GTS Alumni/ae Elections 2012

After a record online vote, your new representatives have been ratified by the

Alumni/ae Executive Committee. Their terms took effect January 1, 2013.

Alumni/ae Executive Committee – 3 year terms

Rector, Trinity Old Swedes, Wilmington, DE

I was in the graduating class of 1995. I was raised up out of the Diocese of Washington where I returned after graduation, was ordained and served for 12 years. During that time I married the Reverend Richard Downing (class of 1969). Currently, I am happily serving as the rector of Trinity Old Swedes parish in Wilmington DE. My reason for wishing to serve is that I am dedicated to the seminary and its mission. We have essential work to do for the present and future of the Episcopal Church. I wish to contribute to that work.

Rector, St. John's, Bangor, ME

After graduating from GTS in 1997 I served at Christ Church, Georgetown (Washington) as an Assistant to the Rector, first as a deacon for seven years, then as a priest, and briefly as the Priest in Charge. In 2007 I was called to be rector of St. John's, Bangor (Maine), where I moved with my husband Eric and our two young children, Sonia and Cuthbert. I treasure the training I received at GTS, and I am particularly grateful for my professors, fellow students, and the intellectual work that formed me there. I marvel at the lasting impact of our residential experience and our chapel worship life upon my character and ministry. I loved GTS then and was proud to serve as a student representative to the Board of Trustees. Offering regular support to the Annual Fund has been important to me through the years. I am excited by the challenges facing our Church and I am thrilled at the possibility to now serve the Church, the Seminary, and our fellow graduates through the Alumni/ae Executive Committee.

Ms. Rachele Grieco '07 – First term

I graduated from GTS in 2007 with an MA degree in Christian Spirituality. After residing on the close for two years, I have continued to make my home in New York. I currently serve as a volunteer leader at St. James' as chair of our Adult Education Committee, facilitator of a weekly bible study and newcomer groups, as well as a member of our healing prayer ministry. I deeply value the formation I received at General and am honored to serve my lay peers in the church. I look forward to playing a role in ensuring the seminary's future as it evolves and responds in faithfulness to the church and to the wider world.

Alumni/ae Executive Committee – 2 year term

Rector, Saint Benedict's Church and School, Smyrna, Georgia

After graduating from GTS I served in the Diocese of Atlanta as associate rector of St. Peter's, Rome and St. Anne's, Atlanta before serving as rector of Incarnation in Highlands, NC. I am currently the first rector of Saint Benedict's Church and School in Smyrna, Georgia. I have also spent several years working with the non-profit, Kids4Peace International, which is an interfaith educational program working with children in Palestine, Israel and the U.S. (www.k4p.org). Through all these experiences I have raised money for building campaigns, feasibility studies, operational budgets, and dealt with interesting financial structures. I look forward to using these experiences to benefit General's efforts in continuing to develop alumni support for our future.

Board of Trustees - 3 year terms

Ms. Constance L. White – Third term

On the Board, I have been energized by all GTS has accomplished and plans to accomplish, particularly in the years of President Lowrey's leadership. Over the summer, this energy caused me to accept an appointment to the Search Committee for the new president of GTS. Earlier in 2012, I served on the ad hoc committee of the Board to develop the new "A 21st Century Vision for Theological Education and Formation" and, in 2009, I co-chaired, with the Director of Admissions, the Education and Formation Commission's Subcommittee on Admissions, Recruitment, and Diversity. This Subcommittee completed a plan delineating dozens of actions to achieve a solid future for GTS in the area of admissions. These assignments build upon my fifteen years on the Committee on the Priesthood for the Diocese of New Jersey (eleven years as co-chair) and my former work as Director of Scholarship and Recognition Programs at Educational Testing Service (ETS) and Director of Financial Aid at Yale University.

Assoc. Rector, St. John's Church and Chaplain, St. John's Episcopal Parish Day School, Tampa, FL

I entered The General Theological Seminary in 2004 after the conclusion of an international business career spanning thirty-plus years. While at General, I was elected to the Academic Affairs Committee and elected Chief Sacristan. Since graduating in 2007, I have been at St. John's Church in Tampa, Florida, currently serving there as Associate Rector and Chaplain to St. John's Episcopal Parish Day School. I also serve as the Chaplain at Canterbury Tower, a retirement residence and skilled nursing facility. I have played an active role in The Plan to Choose Life as a member of the team that developed a marketing plan for the Board of Trustees and by assisting with an analysis of the seminary's endowment funds. I am currently the Assistant Treasurer of the seminary and serve on the Finance and Operation Commission and on the endowment's Investment Committee. I am honored to continue my service to my seminary as a member of the Board of Trustees.

Go to the full list of Alumni/ae Executive Committee Members HERE.

Go to the full list of Board of Trustees Members HERE.