The Vestry Nominations Committee (Simone Talma Flowers, Rudy Green, and Jennifer Graf) is pleased to submit the following slate for Vestry and the St. James’ Diocesan Council Delegation. The Spirit has been at work in this process, leading us to identify six candidates for vestry (4 for 3 year terms, and 2 to finish out terms left vacant due to life changes) and four delegates for Council, who are uniquely gifted for the work and enthusiastic to serve. This slate, in its entirety, will be up for a vote at the Annual Parish Meeting on January 26.
In developing this Vestry slate, the Vestry Nominations Committee took a careful look at our three-year goals and sought out individuals with the passion, experience, and skills needed to help us realize those goals. We are delighted to present you with a slate of proven leaders, committed to the St. James’ ethos of radical hospitality and representative of various diversities of our congregation. Vestries always work and listen hard, and they frequently have to make difficult decisions for the life of the congregation. The nominees on this slate offer their names without reticence, but with a clear-eyed view of challenges we must tackle in our multicultural community’s life together.
The congregation willing, the members of this vestry slate will join the following continuing Vestry members: Harrison Eppright, Jill LaCour, Jeff Cox, Stephanie Dodoo, Jennifer Graf, and Rudy Green. We are grateful to Simone Talma Flowers, Clint Dawson, John May, and Margaret Shaw who will roll off of the Vestry as of the Annual Parish Meeting. I should say that Simone, Clint, John, and Margaret have served diligently during this time of emerging from the pandemic and figuring out how to rebuild our community life together. They have been wise and creative advisors and hard workers during a time of community-building and staff-building for the future. We have faced some serious challenges together, paid off about $1 million in debt, and kept laughing and rejoicing together even in difficult socio-political times.
In developing the Diocesan Council slate, the Vestry Nominations Committee thought about what will be going on at Diocesan Council 2025 in Fort Worth and who needs to be there representing St. James’ in order for our delegation to be an effective voice and presence, alongside our clergy. This Diocesan Council slate combines Council experience with fresh eyes ready for the task.
Vestry Slate
Each year four new Vestry members are elected to serve for a three-year term. This year, we are also filling two one year-terms because of life changes for people who were serving on Vestry.
For the four open three-year Vestry Terms:
Anaflor Bernal
Anaflor is still a newish member to St. James’ and has enjoyed getting involved with the young adult group but is looking forward to contributing even more to the life of St. James’. She has participated with the Spanish-speaking community and is interested in serving as a bridge of culture and language as an active vestry member. Growing up, Anaflor was taught to value her Mexican heritage. Eventually, her curiosity in trying to understand her Latina identity led her to live in Latin America twice – Mexico as an English teacher and in Brazil while completing her Fulbright fellowship. Lastly, Anaflor has a very sassy princess named Penelope who also participated in the Blessings of Animals for the first time this year.
Matt Harriger
Matt and his wife Elise have been members of St. James’ for over 20 years. They have nine-year-old twins, Eva and Wiley, who were baptized at St. James’ on All Saints Day when they were one year-olds. Matt is a lawyer who helps property owners get just compensation when their property is condemned through eminent domain. Matt previously served a term on the Vestry and chaired the Vestry Finance Committee for three years.
Rolf Hector Krebber Loaiza
Hector was born in Cartagena, Colombia. He has been a member of the Spanish-speaking community of St. James’ since a tragedy befell his family two years ago, and St. James’ Episcopal Church was there for them. By training, he is a psychologist, but he spent his career working for Dow Chemical in Colombia and he is now retired.
Mikal Lewis
Mikal arrived at St. James’ in 2022, drawn by the inclusivity and radical hospitality embodied in the words: “Wherever you are on your journey of faith, you are welcome at this table,” and brought to life by the church and its community. After embarking on a renewed journey of faith, he found belonging through confirmation the following year and embraced the call to service in 2024 by joining the usher team.
Professionally, Mikal has held leadership roles at Microsoft, Nordstrom, RetailMeNot, and Mozilla, supported by business degrees from Florida A&M. Over the past decade, he has mentored more than fifty emerging leaders, particularly women and people of color, who are driven by a commitment to servant leadership and inclusive product design.
At home, Mikal is learning vegetarian cooking for his creative 12-year-old daughter, Amala, who shares his passion for music. Together, they practice guitar at Eastside Music School, three years into a ten-year plan toward mastery. An avid runner, reader, and writer, Mikal’s graduate school blog sparked his love for writing, strategy, and storytelling, shaping his leadership and personal growth.
Grounded in service, community, and growth, Mikal is grateful to call St. James’ home, a place where he continues to grow in faith and give forward.
For the two open one-year Vestry terms:
Rodger Brown
Rodger Brown joined St. James’ Episcopal Church in 1985. He has been active in Jazz at St. James’ (including the first ever Jazz at St. James’ festival) and promoting other music events when he was on air at KAZI radio. He has been serving as an usher since St. James’ was located on E. MLK.
Charlotte “Sue” Reed Tate
Charlotte “Sue” Reed Tate is a cradle Episcopalian, and she has been a member of St. James’ since 2007. She has taken up leadership roles such as St. James’ School Board member, President of the Myra McDaniel Chapter of the Union of Black Episcopalians, and member of St. James’ Phenomenal Women. She is also loves being a grandmother and great grandmother.
Delegates to Diocesan Council
Delegates to Diocesan Council commit to attending the entirety of the Council meeting in 2025 and being a part of the preparation for the work of Council. Lay delegates are accompanied by our canonically resident St. James’ clergy delegates: The Rev. Eileen O’Brien, The Rev. Addison McMillan, and The Rev. Robby Vickery. The Rev. George Porter is not yet canonically resident but will be at Council in a non-voting capacity; The Rev. James Harrington is unable to attend this year due to personal reasons.
Anthony Chapple
Anthony Chapple is retired from a career in health care relations, spanning over 30 years, for the State of Texas and the Texas Medical Association. He is vice president of the Myra McDaniel Chapter of the Union of Black Episcopalians and serves on the Board of Trustees of the Episcopal Seminary of the Southwest. Anthony is an Area Coordinator for the House of Bishops with the Office of the General Convention in New York. He has previously served on the Executive Board of the Diocese and chaired the Governance Committee. In addition to his work for the Episcopal Church, Anthony is a board member for First Focus on Children, a bipartisan advocacy organization dedicated to making children and families a priority in federal policy and budget decisions.
Clint Dawson
Clint Dawson is a professor and department chair at UT. He grew up in the Methodist Church but he joined St. James’ in 2009 and was confirmed in 2010. He served on the Finance Committee in 2010-2011 and was a Vestry member from 2011-2014 and 2021-2024. He has served as Junior Warden and Chair of the Vestry Finance Committee. Clint has been involved in Education for Ministry since 2015.
Jorge Juarez
Jorge Alberto Juarez comes from Mexico and he has been part of the Episcopal Church for the last fourteen years. He and his family, Griselda, his wife, and his children, Jorge, Romeo, and Giselle, joined the St. James’ community as people began coming back to church from the pandemic lockdown. Since then, the Juarez family has been faithfully involved at St. James’ in a whole variety of ways from liturgical service to youth group to supporting Parish Workdays. Jorge represented St. James’ at Diocesan Council in 2024.
Rhona Williams London
