If you vote in person at the church, please don’t vote online and vice versa. We have 4 excellent candidates and you will be voting for the slate. There is one vote per eligible voter (age 16 years and older). If an eligible voter did not receive the voting email, it could be because we don’t have an email address on file or because the email went into the Junk or Spam folder. Please contact the Church Office at 703-938-6521 or Peggy Miller if you don’t receive the voting email. Thank you for participating!  

Years at Holy Comforter: My family joined Holy Comforter in 1995. I have been an active member for 27 years.

Relevant Experience: My corporate experience honed my interpersonal and leadership skills. My ability to identify core issues and lead improvement plans will support Vestry action plans. I have applied these skills to multiple roles in support of student ministries and education, such as: co-leader of the Confirm not Confirm program for 12 years, parent leader for multiple mission trips to Honduras (3) and Boston (1), and the Senior High Pilgrimage to Ireland. I have served as an Ecumenical Minister and Lay Reader for 8 years. After I retired, I increased my involvement with ECW, Woman’s Retreat, and Pennywise Thrift Shop.

Occupation: I retired in March 2022 after a rewarding career in Bio-Pharmaceuticals. I worked for Abbvie, formerly Abbott Laboratories, for 39 years. I held many positions of increasing responsibility in training, leadership development, quality management, strategic management, customer service, and sales. My last position was Sales Director for the Mid-Atlantic area.

Why do you feel prepared to serve on the Vestry at this time? I feel prepared to serve on the Vestry at this time because I have the time and experience to contribute at a high level. Over the years I have contributed to many church ministries which enabled me to expand my relationships within the church community and to understand the importance of volunteering to support our church life.

What do you hope to accomplish on the Vestry? I will apply my skills and talent to support the future-focused objectives of the clergy and church community. I hope to bring appropriate insights and ideas to help develop our strategic plan and collaborate with members of the Vestry to achieve our goals.

What goal or vision do you have for Holy Comforter? My vision is to reinvigorate our programs and ministries to achieve a post-COVID church community that thrives on the contributions of all members of our community.

Years at Holy Comforter: 24 years

Relevant Experience: I have been an active parishioner since joining Holy Comforter. I have served previously on the Vestry (Stewardship Chair for 2 years and Social Chair for 1 year). I’ve taught Sunday School, and served as a Confirmation Mentor for 7 years—each year mentoring a young woman through Confirmation. I continue to volunteer at Pennywise Thrift Shop, have co-hosted 4 parish dinners and 2 ECW Spring Teas, volunteered at 3 Hypothermia Shelters, continue to serve as a Lay Reader and Eucharistic Minister, and for the past three and a half years I served as Lay Ministry master scheduler.

Occupation: I am the Vice President of Marketing for Swish Data which is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business that sells technology solutions and engineering services to the federal government.

Why do you feel prepared to serve on the Vestry at this time? For the past three and a half years I have served as the master scheduler for Lay Ministry which involves the scheduling of Lay Readers, Intercessors, and Eucharistic Ministers for every church service. I had reached a time when it felt that I should move on but I was reluctant to give up the position until I felt comfortable that I had someone to take it on that would be able to handle the pressure and had the organizational skills that the job requires. When Andrew Eastman volunteered, I knew the time had come! Andrew will be phenomenal in this role. That said, I asked the Rev. Ann Gillespie to think about another ministry that I could serve and she immediately mentioned Vestry. I think that the two events aligned perfectly! There is no way to measure the personal enrichment that I have received in being a member of Holy Comforter and I feel that I have a responsibility, at all times, to give back and show thanks for that enrichment. I believe that Vestry is now what God is calling me to do.

What do you hope to accomplish on the Vestry? I will work effectively with the other members of the Vestry to manage the church’s resources and financial gifts, help in planning for the church’s future, ensure effective organization, and overall support the church’s mission.

What goal or vision do you have for Holy Comforter? My vision for Holy Comforter is aligned with the church’s overall mission to be a community that helps everyone know the transforming love of God in Jesus Christ. To this end goal, I want the church to grow in membership, resources, diversity, outreach, and ecological responsibility.

Years at Holy Comforter: 24, with a few years off in Richmond in the middle somewhere.

Relevant Experience: Served on the Vestry back in 2009 or 2010 or so. Was Chair of the Finance Committee. Sing in the choir for years. I participated over the years in various parish small groups. Assisted my wife in her work as Children's Ministries Director.

Occupation: I have owned a CPA firm since 2012. We specialize in small business accounting and tax services, individual tax preparation services, and in IRS and local tax dispute resolution services. I supervise a staff of three. Before that, for 16 years I managed law firms as their principal administrative officer. Those firms ranged in size from 20 attorneys to 90 attorneys.

Why do you feel prepared to serve on the Vestry at this time? With my recent hiring of professional support staff, I have been able to download a significant amount of my responsibilities and still meet our deadlines and our client needs. I want to become more involved and more supportive of a place that has meant so much to me and to my family. I remember my time on the Vestry and the commitment required.

What do you hope to accomplish on the Vestry? I would like to see how we can support the future of the church, our youth, and our children in expanded quality programming as well as simply a more visible presence on Sunday mornings and other large church activities. I'd like to see representation from their community on the Vestry. I hope to bring my finance and my management experience to the job.

What goal or vision do you have for Holy Comforter? Continue to grow as a vibrant intergenerational progressive in the application of our faith but proud in the application of our traditions and our practices. More baptisms and confirmations than funerals (smile) might be another way to say it. Encourage a return to the building on Sundays and on other days like before we started videotaping everything. Strong support for our professional staff including our ministers, musicians, and others.

Years at Holy Comforter: I have attended the Church of the Holy Comforter for the last 24 years.

Relevant Experience: I have been a practicing Episcopalian my entire life. I started as a Lay Reader at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Baileys Crossroads when I was in the fourth grade. At Holy Comforter I have participated in the Sunday School program for 20 years as a parent, teacher, Children’s Chapel leader, and assistant to the Children’s Ministries director. I have served on the Preschool Board, served as the Director of Hogwarts Vacation Bible School for 7 years, and have been a Co-Leader of East Open Circles for 12 years. Over the years I have volunteered to support Pennywise Thrift Shop; Mt. Carmel Women’s Shelter in Washington, DC; Britepaths; the Hypothermia Shelter; Newcomers; and served as a mentor for Confirmation.

Occupation: Currently I am a Preschool Teacher at HCEP & K. Previously I ran a furniture delivery and warehousing service business from 1979 to 2014 with my two brothers, where I was responsible for Human Resources, Administration, and Finance.

Why do you feel prepared to serve on the Vestry at this time? I feel prepared to serve on the Vestry at this time as I now have the time and space available to serve as well as exposure and experience in many different areas of the church.

What do you hope to accomplish on the Vestry? I hope to be a positive and effective team player to work closely with the Rector, Vestry and parish members to execute the goals and vision of our church.

What goal or vision do you have for Holy Comforter? My vision for Holy Comforter is for it to continue to grow as a welcoming church to all and for everyone who enters to feel and to be welcomed warmly by the parish community. I truly feel that there is a place here for everyone and that it is our job to make it known and to set up the framework so that those who enter are easily able to find their place within our community. This will enable all to feel the warmth and love of our parish which in turn will help all to find their way in the world by the support of this wonderful church family.