Meet Our Staff

Rev. Todd Atkins-Whitley (Click to contact)
acting senior pastor 

In 2012, Todd’s (future) husband, Miguel, invited him to visit his church—Cathedral of Hope United Church of Christ in Dallas—on their second date. It would not be long until Todd joined that faith community as the call on his life began to re-awaken—initially through faith-based, LGBTQ activism that grew into intersectional justice work and community organizing.

Leaving a career in corporate communications, Todd moved to Berkeley in 2015 to attend the Pacific School of Religion, where he received a Master of Divinity in 2018. While at PSR, Todd’s work focused on spirituality and social transformation, and sexuality and religion. He served as a pastoral intern at Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco.

Todd previously directed communications for several justice-oriented, faith-based social justice organizations, including the Oakland Peace Center. He believes in the value of speaking one’s truth in love while also being present to the truths of others with grace and an open heart. He is passionate about the church expanding its welcome and open-and-affirming arms of welcome more broadly.

Todd was ordained by the North Texas Association of the South Central Conference of the United Church of Christ in July 2019 and came to DCC the previous March. Here at DCC his work centers around companioning our children, youth, and families specifically, and more broadly, companioning members of our congregation in their faith journeys and as we work together toward becoming anti-racists, individually, and an anti-racist church, corporately. Todd was named Acting Senior Pastor in May 2024 to hold space and maintain continuity during our pastoral transition.

Todd and his husband Miguel, who is active in ministry here at DCC and also sings in the choir, married in 2017, relocated from Texas in 2018, and now live in San Francisco. They have four grown sons, three amazing daughters-of-the-heart, and five grandsons who live in Texas and Oklahoma. They have found great joy in the rich diversity and vibrant culture of the Bay Area, relishing the natural splendor, diverse culinary scene, and vibrant house music culture the region offers. They have also found ‘home’ in the resilient and vibrant queer community here.

John Kendall Bailey (Click to contact)
music director

John Kendall Bailey joined the DCC staff in August 2016. John firmly believes in integrating music with the rest of the worship to create a unified, uplifting worship experience.

In addition to his work at DCC, John is the music director and conductor of several Bay Area orchestras, including The Civic Symphony Associations of San Francisco’s Mozart to Mendelssohn Orchestra, Mesopotamia Symphony Orchestra, and the Trinity Lyric Opera. A native of the Bay Area, John graduated from the University of California, Berkeley.

Anne-Marie Vanniasinkam (Click to contact)
office & communications manager

Anne-Marie began at DCC in 2021 as a Communication Specialist.  She took over the Office Administrator role in October 2022 and was promoted to Office and Communications Manager in June 2024.

Anne-Marie is from the Midwest but has lived in California for over 20 years. She has a background in marketing and is putting that to use at DCC through all DCC communications.  In addition, she manages all the general office and administrative tasks.

She lives in San Ramon with her husband and three kids. She loves to bake, run, read, watch her kids play soccer, and cheer on her favorite sports teams in her spare time.