OUR STAFF TEAM

Andrew Powars

Andrew has served with Karlayne as the Directors of Cru in DC since 2010. He grew up in the DC area (on the Virginia side) and graduated with a degree in Computer Information Systems at James Madison University. He loves playing sports, watching sports and reading about sports (in that order). Naturally an introvert, he is known to not like coffee, chocolate or fun. He also thought Christianity was absurd until God changed his heart, his mind and his life in college. Now he loves seeing lives redeemed by the Gospel.

andrew.powars@cru.org - 571.425.8607

Karlayne Powars

Karlayne has served with Andrew as the Directors of Cru in DC since 2010. She grew up in the Washington DC area (on the Virginia side) and graduated from James Madison University with a degree in Marketing Information Systems. She enjoys coffee, running, traveling and adventures. She has been to all seven continents, over 40 countries and still has a long dream list of places to go. She fell in love with Jesus highschool and loves to talk to people about Jesus, what he has done and continues to do in her life.

karlayne.powars@cru.org

Also part of the staff team are these four delightful and energetic Powars children!

(From Left to Right) Titus, AvonleaGrace, Judah, Behrens

Micah Martin

Micah grew up in Upstate New York, and studied Architecture at Virginia Tech, where he first got involved with Cru. His parents served in full-time ministry his entire life, and coincidentally the Lord called him to serve in ministry too. He loves Jesus and deeply desires for everyone to hear the gospel so that they might experience a relationship with God, and grow in their knowledge of Him. His hobbies include sketching, studying theological topics, playing soccer, and trading cryptocurrencies. His lovely wife Hannah is pictured on the left!

micah.martin@cru.org

Brooke Wheeler

Brooke grew up in Lancaster County, PA, and went to American University to study Public Health, Statistics, and Community-based Research. While at American she got involved with Cru and was captivated by Christ and the community she found in Cru. She is excited to be an intern this year and serve the Lord and other college students who are in the same place she used to be. Brooke loves to run, hike, and do almost anything outside.

brooke.wheeler@cru.org

Matt Caspero

Matt grew up in northeastern Maryland and graduated from the University of Maryland in 2018 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. While involved in Cru as a student at UMD, he thought full-time ministry was interesting but scary and got a job in engineering instead. But over time, he started to understand that working in ministry was a blessing–not a burden–and joined staff in 2020. Matt's favorite part of his new job is watching students come to the same realization, that following Christ always results in a more joyful life. In his spare time, Matt likes to explore D.C. for places with good and cheap food as well as great hiking trails with his wife Becca, and their dog, Libby.

matt.caspero@cru.org

Sarah Farrell

Sarah grew up in northern Virginia and graduated from Marymount University in 2019 with a degree in Interior Design. While at Marymount, she was introduced to Cru and was blown away by the community she found that was committed to pursuing authentic relationships with Christ and one another. This transformed her view of what it looked like to truly walk with the Lord. After graduating, she worked in Interior Design but wrestled with her passion for ministry. Finally, after several years, she felt called to leave her job and intern with Cru. Now she is excited to help cultivate an environment where other students can feel deeply known by God and by others. She is pictured here with her husband David and they can be found playing pickleball, hosting board game nights, trying new restaurants in DC and cuddling with their cat.

sarah.vaneck@cru.org