Matt Ristuccia

DIRECTOR AND MEMBER OF THE BOARD

“Pastor Matt” has been in ministry for over four decades. Early on, he served with a campus discipleship ministry, the Princeton Christian Fellowship. There he learned firsthand the strategic power of mentorship. He then began what became a thirty-five year tenure as Senior Pastor of Stone Hill Church of Princeton, NJ.

Matt loves pastoring; he loves God’s people; he loves the Church. He also loves mentoring, something he has been doing formally since the 1990s. In July 2020 Matt retired from his position at Stone Hill, became Pastor Emeritus, and now focuses entirely on mentorship. His aim in this next phase of ministry is to mentor younger pastors and church leaders with his years of experience.

Karen Ristuccia

CO-DIRECTOR

“Teacher” and “learner” are the words that best describe Karen Ristuccia, Co-Director, Lead Mentor, and Director of Curriculum Development. Whether in the Sunday school or middle school classroom, home school or YMCA pool, one-on-ones with Princeton students, or community Bible study, Karen loves to help others to learn.

As she retires this summer from over forty years of Christian school teaching and administration, she will commit more of her time to Linden Grove.
Karen understands pioneer work: she was on the founding board of two Christian schools. She has taught Sunday school in every grade (from two year-olds through adults). She has led youth groups, Women’s Bible studies, retreats, and small groups. Karen particularly loves to teach about women in church history, hymn histories, communication, study skills, and habits.
As a child Karen learned to swim in the Santa Barbara ocean, and she still loves water. Her other hobbies include reading, lettering, walking with friends, and playing with five grandchildren. She graduated from Princeton University with an English Literature degree and meandered her way through four seminaries to a DMin from Gordon Conwell. Her dissertation (a worldview curriculum for Junior High) continues to be used in the classroom, and her book Joyful Rigor describes the delights of truly Christian education.

Morgan

OPERATIONS MANAGER

Whether giving a private concert, teaching a piano lesson, or leading a Bible study, Morgan has always been someone who pays attention to the details, keeps things organized, and brings a steady, thoughtful approach to working with others. Her education and experience in piano performance and pedagogy, non-profit work, and subscriber support for a national piano publication have given her a versatile skill set that she is delighted to use in her leadership role in operations at Linden Grove Mentoring.

Morgan has been deeply blessed by Christian mentors, counselors, and pastors in her own life, and she is grateful to belong to a work environment centered on building the body of Christ through discipleship, servant leadership, and mentorship.
In her free time, Morgan might be found beach-combing, playing piano, reading, writing poetry, cooking, and most recently, canning fruit. Morgan and her husband enjoy exploring the mountains in their backyard, as well as hosting friends for dinner, and engaging with their local church.

Alice Kim

WOMEN’S CURRICULUM COORDINATOR

Alice joined Linden Grove Mentoring in October 2024 as the Women’s Curriculum Coordinator. She has lived in Princeton, NJ, since 2016 with her husband and three young daughters. She is a member of Stone Hill Church of Princeton, and is grateful to be working alongside Pastor Matt and Karen, who have both played key mentorship roles in her life. Prior to her time in Princeton, Alice worked with visual artists in various roles at museums and contemporary art galleries.

She also worked as a financial analyst for JP Morgan in Hong Kong and for EMI Music in New York. Outside of her professional pursuits, Alice has served on the Parent Council of University League Nursery School, Princeton, and the Executive Board of The 101: Fund (formerly the Princeton Regional Scholarship Foundation).

Alice graduated from Dartmouth College where she studied English and Art History. She also holds a master’s degree in Art History from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. In her free time, Alice enjoys cooking, traveling, reading, and being outdoors and enjoying God’s creation with her family.

Ravahn Rodriguez

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Ravahn Rodriguez is a Queens, NY based songwriter/producer and founder of Disciple Studio, a local community of artists committed to Christ. Ravahn came to faith in 2020 after the Lord met her in her room, prior to her ever having a church home. Ravahn's passion for sharing the goodness of Christ with others through the arts inspires her approach to music, ministry and community care.

As a former RTS Fellow and current LGM mentee, Ravahn continues in advocating for and supporting local church plants and encouraging leaders. In May 2025, she joined the LGM staff as an administrative assistant.

Jeff Schneider

LEAD MENTOR

Jeff has spent nearly three decades investing in the lives of others through personal mentoring. He first discovered a love for mentoring during an internship with the student ministry Princeton Christian Fellowship (1998-2000).In each of his subsequent ministry roles – missionary in the Middle East and Europe (2000-02, 07-10), assistant pastor at an established urban church (2010-16), and most recently church planter / solo pastor of a new congregation (2016-26) – mentoring has remained at the heart of his work.

In Jeff’s own life, God has used mentoring relationships to equip, shape, and sustain him through each chapter of life and ministry. Jeff in turn loves listening to people's stories, discerning how the Spirit is at work in their lives, and applying Scripture, prayer, and counsel in wise and practical ways. He is excited to participate in and support Linden Grove’s unique “personal hour + cohort” model of mentoring church leaders.
Jeff earned a Master of Divinity and a Master of Theology from Trinity International University after studying German Literature at Princeton University. He is currently pursuing additional training in counseling to deepen his ability to care well for people. He has been ordained as a pastor in the Presbyterian Church in America since 2006.
Jeff and his wife, Cindy, live with their two middle-school-aged children and six backyard chickens on the West Side of Chicago, where they love investing in their neighborhood and local church. Jeff spends his free time cooking off script, sitting around a table with friends and neighbors, and exploring nature through gardening, hiking, kayaking, biking, and blading.

Our Team