Doug Forrester is the the District Superintendent of the Valley Ridge District of the United Methodist Church in the Virginia Conference. He is married to Tracy Forrester, a teacher in the Roanoke County Public Schools. Together they are the parents of Ellen and Claire. He was born in Richmond, Virginia and graduated from Emory & Henry College (B.A.) and Duke University Divinity School (M.Div.). He was ordained to ministry in the United Methodist Church in 1996. He has served congregations in Newport News, Prince George (VA), Crozet, and Richmond. He has been a part of the faculty of the Virginia Conference Licensing School and was the leader of the team that created the Virginia Clergy Leadership Program. He is a former member of the Virginia Conference Board of Ordained ministry and has been a workshop leader at numerous gatherings for new clergy in the provisional process. When not working, he likes to write, compose, and record music.