Saint Mark’s Vestry

The vestry is the governing body of the parish and consists of 15 members of the parish who are elected by the congregation. It is the vestry’s responsibility to be the final decision-making body that hires the rector, approves the parish budget, makes parish policy decisions, and spends the parish’s money on mission, ministry, and maintenance.

The vestry consists of a senior warden, a junior warden, and a youth warden (high school age), each of whom are elected by the parish for a 1-year term. The other 12 members of the vestry are elected for 3-year terms, normally with four members elected each year. At its first meeting in each calendar year, the vestry appoints a treasurer and a clerk. The treasurer and clerk are not voting members of the vestry by virtue of being appointed to office.

The rector presides at meetings of the vestry, which are held on the first Tuesday of the month. In the absence of the rector, the senior or junior warden presides.

Mark Drew, Senior Warden

Mark Drew, standing for election to his second year as Senior Warden, says he finds the position to be challenging and satisfying. “Taking on the role of Senior Warden has been a life-changing experience for me. Quite busy at times, but I’ve rarely been so happy to be so busy,” he said.

Mark is an assistant professor and director of graduate education in the Department of Microbial Infection and Immunity at Ohio State University’s College of Medicine. He and his wife Joanne and children Fred and Matilda became members of Saint Mark’s when they moved to Columbus in 2008. Mark earned his PhD at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine; they joined the Episcopal Church in St. Louis while Mark was doing post-doctoral studies.

Mark has served as Junior Warden, has been a member of the Open Hearts, Open Doors and Stewardship committees and has enjoyed singing in the choir. He also is active in the Mark’s Men, a social and service group. Music, movies, cooking (especially barbeque), and photography are his favorite ways to spend any extra time he can find.
For the Drews, “Saint Mark’s is a place we have become rooted in. In it, we have acquired a whole new family that we love and that loves us back.”

Leslie Winters, Jr. Warden

Leslie Winters is a long-time resident of Upper Arlington who started attending Saint Mark’s about 10 years ago. She was looking for a church with values more consistent with her own and found that home at Saint Mark’s. Leslie found the congregation to be welcoming and quickly became involved in the Outreach Ministry.

In 2016 she was asked if she would consider running for the Vestry and agreed to stand for election. She served on the Vestry from 2016-2019 and found that, in addition to being a way to give back, it was a wonderful opportunity to get to know people of the parish she would not have met otherwise. Leslie returned to the Vestry in 2021 as the Junior Warden. One of the pleasures of that role, in addition to making new friends within the Vestry, has been working closely with our Rector, Senior Warden and Treasurer, each of whom provides wonderful perspectives on the issues facing the church and imparts their wisdom and spiritually in ways that may not have been considered. It has also been an opportunity to develop a greater understanding of the facilities, budgets and needs of the parish.

She currently co-chairs the Outreach Committee, serves on the Flower Guild and participates in the knitting ministry. Her role in Outreach also allows her to work with the migration ministry. Leslie is a retired attorney who served with public entities including Ohio State University, Rickenbacker Port Authority, the State Personnel Board of Review and the Ohio Attorney General.

Lukas S., Youth Warden

Martha Belury

Like many active people, Martha Belury can find room for another project, such as serving on the vestry. She has served previously on vestries at Saint Mark’s and at the Episcopal campus ministry of Purdue University.

“Saint Mark’s is part of my living and part of my community, from fellowship to worship to refreshment. As a member of our parish, it’s my turn to give back,” she said about wanting to return to the vestry. She also has served as a chalice bearer, on the Stephen ministry team and as a teacher with Children and Youth Formation.

Martha enjoys Saint Mark’s because of “the people, the worship traditions and God. My sons, Mathias and Andrew, were choristers, members of the youth group and grew up in Saint Marks. My sons are now young adults. I am praying that at some point, they, too, find a church with the red doors.”

Martha is a professor of nutrition at Ohio State University, where she teaches, mentors graduate students and runs a nutritional physiology lab; she is president-elect of the American Society for Nutrition, the oldest and largest nutrition-research society in the world. In her spare time, she and her husband, Jim, bike on trails in Ohio and surrounding states.

Cheryl Boop

Cheryl Boop is a pediatric occupational therapist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, where she is a clinical lead for the OT, PT, and Speech Therapists who work in Homecare. Cheryl and her husband, David, have been members of Saint Mark’s since they moved to Columbus in August, 2013. They currently live in Grove City. Cheryl is a member of Saint Mark’s choir, and served as a representative to the Diocesan Convention this past November. She is excited for the opportunities ahead of us as Saint Mark’s welcomes its new rector! She is the daughter of a minister and a church organist/choir director. She is a member of Outreach, Flower Guild, as well as Saint Marks’ knitting and book groups.

Anice Ellis

Anice and her husband Michael (an Episcopal Priest retired from the diocese of Maryland) joined St Mark’s in 1997. Anice has served on several vestries and is a former Sr. Warden. She is active on the Outreach committee, Supper Group and Sacred Conversations group. She is a lay reader and is eager to assist St Mark’s to grow in love, service and fellowship in Christ.

Betsy Gillespie

Betsy Gillespie might be most recognizable in her Saint Mark’s Choir robes. Now she’d like to become more active in the congregation.

“Serving on the Rector Search Committee helped me deepen my engagement with Saint Mark’s and learn more about its community. After the work of the committee ended I found myself wanting to continue my service. I have served on nonprofit boards and work in the non-profit sector, and I feel that experience will be relevant to vestry service,” she said.

Betsy is charitable giving director at Friendship Village of Dublin and has worked in philanthropy since 2007. She holds a music degree, has been a teaching artist in opera and has served as a school music teacher. She participates in the Contemplative Prayer group and supports her daughter’s participation on the Canterbury Choir.

“Saint Mark’s has become a second home for me and my children (Madalyn, 10 and Gabriel, 5). We love this community and feel loved and supported within it. It’s especially meaningful to be a member of a church where children are respected and included, and my children feel like full members of the Saint Mark’s community.”

Judith Grant

Judith Grant has been a member of St. Mark’s since 2017. Raised Roman Catholic, Judith converted to the Episcopal faith in 2000 at St. Hugh’s of Lincoln Church in Idyllwild, CA, where she sang in the choir. She moved to Athens Ohio in 2003 to be a political science professor at Ohio University. There she was a member of the Church of the Good Shepherd where she served on vestry and sang in the choir. At St. Mark’s, Judith has organized a weekend prayer retreat (2019 and 2020), participated in adult formation. When her work travel to Athens permits, she participates in Sisters in Faith and Sacred Conversations. She was a delegate to the Diocesan Convention in 2019. Having a special interest in Christian meditation, prayer and the Franciscan tradition, she especially loves the blessing of the animals and the Taizé service, and visited the Taizé community in France in 2019.

Jody Hess
Variety appears to be the spice of life for Jodi Hess. She worked as a dietician before switching careers to become a stay-at-home mom for her four children. Her volunteer work has included her children’s schools, USA Swimming, Y Swimming, Boy Scouts and Voicecorps Reading Service. Also, in the past couple of years she has put her love of cycling, hiking and camping to use part time at REI Dublin.

Jodi was raised Episcopalian and has been a member of Saint Mark’s for about 15 years; she serves as a lector and a Stephen Minister. She has served on the vestry in a previous parish. Also at Saint Mark’s, “Under (organist-choirmaster emeritus) Gary Garber, I was the Canterbury Choir Mom for many years. I was responsible for fundraising and put together two pilgrimages to the National Cathedral and spring trips in the off years,” she said. “Saint Mark’s has allowed me to raise my children in the Episcopal tradition.” Jodi, her husband, Steve, and their family live in the Hilliard area.

Bruce Johnson

Saint Mark’s has been the church home for Bruce Johnson, and his wife, Michele, for 30 years. “We were made to feel welcome from the very beginning and the warmth of the welcome has never faded,” Bruce said.

He has returned the favor: singing in the choir for more than a decade, a lay reader, chalice bearer, trustee of the parish endowment fund and a member of the Marksmen. He has served on Saint Mark’s vestry twice previously and also served on vestries in Columbia, SC and Ann Arbor, MI. Plus, he is “Exalted Scheduler” (Bruce’s term) of the parish Golf League.

Bruce retired in 2014 as a professor at Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law. He said he is interested in returning to the vestry because “assisting in the governance of Saint Mark’s is an important way to serve this parish and its members.

“I have liked the four rectors (each very distinct) I have known here, its liturgical style (not too high, not too low), its wonderful music, its architecture (very good mid-century modern), its gardens and, above all, the people of Saint Mark’s.”

When it comes to serving Saint Mark’s, Barb Keyes’ response is ‘yes.’ Barb has been a member of Saint Mark’s for nearly 40 years; this would be her third vestry term. In her previous term she also held the posts of junior and senior warden.

“You’ll usually find me around at most things going on in the parish,” she said. That includes Outreach activities, Altar Guild, Flower Guild, Sacred Conversations, book groups and more. She said she’s excited about the future of Saint Mark’s: “Despite the Covid restrictions I have watched Saint Mark’s adapt, change and grow to meet the needs of the congregation. I am so proud of how we have pulled together to keep Saint Mark’s active.”

“I find the people of Saint Mark’s caring and resilient. We adapt to situations with a smile and hard work. I love that we are able to reach outside our walls and help others through all our outreach projects. We check on each other and are there to help when needed. The lasting friendships I’ve made here at Saint Mark’s are a great joy. Saint Mark’s is a wonderful, vibrant place to be.”

Julia Johnson-Davis

Julia, her husband Scott, and daughter (Charlotte) have been members of Saint Mark’s since 2014, enjoying the neighborly feel of St Marks as well as the music and youth programs. Julia is a cradle Episcopalian, raised in San Antonio, Texas, received her BA at Austin College in Sherman, Texas and MBA at University of Texas at Austin, then moving to Columbus in 2003. She serves on the 2nd Sunday coffee hour team and volunteered with VBS, and Charlotte is in the Canterbury Choir. Julia is the Director of Financial Planning & Analysis at the Wasserstrom Company. Scott teaches math at Olentangy Liberty High School, and Charlotte is in fifth grade at Tremont Elementary in Upper Arlington.

Barb Keyes

Bill Mayr, Communications

Bill Mayr is retired from the Columbus Dispatch, where he served in varied reporting and editing positions. He has served as finance chair and president of the parish council in a Catholic congregation. He and his wife, Barbara, have lived in Columbus since 1986; they have two adult children

Irina Reed, Formation

Irina and her husband, George, joined Saint Mark’s in 2007. They relocated from Akron, Ohio where they attended Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church and were married in 2004. Their son Alex was born in 2010 and is currently in his second year in the Canterbury Choir. Irina works at BMW Financial Services in Hilliard in an IQS Team Leader role. Irina volunteers in the nursery and is a Christmas Pageant Director. She is looking forward to serving in Children’s Formation ministry as a Vestry member.

Roman Skoracki

Roman, together with his wife Laura and their two sons Lukas and Alexander have been members of Saint Mark’s since 2015 shortly after moving to Columbus. While he has enjoyed participating in worship and helped in and around the church, he has not held an official office at St Mark’s. Laura has served on the vestry and both Lukas and Alexander were members of the Canterbury choir and Lukas has since moved on to the adult choir. During weekdays Roman is a professor at the Ohio State University within the Department of Plastic Surgery with most of his time spent at the James, performing reconstructive surgery for cancer patients. He hopes that he will be able to contribute to the St. Mark’s community especially in this time of transition.

Officers Appointed by the Vestry

Each year, the Vestry appoints a Treasurer and a Clerk. These officers are not voting members of the Vestry by virtue of being appointed to office.

Phil Glandon, Treasurer

Phil and his wife, Lynn have two married adult sons. PJ, his wife Grey, and their three daughters live in Gambier, OH. Kyle lives in Normal, IL with his wife Lacey and their two daughters and one son. Lynn is a retired pre-school teacher and Phil is retired after selling the battery pack manufacturing company that he started in 1982, Nexergy, Inc.

A cradle Episcopalian, originally at Saint Stephen’s on the OSU Campus, he joined Saint Mark’s after his family moved to Upper Arlington in 1962. He has been a member ever since and has known every Rector of St. Mark’s. His father Jack Glandon was a former Senior Warden, Chairman of the Endowment Fund Trustees, and Search Committee chairman. Phil followed in his father’s footsteps and has also served in each of those positions. In addition, he has been an usher for over 30 years, and has been our Treasurer since 2017. He is also an Endowment Fund Trustee.

Barb Hyre, Clerk