About Katina Sharp
Katina moved to Knox County from her birthplace of Perry, Oklahoma just before starting first grade. She attended Knox County Schools for elementary, middle, and high schools and graduated from Bearden High School in 1998. She attended The University of Tennessee for her undergraduate studies and received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in 2001. She immediately went to work for Covenant Health, working in mental health and substance abuse, primarily with children, youth, and families, at Peninsula Lighthouse. She later served as a counselor at Fulton and South Doyle High Schools.
Katina took a break from her career to be a stay-at-home mom to her four sons: Jackson, Ethan, Aaron, and Nolan. These were precious and busy years, with her children active in the Knoxville Youth Symphony Orchestra, School of Rock, and various sports leagues.
As her children got older, Katina became drawn to ministry and attended seminary at the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary, receiving both a Master of Divinity (2017) and a Doctor of Ministry (2023). She was ordained as a Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and took a call to be the pastor of Powell Presbyterian Church in 2018, where she still serves today. Powell Presbyterian is known for its radical hospitality, heart for service, and deep love for both God and neighbor.
While faith is central in Katina’s life, Separation of Church and State is an important principle that guides Katina’s value system. As such, she is currently an intervenor in a lawsuit about the constitutionality of a religious public charter school that is attempting to open in Knox County, which would divert taxpayer dollars away from public schools and into a religious school.
Katina, her partner Whitney, and the boys still at home live in the Cedar Bluff area with their two dogs Shostakovich and Rosemary Jane. Katina enjoys Broadway musicals, growing vegetables in their fantastic raised-bed garden, traveling anywhere warm, and enjoying a coffee with a good book.
