About Me

Dustin is currently serving as Pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church, an amazing Spirit filled church in Schenectady, NY, his first call after graduating from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia in 2014. During his final year of seminary, Dustin served as Communications Coordinator for Ecumenical Women at the United Nations, a position through which he greatly honed his skills in social media communications, web development, faith-based advocacy and connecting global concerns to the local context.

Dustin is a blogger, youth minister, evangelist and radical activist, who has preached in many congregations throughout Pennsylvania, New York and New England, served as a youth retreat chaplain at Camp Calumet in New Hampshire and has presented on global development goals as part of the Lutheran World Federation's Youth Journey to Climate Justice digital conference. He has also coordinated numerous congregation advocacy Sundays, particularly around issues relating to food and hunger. Last summer, Dustin co-organizing a young adult pilgrimage to the Holy Land on behalf of the ELCA's Peace Not Walls Campaign. He currently serves as Membership and Young Members Chair for the Schenectady Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club and as Vice President of the Schenectady Inner City Ministry Steering Committee.

He received a B.A. in Political Science and Religion (Islam Focus) from the George Washington University in 2008. While in college Dustin interned with a number of campaigns and organizations, including Paul Hodes for Congress and Senator Mark Warner's Forward Together PAC, in addition to serving in a variety of event-planning and management capacities on the student Program Board. As a seminarian he participated in a summer of clinical-pastoral education at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, engaged in a year of local faith-based advocacy with Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Pennsylvania, interned with the Lutheran Office for World Community and served as Vicar at Saint Peter's Church in New York City. After graduating from college, he spent a bit over a year helping individuals and families plan for their future with Thrivent Financial, a Christian financial services organization, while also working and worshiping with a mission-start faith community called by the way.

Dustin is an avid hiker, long distance runner, frisbee player and general outdoor enthusiast, although he hates mosquitos and using sunscreen. His roommate is a mischievous little puppy named Willy Bear.