Virginia-Highland Staff

Rev. Michael Piazza
Senior Pastor

Rev. Michael Piazza is a spiritual visionary, author and social justice advocate who comes to Virginia-Highland Church after 23 years with the Cathedral of Hope in Dallas, Texas. Under his courageous leadership as senior pastor and later dean, the Cathedral of Hope made religious history by reclaiming Christianity as a faith of extravagant grace, radical inclusion and relentless compassion while becoming the world’s largest liberal Christian church with a predominantly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender outreach. Rev. Piazza also is the co-executive director of the Center for Progressive Renewal, which is renewing Progressive Christianity by training new assertive leaders, supporting the birth of new liberal/progressive congregations, and by renewing and strengthening existing progressive churches. In addition, he serves as President of Hope for Peace & Justice, a non-profit ministry whose mission is equipping progressive people of faith to be champions for peace and justice.

A native of Georgia, Rev. Piazza has pastored churches in Texas, Georgia, Oklahoma, and Florida. He holds Bachelor degrees in history and psychology from Valdosta State College and a Master of Divinity from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta.

The "Advocate" magazine named Rev. Piazza one of the most influential people in the gay and lesbian movement (August 1999). His published books include Liberating the Gospel; Liberating Word, A Daily Reflection for Liberals, Volume One: The First Testament; Gay by God: How to be Lesbian or Gay and Christian (formerly Holy Homosexuals); Queeries: Questions Lesbians and Gays have for God; The Real antiChrist: How America Sold its Soul; Prophetic Renewal: Hope for the Liberal Church; and the recent release from Pilgrim Press Liberating Hope: Daring to Renew the Mainline Church, co-authored with Rev. Cameron Trimble.

Rev. Piazza and his partner, Bill Eure, have been together since 1980 and have two daughters.

Rev. Cameron Trimble
Co-Pastor

Co-Pastor Rev. Cameron Trimble also is the co-Executive Director and CEO of the Center for Progressive Renewal. She most recently served as an advisor to the Congregational Vitality and Discipleship Team of Local Church Ministries for the United Church of Christ and as Associate Conference Minister of Church Development in the Southeast Conference of the UCC. In her ministry in the national setting, Rev. Trimble was responsible for the development of national strategy for birthing new churches. In her conference setting, she directly oversaw the birthing of churches throughout the Southeast Conference. Each setting has given her a unique perspective on the challenges of cultivating leaders equipped to meet the needs of the future of mainline Protestantism.

Rev. Trimble is an adjunct professor teaching church planting and renewal with the Pacific School of Religion and Chicago Theological Seminary. She co-authored the book Liberating Hope with Michael Piazza.

With this wide experience and exposure, Rev. Trimble is convinced that the future of the progressive mainline church is dependent upon our ability to cultivate the highest quality of leadership in both ordained and lay leadership.

David Plunkett
Director of Church Life

David Plunkett has worked with Rev. Michael Piazza since 2002, first for the Cathedral of Hope in Dallas, Texas; then for Hope for Peace & Justice and the Center for Progressive Renewal. During this time, David was involved in several church starts and revitalization efforts, helping to plan worship and organize lay-led ministries, as well as coordinating all communication and publicity efforts.

With a degree in Communication Studies from Northwestern University in Evanston Illinois, David spent three years in syndicated television promotion for the Walt Disney Company. David has worked with writers and producers from various media outlets including the “Dallas Morning News,” “Newsweek” magazine, and “Larry King Live.” He also has been privileged to serve as Rev. Piazza’s primary proofreader and editor for everything that he has written since 2002, including seven books and countless sermons and articles.

David is also an actor and a three-time Leon Rabin Award (Dallas Theatre League) nominee, winning in 2002 for Best Supporting Actor in a Play for Kitchen Dog Theater’s “Some Explicit Polaroids,” which also earned a Dallas-Fort Worth Critics Forum award for Outstanding Ensemble.

Anna Mitchell Hall
Director of Community Outreach

Anna Mitchell Hall is a Ph.D. student in adult education at the University of Georgia. She also serves as a membership database manager for the Interfaith Children’s Movement, which advocates on behalf of Georgia’s children. In addition to her community outreach work, Anna helps to plan and lead worship. A native of Moultrie, Georgia, she holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and a Master of Public Administration from Valdosta State University, and a Master of Divinity from Candler School of Theology at Emory University.

Anna, who also sings in the choir, is married to Jim, an advanced placement history teacher and golf coach at Lithonia High School. She and Jim live in Scottdale in a 100-year-old house they are renovating.

Jeff Ayers
Director of Music

Jeff Ayers has served on the music staff of Virginia-Highland Church since 1997. As Director of Music, Jeff shares the responsibilities as organist and choir director with Associate Director Scott Dunn. Jeff believes that music is the glue that holds the worship experience together, and he strives for a musically diverse service that assists the congregation in the worship of God while creating a spirit of emotion. Jeff is president of Allen Organ Studios of Atlanta, a business dedicated to design, sales, installation and service of church organs throughout Georgia and Tennessee. Jeff attended East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina, majoring in church music with concentration in voice and organ.

He is an active member of the American Guild of Organists and the American Theatre Organ Society. He also donates a good deal of time to helping other organists understand the organ and how to use it effectively in both contemporary and traditional worship services. He also is the president of A&F Ventures, a flat-fee real estate company, that is currently in the top 11 real estate companies in the United States.

J. Scott Dunn
Associate Director of Music

Scott Dunn joined Virginia Highland Church’s music department in 2007. As a team, Scott and Music Director Jeff Ayers are responsible for planning, executing and evaluating the incorporation of music in the life of the church. Scott strives to prepare and create theologically sound, eclectic musical experiences that encourage the faith community to participate in the worship of God, meditatively or demonstratively. He has been singing and playing church music since he was four years old. By age 13, he was the staff musician at his hometown church and toured the Southeast as accompanist for several regional gospel groups.

After graduating from the University of North Carolina, Scott moved to Atlanta, where he has accumulated more than 25 years of musical leadership experience at several area churches. He has completed coursework in theology, worship and preaching at the Interdenominational Theological Center and Candler School of Theology at Emory University. Scott is an information developer for Oracle America, a Mac fanatic, a sci-fi geek and a die-hard Tarheel. He lives in Buckhead with his partner, and spaniels Alfie and Jack Dunn.