ABOUT KELLI WONG

As mentioned our PNC letter: “If elected, Chris (Pan) will be installed by the presbytery as our Senior Pastor on November 9, 2025 and Kelli Wong will be elevated to serve as our next Executive Director.”  Find out more about Kelli here:

Kelli was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, and graduated from Hawaii Baptist Academy. She earned her B.B.A. in Finance from the University of Hawaii at Mānoa in 2013.

Kelli began attending First Prez in 2008 with her then-boyfriend, Chevas.  She soon got involved, volunteering in Children’s Ministry, Alpha, and the Prayer Ministry, before joining the staff part-time as the Children’s Ministry Administrative Coordinator.  In 2011, Kelli was baptized by Pastor Dan Chun and became a member of First Prez. In 2013, Kelli and Chevas were married at First Prez by Pastor Dan.

In 2015, Kelli and Chevas were invited to join the staff of Holy Trinity Church (HTC) in McLean, Virginia. HTC is a church plant of Holy Trinity Brompton in London, where Alpha began. Kelli began her time at HTC as the Office Coordinator and was quickly promoted to Director of Operations, helping lead a staff team of 24.  During their time at HTC, Kelli and Chevas were part of the team that oversaw the transition and pastoral search when the founding pastors relocated back to the U.K.

In 2021, Kelli and Chevas returned home to Hawaii to rejoin the staff of First Prez. Kelli began as the Director of Administration, Finance and Hospitality.  In January 2025, Kelli was promoted to Executive Coordinator, working directly with Executive Pastor Chris Pan.  She has been overseeing the Buildings & Grounds and Welcome Teams, and participating/serving with the Finance and Personnel Teams. In 2024, she and Chevas both completed ECO’s year-long training and were commissioned as lay pastors.

Kelli and Chevas are the proud parents of four children—three boys, Beckett (8), Brighton (6), and Bastian (5), born in Virginia, and a daughter, Brooklyn (2), born in Hawaii. Their older two children attend Hawaii Baptist Academy (Go Eagles!), and their younger two attend Queen Emma Preschool.