LyAnna Johnson grew up in Odessa, TX. She did not grow up attending church much, but she had her first “heart strangely warmed” experience when she attended church with a friend in elementary school. She attended Texas Tech University where she participated with the Wesley Foundation and obtained her BA in political science. The summer following graduation, she worked at Texas Lions Camp, a camp for children with disabilities. This was a transformative experience in her life. She then moved to Austin and spent the next few years going back and forth between political campaigns and working as a staffer at the Texas Capitol. She also earned a master’s in Public Affairs from the LBJ School at UT Austin in 2009.

Feeling disillusioned with politics, she began to wonder what was next. She moved to Houston and worked for a large nonprofit. She was very curious about all things theological, so she began a part-time Seminary program at SMU’s Houston-Galveston extension campus. Even then, she did not know where the road would lead. Ethics seemed to be her niche as it was the intersection of politics and theology, but a wise internship coordinator advised her to intern at a church. Within 2 weeks, she had fallen in love with parish ministry. More than a decade later, she still loves the wild and wonderful work of being a pastor.

In her spare time, LyAnna loves listening to audiobooks, creating art, advocating for justice, and spending time outside. She lives in south Austin with her husband, Rob Doyle, son, Theo, and their rescue dog, Solly.