Our Team
Katie Heishman
Yaupon Place Program Director
Rev. Katie Heishman is a child of the Blue Ridge Mountains and lover of the James River. She loves baking with figs and herbs from her garden, leading groups and individuals through spiritual practices, and spending time learning from the creation.
Katie has served as a conference coordinator, pastor, camp program director, labyrinth facilitator, retreat leader, and most recently as Pastoral Director at Richmond Hill. She currently serves Union Presbyterian Seminary as the Coordinator for Community and Hospitality Initiatives and is honored to continue the good, meaningful work of Yaupon Place as Program Director.
Please reach out to Katie if you are interested in hosting an event or collaborating with Yaupon Place.
Our Partners
Yaupon Place Founder:
Emily Nyce
Emily Nyce (she/her) founded the vision of Yaupon Place as her capstone internship while pursuing her Master of Divinity at Union Presbyterian Seminary. Upon graduation in 2020, Emily stayed working alongside the seminary for the next three years guiding the landscaping plans, community programming and partnerships, and academic integration of Yaupon Place with a host of many other committed individuals, interns, and NGO partnerships. Yaupon Place was truly born through a grassroots effort of the Spirit, much like Jesus’ parable of the mustard seed - which inspired yaupon place’s name and founding values. Emily’s original eight “eco-meditations” written specifically for engagement with the land of Yaupon Place are available by contacting Emily directly, and the seminary will be happy to put you in touch with her.