CAPITAL CHURCH
Staff & Leadership
Capital is an autonomous church community under the direction of our board of directors and the leadership of our staff. We depend on our board for wisdom and accountability in major decisions, and our staff leads our church in managing the everyday operations of all facets of ministry. We are humbled and energized to build disciples within Capital’s community!
As Capital’s senior leader, Troy has the primary responsibility for leading our organization and teaching at most weekend services. He manages our Leadership Team and identifies and implements the strategic direction of Capital. Troy is also the Chair of Capital’s Board of Directors. As one of the founding team members of Capital, Troy served the church as Executive Pastor for six years before becoming the Lead Pastor in the spring of 2004. Troy is (very slowly!) working on his PhD in leadership through Fuller Theological Seminary. He’s studying how leaders create environments in which feedback is easier to give and receive. Troy is a big fan of chocolate chip cookies and spending time with his girls – wife Suzanne, and their daughters Emma, Alyssa, and Morgan.
Fun Fact:
Troy was Homecoming King
McKenzie provides leadership in the areas of staff and ministry management, finance, and human resources. She also is primarily responsible for strategic volunteer development, leading our Outreach Ministries to serve people in our community and world, and has oversight of internal and external communications. A member of the Capital Leadership Team, McKenzie is passionate about connecting people at Capital through these areas. She developed a tireless work ethic, energy, and enthusiasm during her years in the private sector at a major corporation and is overjoyed to pour that energy into ministry. You can usually find McKenzie on the stage with the worship team at a weekend service or indulging in her favorite guilty pleasure, nachos.
Fun Fact:
McKenzie used to be a competitive ski racer.
Brandon joins the Capital staff after 10 years working for Adventures in Missions where he served in Eswatini, Africa for 7 years. Brandon has extensive experience with pastoral engagement, team, and project management, as well as web development and information technology.
Brandon will serve as an Associate Pastor with a focus on weekend operations and online engagement, pastoral care, various ministry oversight, and information technology.
Fun Fact:
Coming Soon…
After successfully serving as an intern at Capital, Emma now leads our early childhood program in Capital Kid’s Ministry as well as offers valuable leadership in our Young Adults and Students Ministries, communication, and social media. Emma is a gifted teacher and brings an incredible work ethic full of creativity to the team.
Fun Fact:
Emma is the Capital Staff expert on all things Taylor Swift.
Suzanne primarily serves as our Worship Leader, inspiring people to engage God through music. She directs a talented group of musicians each week. Additionally, she has oversight of Kid’s Ministry and will often be seen holding a baby. Suzanne has a Bachelor of Arts in Sacred Music from Evangel University. She deeply enjoys devouring a good book and scoops of mint chocolate chip gelato (simultaneously). But nothing makes her happier than spending time with her husband, her three daughters, and her dog Snowy.
Fun Fact:
Suzanne is a diehard fan of Florida State Football.
You may know Molly as she has been part of Capital’s community for several years and has served on Capital’s Small Group Leadership team. Molly moved to Utah from Chicago where she worked as a teacher and has served as an Executive Assistant to her Lead Pastor at a former church.
Molly joins the team as an Executive Ministry Assistant and will assist Troy and McKenzie with various projects as well as support the logistics and administration of several components of weekends, pastoral care, and ministries.
Fun Fact:
Coming Soon…
Eric works closely with our Care & Support and Outreach ministries and provides our community with pastoral care. Eric uses his administrative skills as our database champion, and he also partners with our Executive Pastor on financial oversight. Be on the lookout for Eric in the back of the room in Salt Lake, as he keeps our Saturday services running smoothly! He has been a longtime partner of Capital, having served as a missionary through Get Relational Ministries – an organization he started with a passion for education in Uganda.
Fun Fact:
Eric has a daughter and granddaughter who live in Uganda.
Tim is gifted in creating opportunities for our community to encounter God through worship. He is an integral part of the team as he leads worship for Students & Young Adult ministries as well as partners with Suzanne on worship for weekend services. Tim is a former college basketball player and continues to fuel his passion for the game by coaching youth.
Fun Fact:
Tim has played basketball against LeBron James twice.
Paul combines his experience in Masters Commission with his deep love of the Bible to unleash a passion for Jesus in our community. His teaching brings the bible alive across generations as he teaches on weekends, and in Capital Kids alike. A passionate storyteller and talented creative, Paul also brings his love for visual storytelling to the team as a videographer. Paul loves to read and write, but what you may not know is that he spent a decade as a touring musician.
Fun Fact:
Paul’s two children are named after his favorite authors and musicians
Kelly was born and raised in Moab, Utah, and has lived in Utah his entire life. Kelly brings over 20 years of design and strategic brand experience to the team. More often than not, if you see it at Capital, Kelly has a hand in it. He has a passion for creating inspiring and engaging ways to connect people in discipleship with Jesus. He and his wife Shelli have three boys, Noah, Brooks, and Milo. When he isn’t making pretty things at Capital, he can be found traveling and enjoying adventures outside with his wife, coaching soccer, wrestling with his boys, playing a good game, taking in a good movie, or enjoying a good cookie.
Fun Fact:
In his free time, Kelly is a premiere level youth soccer coach.
Kim knew she wanted to be in ministry at age 16 when she became a Christian as part of a multigenerational small group. She now passionately leads Capital’s Small Groups Ministry and loves to help everyone plug into community finding spiritual friendships. She also spearheads NEXT, Capital’s track to plug people into the life of the church. Kim has a BA in English from Vanguard University and her teaching degree from the University of Utah. Kim has many years of full-time ministry experience in both planting and leading. Kim has been part of Capital for many years and we are thrilled she brings her gifts to the team. Kim adores Monterey Bay and loves to kayak with the otters and of course, spend time with her family.
Fun fact:
Kim taught History for 14 years and won the National History Teacher of the Year award for the state of Utah in 2016.
Kelly serves as Associate Pastor with oversight of pastoral care and several ministries. Additionally, she manages various administrative and pastoral responsibilities for our Lead Pastor. Prior to moving to Utah, Kelly has experience as a missionary in the Middle East, as an Executive Assistant to two Assemblies of God Network Pastors, and as the founding Lead Pastor of Eastside Community Church near Columbus, Ohio. A published author, Kelly is passionate about helping people discover their God-given potential. Kelly shares three precious children with her husband Greg. When she’s not serving at Capital or spending time with her family, she may literally be found standing on her head (her hidden talent!).
Fun Fact:
Kelly is a big fan of Costco white sheet cake
Isaac has a long history of working with kids as a children’s pastor in Minnesota, a sixth grade teacher in Japan, and as a wilderness field instructor. Many of you may know Isaac as the voice of Howie, our beloved puppet seen downstairs and at family services. We are thrilled to have Isaac’s brainpower dedicated to innovative ideas and fun-filled events as we lead Kids and families in their discipleship to Jesus!
Fun Fact:
Isaac is a talented photographer and has a hidden talent of juggling fire.
Capital Interns
Austen moved to Utah 3 years ago and we are thankful she shares her talents with our community through leading worship across multiple ministries including the weekend services, students, and young adults. Austen also serves as part of our Small Groups leadership team and brings support to churchwide communication and social media. If you have a Planning Center question, Austen is your go-to to get it sorted.
Fun Fact:
Austen is a song writer and you might just hear one of her worship songs at a Capital weekend service.
Samu has an unquestionable calling of leadership on his life. Samu serves on the young adults and students leadership teams and is part of the newly formed Creative team. Whether crushing a students lip sync battle or digging into a small group discipleship study, Samu has a unique gift of making those around him find joy in the moment and feel seen and safe.
Fun Fact:
Samu is quite the chef and grill-master.
Trevor is newly married and has a super cool dog named “Gus!”
“Swae” handles all things building-related at Capital. From managing vendors to supporting ministries with supplies and set up, Swae helps us create environments for people to know how loved they are and welcome them into discipleship to Jesus. Swae also has a deeply pastoral heart and is passionate about Students and Young Adults ministry. Setting the tone for our weekend gatherings, Swae is a calm force that takes care of logistics with ease.
Fun Fact:
Swae is a Nike shoe aficionado
Capital Church Board
Carol’s professional background is in the field of dentistry and medicine. She has 15+ years of experience culminating in a role as the executive administrator of 5 clinics covering the majority of the State of California. After she and her husband began serving on short-term mission trips, they saw desperate need for medical expertise. Throwing herself fully and faithfully into God’s calling, Carol acquired training specifically on dental extraction to meet the community demand. She also spent one year living in France to learn French in preparation for a move to Mali. Leaving at the peak of their careers in California, the Gilillands committed to full-time missionary work at Hopital Femme et Enfants. During her 4 years in Mali, Carol helped set up an operative dental clinic which is still functioning well today. Her humble strength and confidence in Jesus is evident in the ways she fully serves and loves others. Even among these great accomplishments, Carol is most proud of her children and wonderful husband, John.
Fun Fact:
Carol is a big fan of Mexican and Thai food but will not eat liver.
Larry Kraiss is a physician at the University of Utah. He is a graduate of Vanguard University of Southern California and Baylor College of Medicine and took his residency training at the University of Washington in Seattle. One of the founding couples of Capital, Larry and his wife Karen are parents to three adult children, and enjoy living in Utah for the hiking, snowshoeing, and biking. Larry’s passion in ministry is in the integration of faith and learning. He likes a good plan, stimulating conversation, and he prefers to avoid clutter and chaos. He is most proud of a long, committed marriage to Karen and can turn almost any meal into a special occasion.
Fun Fact:
Larry thought he wanted to be an architect when he grew up (Don’t tell Rob!) but pretty quickly found out he was a lousy artist.
Rick is a Director of Corporate Advisory Services at the commercial real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield. He is known in the industry for his unwavering integrity and honesty, paired with meticulous attention to detail. Prior to his career in real estate, Rick developed and sold a sportswear distribution company stemming from his time as a professional ski racer. In ministry, Rick is passionate about worship and seeing people grow spiritually as they transition from going to church on a Sunday to having a daily relationship with Jesus. Rick’s true loves are snowstorms, enchiladas and his wife, partner, and best friend, Jude.
Fun Fact:
To this day, Rick is the only individual-sport athlete in his high school history to win the Most Outstanding Athlete Award (tennis AND ski racing).
Rob graduated college with a Bachelor’s of Architecture from Virginia Tech and spent the first eleven years of his career working on large commercial projects for architectural firms in Salt Lake City. When he and his wife Heidi began having children, he began his own venture, SugarHouse Architects, so he could have the flexibility to be more involved in raising his two boys. Work keeps him very busy, though he has been known to play hooky on a big powder day! Rob and his family love living in the mountains of Park City where they ski, mountain bike, and have their own opportunity to enjoy the beauty of God’s creation. Rob is passionate about serving in ministry behind the scenes and helping others to see that beauty as well.
Fun Fact:
Rob enjoys cooking breakfast for his family on Saturday mornings.