-follower who is madly in love with Jesus and addicted to the study of His Word. She is passionate about knowing Christ and inspiring other women to seek Him by reading His Word curiously, listening to His Spirit, asking questions, exercising good hermeneutics, and clinging tightly to God through the storms of life. She has been married to her pastor husband Sean for over twenty years and has 4 children. Melissa has published five women’s Bible studies including Jeremiah: Daring to Hope in an Unstable World as well as the books Total Family Makeover and Total Christmas Makeover and travels with the Aspire Women’s tour teaching God’s Word to various groups of women across the country. www.melissaspoelstra.com
Micah Maddox is a women’s event speaker, Bible teacher, and author of Anchored In: Experience a Power-Full Life in a Problem-Filled World. She is passionate about helping women find purpose, peace, and calm in our chaotic world. As a pastor’s wife, mother of three, and foster mom, she contributes her time to her family and local church serving as a women’s ministry leader. Micah loves to give a voice to hurting hearts and writes to the one who needs encouragement. You can connect with her at micahmaddox.com and on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrsmicah/.
Weekend Team
Kaley Olson is the Senior Manager of the Creative Department at Proverbs 31 Ministries and has been on staff for almost five years. Her job involves overseeing the execution of all ministry promotions, co-hosting the Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast and producing content and promotional video shoots. Occasionally, Kaley gets to sit on the other side of the camera and make an appearance in COMPEL and First 5 weekend teachings. She and her husband, Jared, both serve in full-time ministry in Charlotte, NC. Outside of work, they enjoy an extra cup coffee on Saturday mornings, taking their dog on walks and making their claim-to-fame guacamole for friends.
Hannah Schindler is the First 5 Project Coordinator at Proverbs 31 Ministries. As the First 5 Project Coordinator, Hannah oversees and organizes projects for the team, including our audio teachings. She is a newlywed to Brian, and you can often find them shooting weddings on the weekends or in a local coffee shop. A true Charlottean, Hannah was born and raised in the Charlotte area and loves calling North Carolina home.
Melissa Taylor is the Senior Director of Online Bible Studies and First 5. She’s been on staff with Proverbs 31 Ministries for over 10 years. She has a heart and passion for the Word of God and considers it a high honor to work in ministry. Charlotte, NC is the place she calls home, where she lives with her husband, four children, and two sweet dogs.