OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM

Meet our pastor and leadership council.

To contact the Leadership Council, please email leadershipcouncil@riverwalkboston.church

Kat Hampson

PASTOR

  • Kat's call to ministry began when the Lord asked her, "Do you want to see people come alive?" Since then, she has sought to live into that call to see people and communities come alive in Christ.

    Kat started serving as pastor at Riverwalk/Highrock Brookline in April 2021 and has previously served with InterVarsity as a campus minister and at Highrock Quincy as worship pastor. She is ordained with the Evangelical Covenant Church denomination.

    As a Filipino-immigant-American having also grown up in the Middle East, she is a child of many cultural “intersections” and passionate about the intersection of the Church and racial justice, with the local church embodying mutuality and solidarity as part of the global Church.

    She lives in Quincy with her husband Ben, their very energetic son AJ, and their German shepherd dog, Bonnie. She is fond of karaoke, productivity life hacks, weighted blankets, good books, and copious amounts of sugar in her coffee.

Rebekah O’Donnell

LEadership council Chair

  • Rebekah has been a follower of Jesus for most of her life, and her understanding of Him continues to grow as she learns from the experiences of others. She's been a member of Riverwalk/Highrock Brookline since her youngest son was a toddler, and now her oldest is entering high school! Over the years she's been a Kidsrock storyteller, a small group leader, and most recently one of the leaders of the Racial Justice Ministry. Over her years at Riverwalk/Highrock Brookline, our understanding of the needs of our country and our local community has greatly increased, and she is excited to serve with the next generation of Riverwalk to meet those needs in visible, tangible, life-changing ways. She is a Brookline resident along with her husband Jim and her two teenage sons.

JUSTIN WONG

LEadership council Vice-Chair

  • Justin Wong was born and raised in Queens, New York where he lived up until he came to Boston for school. He went to Boston University for both undergraduate and graduate school and it was during his time there that he began attending Riverwalk/Highrock Brookline in 2015. He began serving on the worship ministry in 2017 and has also been involved on the regathering task force and nomination committee. Outside of church, Justin works as a physical therapist. He enjoys being active outdoors, cooking, and meeting new people.

KAREN HONG

LEADERSHIP COUNCIL SECRETARY

  • Karen was born in Seoul and lived in Taipei, Tokyo, and Sao Paulo prior to landing in New York when she was seven. She went on to live in Ohio, Connecticut, and Virginia before coming to Massachusetts for law school. She now lives in Brookline with her husband David, and their two daughters and continues to be amazed by God’s faithfulness both in the ordinary and in the extraordinary. Activities that give Karen joy include surveying the sky at twilight, listening to people’s stories, singing old hymns, sitting down to afternoon tea with a good friend, and laughing with her family members at their various antics.

picture of a woman who is our leadership councilor at large

LIZ ZHAO

LEadership councilOR-AT-LARGE

  • Liz is a Massachusetts native who has been at Riverwalk since 2016 (minus two years when she lived abroad in S. Korea). Over the years, she’s worn a few hats, but her favorite has been participating and being one of the leaders of the worship team and seeing God move in the small and big ways in this amazing community.

    Her day job is in the mental health field, and she’s passionate about the connection between mental health and faith.

    For fun, Liz enjoys spending time with her husband Peter and their two cats, traveling, walking, reading, watching a K-drama, or baking (all of which will most likely include a cup of coffee in hand).

TIM SHU

LEadership council TREASURER

  • He attends Highrock with his beautiful wife Steph and their two minions: Eva (5) and Eli (2). He was first introduced to Highrock through Steph’s ohana while they were dating at Boston College, and he was enticed to join Highrock once they were married. He’s served on Kidsrock, worship team, and the regathering task force, and is looking forward to what God has in store for the church in this new chapter!

    Email: thetimshu@gmail.com