Meet Our Staff

The Hope House Staff have one thing in common... they love the mission! Okay, maybe two, they also love dessert.

Rev. Tricia Dillon Thomas

Executive Director  

​Tricia is the Executive Director of the Hope House. She graduated from Columbia Theological Seminary in 2006, and before moving to Chattanooga, was a pastor at a new church development in Sarasota, Florida. Tricia was called as the Executive Director to Hope in 2014. She also serves as the Co-Pastor of Renaissance Presbyterian Church where students at Hope partner in ministry. Tricia loves to participate in the reconciling work of Jesus Christ and for her that begins with building relationships. Tricia believes in  Hope's mission of sharing God's love and hospitality to all God's children. She loves to dive into the biblical text and encourages students to ask questions as well as listen to how the Holy Spirit is speaking through one another for our calling into the world. In her free time Tricia enjoys reading, hiking, eating, and laughing with her friends and family.  You'll also find her standing around eating Terry's tasty meals and declaring each one her favorite.

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Terry Paris 

director of hospitality

​Terry is Hope House’s Director of Hospitality. Since joining the ministry full-time in 2013, Hope has experienced exponential growth in a big part to Terry’s warm heart, contagious laugh, and good home cooking. Terry is the epitome of a Renaissance Woman-if you look around the house, every room, from the furniture to the walls, have her touch- decoupaged cabinets, the addition of lights, and even refurbished furniture found on the side of the road. One of the ways Terry shares her love is through her cooking, and she feels like she is making a difference when she knows students are fed and know they can count on Hope for their next meal. Some of Terry’s best Hope recipes can be found on her Pinterest board. In her free time Terry enjoys working in her garden, taking on home­ improvement tasks, or finding her next project on Pinterest. But most of all, Terry enjoys being a grandmother.

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