Our Staff

Janelle Goetcheus
Medical Director, Co-Founder
Dr. Goetcheus is a co-founder of Christ House, Columbia Road Health Services, and Unity Health Care. She has received numerous regional and national awards that recognize her dedication to serving the health needs of the poor in Washington, DC. Most recently, in 2017, Dr. Goetcheus received the Philip W. Brickner National Leadership Award recognizing individuals who have significantly strengthened service and/or advocacy that addresses the health status of people experiencing homelessness.

Allen Goetcheus
Pastor and Director of Spiritual Life Program, Co-Founder
Rev. Goetcheus is an ordained elder in the Indiana Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church and serves as pastor and director of our Spiritual Life Program, including supervising chaplains. He also provides counseling to patients and Kairos members. Previously, he served as president of Christ House from 1985-2016.

Mary Jordan
Executive Director/CEO
Mary oversees all administrative operations of Christ House. She also has full responsibility for clinical operations of the Medical Unit to ensure provision of quality patient care. Mary has served on the medical staff at Christ House since November 1986, shortly after our inception. She is a graduate of Catholic University in Washington, DC, and is a Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner (CRNP).

Mari Lowe
Family Nurse Practitioner, Unity Health Care
Mari serves as a nurse practitioner at Christ House and provides evidence-based primary care with a special interest in addictions medicine. She graduated from Duke University’s MSN-Family Nurse Practitioner program and University of Wisconsin’s BSN-RN program. She is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner through the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.  

Lydia Olsen
Director of Development and Communications
Lydia works to establish and maintain relationships with donors and volunteers, seeking opportunities to share the important work of Christ House and receive funding to continue the mission. She leads grant-writing efforts, communication strategies, and development planning. To email Lydia, click here.

Kira Venturini
Development & Communications Associate
Kira processes donations, communicates with donors, and ensures our database is up to date. She also manages social media and creates content to keep our constituents in the know of the latest news at Christ House. Kira graduated Emerson College with a degree in Nonprofit Management & Writing. To email Kira, click here.

Angela Oehlerking 
Director of Finance
Angela is responsible for the oversight of budget development, financial monitoring and reporting, internal accounting compliance, and payroll. Before working as the finance officer for a transportation and logistics company for 10 years, she specialized in non-profit finance as the Vice President of Finance at the National Fair Housing Alliance for 13 years. Angela holds an MBA from Louisiana State University. To email Angela, click here.

Marisa Pashkin
Administrative & HR Manager
Marisa oversees the Human Resources department and supervises administrative operations at Christ House. She is responsible for administering employee benefits, creating and maintaining HR policies and procedures, processing and tracking accounts payable, and vendor management. Marisa graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 2017, after which she completed a year of service at Christ House before joining the staff.  

Abbey VanDiver
Administrative Assistant
Abbey is responsible for assisting office management with day-to-day operations. She orders supplies, assists with administrative procedures and supports our Administrative & HR Manager . Abbey graduated Bethel University with a degree in Political Science. 

John Bush
Addictions Counselor
John oversees the Addictions and Recovery Program for Christ House and the Kairos Program. Over the past 30 years, he has been a part of the recovery community assisting individuals struggling with co-occurring disorders, providing recovery support, substance abuse counseling, and coping skill development. To email John, click here.

Gloria Tinney
Kairos Clinical Support Coordinator
Gloria works closely with and advocates for the members of our Kairos permanent supportive housing program by providing medical case and medication management. She helps the residents navigate the health system to ensure they receive the best care possible by coordinating appointments, processing return referrals and collaborating with primary care as well as outside providers. Gloria moved to Washington in 1984 and joined Columbia Road Health Services soon after, worked part-time at Christ House during its first year before joining Kairos full-time in 2006.

Kelley Reed
Kairos Program Director
Kelley provides leadership to the Kairos Program, Christ House’s long-term addictions recovery community for men suffering from chronic illness. She works with program staff to operate and maintain the Kairos House facility and to foster a supportive environment that prioritizes residents’ medical needs, individual recovery, and connection with one another. Kelley holds a B.A. from Old Dominion University and an MSW from Virginia Commonwealth University. She served as a YLV from 2014-2015.

Miri Jung
Executive Chef
Miri oversees all aspects of our full-service kitchen and dining room: meal planning, selecting and acquiring ingredients and supplies, and maintaining a hospitable environment for our patients, Kairos members, and staff. With the goal of creating nutritious daily meals, Miri works with our kitchen volunteers and incorporates donations into the daily menu. A graduate of Texas A&M University and the French Culinary Institute, she has previously worked as a chef in restaurants in New York City, San Francisco, and France. To email Miri, click here.

Kevin McDonald
Cook
Kevin is responsible for preparing meals for patients and staff as well as working with volunteers to assist with dining room service. Kevin graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and has been cooking ever since. He has cooked in Guam, NYC, and all over DC. 

Micah Thompson
Sous Chef
As second in command in the kitchen, Micah supervises all kitchen staff and volunteers to prepare and serve three meals each day. Micah has previously worked in restaurants in DC and as a head cook at Safe Haven Outreach Ministries. 

Charles Anderson-Gray
Chaplain
Charles provides pastoral care and counseling for patients at Christ House and members of the Kairos Community.  This includes planning and participating in different worship services, leading various classes, providing spiritual life materials, and providing a friendly ear when it is needed.  He is a graduate of Hamilton College, Georgetown University, and Wesley Theological Seminary.

John Craig
Clinical Support Manager
John oversees all new patient intake coordination and the scheduling of patient transportation. He joined Christ House in 2007. Previously he supervised the homeless outreach clinics and the medical mobile van for Unity Health Care (Health Care for the Homeless) and worked as a medical assistant in various homeless clinics throughout the city since 1989. He served in the Peace Corps as a Tuberculosis Control Worker in South Korea and is a graduate of the College of William and Mary.

Bill Hepler
Case Manager
Bill works to ensure that patients obtain insurance, government entitlements, mental health support, substance abuse recovery treatment, housing placement assistance, and other supportive services designed to bring an end to their homelessness. Bill is a graduate of Virginia Tech and previously worked as an outreach worker, wherein he offered case management support to people living on the streets of DC.

Rick Thomas
Case Manager
Rick helps patients obtain insurance, government entitlements, mental health support, substance abuse recovery treatment, housing placement assistance, and other supportive services designed to bring an end to their homelessness. Rick is a graduate of Nyack College, Syracuse University, and Columbia University.

Jayme Epstein
Volunteer Program Coordinator
Jayme coordinates community life for the Year Long Volunteers who live at Emmanuel House and serve full time at Christ House. She also assists with the orientation of local Christ House volunteers and visiting work groups and with the coordination of the volunteer service of the members of our Kairos permanent housing program.