Doug Forrester is the District Superintendent of the Valley Ridge District of the United Methodist Church in the Virginia Conference.

He is married to Tracy Forrester, an elementary school teacher in the Roanoke County Public Schools. Together they are the parents of two beautiful daughters.

Doug was born in Richmond, Virginia and graduated from Emory & Henry College and Duke University Divinity School. He was ordained to ministry in the United Methodist Church in 1996. He has served congregations in Newport News, Prince George (VA), Crozet, and Richmond before joining the bishop’s cabinet in 2020, when he was appointed to serve as the District Superintendent of the Roanoke District. In 2021, Doug was appointed to also serve as the superintendent of the Staunton District. In 2022, by action of the Virginia Annual Conference, his territory became what is now known as the Valley Ridge District.

Doug has been a member of the Board of Ordained Ministry and the faculty of the Virginia Conference Licensing School. He was the leader of the team that created the Virginia Clergy Leadership Program. He is the former coordinator of the Virginia Conference Calling 21 college internship program and has been a workshop leader at numerous gatherings for new clergy in the provisional process as they move towards ordination. He has also served as a member of the Virginia Conference delegation to General and Jurisdictional Conference.

When he is not working, Doug likes to write prose and poetry as well as composing and recording music. You can email Doug at DougForrester@VAUMC.org.