Co-Founder | Photographer | Videographer | Podcast Host

Kevin Adelsberger and his wife Renae moved to Jackson for college (proudUnion alumni) and have stayed every since. Jackson has since taken hold of Kevin’s heart, and he looks forward to continuing to grow with the city. Kevin opened Adelsberger Marketing in 2014 and saw working with Our Jackson Home as a way that he could serve the city he loves. Kevin and Renae are members of First Baptist Church and volunteer with the youth group there and with Madison County CASA.

Writer

After graduating from Union University, Renae Adelsberger and her husband Kevin decided to make Jackson their home due to their love for their church, nonprofits, local businesses, and abundance of Sonic drive-ins. You can read more from Renae at www.pedestriangod.com.

Writer

Olivia Chin is the danger. She is also a writer, music aficionado, barista, and Union University graduate based in Jackson. Make sure to check out her personal music blog and to follow her on Twitter and Tumblr.

As a writer and photographer, Mattanah DeWitt's passion is telling stories that connect people and empower them to live on purpose. She is currently earning her B.A. in journalism at Union University, where she serves as managing editor for the school's magazine and online newspaper, Cardinal & Cream.

Cari Griffith is a photographer by trade who loves storytelling of all kinds. After a couple of years away in Nashville, she and her husband Rob decided Jackson was calling them home, and they moved back to their beloved Lambuth area neighborhood. Cari's other loves include gardening, cooking, sharing meals with her friends, and trying to talk Rob into getting a dog.

Writer

Gabe Hart Is an English and Language Arts teacher at Northeast Middle School. He was born and raised in Jackson, graduating from Jackson Central-Merry in 1997 and Union University in 2001. Gabe enjoys spending time and traveling with his daughter, Jordan, who is eight years old. His hobbies include reading, writing, and playing sports . . . even though he’s getting too old for the last one. Gabe lives in Midtown Jackson and has a desire to see all of Jackson grow together.

Co-Founder | Writer

Anthony Kirk wears the Starbucks green apron keeping Jackson caffeinated. When not connecting with coffee shop goers he’s reading a book by a campfire or getting lost on his bike riding the back roads of Madison County. Anthony lives in Jackson’s historical LANA neighborhood appreciating its comfort and classic feel. Admiring folks like Bonhoeffer, Donald Miller, and Jimmy Fallon, he knows that people have names as well as phenomenal stories. May those stories be told well and promote community.

Writer

Bo Kitzman is a senior at the University of Memphis' Lambuth Campus. Bo likes music and sports, but playing music is his favorite. You should buy Bo burritos. Bo loves burritos.

Co-Founder | Writer | Podcast Host

An Arkansas native, Luke Pruett moved to Jackson in 2002 to attend Union University and after becoming a Young Life leader and falling in love with the community of Jackson has committed to raising his family and having a career in West Tennessee. His wife April is his best friend, and his sons, Thomas (4) and Liam (2), are ballers and scholars. The Pruett family now lives in Memphis where Luke works for Choose901.

Writer | Photographer

Courtney Searcy likes to design things, take pictures, and write words that tell good stories about their community. Jackson became home after she graduated from Union University in 2014, where she studied Graphic Design and Journalism. She currently works as a graphic designer at BW Creative while continuing to make paper goods on the side. She thinks the best things in life are porch swings, brunch, art, music, and friends to share it all with. 

Megan Shulman is a transplant to the Jackson area after living all over the country. She works as the Technical Services Librarian at the Mildred G. Fields Public Library in Milan and is currently writing a book on her experience with electroconvulsive therapy.

Cynthia Sipes is a native of Alabama who moved to Jackson in April of 2016. She works at Starbucks full-time while pursuing an MA in Art Therapy. She is happily married and enjoys photography along with other creative endeavors.

Writer | Photographer

Kevin Vailes teaches whatever they ask him at the Augustine School in Jackson, though if he had his choice he would spend his time ruminating on the intricate complexities of the classical world and trying to get his Latin students to study their vocabulary. Kevin grew up in and around Jackson and went to Union University where he met his best friend and wife Elizabeth. They live in the Jackson’s historic LANA neighborhood in a 100+ year-old bungalow with their five children. He believes that stories are what bind us together and cause us to love and care for something, and he hopes that in sharing Jackson’s stories with you, you will fall in love with Jackson and care about it too.

Co-Founder | Podcast Host

After receiving his degree in theater from Union University in Jackson, Jim Wilhelm spent many years as a professional entertainer, writer, voiceover artist, actor, and comic in almost every state in the Union. Now he's back in Jackson and spreading the good word about the city we all love so much as one of the Co-Founders of Our Jackson Home. Make sure to check out his One Man With A Mic page on Facebook.

Writer | Photographer

Kristi Woody is a photographer and storyteller for our Hello Jackson features about locally owned retail stores and restaurants. She also works as the university photographer for Union University and owns her own wedding photography business, Woody & Pearl Photography. In her free time, Kristi enjoys spending time with her husband and rambunctious beagle, Rhett and Chipper respectively. If you can't find Kristi in Jackson, you'll find her in her second favorite place: Disney World!

Founding Editor