Tara has loved Jesus for as long as she can remember. She was raised in a Christian home by godly parents, and grew up going to church whenever the doors were open. She trusted Jesus as her Savior when she was only five years old at a Billy Graham Crusade. However, her faith really started growing in middle school when she did her first Bible study: Experiencing God Youth Edition .
She met Jamie in youth group, and they were married 6 years later. They were blessed with two sets of twins: Natalie & Nathan and Samuel & Samantha. They lovingly refer to them as the 'Nats' and the 'Sams.' And all four of them are the 'Dew Crew' (or in New Orleans they spell it 'Dew Krewe'). Tara’s primary ministry is to her family, as many hours of each day are spent homeschooling, training and discipling their four children.
When Tara was a sophomore in high school, she felt God's call into ministry. Over the years, this has taken on many different forms. She served as a Pastor's wife for almost 10 years, where she served in AWANA, coordinated the nursery volunteers, led the women's Bible study, and helped with hospitality events. When Jamie transitioned out of the pastorate to academia, Tara became a Dean's wife. (Jamie was the Dean of the College at Southeastern in Wake Forest, NC.) In the local church, Tara continued serving in both women's and children's ministries. She co-directed her church's Women's Internship, served in AWANA, and loved teaching women the Word of God in their small group and discipleship classes.
On June 5, 2019, Jamie was elected the President of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in New Orleans, LA. So now Tara enjoys being a President's wife. What a blessing it is for her to serve the students, staff, and faculty of this institution, as well as women in the community, state and region. Tara also loves all things 'hospitality,' and enjoys opening their home for friends, family, and guests. She also spends time counseling and meeting with women on campus, teaching as an adjunct professor in our ministry to women program, accompanying Jamie as he visits local churches, and speaking at women's events and retreats throughout the United States. Through all of the ministry opportunities, two of her passions have remained the same: women and God's Word!
Ever since she was a little girl, it was Tara’s lifelong dream to become a teacher. In 2003, she graduated from Meredith College with a Bachelors of Arts in Human Communication and a K-6 Licensure. After teaching second grade for four years, she became a stay-at-home Mom and continued her education online, receiving a Master of Arts in Teaching and Learning Elementary Education from Liberty University in 2012. She then started working on post-graduate, theological education and graduated with her Doctorate in Education from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in December 2018. Her dissertation was entitled Survive or Thrive: An Exploration of the Preparedness of Southern Baptist Pastors' Wives . Training, equipping and supporting ministry wives has become another passion of hers and she is honored to direct and teach in our Ministry Wives Certificate Program called THRIVE .