2026 Vestry Candidates

I first came to St. Alban’s in 2000, when I met my husband, Ted, at the Sunday night Fellowship Program for parishioners in their 20s and 30s.  Since that time, I have become more involved with the various ministries within our parish as well as other opportunities to serve our community.  I’m currently an active member of the Flower Guild, and I head up the Garden Guild, which develops and maintains our landscaped areas.  I serve as a Congregational Reader and a Lay Eucharistic Minister and previously helped to teach the 2’s and 3’s class for Godly Play.  

I’ve served on the Vestry in the past, and also as Junior Warden, so I understand the responsibilities and challenges of this position.  As a member of the Stewardship Committee for 2025, I took a deeper dive into what is involved with the fiscal support and general oversight required for the health and welfare of our parish.  Working closely with Roland Mansfield, our Director of Operations, has also helped me to appreciate the unique challenges we regularly address.

With an MBA in Finance and Real Estate, I have over 25 years’ experience in commercial real estate.  I come to you with extensive asset and property management experience, including facilities management, budgeting, oversight of capital projects, and of course, managing the day-to-day operational issues.   Along with serving for over nine years on my condo Board, six of them as President, my work has helped me to hone my skills in consensus building, working through differences of opinion and nurturing an environment of respect and collaboration.  In all my work, I’ve been able to step back and look at the big picture, as well as delve into the details when required.   

St. Alban’s has a diverse, talented, and strong spiritual family, and it would be my honor to serve as your next Junior Warden.

I have been a part of St. Alban’s parish since 1987, when we returned to the DC area from France. My husband Eric and I were in search of a church for our family, with a children’s program to nourish the spiritual development of our two daughters. Here we found Children’ Chapel and dedicated Sunday School teachers, thought-provoking sermons, and a welcoming community.

For us St. Alban’s has been a place where one can worship quietly but also a vibrant community that encourages everyone to become involved.  Gradually our family evolved from quiet to committed and active.  I became a Sunday School teacher, Eric an usher, and we encouraged our daughters to be acolytes, ushers, and even a junior flower guild member. Participation in the St. Alban’s community nourished our entire family.

My current service on the Altar Guild and former service on the Grate Patrol feeding program have been important experiences for me and ways to contribute to the church and the wider community. Altar Guild has helped me appreciate and understand our liturgy and what is required to support the clergy as we set the Lord’s table for Sunday services and for weddings, funerals, and other special services. I have served as one of the four Altar Guild team leaders for the past 25 years including 5 years as president of the Altar Guild, all of which has been very rewarding, giving me the privilege of working closely with the clergy and Altar Guild volunteers.

I volunteered for the Grate Patrol feeding program over 20 years ago.  It was, for me, a way to provide a service to those in our DC community living on the streets, and at the same time enjoy the companionship of wonderful volunteers.  Outreach is core to the generosity of this parish.

Now retired, I spent most of my career managing libraries and archives at the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.  Being a manager in international organizations gave me an opportunity to work alongside individuals from around the world, from cultures other than my own. As my staff and I worked together to provide information services to our organizations, I learned a great deal about respecting and appreciating different ways of thinking and working than my own.

I would be honored to continue to serve St. Alban’s as a member of the Vestry.y honor to serve as your next Junior Warden.

I have been attending St. Alban’s since 2018. Spiritually, the services on Sunday and on other occasions are most important to me. Listening, singing, praying, and taking communion with fellow parishioners helps me drop the tight, isolating worry that keeps me separated from God. Worshiping together, I feel more connected to everyone around me in the pews, to my childhood and my family, to all those who have gone before me, and to the world. I also am nourished by listening to the questions people ask during forums and lectures and by conversations we have while working on projects such as cleaning up after community dinners or clearing flower beds with the Garden Guild.

If elected, I will bring my experience serving on the vestry in a former parish and my professional experience as an editor, along with intense curiosity and a drive to optimize processes and systems. Having served on the vestry at All Saints’ Episcopal Church in San Diego, I understand the importance of the vestry for the health of the parish, and I am honored to be considered for this position at St. Alban’s.

As an editor, I have worked across a wide variety of subjects, which requires coming to each project with an open mind. I learn what the authors and other stakeholders want to accomplish. I learn about the context and any special considerations. I pay close attention to what is on the page (that is, what is actually happening), ask questions, and make suggestions to help meet the stated goals within the limits of a particular budget and schedule. I am a curious person, which I believe is important in a large and diverse community like St. Alban’s. It is my nature to ask questions in order to learn and understand, and I love optimizing processes and systems.

My desire for deeper understanding often gives me deeper respect for others and increases my ability to work them. I found this to be the case when I served as a volunteer caseworker for the Navy–Marine Corps Relief Society. To provide both urgent and ongoing assistance to service members and families with diverse backgrounds and needs, I had to understand each individual’s priorities, commitments, and limitations. I worked with clients to create budgets that met their goals and reflected their values, not mine or anyone else’s. I also had to understand and work effectively with organization leaders and military liaisons, acting as a bridge so that clients could receive the financial and administrative support they needed. I remain passionate about using practical knowledge to support what individuals and communities know is best for them.