Meet Our Staff

Rev. Dawn-Marie Singleton is the lead pastor at Cherrydale UMC. She came to us with her daughter, Sarah-Grace in July 2020. A native of Northern Virginia, Dawn-Marie graduated from Atlantic Christian College (now Barton College), where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in Religion. She earned her Master of Divinity degree from Duke Divinity School, Duke University, in Durham, NC. Ordained in 1993, she has been appointed in the Virginia Conference for 28 years. Before coming to Cherrydale UMC, Dawn-Marie served as the Director of Youth/Associate Pastor at Trinity UMC (Alexandria), Associate Pastor at Aldersgate UMC (Chesapeake), Senior Pastor at Kernstown UMC (Winchester), Keezletown UMC (Harrisonburg) and Oakton UMC (Oakton). Dawn-Marie loves spending time with her daughter, being in nature, photography, writing – both poetry and journaling and is currently writing a novel on kindness. She enjoys scrapbooking, swimming and gardening. She has a passion for youth, spreading God’s love, sharing random acts of kindness and wants to be sure everyone knows they are loved and valued by God.

Hello! My name is Bailey Jones and I am so excited to be a part of Cherrydale UMC! I graduated from Shenandoah University magna cum laude in 2020 with a degree in History Secondary Education. However, I felt that God was calling me to help youth in more ways than just teaching. I attend Wesley Theological Seminary and am on the Deacon track so that I may fulfill this calling. I am a Community Engagement Institute Fellow and am working on a project that involves mentoring justice impacted youth in and out of the system to break recidivism. I am so excited to work and have fun with your youth during weekly meetings, on mission projects, and more!

Angelina Shumway graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park with a Master’s degree in Vocal Performance and received a Doctoral degree in Musical Art in Vocal Performance from the Catholic University of America. She is an accomplished classical choral conductor and singer, having performed in Oratorios, Operas and has given many professional solo appearances with various orchestras. She collaborated with orchestras and choirs performing soprano solo roles in Oratorio including Creation, Messiah, Elijah, Requiem, Gloria and more. She has given hundreds of benefit concerts, fundraising recitals nationally, performed at the Kennedy Center, and the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC to name a few.

Dr. Shumway began playing the piano when she was three years old and has played the organ for church services since thirteen. She has been professionally serving various churches as the director of the Music ministry for over thirty years and has given several Praise Worship seminars in Canada and United States.

Mark Irchai (b.1996) is an American-Russian pianist and conductor. His concertizing has taken him across the United States and Europe, where he has become known for his diverse musical programming and multi-colored sound. He’s already received numerous awards, including 1st prizes at the XIV International Orfeo Music Competition, the George Mason University Concerto Competition, and the Golden Classical Awards International Music Competition. Most recently, he was awarded the Newton Swift Award in Collaborative Piano by the Mannes School of Music. Highlighted performance venues include Weil Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Steinway Hall, George Mason University’s Center for the Arts, the Embassy of Turkey to the United States, and two appearances at DOROT for their inaugural concert series for survivors of the Holocaust.

Equally comfortable in both solo and collaborative work, he’s performed with many orchestras and in collaboration with several singers and instrumentalists. Ensemble appearances as conductor and soloist include joining soloist the Mason Symphony Orchestra, the Mason Wind Symphony, and the Piedmont Symphony Orchestra. He’s also appeared as collaborative pianist with artists like Vasilisa Berzhanskaya, John Aler, and Marlisa Woods.

Julie Wright holds a BS in Business Administration degree from Wittenberg University and an MBA from Pittsburg State University. She is retired having two previous careers – corporate controller for several mining and manufacturing companies and the Chief Communications Officer for the Arlington County Chapter of the American Red Cross. She has two daughters who are married and live in N. Virginia and two grandsons. She also serves as Treasurer of the Kiwanis Club of Arlington.

Mitzi Holder has been Cherrydale United Methodist Church’s Administrative Assistant since August of 2015. She served in the United States Air Force for 12 years in a computer career field. She completed her Associates Degree in Computer Information Systems in 2003. Mitzi is a single mom who loves riding the scary park rides and going to the beach with her teenage son.