Campus Minister
BROOKS HARWOOD
Brooks was born in Texas and grew up in Nashville, TN. During his first year at the University of Tennessee he met his now wife, Meredith. Brooks came to college as a new Christian seeking answers and Meredith came to college looking for a good community. They found both in RUF.
In 2011 they graduated, got married and moved to Nashville for Brooks to work as an intern with RUF at Vanderbilt University. In 2014, tthey moved to St. Louis, MO for Brooks to get a pastoral degree from Covenant Theological Seminary, to lead as an inner city youth coordinator, and for Meredith to style hair. In 2018, they moved to Houston for Brooks to begin his work as the RUF pastor at the University of Houston. That same year they had their first child, Sophie. And in 2022, they had their second child June. Both are THE best. Meredith currently works with the children’s ministry of our church, Christ the King.
Meredith loves cupcakes, currently binge watches home makeover TV shows, is an avid reader, knows more about football than her husband, and has an artsy flair when it comes to design.
Brooks loves dorky theological books and superhero movies, is a huge weightlifting fanatic, drinks too much coffee, and loves enjoying good food and drinks with friends.
Instagram: @brooksharwood
Email: brooks.harwood@ruf.org
Cell: 615.405.0040
staff
KIMMY MOTA
Kimmy grew up in Tulsa, OK, and moved down to Houston, TX in 2016. She attended the University of Houston where she studied history and began her love for learning other people's stories. She found RUF during her freshman year of college and truly believes that's where she began to understand the gospel and God spoke into her life, changing her forever. She had the privilege of serving in RUF all four years of college as "name-tag-girl" and as a women's Bible study leader. She loved it so much that she decided to stay as an RUF Intern for two years before transitioning to Campus Staff. She has enjoyed walking alongside students as they discuss scripture, learn what following Jesus entails, and share with one another some of the beautiful and hard things about life. When she's not meeting with students, you can find her drinking iced coffee, where the baristas on UH's campus know her order by heart. Other than her cat named Beans, Kimmy loves spending time with friends, going for walks or runs, and trying the best spots for breakfast tacos.
Email: kimmy.mota@ruf.org
Cell: 918.584.9259
Intern
JOSHUA VALDEZ
Joshua was born and raised in Othello, Washington, and moved to Lexington, Virginia in 2018 to attend Washington and Lee University (W&L). While at W&L he became involved with RUF as a Small Group leader, played an excessive amount of volleyball, and occasionally went to class. In May of 2022, Joshua graduated with a degree in Business and Latin American Studies. Because of the profound impact that RUF's community had upon him, he decided to further serve the organization by becoming a RUF Intern. Joshua is excited about serving the Lord in a new (warmer) environment, hosting Bible studies and game nights, growing spiritually, and exploring the city of Houston with students. Some of his interests include Marvel movies, spikeball, tennis, Smash Bros, and hiking.
Email: joshua.valdez@ruf.org
Cell: 509.771.2962
Intern
MARIANA MERAZ
Mariana was born in Durango, Mexico but grew up in Texas. In 2020, she moved from Dallas to Houston, where she attended the University of Houston and graduated with a Bachelor’s in Nutrition and Fitness in May of 2024. As a student she was involved with RUF for three years by serving in the Servant Team and co-leading the Women's Bible Study for two semesters. Because of the love and care she received from the RUF staff, she realized that she longed to be the hands and feet of Jesus and decided to pursue ministry by staying at the University of Houston as an Intern. Mariana is excited to continue to pour into the student relationships she has formed, as well as reach out to incoming students this fall.
In her free time, Mariana likes to watch rom-coms and anything Disney, play sports like tennis and spikeball, and eat lots of Tillamook Milk & Cookies ice cream.
Email: mariana.meraz@ruf.org
Cell: 469.825.5131