Mary Jo Sims was born in a small county seat town in central Kentucky and grew up in Ohio, Minnesota and Kentucky.  She graduated with a BA from Georgetown College (Kentucky), where she majored in art and minored in English literature.  She earned an MA in English from George Mason University and both an MDiv and DMin from Wesley Theological Seminary.  Before entering ordained ministry, she taught secondary school (art and journalism) in Alexandria, Virginia.  Mary Jo has served as a pastor in small and medium sized rural churches and a large suburban church and as campus clergy at two United Methodist related colleges.  She is married to John S. Turner, II, a professor of Media Studies at Goucher College.  They have three grown sons-- Stuart, Robert and Nathaniel, and a ten year old golden retriever named Blake.