Emily Hodges Nyce is Founder/Director of Yaupon Place at Union Presbyterian Seminary, and Associate Pastor of First Mennonite Church of Richmond. She has been shepherding the vision for Yaupon Place since its inception, continually guiding it through new stages of growth and community visioning.

Yaupon Place is an outdoor park and public programming that facilitates healthy relationships within one's self, with each other, the earth, and spirit. It mimics the characteristics of the yaupon plant as the guide of its core values: (1) partnering locally for publically accessible programming, (2) restoring ecological health, (3) nurturing mind/body/spirit connections, and (4) reconciling past and present injustices through the power of a story. Learn more at www.yauponplace.org.

Emily holds a Bachelor of Arts in Religious and Intercultural Studies from Eastern Mennonite University, which included a full semester in the Middle East. She graduated from Union Presbyterian Seminary with a Master of Divinity in 2020. She has also completed a Certificate in Community Storytelling through the Hearth in Ashland, Oregon.

Emily has over a decade of professional experience working in ecumenical churches, non-profits, and volunteering to support local peace efforts. When not working, you can find Emily with her husband and their toddler daughter, enjoying time with family and friends, experimenting in the kitchen, or experiencing the goodness of music, art, and outdoor life.