MEET THE STAFF
Rev. Will Zant
Senior Pastor
Will is from Jackson, Georgia, and grew up in the Jackson United Methodist Church. He received his Master of Divinity from Duke Divinity School. While at Duke, he met his wife, Blair, who is also a United Methodist minister. They have two children, Katie and Bethany. One of Will’s passions is to create a church that welcomes newcomers who are new to Haygood and to the faith. A lesser known fact about Will is that he served a summer church placement in Uganda.
Caroline Enright
DIRECTOR - CHILDREN AND FAMILY MINISTRIES
Caroline is a native of Smyrna, Ga., and grew up at Smyrna First UMC, where she was very active in the youth group. She is a graduate of Georgia Tech with a degree in Textile Engineering and has worked in technical sales. After two kids and a career change, she taught in the Haygood Preschool. As the Director of Children and Family Ministries, she is focused on growing and nourishing the spiritual lives of children and their parents. Caroline is currently pursuing a master’s in Christian Practice at Duke Divinity School with the hope of becoming an ordained deacon in the United Methodist Church with a focus on family ministry. In her spare time, she loves gardening, sewing, and watching as much baseball and football as possible. She lives in Morningside with her husband, Matt, and two boys, who are Haygood Preschool alumni.
Erich Wills
Director of Youth Ministry
Erich received a bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of West Georgia and a Master of Divinity from Candler School of Theology at Emory University. Before coming to Haygood, he was a youth pastor in Wedowee, Alabama, and Marietta, Georgia. Most recently he served as senior pastor for two small churches in Maysville, Georgia. Erich has been married to his wife, Rachel, for three years, and in their free time they enjoy cheering on their favorite college teams, UGA and Virginia Tech.
Wally Rice
Director of PASTORAL CARE AND Outreach
Wally Rice is a native Floridian, born in Jacksonville and raised in Ocala. After working in the restaurant industry for 15 years, in 1990 he moved to Moscow, Russia. He helped start a church in the Solntsevo section of Moscow that became part of the newly formed Russia Conference of the United Methodist Church. He met his wife, Julia, at a Bible Study there. They moved from Moscow, Russia, to Moscow, Idaho, in 1998. He joined the Haygood staff in 2002 and received his Master of Divinity from the Candler School of Theology in 2003. He loves singing in the Haygood Chancel Choir, serving at Wednesday Night Suppers, and leading and participating in small-group Bible study. He and Julia treasure their three children and their escapes to Florida beaches.
Timothy Spraggins
Director of Music
Haygood is honored to have Timothy Spraggins direct its Chancel Choir, Handbell Choir, and Children’s Choir program. He holds a B.A. in Music Education (Troy State University) and a Master’s of Music (Georgia State University) and is an experienced leader in choral music, music theatre, and general music in schools and churches in the metro area. Tim has served as Haygood’s Music Direector for over 15 years (1987 – 1995; 2015- present). Prior to returning to Haygood, Tim was the Director of Music and Arts at First Christian Church of Atlanta (1995-2013). In 2013 he worked as the Opera Company Manager at FIO Americas (Federation of International Opera Studies) in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
He has led music tours to Carnegie Hall and The Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (New York) on multiple occasions. His choirs have toured much of the United States and have received top ratings at music festivals and concert events.
Tim loves teaching music (Voice, Woodwinds, and Piano). He has served on the faculty of The Callanwolde Fine Arts Center and is current a teacher at The North Fulton School of Music and Cooper Music Studios (Atlanta). He has over 30 students ranging in age from 6 to 78.
As a member of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus, he performed many seasons under the batons of Maestros Robert Shaw and Yoel Levi. He has done post-graduate studies in Europe as well as at The Ohio State University and The University of Alabama. His primary teachers include Dr. Norma Raybon, Dr. Ann Howard Jones, Dr. Alan Raines and Dr. John Ratledge.
Tim is a member of the American Choral Directors Association and numerous honors organizations. At Haygood, Tim’s music programs serve more than 75 children and adults. His hobbies include traveling and touring great cathedrals, most recently in Barcelona, Italy and France.
Debbie Miller
Director of Recreation
Debbie holds a number of titles on and off the court. Many of her basketball records at Boston University, where she graduated cum laude, still stand. She was a U.S. Olympian, competed as a professional in Europe and South America, helped pioneer the American Basketball League, and was the general manager for the Atlanta Glory. Debbie founded Top of the Key, a premier provider of basketball training, camps, and clinics for players and coaches, and she is a children’s book author. She leads our beloved Haygood Hoops, now 90 teams and approximately 900 players in five gyms. Debbie received the Atlanta Hawks’ 2018 True to Atlanta Award, presented by Kaiser Permanente to honor leaders who build bridges in their communities.
Ellen Hopkins
Financial Secretary
A lifelong Methodist, Ellen was born and raised in Selma, Ala. She holds a B.A. in Art from Montevallo College, Montevallo, Ala., and a Master of Divinity from Candler School of Theology, Emory University. As a member of the North Georgia Conference, Ellen has held two appointments as senior pastor and five as a certified church business administrator. Ellen’s current tenure at Haygood is her third time with us! She and her two daughters attended here when Ellen was in seminary, she served as our business administrator 2005–2012, and she joined us again in the fall of 2018. We are happy she is “home”! Ellen enjoys spending time at the family cabin at Lake Junaluska, N.C.; painting with oils; and playing with her beautiful grandson.
Larry Williams
Custodian
Larry is from East Point, Georgia, the 12th of 13 children and a graduate of Russell High School. Larry is the proud father of three daughters and five grandchildren. He enjoys art and reads National Geographic — and he’s also a fan of the Dallas Cowboys and Alabama football and reads Track and Field. At Haygood, Larry says the staff and church members have created a warm, caring environment and are always ready to pitch in to help. He especially enjoys working around the kids. “They’re awesome,” he says!
Zoe Seiler
Assistant Youth Leader
Zoe is a native of Des Moines, Iowa, and grew up at Immanuel UMC, where she was very active in her church and youth group. She holds a bachelor's degree from Simpson College in multimedia journalism and political science. She began attending Haygood in 2019 and joined the staff in 2021. Zoe started volunteering with the Haygood youth group in 2020 and immediately fell in love with it. In addition to her day job as a journalist, she loves spending her time with the youth group, teaching them, playing games with them and going on trips. She is excited to see the youth group continue to grow and flourish.
Tess Welch
Children’s Ministry Assistant
Tess is a native of Houston, Texas. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Western Kentucky University. At Haygood, Tess is focused on the spiritual formation of the third, fourth, and fifth graders. Tess is a student at Candler School of Theology at Emory University, where she is pursuing a Master of Divinity. She hopes to be ordained as an elder in the United Methodist Church. Tess loves sharing her love for the Bible, Christianity, and the faith tradition.
Barrie Gagliardo
Facility Maintenance & Improvement Coordinator
Barrie grew up in Chicago then moved with her family to the Atlanta area during high school. She spent her professional career at Turner Broadcasting where she rose through the ranks until taking early retirement in 2015. Barrie enjoys home renovation projects and flipping houses, spending time on the beach in Mexico, and serving as a Board member for two Homeowner Associations.
Anna Trude
Associate Director of Music - Children’s Choirs
Anna grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina. As the daughter of two musical parents, she has been involved in music and singing all her life. After graduating from UNC - Chapel Hill, she began her teaching career. Upon moving to Atlanta, she taught elementary music and chorus in Fulton County Schools for 24 years. She lives in Marietta with her husband, Vic, and her dog, Ginger. She is excited at the opportunity to become part of the Haygood community and to work with the children's choirs.