District Leadership

                                                             Valley Ridge District Lay Leader                                                         Larry Dickenson, our Valley Ridge District Lay Leader. Elected at the District Conference in November 2022, he began his four-year term on January 1, 2023.

Larry and his wife, Stephanie, are long-time members of Raleigh Court UMC. He is a Certified Lay Servant and President of the Virginia United Methodist Housing Development Corporation. Larry grew up in Roanoke and following graduation from the University of Virginia with a B.S. in Architecture, he embarked on a 41-year career in construction management before retiring in 2017.

Connect with Larry Dickenson, Valley Ridge Lay Leader

  • by mail: 1706 Grandin Road SW, Roanoke, VA 24018
  • by phone or text: 540-354-8022
  • by email: [email protected]


The Valley Ridge District leadership operates in the District SAS (Simplified Accountable Structure) model.  

Valley Ridge District Leadership Board (DLB)

Rev. Doug Forrester- District Superintendent, Larry Dickenson- Lay Leader, *Dr. Nathaniel L. Bishop  *Mary Ann Cass, *Larry Creamer , *Jessica Dodson, Rev. Elizabeth Foss, Rev. Bret Gresham, David Grimm, Rev. Anita Mays Lucord, *Rev. Won Un, *Rev. Tina Yates

* function as Trustees

District Board of Church Location and Building (DBCLB)

Northern Area:  Rev. Doug Forrester, Rev. Brian Boettcher, Peggy Rosen, Rex Buel, William Bushman, Doug Urbaniak, Becky Grandle


Southern Area: Rev. Douglas Forrester, Ronnie Brooks, Debbie Brown, Rev. Doug Mitchell, Rev. Joanna Paysour, Patsy Sparks, Don Witt, Cynthia Martin, Dr. N.L. Bishop


District Committee on Ordained Ministry (DCOM)

South Team: Rev. Douglas Forrester Brenda Brooks, Tim Craft, Jennifer Fletcher, Doug Paysour, John Hemming, Jeff Wilson, Charlotte Keagy, Craig Newman, Hyeon Ho Lee, Marion Sortore (co-chair)


North Team: Rev. Douglas Forrester, Peter Baesick Choi, Tom Davis, Leigh Iberg, David Vaughan, Bud Davis, Eileen Gilmer, Hung Su Lim, Jonathan Greer (co-chair)