2025 Vestry Nominations

At the regular meeting of St. Paul's Vestry on Tuesday, December 17, 2024, the following slate of Vestry members for terms commencing in 2025 was voted and approved:

For three-year terms:

Adam Blackman
Jason Grimes
Bonnie Gunzenhauser
Betsy Hockey

For a one-year term:

Cathy Albers

Youth Delegate:

Celia Doherty

Adam Blackman

Adam Blackman has been a St. Paul’s Episcopal Church member since May 2023. Adam has lived in Cleveland Heights since 2000, raising his two children (Ruby & Indiana) with his wife, Kathy. Ruby is currently a sophomore at University of South Carolina and Indiana is a senior at Cleveland Heights High School. Kathy is the owner/operator of the world-famous Grog Shop located in the Cleveland Heights, Coventry neighborhood.

Adam’s participation in church endeavors includes serving on both the Stewardship and Finance Committees, leading the Loaves & Fishes ministry, and co-leading the Tuesday evening Contemplative Prayer Group. Adam is always ready to participate in church worship as a lay reader and can be spotted around St. Paul’s on most days of the week.

Adam is a partner and Chief Operating Officer of Cleveland International Fund, Ltd. (CIF) located in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. CIF has closed $300M+ commercial real-estate based deals, primarily in the Greater Cleveland Metropolitan Area. CIF funds were raised from foreign investors that are interested in securing a green card for themselves and their immediate family members through a US government program called EB-5. Since 2010, CIF has helped hundreds of foreign investors successfully petition USCIS for their green cards.

Jason Grimes

Jason and his family (spouse Emily, and children Sophie, 17, and Theo, 14) have been attending St. Paul’s for over 9 years. Jason is an attorney with over two decades’ experience in legal technology. Currently, he is the Vice President of Software Sales at Stretto, a leading technology and services provider for bankruptcy professionals. He has written for The American Lawyer, American Bankruptcy Institute Journal, and Law360, and is a frequent speaker at industry events.

At St Paul’s, Jason’s family has enjoyed participating in Youth Choir, Children’s and Youth Ministry, and CAST productions. Jason has co-led a confirmation class, taught church school, and is currently an usher and member of the Adult Formation Committee. Jason is passionate about helping St Paul’s continue to grow in the 21st century!

Bonnie Gunzenhauser

Bonnie Gunzenhauser moved to Cleveland from Chicago in the summer of 2020 and quickly found a home at St. Paul’s. She is a relative newcomer to the Episcopal Church. Having been confirmed as a Methodist she then connected with ELCA Lutheran congregations following an undergraduate education at Luther College.

An English professor by training, Bonnie moved to Cleveland to take a job as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at John Carroll University. She currently serves as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at John Carroll.

At St. Paul’s, she sings alto in the Senior Choir, practices her orthography with the St. Paul’s "Episcospellians" in the annual Reaching Heights Adult Spelling Bee, is a regular at Bellwether retreats, and generally appreciates the music, liturgy, preaching, and people at St. Paul’s.

Elizabeth (Betsy) Hockey

Betsy is a recently semi-retired pediatric Physical Therapist, working at Rainbow Babies’ and Children’s Hospital for her entire career. She has been especially focused on working in the Oncology Unit with children diagnosed with cancer or blood disorders, including Hemophilia. She spent 5 years on the National Hemophilia Foundation’s Board as a Physical Therapy representative for Ohio, Michigan and Indiana. She continues to volunteer with Hemophilia clinics and Rainbow’s HOPE program (Healthy Outcomes, Positive Energy), a program to encourage children who have had cancer, and their families, to be active and engaged with peers. Additionally, to stay actively involved with children, she has started tutoring at Noble Elementary School in Cleveland Heights.

Betsy has been a life-long member of St. Paul’s, and raised her family here. She was actively involved in the youth group growing up, which significantly impacted her career choice and desire to help others. As a teen, she went on one of St. Paul’s first mission trips, to England and Scotland; as an adult she chaperoned several youth trips to Harlan, KY. She was asked to attend one of the first Reading Camps at Pine Mountain Settlement School in Harlan, KY, which led to the establishment of the Reading Camp program that St. Paul’s has sponsored for the past 14 years. She has been involved with multiple groups at the church: Women’s Council, Eliza Backus Guild, Altar Guild, Reading Camp, and Loaves and Fishes, and she plays in the St. Paul’s Ringers Handbell choir. She is also awaiting confirmation to be St. Paul’s representative on the Open Doors Academy’s board of directors.

She is honored to have been nominated to serve on the Vestry at St. Paul’s during this exciting time of transition, and looks forward to helping the parish grow in faith and commitment over the next few years.

Cathy Albers (one-year term)

Cathy is an Emerita Professor from CWRU in the department of Theater.

At St. Paul’s, she is the head of the Tutoring Ministry (through Reaching Heights), a regular volunteer at the summer reading camp for ODA through St. Paul’s, teaches Sunday Church School in Workshop Adventures, helps with the Christmas Pageant, is a lector and chalice minister, a volunteer with Loaves and Fishes, and is a regular participant in the Bible study group and her foyer group. She attends the 9:00 or 7:45 service.

The Vestry thanks members of the Nominating Committee for their work:

Andrea C. Turner (Chair), Charlie Jones, Amia Wheatley, Jason Chance, and Carla Williams Kaufman.

Vestry Members who will continue in 2025 are:

Lloyd Bell (Treasurer), Karen Carter, Bob Fox, Ben Keck, Brian Murphy, Bob Quartell, Susan Quill, Michele Smolin (Chancellor), Andrea C. Turner, and Nancy Vitale (Clerk).

Per St. Paul's bylaws, additional vestry nominations must be submitted in writing with signatures of at least 15 qualified voters by Tuesday, January 14 (12 days before the Annual Meeting). Please email nominations to Sam Hartwell, Senior Warden: [email protected]

Vestry Nomination Form