Staff
Rev. Elisabeth Shelton Hartwell, Pastor (hilandpastor@gmail.com)
Since February 2018, Elisabeth has served as Hiland’s pastor and head of staff. As she
often tells the congregation at the start of Sunday morning worship, she believes church
should be a safe place. She hopes that everyone who comes to Hiland feels welcome to
explore faith’s deep questions, joys, and struggles as they come together to form a
loving, genuine family of faith committed to serving the North Hills community.
Ordained by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) as a minister of the Word and Sacrament
in October 2006, Elisabeth served two churches in southeastern PA before coming to
Hiland. Prior to this, she completed a hospital chaplain residency. She is currently
pursuing a Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) with a focus in Christian Spirituality.
Elisabeth’s greatest blessing in life is being mommy to her daughter and son, and she is
also a devoted dog mom to two German Shepherds. She loves to spend time with her
family and her partner, Ben, read, listen to audiobooks, and do yoga.
Rebekah Little, Director of Christian Formation (hilandbekah@gmail.com)
Bekah is very excited to be here at Hiland! She has been doing youth ministry, either as a volunteer or professionally, since she was in high school all around the Pittsburgh area. In her off time, Bekah likes to watch and participate in theater, read, do crafty things, go to the movies, and be the best Aunt to her 4 nieces and nephews. She also loves to talk about all things Disney!
Michael Busija, Director of Music Ministries (hilanddmm@gmail.com)
With great joy, we share that we've welcomed our new Director of Music Ministries, Mr. Michael Busija. Michael possesses a strong faith and clear gifts for leadership, and the search committee was impressed by his engaging personality and conversational skills.
Dorothy McNaugher, Financial Secretary (dmcnaugher.hiland@gmail.com)
Dorothy was born and raised in the Pittsburgh area. She grew up Lutheran and lived on a yellow brick road in Mars, PA. She married Bill (a Hiland member since 1952) at Hiland and has been a Hilander for 38 years. They have 2 daughters, 1 son and 1 grandson. She's been a Deacon, taught Children's Sunday School and VBS and has been involved with the Youth Group since 1987. As part of the "helping hands" kitchen crew, you can usually find her in the Fellowship Hall kitchen or the finance office (old maid's quarters) in the Administration building.
Diane Bova, Administrative Assistant (hilandchurchoffice@gmail.com)
Diane lives in Ross Township with her husband, Aaron, their three children and five pet chickens. All three of their children attended Hiland Preschool, where Diane now serves as a member of the Preschool Board. They are an active Scouting family, with Diane serving as a Girl Scout Co-Leader and Cookie Manager, and Aaron as a Scouts BSA Volunteer for their sons, supporting their growth through new experiences and service opportunities. As a family, they enjoy Harry Potter, Star Wars, all things Disney, and spending time baking and crafting together.
Amy Whipple, Summertime Administrative Assistant (hilandchurchoffice@gmail.com)
Amy is our Summertime Administrative Assistant. In a previous life, Amy spent eight-ish years as the admin for Sixth Presbyterian Church (where she's been a member for almost 20). She is quite grateful that the Revs. Ben and Sarah Robbins introduced her to the wonderful people of Hiland. Amy is also a freelance journalist and is working on a book about the history of juvenile incarceration in Allegheny County. She will gladly talk about this at length. In the offseason, Amy teaches writing at the University of Pittsburgh and will soon do the same at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. Propping all this up is a wonderful wife, son, and four step kids. (She will gladly talk about them at length, too.)