For the past 32 years, I have served as the executive director of The Arc of Moore County, a private, nonprofit agency that provides services and support to people of all ages with intellectual and developmental disabilities in nine counties in the Sandhills region. Leading The Arc, I found a true passion in working with people with disabilities and their families. I recently marked 30 years of membership with the Kiwanis Club of the Sandhills, the area’s largest civic organization, serving as its president in 2006. I began attending Emmanuel in 2011 and was confirmed on January 6, 2013 , by Bishop Michael Curry. My husband, Alfred, and I serve as lay Eucharistic ministers and ushers.

Serving on the Vestry of Emmanuel is a significant commitment that involves leadership, stewardship, and community engagement. I believe that my life, career experiences, and desire to give back to the church that I truly love can contribute to its healthy and strategic growth during the next 3 years. I realize that  a period of physical and structural growth lies ahead, with the outcomes affecting hundreds of lives of Children and adults, and I wish to participate in that process using my experience and insights. I would be honored to serve on the Vestry and work alongside its current members to help ensure our future goals as outlined in the Century Project come to fruition. I believe my professional and personal commitments qualify  me to lead and serve.

I hope to share my gifts of organization, communication, and teamwork. I want to serve on the vestry because I feel called to give back to the Emmanuel community. I hope to help strengthen the bonds of our parish. I look forward to helping steward our resources, support Morris, Sarah, and the other clergy, and aid in helping our ministries to further grow and thrive.

Currently, I serve on the aesthetics committee, volunteer for the thrift shop, and sing in the choir. Having sung in choirs for 40 years, I believe liturgical music is a form of prayer and worship for those singing and those hearing it. In the early 2000s, I implemented a Parish Nursing program at Christ Church in Blacksburg, Virginia. Though I am retired from nursing, I believe strongly in all aspects of pastoral care. Through the Haden Institute, I recently became a certified Spiritual Director (a contemplative Jungian inspired curriculum) and plan and conduct workshops designed to deepen our relationship with God, ourselves, and our neighbors.

Emmanuel has seen great progress since I began visiting the parish some 12 years ago. It feels to me like a beacon of hope and is faithful and committed to the community. Serving on the vestry comes with responsibility not only to the parish, but to God. This resonates with me because I love God and respect this parish and its wider community. I believe that our outside lives reflect our inner spiritual stories, and I want to serve in a church that strengthens individuals’ faiths, explores the power of love, acceptance, and reconciliation and helps prepare our souls for our work in the world.

I have worked in the commercial food service equipment industry for 50 years as a manufacturer’s sales representative. Previously, I have served on the Vestry at two churches including Saint David’s Episcopal Church in Nashville, TN and Saint Michael’s Episcopal Church in Raleigh, NC. My favorite hobbies include landscape and yard work.

I would love to be a part of growing Emmanuel for a strong future for our wonderful and loving church.