Meet Our Pastoral Team
Who We Are
Paolo Esposito
Lead Pastor
Paolo Esposito serves as Lead Pastor of Washington Spanish Bilingual Seventh-day Adventist Church. Born in Argentina, he is married to Cindy, who is from Peru—although they met on neutral territory in Chile! Both are pastors’ kids, and together they have two amazing children, Christian and Eliana.
Paolo has served in ministry in a variety of roles and places and earned his Master of Divinity from Andrews University. He loves following Jesus and helping others discover the joy, purpose, and hope that come from following Him. He enjoys traveling, playing tennis, learning how things work (and occasionally taking them apart to find out), and, most of all, spending time and exploring new places with his family.
Will Johns
Executive Pastor
Will Johns serves as the Executive Pastor of our church. He believes that focusing on Jesus is the surest way to joy and peace.
​
He has nearly 25 years of experience, serving in diverse communities in California, Oregon, Tennessee, Virginia, and Maryland. He is the author of the book, Everything is Better Than You Think and co-producer with his brother Rick of the podcast of the same name.
In his free time, he loves hiking, trail running, traveling, golf, skiing and being with friends. He most enjoys the time he gets to spend with his beautiful wife Lori and their 3 children.
SamanthaLee Perez-Mitchell
Children and Youth Pastor
SamanthaLee Perez-Mitchell serves as our Children & Youth Pastor. She loves working with this demographic, as she remembers what it was like to "taste and see that the LORD is good" (Psalm 34:8) at a young age. It is her hope and mission that others experience the same. Therefore, she creates opportunities for people to meet Jesus.
SamanthaLee is a recent graduate from Southwestern Adventist University, where she received her degree in Theology. She loves to cook, travel, and make art.