Parish Staff
PEDRO GARCIA, SJN Director of Facilities, has many years of experience in facility maintenance and management. As facilities manager at SJN, Pedro is an essential part of the parish support staff in that he oversees just about every aspect of SJN’s 42 acres, including the church, school, and office building.
MARY (HOPWOOD) HEARNSBERGER, Parish Secretary, came into this world a parishioner of St. John Neumann. After graduating from Knoxville Catholic High School in 2003 and then the University of Tennessee with a B.S. in Special Education, she served in the restaurant industry for some time before being blessed with her role at SJN in 2012. She considers St. John Neumann a second home to her and her two children, Keeton and Collins, who both attend St. John Neumann Catholic School. Contact Mary at mhopwood@sjnknox.org.
JENNY MARTINEZ, SJN Development Assistant, graduated from Utah State University in 2001. Jenny and her family have moved multiple times but are happy to call Knoxville and St. John Neumann home for the past ten years. Her youngest son, Eli, is a student at SJNCS. Jenny works in Development and you may see her from time to time taking photos for the parish.
SARA MARQUARDT, Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry, graduated from Franciscan University of Steubenville with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theology and Catechetics with a Youth Ministry Concentration. She has years of volunteer experience working with youth in the Church from an early age. She has a deep desire to bring the love of God to all people, especially the young, taking the words of our Lord Jesus to heart when he says, “Let the little children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Matthew 19:14).
Sara is responsible for coordinating events for grades 5th-12th in the parish, including preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation; as well as facilitating events and opportunities for the young adults in the area. All as a way to provide a vibrant, fun, and faith-filled experience for the young people in our community. She is excited to be a part of the St. John Neumann family as we all strive to fall more intimately in love with our Lord through personal relationship with Him and one another.
SUSAN KULYNYCH MELHORN, Parish Accountant, has home schooled her three children over a span of twenty years. She holds a B.S. degree in Business Administration/Accounting. Prior to home schooling her children, she worked as a budgeting and cost accountant at Carlisle Syntec Systems and Aqua-Chem. Sue is originally from Pennsylvania but moved to Knoxville and has been a parishioner of SJN since 1990. Contact Sue at smelhorn@sjnknox.org.
ELIDE SANCHEZ-VALENCIA, Director of Ministries, is a business professional with more than 30 years of experience in Management, Finance, Health Care, and Information Technology. She gained extensive financial experience in the private and public sectors in Mexico and the U.S., working for various companies such as AW Chesterton, Gerber Products, PepsiCo., TeamHealth, Nationwide Insurance and holding several directive positions in the Government of Mexico. She holds a BS degree in Computer Science and a business minor from La Salle University in Mexico City. Elide is originally from Mexico. She and her family moved to Knoxville back in 2000 and have been SJN parishioners ever since. Contact Ellie at esanchez@sjnknox.org
PATRICK WADE, SJN Development, graduated from the University of Tennessee. Patrick previously worked in alumni affairs and major gifts fundraising at UT. In 2012 he joined the Pat Summitt Foundation, serving as executive director until July 2019. Patrick is responsible for seeking and obtaining funding to increase charitable giving to advance the mission of SJN Catholic Church and School. Patrick and his wife have two children: June and David. Patrick is thrilled to be part of the team at St. John Neumann, where he and his family are parishioners. Contact Patrick at pwade@sjnknox.org.
