Colleen grew up in Upland, California, raised by faithful new Christians who also happened to be diehard Dodgers fans (don’t hold it against her). She started leading worship in 7th grade but never imagined it could become a vocation. After majoring in Biology at Westmont College—where she met her husband, Ryan—she earned a PhD in Environmental Sciences at UC Riverside. Then came a two-year detour in Bakersfield (a purgatory of sorts) before, by God’s grace, Ryan landed a job at SF State in 2007.

Since then, Colleen has worked as a contract researcher, writer, and consultant—a flexible career that’s allowed her to pursue God’s call to worship ministry, first at Temple Baptist (later Authentic Church) and now as Worship Arts Associate at City Church.

Colleen and Ryan have two daughters and live in the Outer Sunset, where she practices “agriprophecy”—the art of learning God's truths through dirt, roots, and the slow miracle of growth (and still waiting for summer to arrive).