Our Board of Directors

As Director of Alumni and Church Relations at Virginia Theological Seminary, Shelagh has the delight and privilege of working with the 3,200+ alumni of VTS. She previously served for over 15 years at the College of Preachers and Washington National Cathedral, working in fundraising, communications, public events, and strategic program development. She oversaw the programmatic life and operations of the College’s residential preaching programs and other educational programs in theology, spirituality, and Christian formation. Before joining the Cathedral, she was on staff at the Association of American Colleges and Universities. She served on the Governing Board of the Washington Theological Consortium for several years including two years as Board Chair.

Commitment to ’Strengthening Leaders for a Changing Church through Connecting, Equipping and Diversifying':

I’ve been a huge advocate and supporter of CEEP since my first conference back in 2008, the blizzard year in St. Louis. Serving on the Program Committee this year has only deepened my appreciation for the positive impact the annual conference has for participants and the parishes they serve. CEEP members are committed to a healthy and vibrant future for the Church and bring great gifts to the journey. I’m honored to join the board as CEEP continues to be a significant resource of programmatic excellence and networking opportunities.

The Rev. Matthew F. Heyd was called to serve as Rector of Church of the Heavenly Rest in New York City during the spring of 2013. Prior to that he served as director of Faith in Action for Trinity Wall Street, supporting the Parish's engagement and partnership ministries in Lower Manhattan and around the world-- including Anglican Partnerships, support for public schools, the Charlotte's Place neighborhood center, local and global mission & service relationships, and the Trinity Grants Program. Before coming to Trinity in 2003, Matt helped start Episcopal Charities in the Diocese of New York and served as chief operating officer of a non-profit supporting service in schools across the United States. He was a Morehead Scholar and student body president at the University of North Carolina. He received a master's of arts in religion summa cum laude from Yale Divinity School and a master's of sacred theology from The General Theological Seminary. He is a member of the Standing Committee of the Diocese of New York. His wife, Ann Thornton, is Andrew W. Mellon Director of the New York Public Library. They have a five year-old daughter and a seventeen month old son.

Commitment to ’Strengthening Leaders for a Changing Church through Connecting, Equipping and Diversifying':

I’ve been a huge advocate and supporter of CEEP since my first conference back in 2008, the blizzard year in St. Louis. Serving on the Program Committee this year has only deepened my appreciation for the positive impact the annual conference has for participants and the parishes they serve. CEEP members are committed to a healthy and vibrant future for the Church and bring great gifts to the journey. I’m honored to join the board as CEEP continues to be a significant resource of programmatic excellence and networking opportunities.

Stephen Carlsen, Vice President of CEEP, is the Interim Rector of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Key West. Steve grew up in the Midwest, was ordained in the Diocese of Chicago, and served in Colorado and most recently as the Dean of Christ Church Cathedral, Indianapolis. A self-proclaimed bicycle geek, on his sabbatical several years ago, Steve and his wife, Jen, went on a six-month bike tour through South America and Mexico. Both are delighted to be in Key West and look forward to further adventures!

Commitment to ’Strengthening Leaders for a Changing Church through Connecting, Equipping and Diversifying':

I believe that the Consortium is a vital source of help for the Episcopal Church. Founded to help churches learn to manage endowments, its mission has grown. It is now network of congregations sharing best practices in leadership, ministry, finance and outreach. Most members in CEEP come from dioceses with relatively few peer congregations. CEEP provides its members a venue for conversation and creativity. Fresh ideas, critical insight and healthy exchange fostered among our network spread to benefit not just our members but the whole Episcopal Church.

Wendy has served in church administration for over 20 years, currently at Christ Church Charlotte where she has served as Parish Administrator since 2007. Previously, she was a CPA with Ernst & Young. Wendy served on the 2012 Consortium Planning Committee (when the Consortium was hosted by Christ Church Charlotte), and has helped facilitate the Administrators’ Smart Start round-table discussions. A native Charlottean, she is a proud graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill. Go Tarheels!

Commitment to ’Strengthening Leaders for a Changing Church through Connecting, Equipping and Diversifying':

The church’s future depends on the strength of its clergy and lay leaders to lead in times of change. The CEEP Network is building on the foundation built by its past leaders by providing a network of peers who can share their experiences and a physical and digital presence for exploring, sharing and learning.

Anne Rudacille Schmidt is Director of Evangelism and Welcome Ministries at Church of the Transfiguration in Dallas. She also works as a Search Consultant with parishes and diocese in leadership transitions. Anne serves on the board of Forward Movement and was co-convener for the first Evangelism Matters conference held in Dallas in November 2016. Anne previously served on the CEEP planing committee for several years and served as co-chair for 2 years. She enjoys running, music and spending time with her husband and two grown children.

Commitment to ’Strengthening Leaders for a Changing Church through Connecting, Equipping and Diversifying':

I feel that CEEP is just building on what it has always done: equipping, connecting and diversifying . We’re taking the things we are good at as a community and pointing them toward building the church of tomorrow. This is an inspiring time and the collective gifts of CEEP will continue to strengthen ministries of individuals and of the whole church.

Mr. George M. Plews has practiced for thirty years as a successful appellate and trial advocate. He was lead counsel in key cases that shaped Indiana insurance coverage law. George’s environmental law practice spans a range of matters including state and federal environmental statutes. George’s litigation practice includes a wide range of other complex cases, including products liability, finance, class actions, and personal injury cases. In 2009, George was named a Distinguished Barrister by the Indiana Lawyer. His yearly listings in “Best Lawyers in America” and Indiana “Super Lawyers” (for both environmental and insurance coverage law) commenced respectively in 2001 and 2004.

Commitment to ’Strengthening Leaders for a Changing Church through Connecting, Equipping and Diversifying':

It has been my honor to serve as the Chancellor of CEEP since 1990, and as an occasional Board member as well. It has been a delight to watch CEEP grow into a dynamic force for positive change in the Episcopal Church. CEEP is a place where leaders from every corner of our Church meet, confer, and grow in a fertile, non-hierarchical, energizing fashion. It combines a way to learn best practices, launch new ministries and ideas, renew one’s spirit, and imagine the Church at its best.

The Rev. Allan Johnson-Taylor is the Rector of St. Paul’s Rock Creek, Washington DC --the oldest worshiping congregation in the in the District of Columbia. He is passionate about Evangelism, Outreach, and Parish Development; and throughout his ministry he has sought to work with congregations that share his passion. In addition to parish ministry, Allan has served as a consultant to churches in the areas evangelism and church growth, stewardship, accounting, and budgeting. Allan holds a degree in philosophy from the University of Maryland, an M. Div. from Virginia Theological Seminary, and a Th. M. from Princeton Seminary.

Commitment to ’Strengthening Leaders for a Changing Church through Connecting, Equipping and Diversifying':

Allan believes the Episcopal Church is a church in transition. The rapid cultural changes occurring in our society calls for a review of the organizational structure of our church to better address and position our congregations to be more relevant and purposeful in proclamation the Gospel. Because of their unique position, CEEP congregations can be the petri dish where ideas are tested.

Miles Lackey is Chief of Staff at Trinity Church Wall Street. He joined the staff of Trinity Church in 2016 after more than two decades of public service in senior government positions in Washington, DC, including Chief of Staff to two United States Senators; Staff Director of a Congressional Committee; and Special Assistant to the President of the United States in the Clinton White House. He is a 1986 graduate of Yale Divinity School and the Yale School of International Relations.

Commitment to ’Strengthening Leaders for a Changing Church through Connecting, Equipping and Diversifying':

The consortium is an extraordinary resource for the whole church, especially in the essential mission of gathering and communicating best practices. The leadership of the Board plays an important part in advancing the Consortium's mission, and I look forward to the opportunity to serve.

Suzy is the Senior Philanthropic Advisor at Hollins University. Suzy graduated from Hollins in 1974 with a BA in Art History and Spanish. Other degrees include a Certificada Filologia from Universidad de Salamanca, and an MAT in Spanish from UVA. Her career in Development includes time with The Nature Conservancy, the Pediatric Aids Foundation, the World Wildlife Fund, and Campbell & Company. She spent a great deal of her professional life serving at the Washington National Cathedral as Senior Advisor for Institutional Relations, Director of both Philanthropy and Development, Director of the annual fund, and major gifts officer. Among numerous honors she has received is membership in the Honorary Order of St. John of Jerusalem, election to the Hollins University Athletic Hall of Fame, and in 1996 she was invited as commencement speaker at St. Margaret’s-McTernan School. She served on the College of Preachers Governing Board, was President of the Washington Chapter’s Chirons and Colitis Foundation, and served on the Board of Directors of the Episcopal Church Foundation and General Theological Seminary. She has also served on the United States Olympic Committee’s Speakers Bureau.

Commitment to ’Strengthening Leaders for a Changing Church through Connecting, Equipping and Diversifying':

My first meeting with the Consortium was when I was working at Washington National Cathedral and I found it to be a wonderful resource as well as a great group of leaders with whom to communicate and learn. I am honored to be affiliated with the Consortium as it continues to grow and prosper and provide important leadership to our Church.

My name is Anne Marie Richards and I am a lover of Jesus, a struggling disciple, and a priest of the church currently serving as the 15th, and first female, Rector of Emmanuel Church in the Mt. Vernon neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland, a post I took up in May 2019. After graduating from Virginia Theological Seminary in 2005, I served as Associate Rector at Trinity Church in Princeton, NJ where I was formed as a priest and blessed by mentors who included me in all aspects of parish leadership in a complex system. I was called as the 30th (also first female) rector of Trinity Church in Newport, RI in May 2010. During my nine years there we doubled the size of the congregation, regularly had children in worship for the first time in years, and brought the parish back from the brink of closing. Before I was ordained I worked in the non-profit theatre world, helped found a startup commercial ticketing company, and taught in an Episcopal day school, among other adventures. Way back in 1989 I made an excellent choice and married Brook Richards, and together we have hatched two fabulous young men, Malcolm (b. 1993) and Max (b. 1995).

Commitment to ’Strengthening Leaders for a Changing Church through Connecting, Equipping and Diversifying':

Leslie C. Smith, then Rector of Trinity Princeton, brought me to my first CEEP Conference in 2006, and I haven’t missed one since. For several years I served on the Conference Planning Committee, working with an amazing group of colleagues, and seeing more and more the benefits of both the annual gathering and the network of connections that continue to grow and develop through the years. I am an unabashed, though deeply imperfect, disciple of Jesus Christ, and I do believe that the Episcopal Church has great gifts to offer a broken and hurting world. I’m delighted to join the board as we work to provide opportunities to ponder together how we might best preach the ancient truth of the Gospel in a language that 21st Century ears can hear.

The Rev. Michael R. Sullivan became Kanuga’s 10th president in November 2016. A native of Seneca, South Carolina, Michael holds a Master of Divinity from The University of the South–Sewanee, Tennessee; a Juris Doctor cum laude from the University of South Carolina–Columbia, South Carolina; and a Bachelor of Arts summa cum laude, Wofford College–Spartanburg, South Carolina (Phi Beta Kappa). Michael is the author of two books and numerous articles. Windows into the Soul and Windows into the Light, both published by Morehouse explore the place of art in spirituality. In his spare time, he enjoys cooking, fitness, hiking and writing.

Commitment to ’Strengthening Leaders for a Changing Church through Connecting, Equipping and Diversifying':

It’s an exciting time to be a part of CEEP’s board, building on our amazing past to bridge toward a new day of leadership in TEC. I am honored to work with incredible people, both at the board level and through the parishes that make CEEP what it is – the best network of people for strengthening our future mission.

Commitment to ’Strengthening Leaders for a Changing Church through Connecting, Equipping and Diversifying':

All over the world, the shape and structure of Christianity is changing. In North America, Sunday morning worship is shrinking and innovative ministries are on the rise. It is clear that technology is changing the way we write, speak and think and that means we will be worshipping in new ways and praying in new ways. I believe that CEEP is one of the incubators where great practitioners of the faith can gather and brainstorm. We need flexible, wise, creative leadership in order to take the Episcopal Church into the future.

Commitment to ’Strengthening Leaders for a Changing Church through Connecting, Equipping and Diversifying':

I have been a parish priest since 2006 and attended my first CEEP conference in 2010. CEEP has been by far the most abundant source of peer learning and creativity in my ministry. The Church is changing, but in many ways “successful” ministry remains the same: proclaim the Good News, strengthen the faithful, arouse the careless, restore the penitent. CEEP is the best source of creative ways to do our traditional ministry well. It is an honor to serve on the board at this exciting time as we acutely focus on strengthening leaders for a changing church.